Beyond Hope Project with Jason Tharp

Embracing the Awkward: Navigating Personal Growth and Self-Discovery on the Beyond Hope Project Podcast with Jason Tharp

January 24, 2024 Beyond Hope Project Season 1 Episode 25
Embracing the Awkward: Navigating Personal Growth and Self-Discovery on the Beyond Hope Project Podcast with Jason Tharp
Beyond Hope Project with Jason Tharp
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Beyond Hope Project with Jason Tharp
Embracing the Awkward: Navigating Personal Growth and Self-Discovery on the Beyond Hope Project Podcast with Jason Tharp
Jan 24, 2024 Season 1 Episode 25
Beyond Hope Project

In this insightful episode of the Beyond Hope Project podcast, host Jason Tharp delves into the complexities of personal growth and self-discovery. He opens up about his own struggles, including obesity, self-hatred, and his battle with grade four brain cancer, offering listeners a raw and honest perspective on overcoming life’s hurdles.

Jason discusses the challenge of climbing the ladder of self-evolution, shedding light on the difficulty of changing ingrained habits and embracing new perspectives. He emphasizes the importance of accepting change and failure as integral parts of the journey towards growth. Throughout the episode, Jason explores the impact of hope as a catalyst for change, the necessity of letting go of the past, and the evolution of self and relationships.

He also touches on the significance of self-love and recognizing one’s potential, encouraging listeners to strive for more and embrace the awkward phases of growth. Jason’s message is clear: growth often feels awkward, but it’s a normal and necessary part of achieving success and happiness.

Join us as Jason shares his wisdom on navigating life’s challenges, redefining what’s normal, and the power of taking a chance on oneself.

CONNECT WITH JASON:

✩ Website - https://www.jasontharp.com
✩ BHP - https://www.beyondhopeproject.com
✩ Beyond Hope Project Podcast - https://www.jasontharp.com/podcast
✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wondervillestudios/
✩ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wondervillestudios
✩ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thepowerupproject?_t=8e4jxMT9QFP&_r=1
✩ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/beyondhopeproject

OFFICIAL SHOP & BOOKSTORE:

📚 https://www.jasontharp.com/shop

MEET JASON:

Hi, I’m Jason!
Ever since I was six, I knew I was born to tell stories. As a best-selling author, illustrator, and sought-after speaker, I've turned my personal battles with grade four brain cancer, obesity, and negative self-talk into fuel for transformation. My keynotes don't just talk—they spark potential, ignite creativity, and build resilience. If you're ready for an engaging experience that challenges the status quo and propels your organization to new heights, let's turn your 'impossible today' into 'possible tomorrow' together!

For more information or to partner with me - https://www.jasontharp.com/bookjason

Show Notes Transcript

In this insightful episode of the Beyond Hope Project podcast, host Jason Tharp delves into the complexities of personal growth and self-discovery. He opens up about his own struggles, including obesity, self-hatred, and his battle with grade four brain cancer, offering listeners a raw and honest perspective on overcoming life’s hurdles.

Jason discusses the challenge of climbing the ladder of self-evolution, shedding light on the difficulty of changing ingrained habits and embracing new perspectives. He emphasizes the importance of accepting change and failure as integral parts of the journey towards growth. Throughout the episode, Jason explores the impact of hope as a catalyst for change, the necessity of letting go of the past, and the evolution of self and relationships.

He also touches on the significance of self-love and recognizing one’s potential, encouraging listeners to strive for more and embrace the awkward phases of growth. Jason’s message is clear: growth often feels awkward, but it’s a normal and necessary part of achieving success and happiness.

Join us as Jason shares his wisdom on navigating life’s challenges, redefining what’s normal, and the power of taking a chance on oneself.

