Celebrating 50 Years

Summary

In this episode of the Catapult Effect podcast, host Katie Wrigley reflects on her 50 years of life, sharing valuable lessons learned along the way. She emphasizes the importance of resilience, the significance of relationships, and the universal truth of love. 

Katie discusses the futility of blame and revenge, the regrets of inaction, and the gift of health. She encourages listeners to embrace their desires, speak their truths, and consider other perspectives. The episode concludes with a reminder to keep fun alive and harness the power of a positive mindset and energy.

Takeaways

• You are not a starfish; you have limits.
• Prioritize your relationships; they give life meaning.
• Love is the universal truth that fosters wellness.
• Blame and revenge lead to regret; choose forgiveness.
• Regrets often stem from inaction rather than action.
• Health is a precious gift; take care of it.
• Desires indicate readiness; focus on preparation.
• Speaking your truth can bring relief and connection.
• Understanding others' perspectives fosters empathy.
• Fun and play are essential for a joyful life.

Resources:

Website
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LinkedIn
Facebook
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Credit: Tom Giovingo, Intro & Outro, Random Voice Guy, Professional ‘Cat‘ Herder

Mixed & Managed: JohnRavenscraft.com

Disclaimer: Katie is not a medical professional and she is not qualified to diagnose any conditions. The advice and information she gives is based on her own experience and research. It does not take the place of medical advice. Always consult a medical professional first before you try anything new.

Transcript

Katie Wrigley (00:01.806)
Welcome back to the Catapult Effect podcast. I am your host, Katie Wrigley. So today is a special day in my life. It is my 50th birthday. What? I keep doing the math too, I know. Yep, 1974 was actually 50 years ago. It doesn't feel that way. What I wanted to do with this episode though is I wanted to take...

the lessons, the biggest lessons that I've learned over the last 50 years and share them with you so that you can apply them into your life and help benefit from them the same way that I have. I've seen other podcast hosts do the same and I've seen others that I really enjoy following to do the same and I've gotten so much at the end site in their birthday episodes and so I wanted to do the same and I'm going to trust that this is going to be helpful to you today as well.

So the first thing that I have learned, you are not a starfish. You are resilient and you have limits. Unlike starfish, we cannot regrow a limb. We cannot regrow an organ once it's gone. We have limits. This also means that the body can handle a certain amount of damage that's done to it, but with

out things to mitigate that damage, is going to turn into disease, distress, pain. So you want to keep that in mind with anything that you're doing. Balance out anything harmful to the body with healing restorative practices. And if possible, also minimum minimize the damage that you're doing to your body as well. And remember that even though you are an incredibly resilient human being, you are not starfish.

Second one, and this is probably, these are in no certain order. They are just in the order they came to me. Your people are what make your life worth living. Whoever they are, however many of them you have, the people and the relationships in your life, that is what is giving your life the most meaning. And so it makes sense to prioritize those people and it could be so easy.

Katie Wrigley (02:23.278)
to not prioritize people because we all have things we need to do, right? You have a job, you have bills to pay, you probably have your own family to take care of as well. Well, that family is your people. Those kids, those can be the most rewarding human beings that you ever interact with and that is all directly up to you. Pay attention and spend time with the people in your life and when you are with them, please put your phone away.

out of the room, out of sight, be present with them. Others will start to see that, they will start to put their phones down too and really connect with you. Prioritize your people, you will not be sorry. That is what is giving your life so much meaning. Number three, this kind of goes with number two, love really is the universal truth. Now I've heard this said a lot of ways over the years and I've seen it be true over and over and over again.

