[INTRODUCTION]

Hal Elrod: 

Hello friends, and welcome to the Achieve Your Goals podcast. I’m your host, Hal Elrod. And today we are delving into a topic that many of us may find difficult and even controversial. But I believe it is vital. And that is moving forward after the 2024 presidential election. Now, in full disclosure, I recorded this episode last week, the day after the election. And I happened to be really sick at the time. In fact, I’m just now getting over it. So I’m still a little under the weather. But at the time my head was kind of cloudy. And so I asked two women in my life, my wife and my Chief of Staff, Tiffany, who has worked in me for eight years. They both know me well and I hold their opinion in a very high regard. So I asked both them to please listen to the episode and give me their honest feedback. And they both agreed that what you’re about to hear, that it’s an important message about accepting reality as it is taking personal responsibility for our lives and focusing on what we can control. And they agreed that it’s important, it’s universal for all of us, regardless of who we voted for.

And they also agreed that I delivered it without much empathy, that I moved quickly, especially for those who may be struggling with the election result. Now, I believe that we all have superpowers, aspects of our character or skills that we are exceptional at. For example, empathy is a superpower for some people. They’re able to deeply feel what other people are feeling and connect with those people. Unfortunately, empathy is not my superpower. It’s actually a significant area of improvement for me. So I apologize in advance if at any time you feel like I’m not being empathetic.

My superpower is accepting reality exactly as it is, almost immediately and being at peace with anything that is out of my control so that I can focus all of my energy on what I can control. That is the basis of today’s episode. Now, with Donald Trump being elected the 47th president of the United States, emotions are running high across the political spectrum. For those who voted for Donald Trump, winning the election represents a validation of their beliefs and a renewed sense of hope for policies that align with conservative values. Now, on the other hand, for those who voted for Kamala Harris, this result may feel like a profound setback. There’s a palpable sense of anxiety about what a Trump presidency could mean for critical issues. And I think it’s important that we acknowledge these concerns because they reflect not just political differences, but deep seeded, personal fears that people have.

Now, personally, I believe that most people vote based on the issues and candidate they believe will be best for themselves and their loved ones. I don’t think anyone votes because they want to harm other people. I’m sure there’s always bad people out there that are, you know, have whatever their intentions are. But most of us, most people, I believe are voting for who they believe is the best candidate. And for example, I know a woman who voted for Kamala Harris because reproductive rights were her main concern while her adult daughter voted for Donald Trump, because her primary concern is the possibility that her 20 year old son could go to war and potentially die in a war. That’s her biggest concern. Now, whether or not either of those is valid or true or comes to pass, I see both of those as very valid reasons based on what’s most important to each person.

Now, this mother and daughter, by the way, they are very aware of who each other voted for. They still love each other. They respect each other’s choice. Now, as someone who strives to serve all people, regardless of their political beliefs, I want to create a space in this episode where both sides can come together to accept reality exactly as it is. Take personal responsibility for ourselves and continue moving forward with our lives. And moving forward doesn’t mean that we have to agree on everything. It doesn’t mean that we can’t be upset. But it does mean we must accept reality and focus on what we can control.

Remember a message I’ve taught for years is that resisting reality is the source of our emotional pain. And wishing things that are out of our control were different, or hating other people because of how they voted, that doesn’t change anything. It only causes us to create and perpetuate our emotional turmoil and division amongst us. It doesn’t help us or anyone. I also want to remind us that as human beings we will always have far more in common than our differences of opinion might lead us to believe, than the news and the division that they sew, that that might lead us to believe as we navigate this complex landscape, let’s remember that our shared humanity is greater than our political affiliations. We all want a better future for ourselves, our families, and our communities. So, whether you are celebrating or mourning the election result, I invite you to take a deep breath. I sincerely hope today’s episode leaves you feeling better, feeling at peace and empowered to focus your energy on the things that you can control.

Now, before we dive in to the episode, I want to take a minute to thank today’s sponsor Organifi. Most of us could use more energy in our day, but caffeine can only do so much. At some point we need to look at the root causes of our fatigue. It turns out two main factors in low energy are chronic stress and lack of nutrition. Now, Organifi creates a delicious superfood blend that solves both of these problems. They use adaptogenic herbs and mushrooms to help balance cortisol levels associated with stress, and they make it easier to add more nutrients into your day. You simply mix a scoop of Organifi into water or the plant based milk of your choice and enjoy a natural boost of energy and mental clarity any time of day. If you want to improve your energy levels, go to Organifi.com/Hal, that is spelled O-R-G-A-N-I-F-I, Organifi.com/Hal, and use the discount code Hal, H-A-L, for 20% off your order as a listener of the Achieve Your Goals podcast.