CONNECT WITH JASON:

✩ Website - https://www.jasontharp.com
✩ BHP - https://www.beyondhopeproject.com
✩ Beyond Hope Project Podcast - https://www.jasontharp.com/podcast
✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wondervillestudios/
✩ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wondervillestudios
✩ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thepowerupproject?_t=8e4jxMT9QFP&_r=1
✩ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/beyondhopeproject

OFFICIAL SHOP & BOOKSTORE:

📚 https://www.jasontharp.com/shop

MEET JASON:

Hi, I’m Jason!
Ever since I was six, I knew I was born to tell stories. As a best-selling author, illustrator, and sought-after speaker, I've turned my personal battles with grade four brain cancer, obesity, and negative self-talk into fuel for transformation. My keynotes don't just talk—they spark potential, ignite creativity, and build resilience. If you're ready for an engaging experience that challenges the status quo and propels your organization to new heights, let's turn your 'impossible today' into 'possible tomorrow' together!

For more information or to partner with me - https://www.jasontharp.com/bookjason

0:10

hey guys welcome back to the Beyond hope

0:12

project podcast my name is Jason Tharp I

0:15

am the champion of Hope before we dive

0:19

too deep into this episode I want to

0:20

start out by just uh thanking you for

0:23

tuning in and checking the stuff out

0:24

pretty simple um I know that you

0:27

probably gotten value on it I've been

0:28

doing it for a while now um and feel

0:32

like I'm getting maybe a little better

0:33

at this whole thing uh so if you've

0:35

stuck around this whole time I

0:36

appreciate it but also uh want to ask

0:38

you a request of you if you could just

0:40

do me like a solid and let people know I

0:43

know there's probably a handful of

0:45

people that you know that could benefit

0:47

from this type of message maybe you know

0:48

somebody that's been diagnosed with

0:49

something maybe you know somebody that

0:50

is struggling with some sort of

0:52

transition in life and figuring stuff

0:53

out whatever it might be um these

0:56

messages hopefully will find them a spot

0:58

to begin and that's really ultimately

1:00

what we're doing um we're trying to

1:03

provide a place for you to begin a spark

1:05

um a starting point and then you're

1:07

going to go down that path and

1:08

ultimately something will happen as it

1:10

always does and you might lose that path

1:13

and you might want to figure out a way

1:14

back and that's where hope comes back in

1:15

again um we are not gurus um I'll will

1:19

never claim to be a guru what I'm doing

1:21

is I'm sharing my story with you in

1:22

hopes that you see something in my story

1:25

that you can relate to yourself and that

1:29

is what I'm hoping to provide with this

1:31

whole thing so I'm going to bet that

1:35

there's something in you that is always

1:37

wanting to strive for more I think as

1:40

humans it's natural for us to just want

1:42

to do more stuff or maybe to accomplish

1:45

more stuff um it could be something as

1:48

small as you know collecting things or

1:50

it could be something as big as like you

1:52

know a financial goal or or whatever it

1:55

might be I just really want to Center

1:57

this around the idea of striving for

1:59

more you might be at a place right now

2:02

where you feel like you could be super

2:05

successful and everything is going great

2:07

financially all these things like this

2:09

but you question whether that is where

2:12

you really want to be and you want to

2:13

strive for more you want to have some

2:15

growth in there or you could be the flip

2:16

side you could be somebody that is just

2:18

starting and you're trying to grow but

2:20

you can't figure out where to begin

2:22

because it the world is so wide and vast

2:24

that you can't figure out that first

2:26

starting point and this is where a lot

2:29

of difficulties lie because what we

2:31

start to do is we start to narrate our

2:33

story through other people's lenses

2:35

we'll start to dig out for different

2:37

things and look for different answers

2:38

and all this stuff like that and a lot

2:41

of times what we don't realize is some

2:43

sometimes when we search especially

2:44

online a lot of those things turn out to

2:47

be paid advertisements that are paid to

2:50

find people looking like us to pull and

2:52

extract something from us these these

2:54

quote unquote online gurus that have the