And within Cognitive Movement, the founders Bill McKenna and Liz Larson created something called the Love Position. And when your eyes are in this position, your body cannot help but just be in the experience of unconditional love. And there's little things that we do to help encourage the neurology to get into that position. But once you're there, it's impossible to feel stress or fear or anxiety.

or grief or anything else when you're in that love position. It really is the universal truth. And the more that you tap into that, the healthier your mindset and your body is going to be. The more you love yourself, the better overall wellness and health you are going to have. The more you are able to love other people, the bigger your heart is going to get, the more expansive it is going to get. And they are doing so much work with the HeartMath Institute around

the science around the heart. am a newbie. This is not my wheelhouse, but I encourage you to reach out to the HeartMath Institute to find out more science around this universal truth and just how powerful your heart is. It is an incredible organ. It is not only sustaining your life, but the emotions connected with the heart are the most powerful in the world. And really think about it. Like it is love coupled with adrenaline that gets the mother to be able to lift a car.

Katie Wrigley (04:47.35)
when it's on her toddler. It is love combined with adrenaline that allows us to have these superhuman powers but none of that happens when the love isn't there. And it can be love of a human being. That is what allows first responders to be able to do what they do. It is a love of what they do. A love of fellow human beings that helps us create these miracles. Love is huge. Don't underestimate it. And the more you can cultivate it for yourself and in your life,

the more fulfilled you're gonna be. Number four, blame get you nowhere. Same with revenge. It may feel good in the moment. It may give you some place for your mind to go. It may give you something to do. And at some point it's gonna feel like shit. So just know that. Especially if you take an act of revenge on someone else, it may be satisfying in that moment. But when your anger has dissipated,

there's a good chance that you're going to regret it. You don't want to take action when you're in a place of blame or you're in a place where you want to make someone hurt. That is not the time to act. You know, I've heard the expression a lot and I'm sure you have too. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Well, I think part of the reason behind that saying is by the time it's cold, you don't actually want revenge anymore. And as a side note to that, if someone is

carrying a grudge and a desire of revenge over years and is waiting for a chance to retaliate, that's a red flag in that person's character. Just saying, I've known a couple people like that. They're actually kind of scary people and you may have the same experience, maybe not, but if you are someone who has been waiting for years to take revenge on someone, just check yourself for a moment, what is this giving you or what is it actually doing to your body?

because you're in this place of blame and just wanting to retaliate and wanting to hurt because you're hurt. If you really want to let that go.

Katie Wrigley (06:55.02)
Let yourself heal it. Work towards forgiveness. That is what is going to give you that peace. It's not taking revenge on someone else. That is not going to give you the peace that you think it's going to give you. Healing it and allow it to be released from the body, that is what's going to make you feel good again. I promise. Next one. Number five. This kind of goes at the last one. You truly do regret the things you didn't do so much more. Revenge is not included in that, just to be clear.

And test me on that, really. Get out of that urge to have revenge. But seriously, when we look at regrets, it is so much more the stuff that we didn't have the courage to do. That is the stuff that we regret. Now, it doesn't mean that we don't, man, I regret drinking that much last night. I regret having sex with that person. Yes, we can absolutely regret the things that we've done. But as I look over the last 50 years of my life, where are the biggest regrets?

It is in the things that I didn't do. It is in the decades of my 20s and 30s where I was so insecure that I could not let anybody see me. There were so few people who had the courage, who had the perseverance, who had the love for me to get through these ridiculously thick walls that I didn't even know I had up.

And I regret on so much that I missed out on in those years when I still had all the pigment in my hair and I still had all the collagen in my skin and I still had a faster metabolism and all of the things. I hadn't started losing any bone loss or any of that yet. I regret what I didn't do. I regret that I didn't take better care of my body. I regret that I did not love myself. I regret the actions.

that I took because I didn't love myself. So yes, there is pieces of actions I took that I regret, but those come overall from where I didn't take action. So do that thing. Talk to the person you have crush on. The worst they're going to say is no. And get used to hearing that no. It's going to make you stronger. It may suck at first, but it will avoid so many of their regrets that you will stock up.

