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Ever catch yourself saying, “I’ll be happy when I hit the goal”? Let’s break that loop. We dive into gratitude as a performance tool, not a consolation prize—how to be proud of the work you’re doing now while still chasing the next level. I walk through the mindset shift from delayed happiness to daily appreciation, and why that shift keeps you grounded, motivated, and hard to burn out.

We explore the moving goalpost problem: ambition expands your targets, which is healthy, but only if your gratitude expands too. I share personal stories from opening a gym to pursuing franchises, and how respecting the struggle made the wins mean more. You’ll hear how to reframe imposter syndrome by becoming living proof for those a few steps behind, and why specific, timely thanks to your “home team” and work team creates a powerful ripple effect. We talk simple scripts for acknowledging support, recognizing invisible privileges of progress, and using feedback—good or bad—to sharpen your edge.

The fire metaphor runs through the episode: each new level has its own heat, and fewer people choose to walk through it. That’s your advantage. Learn how to read the current season with perspective, audit the actions and inactions that built your present results, and draw a clear line between wanting more and doing the work that makes more inevitable. Gratitude in the grind won’t make you complacent; it gives you the capacity to carry bigger goals without losing yourself.

If this resonated, tap follow, share it with someone who’s in the thick of it, and leave a quick review with one thing you’re grateful for today. Your words help more driven people find the show and keep the ripple going.

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We share the two wolves parable and turn it into a practical framework for managing emotions, shaping identity, and making better choices. Small promises, repeated daily, starve the dark wolf and strengthen the habits that carry you through stress, fatigue, and doubt.

• the two wolves parable as a decision framework
• reactions over events and training your default
• defining “feeding the wolf” as repetition and attention
• catching negative loops and building reframes
• dark wolf patterns like avoidance and rumination
• light wolf habits: gratitude, courage, consistency
• drift, chosen pain, and non‑negotiable plans
• practice over wanting and evidence over affirmations
• micro decisions, daily reviews, and end‑of‑year resolve

Support the show

Thanks for listening & being part of the Mindset Cafe Community.
----------------------------------------------

Connect With Devan:
https://www.devangonzalez.com/connect
----------------------------------------------

Follow On Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/devan.gonzalez/
https://www.instagram.com/mindsetcafepodcast
Let me know what topics or questions you want covered so we can help you achieve your goals faster.

Send us a text

Pain shows up on its own schedule; suffering often arrives by invitation. We explore the “second arrow” mindset—an old teaching with fresh power—that separates life’s unavoidable hits from the self-inflicted loops that follow. I walk through why the first arrow is a fixed cost of being human and how the second arrow quietly taxes your confidence, focus, and momentum when you need them most.

Across real moments like missed promotions, ghosted texts, and blown deadlines, we map the difference between remembering and reliving. You’ll learn the concept of memory liabilities—ruminations that drain your energy—and memory dividends—lessons that compound into better systems and faster recovery. I share a simple four-step method to catch the second arrow in real time: name it, pause the mental movie, ask if it helps or hurts, and extract the lesson with one small system change. Think midweek checkpoints, earlier communication, or clear reminders that turn setbacks into training data.

We also talk identity and compassion. Past you didn’t know what current you knows. That perspective matters because the people who seem to “always win” still get hit by life; they just refuse to keep stabbing themselves afterward. The rule we build together is direct and doable: suffer once. Feel the first arrow fully, learn quickly, then move on lighter and more confident. If the loop tries to restart, run the steps again and shorten it with practice.

Ready to stop shooting the second arrow and start banking memory dividends? Follow the show, share this with someone stuck in a mental replay, and leave a quick review to tell me what system you’ll try this week.

Support the show

Thanks for listening & being part of the Mindset Cafe Community.
----------------------------------------------

Connect With Devan:
https://www.devangonzalez.com/connect
----------------------------------------------

Follow On Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/devan.gonzalez/
https://www.instagram.com/mindsetcafepodcast
Let me know what topics or questions you want covered so we can help you achieve your goals faster.