And the choices and decisions that you make all have a consequence. And if, if we're going to go down that path of misinformation, then the consequences are gonna not be in our best interest. Ultimately, if we choose the path that leads us to truth, then we can be assured that the outcomes and the fallouts from our choices and decisions will be more in line with what we truly desire. Do you feel like you're stuck in a rut in life or in a dead end job with no progression? I'm Jerry Dugan and welcome to Beyond the rut, the podcast that offers you the motivation, inspiration and practical tools to help you build a life worth living. My show is here to help you break free from your limitations and find a path to success. Join me as I share encouraging stories and actionable advice on how to get out of your rut in life and create a vision for your future. Life is just too short to live stuck in a rut. Here we go. That, hey, what is going on ru our nation? I just want to let you know we're going to have a special guest on this episode. Branch is Sole uh Branch is a retired entrepreneur. He's a poet these days and he shares the Christian insight and perspective through poetry. So if you're new to a Christian faith or you're curious, his books can help you and, and he does it through pros, gets you thinking about relationships, get you thinking about connecting with others. In this episode. We're going to be talking a lot about work life balance as well as being your true self. You know, in today's day and age, there's a lot of pressure to be somebody. You're not in a public platform like social media. Well, what does that do to us? How does that rip us apart or make us feel lonely versus being our authentic selves and connecting with people? So that's what we're gonna be talking about. The things we have to gain when we shed our masks, be our authentic selves, become who you are meant to be and finding success as an inside job. So grab a notebook, sit back, relax, get a pen too so you can take some notes. Here we go. All right. Hey, Branch, how are you doing? Good morning Jerry. It's great to see you. Thanks for having me on. I've been looking forward to our time together. Awesome. Yeah, same here. I mean, we, we met on a platform called Pod Match. Uh and folks this might be the year that you hear Pod Match. Over and over and over again because I've met a ton of great people on there. Branch is one of them and uh you know, just a quick shout out to Alex Sanfilippo. Uh He came up with the idea of what would happen if you took a podcast directory and the idea of a dating app and you put them together and they had a baby pod matches it. So, uh branch was one of the folks with a guest clients. Uh I also have a guest client. Uh So that's how I'm connected with a lot of shows that I'll appear on this year. Uh And, and so, yeah, with that, you know, as a host, you got screen through a lot of folks. So for Branch to get here, I just want you all to know I screened somewhere around 90 people. Actually, it's more like 40. Uh But I like to exaggerate. Uh But I screen a lot of folks, I look at their websites, I look at their social media presence, I look at their books, I look at some interviews they've done or listened to them. I look at, if they have youtube presence, I look at that and if all that looks good and their message aligns with what we talk about here on Beyond the rut, then I say yes, let's do this. And so branch, uh not only am I honor to have you on the show? Uh I just wanted the audience to know you went through a lot of criteria to even get me to say yes. And, and that goes for everybody who's on the show. Uh It's so, so thank you for, for uh enduring that process and being patient for me to go through that. No problem. Thank you, Jerry. That's best introduction I've had in a long time, right? He was the best one we could bring you. Uh But a lot of people don't realize that's what goes in, like for, for a show to get in the top 2%. Now on listen notes, uh, one you got to have staying power and be around for as long as the show has been around. But, um, you, you're also careful about who comes onto the show and, and like you said, before we hit record, this is all about bringing value to our listeners and help them see their ruts and live beyond that rut. And, you know, I was just looking at your, like, life history and your, your bio and you've, you've had some careers and, um, you know, they, they range from being a, a teacher. Uh, you worked in corporate sales and marketing. Um, you, you've authored 22 books and you're still going, you're, you're like, it doesn't sound like you're stopping there and somewhere in there you found the time to start five small businesses or at least partner with five small businesses. Um, so when it comes to like work life balance. What would you say is like the biggest thing that you've run into when it came to challenging your idea of work life balance and how, how do you look at work, work life balance? That's kind of like two or three questions all at the same time. Go for it. Ok. Well, you know, we, we all are in that space, right? We all have a life and a big part of our life is that career, the job uh preparation for that pathway. And then we get on it now, what? And you know, especially today with our technology and sort of the stress and pressures that we all face in our act in a world. Um There's a balance that has to be struck and it has to be struck between who we are at work, who we are at home and for believers like myself, you know, who we are outside of ourselves, that is who we are with the Lord. And I have found that, you know, because we are born into the world and we are of the world. That's our primary focus. You know, how do I get ahead? How, what do I do in my life? That's satisfying, fulfilling. And of course, because we embrace and strive for the things of the world, the world sort of embraces us back or sometimes entraps us and there's nothing wrong with that. However, we are also along with our humanity, we