Lean into this mindset: Everyone is Doing the Best that They Can with the Resources that They Have. It’s surprising how useful it is to keep this in mind. It takes so much of the drama out of people and circumstances that are obstacles to you. Instead of indulging in the drama and responding to THAT, you can respond as seems best without taking most things personally. It’s a mindset for excellence. It also applies to YOU. Yes, YOU are doing the best you can with the resources that you have. In fact, you are very resourceful when you put your mind to it. We might worry that this mindset will encourage slacking-off. Yet what actually happens is we waste less energy on accepting what “is” and spend more energy on what “is actually possible.” It also feels great, which is not surprising because a positive outlook beats a negative one every time.

Resources

We mentioned past episodes on perfectionism, which we don’t want! See Episodes 79-81.

https://thmlcoaching.com/episode-79-barbie-you-are-perfectionanists/

https://thmlcoaching.com/episode-80-me-my-and-your-perfectionism/

https://thmlcoaching.com/episode-81-scripture-never-tells-you-to-be-perfect/

Contact Info

Text us: The Empowered Catholic Podcast: 612-208-9150

Email us: EmpCatholic@gmail.com

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Website: https://empoweredcatholics.com

Sometimes we lack IMAGINATION when we have given up in some area of our life. Imagination is the creative faculty for envisioning various possibilities based on what we know, perceive, or otherwise experience. When we start to think about ACTUALLY pursuing excellence and imagine what SPECIFICALLY may be involved, what is POSSIBLE moves into the realm of what is actual. Vague goals can be comforting because they are not an actual call to action. When we are stuck in some area we may be rehashing the same old options and are not using our IMAGINATION to think beyond our usual list of behaviors. VIRTUES are the pursuit of excellence, which helps us get to what is REALLY important.

Resources

We mentioned past episodes on perfectionism, which we don’t want! See Episodes 79-81.

https://thmlcoaching.com/episode-79-barbie-you-are-perfectionanists/

https://thmlcoaching.com/episode-80-me-my-and-your-perfectionism/

https://thmlcoaching.com/episode-81-scripture-never-tells-you-to-be-perfect/

Contact Info

Text us: The Empowered Catholic Podcast: 612-208-9150

Email us: EmpCatholic@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empoweredcatholicpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theempoweredcatholicpodcast/

Website: https://empoweredcatholics.com

Focus on excellence. Likely you are focused more on solving problems, avoiding pain, getting by, or putting out fires! That’s human nature. And we naturally resist change. And yet. And yet we crave freedom, opportunity, and beauty. Seeking excellence is so rewarding. Let it be more top of mind for you. What if you pursued excellence in one of these areas of life: Health; Family; Marriage or Primary Relationship; Spirituality; Personal Growth; Friendship/connection; or Career/Mission? What’s going to happen if you do? Why are you NOT? What’s not going to happen if you don’t?

Resources

We mentioned past episodes on perfectionism, which we don’t want! See Episodes 79-81.

https://thmlcoaching.com/episode-79-barbie-you-are-perfectionanists/

https://thmlcoaching.com/episode-80-me-my-and-your-perfectionism/

https://thmlcoaching.com/episode-81-scripture-never-tells-you-to-be-perfect/

Contact Info

Text us: The Empowered Catholic Podcast: 612-208-9150

Email us: EmpCatholic@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empoweredcatholicpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theempoweredcatholicpodcast/

Website: https://empoweredcatholics.com

Under one single cover, you can get the latest up-to-date science showing how and why science supports the truth and reality of Eucharistic miracles, the Shroud of Turin, and Marian visitations. It’s all in Father Spitzer’s book Christ, Science, and Reason, What we can know about Jesus, Mary, and Miracles. You can hear fascinating details in this lively interview! This is a great book that lays out the scientific details in a readable and engaging manner. Fr. Spitzter is a joy to listen to, so please join us for this episode!!