Katie Wrigley (09:15.214)
by not going after it. So I remember one case in particular, and I'm talking to all of you out there who are dating who have a crush on someone and maybe you think you're not good enough for them and I want to challenge you on that. So this happened 16 years ago. This is the power of regret guys. So he was someone who went to my gym and I was really overweight at the time. Like I think I weighed about 30 pounds more than I do now and I'm about average size now. So I was fairly, fairly overweight.

and very, very very self-conscious about it, especially because I had been working so hard to try to lose weight and it wasn't happening. Well, what this man saw that was relayed to me through my trainer was that he was actually impressed by my perseverance because I would be at the gym before him and I would be there after he left. And he wasn't looking at my weight and I didn't see any of this for a long time. But there was one day I was working with my trainer at a time I didn't normally.

And then I went over to the grocery store across the street after that. Well, he raced after me to be in the grocery store with me. And I still didn't pick this up as a sign of interest. And I just thought, I'll see him again. And when I see him again, then I'll ask him out. I never saw him again. And I still wonder, I still remember his name. And I still wonder what would have been different if I had just mustered the

balls to ask him if he wanted to get a cup of coffee sometime. That's all it would have taken and this guy may have been incredible today or he may not have been but I have no idea. Instead I am left wondering what may have happened. So take that chance, take that risk, go for that person. Respectfully of course hearing their boundaries and go for it. All right the next thing this is a big one number six health is a gift.

you do not realize how much your health matters until you have lost it. And as someone who has lost good health and now regained it, this is something that I am really, really guarded and very, very passionate about, not just for myself, but for you too. Having good health, being born in good health is a gift. Not everybody gets that. Some people are born with chronic and permanent conditions.

Katie Wrigley (11:36.682)
that they are just going to be with for the rest of their life and there may be things that they can do down the line depending on what their mindset is but for the most part if you aren't born in good health it's going to be more of an uphill journey than it is for other people and when we are not preserving that health we are not holding on to it you are going to have a point where you're going to regret that in time and wish that you had taken better care of yourself and

Everybody has a different threshold for how much they can feed into their health. Mine is very very high again because I've already lost my health. So I'm very committed to doing whatever I need to do to keep my pain levels at a zero, to keep my sleep solid and to keep my mind in a very healthy place. Health is not something that I will ever take for granted again and there's times where I'm just overcome with gratitude that I was able to

to reverse so much of the damage that I did to myself and allowed to have happen to me. So I want to encourage you to really be mindful of your health and do what you need to do to preserve it and listen to your gut with that. Be your own advocate. All right, next one, number seven. If there is something that you desire and you don't have it yet, you simply are not ready.

This is something that I recently picked up from Ryan Holiday and I am finding it so energizing and motivating to look at that because instead of the focus on what you don't have, if you're trying to build your audience, if you're trying to go for a certain job, if you're going for a grant, if you're going for a man or woman or other person that you are desiring, if you want to move, whatever it is that you desire, if you do not have it yet, this is not a punishment to you.

It is the universe trying to let you know, hey, you aren't ready for this yet. And that's beautiful because now that gives you opportunity to turn around and go, okay, what do I need to do to be ready for this thing that I desire so much? And now, now your focus is on the solution and what you can do to make this happen for yourself. And isn't that one of the most empowering things you can do?

Katie Wrigley (13:59.902)
shift that focus to yourself because the only things in this world you can control are your actions your responses and You can also learn to control your thoughts your emotions all of those things with more practice and That is where the power comes from when you have the power and the courage to change yourself That is where you change the world and you create it to be the world that you

want it to be. So you are living in the world you desire with the people around you that you want to have around you. So for instance, let's say one of the things that you're looking for, I'm going to stick with the dating theme again, is you really are ready for a life partner and you don't have one. So what that means is the actions that you have been doing in alignment with that goal aren't actually in alignment yet. So you're going to want to shift your actions

so that you are more likely to start to create this life partner that you want to have in your life. And so that's a case where you can say, okay, what I've been doing now has not been attracting the partner to me. What do I want to do? What am I willing to do to shift into those actions to find that partner? And what you may find is maybe you're not ready yet.