are also a spiritual being. And for a lot of people, you know, that's not active. They, they put it on the back burner, you know, they think about it or turn to a source outside themselves when they need relief from a problem or troubles, you know. Um I, I did something and man, it was really a mess up. Come on, Lord, get me out of this place. So because we are so tactically invested in the world and the world's rewards, we downplay that spiritual part of ourselves. And in either case, whether you go all in the world's way, are all in God's way, there's no balance there. And when we are out of balance, then our focus is, is not balanced and where our focus is not balanced, then we are, we are sort of stuck into that place and it's this balance that keeps us whole, you know, without that balance. Um We don't have time for our career and our families and ourselves and our Children and our neighborhood. And so that's the struggle we face today is how do I compete? How do I stay ahead? How do I get ahead in this world and all that it offers? And yet, how do I have the time from the other things that are important in my life as well? And that's the importance of balance and that's why it's so critical that we try and get to that place of balance. Yeah, I hear a lot of folks talking about, um, you know, and these are folks who've found their success, you know, whether it's Trevor Noah. Recently I heard him talk about work life balance with, uh Johns Hopkins University. I've heard a number of other folks kind of say the thing, same thing when that was, there is no work life balance. There's only life, life choices. And I'm like, I don't know, I don't, I don't know if I buy it to that only because when they describe what they're talking about, it's exactly what you just mentioned. And that's, you know, if I choose to pursue the growth of my career above all else, and I'm not aware of the rest of the buckets in my life or the circles in my life or the pillars, whatever you want to call them, I'm beyond the rut. It's faith, family, fitness, finances, and future possibility. So if I pursue the future of my career to get those finances, but I'm not pouring time and effort into my faith, my spiritual life, I'm not pouring time into my marriage and being a father to my Children that starts to take a toll. So, yeah, those are life choices being made. But I'm also not balancing out the rest of my life with a specific focus and, and so I love that you bring that up. It's like, you know, if you do pursue one thing, if you chase the dollar and you're chasing the, the multiple hours needed at a regular job to get the overtime or to get noticed. Then it's gonna take a toll somewhere else in your life. It could be your physical fitness, it could be your marital relationship. It could be the connection you have with your kids. And so that work life balance really to me. And it sounds like you're saying the same thing. It's that realization that yes, I can go pursue the dream. And I also need to be cognizant of the things that also matter, my family, my faith and my health. Uh Am I hitting the nail there? Am I getting it? I think you're right on top of the guesses. OK, you've got, we've got to, you know, before the industrial revolution, people's primary goal every day was survival, right? Food, shelter, clothing, not being um attacked by an adversary or some wild animal. And back then it was family. And then how do you provide for your family today? It's totally reversed, right? It's all about OK. How do I provide for my family with the physical comforts of life? And how do I continue to get ahead? You know, we live in an age with technology now that everybody is tuned in and turned on 24 7. And I think that it's sort of a travesty that our job environment has us connected 24 7. You know, when, when you used to go home and before technology in the fifties and sixties and the seventies, uh, you might take a, some homework or something that you had to do for a job. But when you went home, your family time at least was viable. You sat down, you had dinner and you played with kids for a while. You talked to your spouse for a while and then you did what you needed to do for the next day. Now that we're connected 24 7, you know, and we're virtually on call 24 7 from work and we're responding to those calls, it never ends, right? And when we live that lifestyle of pursuing the things of the world, then all of those things, they have a responsibility associated with them. And so every time the, every time the phone rings, every time the email comes in, you know, we stop what we're doing to answer that and every minute that we spend reengaged in our work life is time. We don't have someplace else, but it becomes our habit. You know, it just becomes our natural or if I answer this email, you know, then I can get that inch ahead that I need to get a hand. So it's all about focus and it's all about, you know, where am I gonna put my time? That's the, that's the kicker. It's only 24 hours in a day and that time has to be allocated. And if we don't allocate it with some balance. To the things that we claim are important in our life, then those things are gonna leave our light. I mean, you know, if you've been through a failed relationship, if you've been through a divorce, if you've been through a downsizing at your work, if you don't know who your Children are, uh, don't interact with them in their outside activities. Every one of those choices is detrimental, not only to our physical health but to our mental health. And, you know, that's a lot of the reason that we have a world out of control and societies that are not. Well, um, you know, I, I was just watching this thing on the, uh, Idaho murders on, on day. Yeah. And they were talking about the, the background of the killer and it's interesting that, you know, he was bullied and kind of those overweight kid in school and didn't have any friends and his response at least visually was interesting because I thought not pierce a guy like Berkowitz