2:57

solution to all the stuff that you're

2:58

going for and we start to adopt that and

3:01

we'll start to run with this story I

3:03

know I did for sure a many times where I

3:05

thought that somebody that was out there

3:07

that clearly I I labeled successful um I

3:11

thought they had the answers to

3:13

everything I was doing and that just

3:15

wasn't true what it actually end up

3:17

being and it took me a long time to

3:18

figure that out uh it wasn't like all of

3:20

a sudden I you know woke up after doing

3:23

it for a month and realized that I was I

3:25

was doing I just went to a different

3:28

quote unquote Guru to the next think it

3:30

somehow they had something that would

3:31

unlock the mystery of who I was and you

3:36

know I think the problem is is that we

3:39

deal with self-worth issues when we

3:41

start to grow when we want to strive for

3:44

more a lot of times that worth whatever

3:46

it might be it's kind of selfworth we

3:49

kind of look at ourselves at the

3:50

limiting parts right we look at yeah but

3:54

we we talk about I mean we'll we'll be

3:56

brave enough to maybe share a story with

3:58

somebody but then we always follow it up

4:01

with yeah but that's too or I'm not that

4:05

or yeah but I would love to do that but

4:07

it costs this or yeah I'd like to do

4:09

that but I know nothing about it's the

4:11

yuts I mean I think that's one of the

4:13

things that we kind of get caught up

4:14

when we start to challenge ourselves to

4:16

grow um because it's really hard to

4:18

think past your nose so to speak and

4:22

then it's learning how to adopt and

4:25

embrace this awkward phase um think back

4:29

to seventh and eth grade we were all

4:32

awkward as can be um you know I had that

4:35

crazy like spike thing down the side of

4:37

my head with like it was like a cross

4:39

between Flock of Seagulls and trying to

4:42

be cool um wearing a cardigan and and

4:45

you know MC Hammer pants uh Google it if

4:48

you don't know what that is um but it

4:50

was not a good look but it was the

4:52

awkward phase and you you're gonna have

4:56

that same thing in your growth it's

4:57

gonna look weird and feel weird and seem

5:00

that you're doing it wrong and there's

5:03

going to be people around you that tell

5:05

you you're doing it wrong and you're

5:07

going to buy into that and then you're

5:09

going to be pissed at yourself because

5:12

you bought into somebody telling you did

5:13

it wrong and you're going to uproot

5:15

you're GNA do all these things because

5:17

it feels so awkward and you want to

5:18

figure out a way to not make it so

5:20

awkward for you so what you have to do

5:22

is just learn how to get over that

5:25

initial discomfort of your growth and

5:28

understand that that is is what growth

5:30

feels like it is that awkward phase you

5:33

grow through the awkward stuff and what

5:37

happens is that awkward stuff actually

5:39

starts to feel normal um then you got to

5:42

start realizing that you actually

5:44

deserve success I think that's a big one

5:47

that we all we all can like learn to

5:50

adopt because I think in a lot of ways

5:53

what we're kind of programmed through

5:55

social media is it's all about getting

5:57

mine and there's a limitedly app of

6:00

whatever it is but this is isn't true um

6:03

the success you're looking for exists

6:05

for you just as much as it does for

6:06

somebody else there is plenty out there

6:07

for everybody but what we have to do was

6:10

we have to start adopting the fact that

6:11

you are deserving of it too and that

6:13

could be completely scary and brand new

6:15

to a lot of us because maybe we've spent

6:18

our whole lives telling us all the

6:19

reasons why we don't deserve success or

6:22

maybe other people have said stuff that

6:24

makes you feel like that what you're

6:26

doing isn't worthy and they're putting a

6:29

St on it or they're putting a projection

6:31

on you all based off of maybe their own

6:34

insecurities and maybe their jealousies

6:36

of you them seeing a success that you

6:39

can't quite see yet because you have an

6:41

idea that you know if you do it right or

6:43

they know if you do it right will take

6:45

off and then now they're going to feel

6:46

like um somehow they are shortcomings

6:49

and so what they'll do is they'll pass a

6:50

judgment on you and that's not yours to

6:53

carry that's on them um but you know

6:56

understanding that you deserve success