And real quick, before we start, I want to read something to you. I just thought about this. There’s a family thread for me that my in-laws are on and my family members are on. And normally we’re sharing pictures of our kids and sharing pictures for the grandkids or the grandparents. And the other day it turned into a heated political discussion, right? And a lot of back and forth. And I didn’t realize my daughter, I didn’t think about the fact she was on that thread. But my 15 year old daughter ended up being the wisest amongst us all as she chimes in with the following perspective. She said, “Hey, y’all. I just want to add my $0.02 and say I love you all, no matter your beliefs or opinions. You are all my wonderful family members. And at the end of the day, we have to stick together and love each other. Regardless of our political, religious beliefs, etc.. I love you all so much and cannot wait for you to come to Texas to visit us. Let’s remember that just because America is super divided right now, does not mean that we as a family have to be. So, I’ll leave you with that as we move on to the episode itself. Whether you are celebrating or mourning the election results, I invite you to take a deep breath and listen to this episode with an open heart and an open mind. I love you so much.

[INTERVIEW]

Hal Elrod: Hello, friends, welcome to the podcast today. It is the day after the 2024 presidential election, and I know that a good percentage of our country is upset, maybe even distraught and afraid, and a good percent of our country, give or take, half on each side, of course, are excited and optimistic. And then there’s a percentage of our country that are indifferent, right? And I wanted to follow up on the election. I was actually going to record this podcast a day before yesterday, before the election, and just talk about some universal, timeless truths and paradigms that regardless of who wins the election, that we ultimately are responsible for our lives. And actually, I posted about that yesterday afternoon before the election took place.

By the way, I’m coming off of a cold or a sore throat/losing my voice yesterday, so apologize if I sound a little bit off today. But I was going to record the podcast beforehand and almost to make like a point, like, hey, look, no matter what happens, it doesn’t change how I’m going to live my life. And that’s not to minimize the impact that policies and that politics can have in our lives. In fact, I’m going to read you this post that I put up yesterday before the election again. And then, I’ll share some of the responses. And 95% were like, wow, thank you. This was so helpful. Or I think the same way or I needed this, but then some were really kind of upset.  It was a few, but there was probably handful, maybe five to seven out of 150 comments, I think, that said, “Hey, this is really tone deaf” or “my business is suffering, so your attitude doesn’t just change everything.” And I went back and I would reread what I wrote and I go, I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that attitude was more important than policy or president or whomever.

So, let me read you what I wrote, and then we’ll unpack it. It’s titled A Realistic Election Prediction. I believe I have a reasonable understanding of what’s at stake in today’s election and why people are rightfully concerned considering that the potential downside could be detrimental to our way of life in America. However. I’m also aware that I don’t control the outcome. And when I/we focus our energy on things that are out of our control, we feel out of control and experience suboptimal mental and emotional states, such as stress, fear, anxiety, depression, etc., which doesn’t help anyone.

So, no matter the results of this election or any other, remember that the power to create real change in your life comes from within. It’s not about who’s in office, it’s about the choices you make every day. While leaders may shape policies, they don’t shape our mindsets, they don’t shape our relationships, and they don’t shape our growth. Those are things that only we can do. And it starts with taking 100% responsibility for our lives and showing up at our relative best every single day.

If your life isn’t where you want it to be, no politician, no matter how inspiring or divisive, can fix that for you. Real transformation begins when we look inward and ask, what can I do today to experience and create the life I want? Think back over the last few years or think back over the last 10 years or 20 years. What aspects of your life, whether challenges or victories, have truly been determined by who holds political power? And how much has actually been within your own control? And let me pause and ask you to consider that. I’ll say this again. Think back over the last 10 to 20 years of your life. What aspects of your life, whether challenges or victories, have been truly determined by who holds political power? And how much has actually been within your own control? Your health, your physical health, right? If you’re exercising every day, if you’re eating right, if you’re working hard, if you’re getting creative and you’re adding value to the world, you’re starting a business, like, these are things that are up to us.