and, uh, and so many others who they got this dark passenger as Dexter would call it. But here's someone who went unknown or was abused in some manner growing up. And this is his choice to become infamous in, in his day and time even to get cost in his life or life in prison. And that's a, a pretty tragic mental state to be in and yet, and yet you know, the life we live, um has everybody clamoring for that, that number one spot, that celebrity position, that idolized effort. And we, we're, we're fed that and sold that and bombarded with that every day, especially in social media and the internet. And so we have people who are reaching out in very heinous ways and activities in order to gain that kind of notoriety. And uh it makes for a dangerous world And that's what happens when we have people who are out of um you know, they, they get focused on this laser intent to be famous for whatever reason and it it can cause them to do very harmful and dangerous things, not only to themselves but to their families. You know, every instance like this news, it not just him and the people that he killed, look at the ban he did in their families, to the community there for the Moscow, for the community that he came from in Washington, his family. I mean, when we do these kinds of actions, the harm is not only to our ourselves, but it ripples out into all of our life and all the people who are engaged in our life are somehow affected. Yeah, it's like that pursuit of some other person's sense of success or a society sense of fake success. There's a, a Netflix documentary called Fake Famous or maybe it's on HBO, but it's out there on a premium service somewhere fake famous and it's this whole phenomenon about becoming a social media influencer. And uh it, it owns it specifically on Instagram and the use of fake accounts and bought services to help boost your numbers. And, and the idea being that um a couple of things, one, a lot of the images that you see of like here I am on the Riviera or here I am at this luxury hotel and it's like somebody's backyard and they're really in like a kiddy pool in like six inches of water and it's just all about camera angles and makeup and uh and so that's the fake part. It's like, you know, trying to create this persona that I've made it at a young age. Look at all the things I have, the material things that I've gained and the hope is to get some notoriety to get some things in return like fame and connection and, and all of it fake and, and it, it makes me think about. Um So you let me get a copy of Crucible's uh the refinement of the neophyte Christian. So uh if, if you're a new Christian folks get a copy of this, uh it's uh a poem based book, 52 poems. And the very first one is the one that resonated with me called above and below. Um And I, I even like, you can't see my notes branch, but I've got it like highlighted and underlined here. Uh So for many. It's about material goods and efforts to acquire more stuff for far too many. No matter how much still it's never enough. And I was like, wow. Yeah, that's in essence the rut that a lot of our listeners face. You know, they pursue that career, they pursue fame at the job, they pursue the job title, the Six Figure Income, the house in the neighborhood, they start keeping up with the Joneses with their cars and, and you know, their clothing and it's almost like in the pursuit of what they think is success. They're really just putting themselves into an elaborate prison in a sense. And you're talking about this, uh this gentleman, I wouldn't call him a gentleman, but this person in Idaho who killed and took the lives of four other people who should not have had that happen to them. It, you know, he was pursuing some sort of sense of power and it, it culminated in a very, very horrible crime, a very tragic one and it ruined at least four families, maybe 1/5 if we count his own. But then how many of us also kind of do that to our own families without killing anybody. We're pursuing power, we're pursuing money, we're pursuing fame. And when we get there, it wasn't enough. I, I talked to a lot of executives on this show even that, you know, they pursued those things. You started and partnered with five small businesses. You've probably faced it yourself. Um Now, why is it that we pursue these things if in the end we get there and we realize it's not enough. And what do we do about it? Well, that pursuit is our, our natural instinct, you know, um as I said before, before the industrial revolution, the pursuit of the day was basically survival. Now that we don't have that need as great in our lives, some of us and still a lot of people on that subsistence, survival level. But for a lot of people, especially in the Western culture, you know, we buy into this fame and fortune model. Uh That's sort of how we're raised, especially in this society that we live in, that you are, you know who you are perceived to be. And that's why we have so many people today who leave the house in the morning and don that mass that they want the world to see, even though deep down that may not be. They really are. You know, that's a struggle every time we look in the mirror, am I seeing who I am? Who I know I am inside or am I seeing who I want the world to see me as and right there, we've started, you know, down that path of uh not the best mental health position. And so we walk out the door, put on that mask and go through the day injecting who we want to be. And who we want others to see us as when in reality, you know, that is not who we are because we all have insecurities. You know, we all face our daily interactions with other people and life is all about relationships and interactions. We face those interactions, trying to hide those insecurities and trying to hide, you know, our fear of rejection and our fear of failure. And yet unless we overcome those things in a mentally healthy way, they're always there. It's like you've got to put down that old baggage, right in order to move ahead. And as long as we drag that old