Resources

*Fr. Spitzer’s Magis Center for Science and Educational Resources: www.magiscenter.com

*Get the book Christ, Science, and Reason, What we can know about Jesus, Mary, and Miracles on Amazon or at Ignatius Press: https://ignatius.com/authors/fr-robert-spitzer-s-j/

Contact Info

Text us: The Empowered Catholic Podcast: 612-208-9150

Email us: EmpCatholic@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empoweredcatholicpodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theempoweredcatholicpodcast/

Website: https://empoweredcatholics.com

The Shroud of Turin is the burial cloth of Jesus. That seems pretty clear. There was some carbon dating in the 1980’s that said the Shroud wasn’t old enough but, after some freedom of information demands for the original data, we now know that 1980’s dating was flawed. And there are other dating methods that point to much older origins. We still don’t know for sure how the image was made. There’s no pigments, no dyes, no signs of liquid wicking into the fibers… The Shroud provides highly, highly detailed images of the wounds of Christ, complete with anatomical accuracy in every measurable aspect - even including anatomical and historical details that were unknown in medieval times. We’ve been reading Fr. Robert Spitzer’s new book Christ, Science, and Reason that has a chapter on the Shroud that goes into great detail on the most up-to-date info. There’s lots of other interesting stuff. In fact (spoiler alert), we will be chatting with Fr. Spitzer next week for Easter!

Resources

*Fr. Spitzer’s Magis Center for Science and Educational Resources: www.magiscenter.com

*Get the book Christ, Science, and Reason, What we can know about Jesus, Mary, and Miracles on Amazon or at Ignatius Press (Includes a chapter on the Shroud): here. https://ignatius.com/authors/fr-robert-spitzer-s-j/

*Scultpures of Jesus based on the shroud: here https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252551/the-first-hyper-realistic-body-of-christ-based-on-the-holy-shroud-is-on-exhibit-in-spain

*Shroud images and info: https://shroud3d.com/

Contact Info

Text us: The Empowered Catholic Podcast: 612-208-9150.

Email us: EmpCatholic@gmail.com

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Website: https://empoweredcatholics.com

Myers-Briggs Type Preferences (MBTI®) test is familiar to most of us. Do you remember if you are a Perceiver or a Judger? The MBTI measures certain metaprograms that you use. A metaprogram is your default style of responding to what is happening around you. If you want to get things done, to have influence, to be impactful, then you need to deal effectively with other people. You need to know how to communicate with them. To motivate them. To inspire them. Flexibility in your communication lets you be the person with the most influence in the conversation. Everyone has preferences for how they like to work, to process information, to get things done, and to organize their lives; in other words, everyone has certain preferred styles for dealing with their lives and the people around them. When you’re not “connecting” with someone, it’s time to change your style of communication to see what does connect with them. Doubling down on your own preferred way of looking at things is not a very good strategy and is likely to merely frustrate everyone.

Contact Info

Text us: The Empowered Catholic Podcast: 612-208-9150.

Email us: EmpCatholic@gmail.com

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Website: https://empoweredcatholics.com

Metaprograms are high-level patterns we run in certain situations. Introverts and extrovert are examples of different metaprograms. Sensing vs. Intuiting. Big picture vs details! There are many many metaprograms. We discuss several of them and it’s helpful to realize when you are interacting with someone who’s on the opposite page as you are. There’s an even bigger takeaway, however: we tend to judge people that are running the opposite program. For example, if you’re a big picture person, you are likely frustrated with detail-oriented people and call them names, like “nit-picker.” If you learn to recognize when others are running a different metaprogram than you, then you can tailor how you approach them to get better results. What can be tricky is that metaprograms just seem like “the way it is” to us. Sometimes we are getting annoyed instead of learning how to communicate flexibly.

Contact Info

Text us: The Empowered Catholic Podcast: 612-208-9150.

Email us: EmpCatholic@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empoweredcatholicpodcast

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Website: https://empoweredcatholics.com

How about a little affirmation? It might be easy to forget to tell people in your life what you like about them or what they are doing well. It’s so easy to focus on the negative! Or to be self-absorbed. Or simply to lose sight of pointing out what’s good. Compliments are great and telling somebody how much you love or appreciate them has an important place in the relationship. The kinds of affirmations we are talking about are more specific. Specificity helps the affirmation land with the listener, meaning it’s easy for them to internalize something that’s specific. A specific affirmation speaks for itself and sinks in because it’s pretty obviously true. We give some examples and more tips to make your affirmations on-point, easy, and joy filled to make your relationships stronger and deeper.

Contact Info

Text us: The Empowered Catholic Podcast: 612-208-9150.

Email us: EmpCatholic@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empoweredcatholicpodcast

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Website: https://empoweredcatholics.com