7:00

and then finally the big part is

7:02

understanding as you start to evolve and

7:04

you start to

7:05

grow with that comes a new

7:08

normal what is awkward right now because

7:12

you're starting and you're growing will

7:14

now become your new normal everything

7:17

that you know starts out sounds really

7:22

hard to do and then all of a sudden one

7:24

day you're doing it and you're not

7:26

thinking about it anymore think about

7:28

back when and maybe you started riding a

7:31

bike at first it felt awkward and your

7:34

your the handlebars wiggled and you

7:36

pedal as hard as you could but you

7:37

couldn't get it straight and then you

7:39

know within a couple months you're just

7:41

dropping on the bike and like you're

7:42

doing tricks and you're taking over

7:43

jumps and all that stuff like that

7:45

because it just became a new normal your

7:47

life is just like that too you know the

7:49

awkward phase that you're going through

7:50

and you're learning you will actually

7:52

master that and then you're going to

7:54

find a new awkward spot to start and

7:57

each evolution of that becomes a new new

7:59

version of normal to you you define what

8:02

is normal not everybody else everybody

8:05

else wants to put a label in things they

8:06

don't understand that is not your

8:09

problem if somebody doesn't get what

8:10

you're doing as you're

8:12

normal that's not an issue that you need

8:15

to worry about Define what normal is for

8:17

you and understand that you should start

8:20

embracing when things change um because

8:23

a lot of times if you're striving to

8:24

grow it's because there's something

8:26

inside you that you're wanting to bring

8:28

to life and that is going to feel

8:31

awkward but it will feel normal

8:33

eventually and a lot of times I think

8:36

what we experience and a lot of times

8:38

when I've talked to other people is that

8:41

it's so hard to Fathom this idea that

8:44

you can have an idea in your head and

8:47

within a few months it could be in your

8:50

hands in a real thing because it seems

8:53

so odd and hard to do in that present

8:57

moment but when we start to allow growth

9:01

to happen believing that we deserve

9:03

success and we have plenty of

9:06

opportunities to create a new reality

9:10

that feels really normal to us and then

9:13

what will happen is you'll start to find

9:15

your people people will naturally be

9:17

drawn to that that others will say is

9:20

weird but you'll find commonality

9:23

between these people and in that you

9:25

start to find your new normal and that

9:27

new normal will lead to belief in

9:29

yourself and that belief in yourself

9:31

will lead to you ultimately finding all

9:33

the stuff that you've been looking for

9:35

but it's usually hidden behind all the

9:37

stuff that we're afraid to try and I

9:39

just want to encourage you guys all to

9:41

explore those things a little more uh be

9:44

open to growth and being awkward and

9:47

stumbling and don't beat yourself up so

9:50

much because it's it's completely normal

9:53

um you know I know for me when I started

9:57

with this whole brain cancer Journey it

9:59

was awkward and when I would tell people

10:02

it was always met with I'm sorry you

10:05

know and I understood why somebody would

10:08

say they're sorry but it would send me

10:11

on a spin because

10:13

I what I read into that was my own

10:16

projection of like well they think I

10:18

won't make it so then I started you know

10:20

obviously questioning my worth and all

10:22

that good stuff like that we just talked

10:24

about but then once what started

10:26

happening was my new normal became well

10:29

I just I share it and I don't really

10:31

think about what other people are saying

10:32

about it because I know that it's

10:35

different for me it took me a long time

10:38

to tell myself over and over again that

10:41

I'm here I'm clear I'm cured I am whole

10:43

right it was me reprogramming myself to

10:46

realize that I can make these things my

10:49

reality and make them my new normal but

10:51

it was really awkward going through it

10:53

because I fought with all of the reasons

10:56

why everybody else you know threw on my

10:59

way I fought through all those reasons

11:02

why until I finally realized and

11:04

accepted the fact that like maybe what

11:07

everybody else is quoting is normal

11:09

isn't mine maybe my normal is this and

11:12

with that came so much strength that was