baggage along with us, whether it's from relationships or from our career, uh whether it's from our Children. If we're stuck in that place, if our past has such a grasp on us that we can't grow, then all we're left with is to dawn that mask and try and show the world who we wish we were, but not who we really are. And I would even say and add to that, that the mask that we're putting on isn't just the, the persona we want to put in the world. Chances are that persona is what we think the world wants and expects from us so that we could be so that we could fit in, be accepted, be put on a pedestal. Uh because that, that is a mask that, that is truly not the person's true identity and that's different than you your actual story because I, I found out before we started recording, like branch is sole, isn't your given name, but it is the identity that you're given and uh and the calling that you have. And so there are those who, who have that where uh like the name changes and we see it in the Bible as well, like uh Jacob becomes Israel that the right one. Right. Yeah. Do the math real quick. I'm like, yeah, that's I got that right. And and you had that calling that you're going to be the branch and um and is so stands for something but that that's an identity. That's not a mask, that's a, this is my calling. This is who I am. This is what I need to do for the world to change. Um And and but what you're talking about though is somebody puts that mask on because they think success is I drive a Tesla that I wear a tailored Armani suit that I, you know, pay $200 to have a specific hair salon. Do my hair for me uh that I wear a certain type of cuff links or a Rolex and and these are like very material things. Nothing wrong with having those material things. But I think if you're pursuing that and you think that your value and your worth come from these status symbols, then you're really, you know, you're looking for an elaborate mask to put on because you don't like what's on the inside and it sounds like what you and I are on the same page with, is that really if you want to find that success and your purpose in life, it's an inside job. And if you want to find that work life, balance that where you get the success in your career or business, you also got to balance it with your pursuit for family, uh your pursuit and your faith and those require inside jobs to be able to pull all that off because you got to know who you are and what you stand for, I think to be able to say no to the things that get in the way of that. Um Morris with um you know what that you mentioned, you know, the influential part of especially social media and stuff, regardless of how many followers or fans a person may have, the reality is in their real life. They only have interactions with a limited number of people. And you know, those are the people that we should be trying to have our influence with are the people who are important enough to us to require or need our time and our interaction. But again, we live in an age of celebrity and this equation that the more fans I have, the more followers I have, you know, the more popular I am, then the more money I will make and just like you had mentioned in that uh fake fame uh scenario that show, you know, this is the, this is one of the real shady areas that we're about to face in the future. Is this manipulation of media, right? Just because we are seeing or told something, the truth, may it be 100 and 80 degrees different? And when we are so heavily invested in our information or misinformation as the case might be from the media, whatever the avenue may be. And if that's what we believe and take to heart, then we're easily let astray. And you know, one of my focuses at this point in my life is uh end times. And last Danes study and revelation of prophecy and or some of the things that are going to need to take place as biblically prophesized, they're gonna involve a lot of media manipulation to make people believe certain things and then keep them believing those certain things. And as we see every day, no matter what industry you're in, no matter what your, you know, personal relationship or family situation is, uh we can be easily led astray and then continue to believe the lie or the misinformation. And that's what takes root in our heart. And when that happens, we fail to see the truth that's right in front of us. And the results of the choices that we make take us down that different pal that has pressure, stress, struggle and conflict associated with it. So this manipulation of media and our desire to be inundated by that media when we're not sure which is the truth and which is the fabrication, you know, only feeds into that insecurity that, well, I don't want to be wrong. I don't want to be rejected. I don't want to look like the fool. So even though I know better and I know that this choice is not in my best interest, you know, I'm balancing that in that dialogue in my head and I keep going back to that place. Well, this is what I believe to be true. So I'm going to go ahead and jump the shark and, but both feet in when deep down inside, I know that that's not right or that's not the truth. And this is this constant, you know, inundation of media and believing the fabrications when we know that that's not the truth. That is something to think about. I know we won't have the time to dive into it on this. But I mean, yeah, isn't there like somebody's gonna come along and claim to be God or like I save the world? Uh And it's going to be like, wait a sec. What? Uh and, and a lot of us may not pick up on it and be like, yeah, he did save the world. Let's get behind this guy. Um You know who that is, who that will be. I have no idea. None of us really will until the person shows up. Um, I think I just figure if I'm around when I see an earthquake that takes out what, a quarter of the population and I'll be like, all right. Ok. Oh, yeah, we, we're here now. We made it, I'm here, uh, the times and I joke about it only because, you know, I read to