Maybe you're not willing to give up some of your alone time or some of your routine because you're still getting so much out of it. You're not willing to give that up for anybody yet and that's okay. Honor that. When you are ready, you will take that action and you will continue to take the actions to turn into that person who is ready for that love partner, who is ready for the intimate relationship.

Number eight. Speak up. Tell your truth. It doesn't have to be someone else's truth. Allowing your truth to go out there into the world can give your body some of the biggest relief you've ever felt. I've experienced this repeatedly myself. I don't remember if I talked about this on another episode or not, but historically the months of August through

Katie Wrigley (16:14.548)
October and usually around Halloween in October is a tough time for me to be in my head. I'm not really sure what the origins of this are but even after all the work that I've done it's a tough time for me to be in my head. My mood takes a dive and I find myself battling depression. Well I never told anybody that truth about me until this year because in part because I've done so much work I was kind of embarrassed that I hadn't been able

to shift this part, like in every way, shape and form, I am functioning at much higher, healthier levels. And I still have this two month gap where it's a little bit harder to be me. But here's what happened. And the same thing will happen for you too when you vocalize your truth. When I spoke into a safe group and said, hey, I really struggle with my mental health this time of year. You know, I've never said that before. And person's like, thank you for sharing.

And what kept you from sharing this before? I was like, I don't know. I think part of it was denial. Part of it was shame. And I'm not really sure, but it felt important to put that out there into the air. And here's what's happened. This has been the easiest August through October that I've ever had in my head. Ever. Ever, ever, ever. When you speak your truth, the universe will respond.

and it will support you. And there is this amazing thing that happens when you can accept where you are and you can put it out there into the world. And sometimes it can just be as easy as looking at a trusted person and looking them in the eye and saying, look, I'm not going to take any drastic measures, but I'm not okay right now. And let that person be there for you. Speak your truth.

And if your truth is that you are brimming with joy and excitement and you're afraid that that joy or excitement is going to make someone else feel bad, let that joy and excitement out. Speak those truths. Speak your joy. Speak your excitement. Share it with people who are going to enjoy it with you. Celebrate yourself. Be in that truth. Speak it. Your body, your neurology will thank you. Number nine.

Katie Wrigley (18:41.88)
Consider the other perspective. This is a big one right now. We've got an election next month and just a few weeks actually as this episode airs Looking at the other perspective and I brought politics in there on purpose not because I'm gonna get political but this is a good time to start to practice this and again, I'm not getting political but what I see as the goal with both of the parties They want the same thing

We want a better country no matter what party you're a part of. We both want to improve America. We just have very different ways of how we think we can go about doing that and what that looks like. But the goal is actually the same. And when you can start to take, now bringing it back more on a microscopic scale, more personal to you outside of the presidential election coming up, but when you can start to look at that other person's perspective, it can be so much easier.

to be able to connect and navigate any conflict that's going on. So let's say someone's hurt your feelings or maybe you've hurt someone else's feelings and you didn't intend to. Put yourself in those shoes for a moment and let go of your intent. Listen to the words that you had said knowing the intent that they took it with and can you understand that intent?

And the importance of looking at the other perspective is it's going to help you pause. It's going to help you have compassion. It's going to help you have empathy. It's going to help you have more connection to that person that you're talking to when you can start to consider the other perspective. It doesn't mean you have to agree with it. You get to keep all of your beliefs. But as humans in this country, we are getting more and more divided because we have lost.

the ability to see the other person's perspective. So try to bring that back and you again, you don't have to agree. You can think they're wrong and still look at all the things you love about that person and don't lose sight going back to one of the earlier points about love being the universal truth. Don't lose sight of all the reasons you love that person. Don't let the software writers

Katie Wrigley (21:03.762)
And the other bad actors out there pull you apart from the people you love because you have lost the ability to look at other people's perspectives. Intentionally try to bring that and cultivate that and put it back into your life. You will not be sorry. It is going to open up your mind. It is going to open up your heart and it's going to help you connect again. Going back to the earlier point, your people are everything. They're what is bringing so much love and value into your life. Number 10. Got just a few more.