And I remember I used to be completely, like, not pay attention to politics at all. I started, I don’t know, I think four years ago in 2020, I’m like, stuff’s getting real. But I used to not really give it much thought, and here’s why. Because everything that I’m reading right now to you that I wrote yesterday, this is my belief, I’m like, I can’t control who gets elected. Like, yeah, I can cast a vote, right? I can be 1 in 300 million percent or 1 in 300% chance of making an impact, right? And I’ll take ownership of, yeah, I’ll cast my vote. But ultimately, I’m not in control of who gets elected. And so, my mindset was always, whoever’s in office, I’m going to do everything within my own power to create the life that I want and help those I love to do the same, help other people do the same. And it applied for the last 45 years of my life. And it applies to this day.

And if taxes are raised or lowered or rights are taken away, and I realize that for some listening, you might even be getting upset or getting triggered, you go, “You don’t understand, Hal. These rights could be taken away from us.” It doesn’t change that you are responsible for doing everything within your power in the midst of reality as it is. That makes sense, like that I’m not saying it doesn’t matter. In fact, let me finish reading this because I address some of this in the next few slides. All right, so the slide I just read, think back over the last few years. What aspects of your life, whether challenges or victories, have truly been determined by who holds political power? And how much has actually been within your control?

It’s not about ignoring what’s happening in the world, but about taking ownership of your life. Each of us has the power to change our lives through our daily habits, our mindset, and the values we embody. Imagine if, instead of relying on outside forces to make things better, we focus on making better choices ourselves. I’m going to say that again. Imagine if, instead of relying on outside forces to make things better, we focus on making better choices ourselves. How might that shift your perspective on life and empower you to move forward with purpose? Remember, the most important election happens each morning when you decide to show up, grow, and create a life of meaning, regardless of external circumstances. This is where your true power lies. Vote, engage, and stand up for what matters to you. But at the end of the day, let’s take responsibility for our own lives and inspire others to do the same. Let’s create a ripple of positive change starting from within that no external event can diminish.

And I’ll read through just kind of from the top down a few of the comments. Paul Morris says, “Focus on what you can control is the only way to get out of our minds and into action. No matter where we come from and what we start with.” Somebody else, logansneed_ said, “Finally someone speaking the truth here. It’s sad because these elections can take away people’s mental and emotional freedom because they are controlled mentally and emotionally on an election.” And then I like what wesleygoddard said here, “100%, we are all more alike than we are different. We all need more hugs. Today, no matter the outcome, hug your angry neighbor. It’s probably unprocessed childhood trauma that stokes all the hatred and anger. Starting from within is great advice, brother.”

And I don’t want to read you all these comments, but I could go on and on and on. I want to find some that were, I don’t want to say negative, just that were– so here, this person, therealdanabowen said, “Unless I lose my insurance since I got through the ACA as a small business owner. Or my small business goes under because tariffs cause the price of everything to skyrocket and my small business crumbles as a result of a recession. Or maybe my black husband and stepson will continue to be marginalized, along with my gay and trans family members and friends. Or maybe my future daughters-in-law will suffer from lack of proper care when they have difficult pregnancies. Tone deaf post.”

Okay, so therealdanabowen, if you’re listening right now, I really appreciate you being open and authentic and I can tell that everything that you shared, in fact, I’m curious what did I write in reply to her? I said, “Those are serious concerns, and I am sorry if my message conveyed anything other than encouragement to be at peace with that which is out of our control so that we can focus on what we can control. That was my intention.” That’s what I wrote back to therealdanabowen.

And that’s the point is, like, in 2008, I could relate to what Dana’s talking about. Like, the economy crashed. I lost over half of my income. I couldn’t pay my mortgage. My house was foreclosed on by the bank, right? I was depressed. I went from having a great credit score and being debt-free to swimming, drowning in debt, losing my credit. None of that changes anything that I wrote about in this post yesterday. It’s still our responsibility to make the most of this one life that we have regardless of who’s in office. That’s what this post is about. That’s what this message is about is, again, I know, roughly half of our country, of course, this is what they wanted, this what they voted for yesterday, for Donald Trump to be president, and half of the country voted the opposite, and again, roughly half.

But either way, think of it this way, let’s just say half the country to make the point. If half the country felt one way and half the country felt the opposite way, well, now, 100% of the country needs to move forward, right? And so, if you’re concerned that rights are going to be taken away with Donald Trump in office, and I have my own concerns about both parties, honestly, but around government in general. That’s a whole ‘nother topic for another time.