the end of the Bible and it's like, oh, yeah, there's a new heaven and new earth and hopefully I, I, you know, truly believe and I follow the right guy and I don't get duped and uh I get to see the new heaven and new earth. So that's, that's my hope and it's me sharing my personal story, everybody. Um So we talked about a lot of things we talked about uh work life balance. We talked about how technology can suck us in it. And uh you know, by now I think a lot of us have heard that like our, our mobile devices and the apps that we play with, especially social media are really designed to have us addicted to them. We didn't talk about that branch and I, but um hopefully you've heard about that and, and recognize, you know, if we have a phone in our pocket and that's for me too. Uh we are addicted to it because every time we open it and we get to interact with that device, there's a dopamine fix. Uh But then there's also what branch has talked about. There's the, that, that, that sense that we've got to be on call at all times for our job or our business. Um And then, you know, seeking that fake fame, that false sense of success versus who you really are. And, um, and then we, we, we dabbled a little bit talking about the end times here. Uh branch. Uh Is there any piece of practical advice you want to give folks to help them? Uh Maybe you start to separate from being plugged in all the time. Like how, how can we stop being plugged in 24 7? I know it's as simple as saying, don't be plugged in all the time, but um you know, somebody may not realize that they're doing it or what specifically has them being plugged in all the time. Wow. Well, I have two thoughts. The first one is in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet Polonius says to his son Laertes who th I know self be true. And this is a fundamental core idea that once you embrace it, you start to understand that, you know, the path you choose and the choices and decisions that you make all have a consequence. And if, if we're going to go down that path of misinformation, then the consequences are gonna not be in our best. Ultimately, if we choose the path that leads us to truth, then we can be assured that the outcomes and the fallout from our choices and decisions will be more in line with what we truly desire. My other thought is and everyone should know this and understand this, but we often overlook it as long as you've got that cell phone in your pocket and it's on. Um, there are people in this world who can track your movements and can listen in to what you're saying and what you're texting and we see it in other countries. We've seen some of it recently in this country. And when you don't have privacy and freedom of privacy, then you can be at the end of that poll or that handle prod that can be used against you by those in authority. So just be aware that the more you are connected with technology, the more the people of power and authority in this world are connected back to you. And you know, one of the things that one of the real negative things I think with this advance in technology is people are willing to give away lots of personal information. You know, we see this with revenge um sites and and spam sites when you are voluntarily giving information about yourself and your family and your work and your income. When you give that away for free, it can be used against you. So that's my only two thoughts. Nice. Nice. Now, I know you and I are connected also on linkedin. Um Tell us if somebody wants to reach out to you. Have you speak at their events or connect with you to have them on your podcast. Uh Where can they find you, Jerry? Thanks so much for asking. It's real simple. Um Just Google, my name, all my podcasts, all my books, my website, my youtube channel, uh everything I write everything I've done. Even some of the negative things are on Google. So um that will connect you, you know, with ways to get my books that are available to all the usual suspects, Barnes and Noble, Apple Amazon. Uh You know, I'm out there. That's just the easiest way to make that Google connection and that will lead you to connecting with Bing Awesome branch. It was great to have you on here and uh I look forward to staying in touch with you and staying connected for the years to come. Thanks. Can I say one more thing? Yes. Final word of wisdom. If you're listening to this podcast and you've enjoyed what we've been talking about, do me a favor. Go to the platform you're on give Jerry a great rating and review so you can keep bringing guests that have your best interest at heart. Awesome. I love that. Uh I'll then email you right now. Ok. Awesome. Thank you so much. Well, I hope you like that conversation as much as I did and you know, early in the book, early in the book, earlier in this episode, I talked about the five F s and using the Five Fs of faith, family, fitness, finances, and your future possibilities as a way to measuring your success and creating the success that you have on your heart. Not what somebody else is telling you if you want to dig in deeper. I have an audio book I give away for free, uh titled Beyond the Rut. Create a Life worth living in your faith, family and career. Oddly enough, it's the same title as this podcast. Weird. Right. Now, if you want a free copy of that, just go to beyond the rut dot com slash audiobook. Now, if you love to get your books and consume your books in the written format, uh you can get the e-book book or the paperback off of Amazon. Just go on to Amazon type in Beyond the rut. You're gonna see that book pop right up. Uh If you're a kindle unlimited reader or subscriber, you can do that as well. Now, the show notes for this episode, you can find it beyond the rut dot com slash 361 and there will link to Branch's works, his website, his linkedin profile and uh related episodes to work life balance. Now, I'm glad you joined me in this episode and I look forward to joining you again in the next episode. But until next time, go live life on the rut. Take care