Heartfelt Headway

Over five years ago, I started a podcast to deeply explore the minds of human beings who, in my opinion, consistently display an appreciative and intentional energy while seeking higher ground.

I titled it “Grateful and Full of Greatness”because the best individuals I’ve met, interacted with, and studied seem to embody a polarity: grateful humility and relentless work ethic. 

Over 70 episodes in, my hunger to learn and share with these individuals has not run out. Quite the opposite, in fact… I feel we are creating a community of like-minded leaders who are making meaningful, heartfelt headway.

Gratitude is not just being thankful. It’s meeting what is as it is.

– Ryan Soave, licensed mental health counselor, coach, therapist, speaker & Chief Clinical Officer of Guardian Recovery

During Mental Health Awareness month, I feel called to elaborate upon this paradox: staying grateful yet relentless. How do we maintain an optimistic perspective when many inconveniences and a few tragedies may distract and upset us? What’s the point of choosing to pause with gratitude when there’s so much to do? Why not rest on one’s laurels, especially after a seemingly successful Spring season?

Heart + Head = Heartfelt Headway

The perfect answers to life’s most challenging questions revolve around, “It depends.” It depends on context. It depends on the situation. It depends on the day, the emotional weather, and the problem at hand. When leaders lead with their heads through their hearts, excellent execution follows.

Last week, I spoke to Simon Pagenaud at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We conversed about obsession, optimization, and what it takes to thrive in high-pressure situations. He reflected on his Indy 500 Championship in 2019 saying, “On the morning of the race, I had a feeling I was going to win. I had prepared for best- and worst-case scenarios. I focused on the details. And then, of course, during the race, I relied on belief.”

With sheer intensity, he described the 2019 race as if it was yesterday — how he didn’t listen to his team when they were calling for him to conserve fuel and the car’s tires… how he diligently and methodically performed his pre-race plan… and how a freak accident allowed him to partake in safety speed laps to conserve alongside the other drivers, which he explained as a spiritual happening.

I walked away from the conversation with Simon thinking to myself: “There’s a champion who relied on his head and his heart to win. Plus, God intervened on that monumental day in his life.”

When we compete without a plan, we lack appropriate attention to key details.

When we compete solely on how we feel, we are susceptible to emotional outbursts.

When we compete mindfully and heart-fully, we avoid careless heartbreak.

We cannot be careless, yet we must care less. We must care less about the outcome; instead, pouring our focus and passion into our unique process. Within one’s process, he or she engages in full immersion.

Negative thoughts fade away.

Stress becomes desirable, not just manageable.

We race our own race, freely.

If you know an incredible and inspiring individual who might be a perfect guest for Grateful and Full of Greatness, email us 📩

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Gratefully, 

— MG

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.