But in terms of government looking out for our best interests, I don’t know that that’s their top priority. So, again, another conversation for another time. But whatever your concerns are, we have to deal with reality, right? Meaning if a policy changes, if the economy, like the economy’s not been great the last few years, right? Inflation’s at an all-time high. I mean, there’s all sorts of pluses and minuses. We have to deal with reality.

And so, what I talked about in the post that I just read to you is that I’ll read this one slide. Imagine if instead of relying on outside forces to make things better, we focus on making better choices ourselves, how might that shift your perspective on life and empower you to move forward with purpose? So, this message today is for all of us, myself included. When I wrote my first book, Taking Life Head On!, one of the fundamental philosophies in that book was the moment we take responsibility for everything in our life is the moment we gain the power to change anything in our life.

And then when I shared that with my friend Jon Berghoff, he iterated on that. He said, actually, Hal, I would say that more accurately, it’s to the degree that we take responsibility for our life that determines the degree of control we have over our life. So, we take responsiblity for our life that today, no matter who’s an officer, who’s elected, I’m going to enjoy this one life I’ve been blessed to live. I’m going to make the most of it. I’m going to do everything within my power, within the confines or limitless abilities that I have. And that’s it. Like nobody, no human being, no matter what their position of office is, am I going to allow to have control over my mental and emotional well-being and every aspect of my life that I can control?

And I love Viktor Frankl’s quote that the last of man’s freedom– Viktor Frankl, by the way, the author of Man’s Search for Meaning, who was in a concentration camp watching his family members die. And he said, “The last of human freedoms is to choose one’s own attitude in any given set of circumstances.” And so, look to the point of the gal whose comment I read to you and there were other comments, like I said, there were a handful of comments that were like that, that were basically all coming from a place of fear and a place of pain and saying, oh, I just saw therealdanabowen responded quite a bit here. So, she responded to my message saying, “I’m so sorry if my message conveyed anything other than encouragement,” she said, “Hal Elrod, I know, but if what’s at stake is your livelihood and family’s well-being, it’s so hard to look forward without worry and fear. Everyone knows you are a good man.” I appreciate that, Dana.

And then Theresa Burns said, “Hal Elrod, I think it’s good to remind us that no matter what happens, we go through this every four years and will continue to every four years, so the best we can do is the best we can do and being our worst doesn’t serve anyone,” right? So, I think it’s important. And what may not have come through in that message that I wrote is empathy. Like, hey, if you’re struggling, like my heart goes out to you. And as someone who has struggled physically from my car accident, cancer, and these different things, and then financially and just in different ways, right? I’ve had challenges in my marriage, I mean, normal human experience, difficulties that we all go through. But it doesn’t change that you can’t always control what happens to you, but you can always choose how you respond. So, whether the guy in office is your worst nightmare, as he has for many, or whether you’re excited or you think this is a positive change that America needs, the message is universal that it is your responsibility and your opportunity. And I should say our, it is our responsibility and our opportunity to take ownership of our lives and make the best of the life that we’ve been given.

And so, this is going to be a short podcast. I just wanted to invite you to consider that, and if you want to, you can go to my Instagram account. In fact, if you don’t follow me on Instagram, follow me, it’s hal_elrod on Instagram. And one of my most recent post, it was again on Election Day that’s titled A Realistic Election Prediction. If you want to read the post, screenshot the images, maybe read through the comments. Quite a few comments got entertaining or encouraging group of comments. I encourage you to do that.

So, I love you so much. and let’s make the most of this one life that we’ve been blessed to live. And I’m going to keep showing up every week and recording this podcast. And I got some exciting stuff planned for 2025 in terms of shifting and improving the format of this podcast, bringing back a lot more guests. Kind of the second half of the year, I’ve done a lot of solo episodes. And like, one full disclosure, by the way, it’s challenging. Like, every week, I’m like, “Oh, my God, what am I going to talk about this week?” You start to run out of content and that’s why most podcasters bring guests on because you can only come up with original content so many weeks in a row, but I do my best for y’all.

So, I love you. I hope you’re well and keep your head up. Be optimistic. And again, you can’t change what’s out of your control, so don’t waste your energy focusing on what’s out of your control, wishing things were different, resisting reality, because remember, resistance is the source of emotional pain. Wishing and wanting that reality were different than it is, is what causes our pain. To the degree that we resist reality determines the degree of emotional pain that we create for ourselves. So, accept reality as it is. That’s your only logical choice if you want to be at peace and you want to be happy, and then make the most of this one life that you got it, you’ve been blessed to live. I love you so much. I will talk to you next week.

[END]