Have fun. Don't stop playing or moving. We don't get old because we've aged. We get old because we stop giving ourselves permission to have as much fun. We decide that we're too old to do something. We're too old to do this. We're too old to do that. Screw that. Go do what feels fun. Of course, within reason, I'm not talking about at the expense of other people's feelings, but go do something fun and who gives a shit how old you are?

So some friends and I, we did this rope obstacle course that is called Monkey See Monkey Do, kind of a child focus. And it actually has a whole bunch of kids in their late teens and early 20s. I guess they are technically adult while they're really young. And there are some teenagers there too. And here we are in our early and mid 50s and a couple of us are in our late 40s. But we're going to this rope obstacle course as these middle-aged women. And we had a friggin' blast.

And it was so much fun, we're actually going back and we're doing it again this weekend because we had such a blast because we let go of our age. We decided that we just wanted to have fun. Keep having fun. Laughter is one of the best things that you can do for your body and enjoyment. It's going to break apart that stress. It's going to help your mind get off of whatever is bothering you. Give yourself that break.

Go have fun, keep playing. If you have kids or grandkids, get on the ground if your body still lets you to and play with them. Roll around with them on the ground. If you have a pet, roll around with them on the ground. My dog goes nuts when I get on the ground with her. She loves it. And it immediately makes me giggle and start to feel young when I do that. So try to play more and have fun and enjoy your life. You only get one shot at it, at this existence. Make the most of it and bring as much happiness and joy into it as you can.

Katie Wrigley (23:27.158)
All right, last two points. Your mindset is your greatest superpower or it is gonna be your strongest kryptonite and it is up to you what you do with your mindset. One of my favorite quotes, there's actually a couple of them that go with this. One is by Henry Ford, whether you think you can or you can't, you're right. Your mindset of deciding whether you can or can't do something, that's gonna be the biggest indicator in your prognosis, in the outcome, in the end result.

your mindset above all else is the biggest indicator. And whether you think you can or you can't, that's going to dictate it. You're going to find evidence that supports whatever you believe. So believe something in alignment with what you want and make it happen. If you are continually telling yourself you can't, you're stuck, you're not good enough, and you're not doing things to try to work through those bullshit patterns that are not true,

You are going to be using your mindset as kryptonite. I'm speaking to this from someone who's been on both sides of it. My mindset used to be my worst kryptonite. I thought that I needed to be in pain to be a good coach. That is crazy now. I have so much more energy now that I'm not in pain. But look at what your mindset is. Where is it kryptonite for you? And where is it your superpower? And go more into the activities that make it your superpower. And then the last point.

Energy is within everything. Energy is everything. We had an earlier episode several weeks ago with Carrie Moffat and she's actually written two books that it's all about energy and it's still all about energy because it is all about energy. Energetic alignment, energetic synchronicity, higher energy levels is where you get bliss, joy, peace, lower energies are where you get stuck in shame, guilt,

anger, fear, they are real. And what's beautiful about it is when you focus on those lower negative energies, you will release them. And when you focus on the higher, more positive vibrational energies, those will get bigger. So that means the more you focus on joy, the more you focus on peace, the more you focus on bliss, the more you have. Whereas the more you let yourself process and feel that shame,

Katie Wrigley (25:51.982)
The more you let yourself process and feel that guilt, the less shame and guilt you're gonna have. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode today. I'm gonna go ahead and wrap up. I will be back again next week with another amazing guest. And as always, I thank you so much for taking your time and watching the show or listening to the show that can actually help.

shift and make changes in your life in a positive direction. You have so many choices of what to listen to on the internet and I thank you so much for choosing to tune in here. Have a wonderful day and until next week, please be well.