11:15

a huge Evolution and a moment that

11:17

really changed everything and I equate

11:21

that back to Hope um I woke up knowing

11:24

my path without a clue of how to get

11:27

there but I was brave enough to take the

11:28

first step steps and I fell a lot but in

11:32

each of those steps I figured out a way

11:33

to get back on that path and slowly what

11:36

started happening was the detours off

11:38

the path got shorter and shorter and

11:40

shorter until I started feeling

11:42

confident enough in myself that I kind

11:44

of had some stuff figured out that I

11:46

started sharing with people and then I

11:48

started accepting that I do deserve

11:51

success in this stuff and with that

11:54

comes the responsibility at least for me

11:57

and this is my normal to take take all

11:59

those things and share it I think that

12:01

it would be a huge disservice to survive

12:04

things that I've been through the

12:06

diagnosis that I was given and not share

12:09

this stuff so this is where this value

12:11

comes from for me this is my normal is I

12:14

want to share hope I want to help people

12:16

see that there's unlimited potential in

12:18

you all that good stuff like that and

12:20

start to give you the tools for it um

12:23

and yeah guys so if you are somebody

12:25

that is striving for more in

12:27

life embrace the awkward face it is so

12:32

normal um you're going to trip and fall

12:35

and look Goofy and ask dumb questions

12:38

and question yourself and doubt yourself

12:41

and not like yourself and tell yourself

12:43

you're stupid you're going to go through

12:44

all those

12:46

things that does not make you abnormal

12:49

that makes you normal if you think about

12:51

it anything in world in the world worth

12:53

getting

12:54

towards it's going to take time and it's

12:58

going to take a lesson and most of the

13:00

time if any everything that you wanted

13:02

just magically happened in front of you

13:04

you probably wouldn't appreciate anyway

13:05

you probably wouldn't like it and you

13:06

probably wouldn't look at it as a way to

13:09

actually build something on but uh if

13:12

you do start to strive for more and

13:14

understand that you do deserve more

13:17

you're going to find that more keeps

13:19

showing up and leaning into those things

13:22

you'll find um hope and love and all

13:26

those amazing things were there all

13:28

along

13:29

and uh yeah that's it strive for more go

13:33

out there and Achieve stuff take a

13:35

chance on yourself like today right now

13:38

just make the decision that you're going

13:39

to put whatever in the heck it is you're

13:41

doing right now on hold for five minutes

13:43

to get out a piece of paper and write

13:45

down one thing that you're going to do

13:47

for yourself uh today not tomorrow not

13:50

next week because that stuff doesn't

13:52

exist nobody's promised you that those

13:54

days will be here like one thing that

13:56

you're going to do today doesn't have to

13:57

be huge and you might look awkward you

13:59

might look silly but you deserve to take

14:02

a chance in yourself today and when you

14:04

do that you're going to find out that

14:05

you are pretty normal so guys as you go

14:08

through life it's going to hand you all

14:10

kinds of different things you may not be

14:12

ready for it or you may be and you

14:14

didn't realize you were but through that

14:16

process what I would really love for you

14:18

to figure out is that what it is that

14:20

you're looking for is truly hidden in

14:23

all the things you're afraid to explore

14:26

and yeah so close this up I just hope

14:30

this helps share this message with other

14:32

people I know you know some people that

14:34

need this stuff um and just help us

14:37

spread the word and as you do that it

14:40

might sound awkward to be like yo

14:41

there's this dude that whatever trust me

14:45

I still feel awkward sometimes talking

14:48

here I'm awkwardly thinking right now

14:50

that I'm running on uh on this thing

14:52

because I'm trying to figure out in my

14:54

brain how to wrap this thing up because

14:57

uh I feel like I went on a tangent my

14:58

mind mind went One Direction now I'm

15:00

trying to steer it back in to figure out

15:01

how to wrap this up in a boat if that's

15:04

not real in sharing a vulnerable point

15:07

of growth as I'm striving for more I

15:10

don't know what it is anyway hope this

15:12

helps power

15:16

[Music]