Limitless with Nathan Jovanelly

It has been my lifelong mission to get one of our dearest friends on an airplane.  She is in her 40s and has never flown before, which has been a topic of conversation for the entirety of our friendship.   This past week we flew to Mexico and she loved it.  Not just the destination, but also the plane ride.  That is the motivation for my quote from Author Judy Blume who said, “Each of us must conf...

I cannot believe it has been one hundred Monday’s already.  Typically I would have a quote on discipline or consistency, but I am actually super excited about the timing of this episode because I am going to dedicate this time to the woman that makes me a better person every day.  My rock, my stealer of covers, my best friend, and my travel companion.  The woman who my kids get their generosity, t...

We live in a world where being “busy” is considered to be a sign of success.  However, what are we busy doing?   Henry David Thoreau put it this way, “It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants.  The question is:  What are we busy about?” Instead of being busy try to be more productive.  Here are a few adjustments anyone can make to increase productivity. Stack Habits - Habit stacking is when yo...

This weekend I was hanging out with a self-made business investor and advisor in the mountains somewhere in Utah.  We where sharing stories and I was trying to learn as much as I could during our short time together. He was telling me about some advice he gave to the high school football team he coaches.  And it was this simple. “It is better to act than to be acted upon.” People who act build, cr...

I have been thinking a lot recently about what drives me. I want to unlock a way to consistently get the best out of myself, but what exactly does that mean? The quest to reach for the highest that is within myself is why this quote from Zig Ziglar resonated so much with me this week.  “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not...

Change is hard and growth is uncomfortable.  You can’t improve if you are standing still, and if you are standing still the world will pass you by. Martin Luther King Jr. said it this way, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle." The context of the quote has to do with making progress in the civil rights movement, but the same logic appl...

Two weeks ago I gave some advice for 2023.  For those that didn’t hear that episode, my advice was simple:  Just Do It! The underlying theme is the fact that most people ultimately regret what they do NOT do, not what they HAVE done. Last week I started listening to David Goggins' new book “Never Finished” on my morning runs.  Goggins said something in the first chapter that really resonated...

I believe there are two types of people in this world; victims, and everyone else. As we head into 2023, don’t be a victim. Victims make excuses while champions do not.  Champions do not put themselves in a position where the outcome is decided by the officials or something outside of their control. As we head into 2023 remember this quote from Carlos Santana,  “Most people don’t have that willing...

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, happy holiday, and that you have a prosperous New Year!  I was asked recently what my advice is for 2023.  Last year I did the podcast on setting SMART goals (Episode #45). This year my advice is simple:  Just do it! Often people will not do something out of fear of regret, but the truth is we regret the things we do not do, not the things we have done....

Here are four things a Manager can do with their team to leverage the power of small wins to accomplish big goals. Establish a positive climate, one event at a time.  By taking a practical approach to problems and their causes with a coordinated plan of action you can give subordinates a sense of forward movement even when roadblocks occur. Stay tuned into your teams everyday activities and progre...

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” In my opinion the only real failure is not starting.   Often we look at big tasks and they paralyze us. And for good reason, they are intimidating.   This is a byproduct of the society in which we live. A society where everyone only sees the end result, and not the effort. A society where everyone wants everything now. The truth...

Research shows that when you make someone feel appreciated it helps them feel validated and seen. This is what connects us as humans. Showing appreciation and gratitude is also proven to improve physical and mental health in a variety of ways such as: improved sleep, lower blood pressure, boosted self-confidence, improved patience, reduced jealousy, increased optimism, and less depression. Not onl...

I went on a run today with my brother, in the cold and pouring rain.  It occurred to me while we were running that it was three years ago the pain started.   The pain that ultimately led to me having to have surgery on my lower back.     I was training for the Houston marathon with my brother this same week three years ago when lightening bolts down my leg started to become something that couldn’t...

When we started my last company, we had a performance dynamics consultant tell us that we needed to “Do Less Well”.  He said we were trying to take too much on and we were all going to fizzle out.  That we were busy, but we could be more productive. Nearly a decade later this has stuck with me.   In fact, I often think about how Elon Mush, Oprah, Warren Buffet, Jeff Bezos, etc. get some much done...

I currently run four miles every other day.  It is just what I do.     Like everyone else, there are days where I don’t feel like running.  Cold, rain, wind, travel, work, life, all seem like great excuses to do nothing.   Today in particular is a beautiful day, but I didn’t feel like running.  Like always, that is when my brian starts negotiating with myself.  That little voice in the back of my...

I was spending time with a friend this past week when he received an email that upset him.  His demeanor immediately changed.  Instead of enjoying the company and beautiful view from where we were, he was angrily typing a response. Everyone agreed.  Wait until the morning. I admitted to him that I historically I have zero avoidance, and therefore, waiting to have tough conversations (or send email...

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be again.” I know I struggle with being present.  Honestly, it seems to be an epidemic.  When we are with friends and family we are still so distant.  Often starting at our phones for the latest updates instead of spending the most valuable resource with each other, our time. In this virtual world it is so...

I have coached youth sports, particularly baseball for about 14 years now and countless  seasons.  Anyone who is wondering why it is so hard to get coaches and umpires has either never been to a youth game or is woefully out of touch.   Just remember what it is about and that "It isn't always about winning; sometimes it is about doing what is right." Welcome to the Limitless Podcast...

What is your pebble? As you set out to reach your goals and climb the mountains of life, make sure you don’t let little things derail you. Often when we have our sights set on the mountaintop we can easily overlook the little things that ultimately bring us to our knees. Muhammad Ali said, “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” It can be the little...

In business and life, I strive to be a person of action. Instead of talking about what I want to do, I just go for it and let the results do the talking. Still, it never hurts to be your own biggest cheerleader. After all, if you don’t do it who else will? The same is true for appreciation. What I mean by that is it never hurts to back up your action with words. Sometimes I find myself in a positi...

Live abundantly . . .  I wear a bracelet that I made that says “grateful”. It was part of an exercise we did with our kids last Thanksgiving where we asked each other questions to find a word that defined us.   People ask me all the time in my business who my competitors are. Anyone who knows me knows I will say “no one”. While there are companies like ours, I don’t think any of them do exactly wh...

It is rare that I have trouble deciding on a weekly quote to explore on the podcast because I have too many in mind.  Typically I either know exactly what to say, or I have to spend time in quiet reflection thinking of inspiration from the prior week. This week I had trouble deciding because there are so many quotes I want to unpack.   Often times we measure ourself with someone else’s measuring s...

We have all heard it before . . .  “If you do what you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”  They used to say this quote every day on the morning announcements when I was in high school. I prefer the quote from George Lorimer, “You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction.” I already knew the theme of the podcast thi...

What is success? The story of the Mexican fisherman reminds me of one of my favorite Tony Robbins quotes, “Success is doing what you want to do, when you want, where you want, and with whom you want, as much as you want.” I have yet to hear of a better definition of success, so this is the one I use personally. In the story the investment banker doesn’t think the fisherman is successful because he...

The entire process of nature and is an integrated process of immense complexity.  Therefore, it is impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad because you never know what the consequences of good or bad fortune will be. We often are looking at an isolated event at a singular point in time.  This prevents us from having perspective.  Events that seem bad today may come to...