1
0:00:00
0:00:24
Hello, I'm Charles Coviss, Australasias passion provocateur.
2
0:00:24
0:00:33
Welcome to the first episode for 2023 of the Charles Coviss show episode 136 since we started
3
0:00:33
0:00:43
on this journey in 2020 and a happy new year to you. We welcome you whether you're watching
4
0:00:43
0:00:50
on YouTube or on rumble or listening via podcast. It's great to have you here. Great to have
5
0:00:50
0:01:00
you for another year of weekly ideas, opportunities for learning, for growing, for self-awareness,
6
0:01:00
0:01:11
for passion. So for the first episode of the year, having had three weeks off, seems a long time
7
0:01:11
0:01:19
ago that I was speaking to you. My big idea this week is to welcome you to 2023 and I set out for
8
0:01:19
0:01:32
you seven choices that will make your 2023 a very happy one indeed. These choices are clear and
9
0:01:32
0:01:40
simple, but they are not easy. Making these choices consciously gives you great personal
10
0:01:40
0:01:52
power and power is your ability to create your life in 2023 according to your terms. I want you
11
0:01:52
0:02:03
to live a successful life and to have a successful year. These seven choices you make will ensure you
12
0:02:03
0:02:12
achieve such a year. I urge you to make these choices and then live your life according to
13
0:02:12
0:02:19
these choices. Our format for the show continues this year in the same as last year. I share with
14
0:02:19
0:02:27
you the big idea. I share with you six resources to help you implement the big idea. I'll review
15
0:02:27
0:02:33
some key happenings of the last period since the previous show, in this case the last three weeks,
16
0:02:33
0:02:39
and then finally the foundational principles for this show and more details about my background
17
0:02:39
0:02:45
are contained at the end of the show so that regular viewers and listeners don't have to
18
0:02:45
0:02:51
keep seeing the same stuff. But for new viewers and listeners you will find it most helpful.
19
0:02:52
0:02:57
So let's get into today's big idea and before we get into the big idea let me get into my coffee.
20
0:02:57
0:02:59
Those of you regular viewers listeners know
21
0:03:03
0:03:12
how I love coffee, how passionate I am about coffee. So it's a new year. How do we have a
22
0:03:12
0:03:17
happy new year? That's the wish isn't it? I hope you have a happy new year. Well I do hope you have
23
0:03:17
0:03:25
a happy new year and I'm giving you seven choices that will indeed make your 2023 very happy.
24
0:03:26
0:03:35
We all make choices all the time but many times they are made unconsciously. Making these seven
25
0:03:35
0:03:43
choices that I'm about to share with you consciously are crucially relevant to your life and how 2023
26
0:03:43
0:03:51
unfolds for you. So let's get into these seven choices. Number one, choose to be responsible.
27
0:03:51
0:03:57
Don't be a victim. Don't be a martyr. Choose responsibility.
28
0:04:00
0:04:05
Taking responsibility for your life means you are in control of your life.
29
0:04:05
0:04:10
Taking responsibility for your life means you don't blame anybody for what happens to you.
30
0:04:12
0:04:19
Responsibility is such a powerful, powerful idea. I say you are responsible for the future of the
31
0:04:19
0:04:24
country in which you live regardless of where you're listening. I'm responsible for the future
32
0:04:24
0:04:30
of Australia. I'm responsible for the future of the planet. I'm responsible for my life. When I
33
0:04:30
0:04:38
make such a choice everything changes. When I blame other people for my life experience
34
0:04:38
0:04:44
I've become a victim. I'm no longer in charge.
35
0:04:46
0:04:55
This is such a powerful liberating concept. Choosing responsibility puts you in charge.
36
0:04:55
0:05:09
Number two, choose your top 12 friends. Who are the 12 friends most important to you in your life?
37
0:05:09
0:05:19
Who are the 12 friends that love you the most and that you love? Consciously choosing these 12
38
0:05:19
0:05:27
will ensure that you invest the necessary time in those 12 relationships. You know how complicated
39
0:05:27
0:05:35
one relationship is. If you consciously choose the 12 you will continue to build this wonderful
40
0:05:35
0:05:43
resource that you presently have of 12 friends and that they don't unconsciously disappear or
41
0:05:43
0:05:53
dissipate. Your most loving and loved friends are an amazingly powerful resource for you.
42
0:05:55
0:06:02
Choice number three, choose your worthy ideal for your life. In previous episodes you've heard me
43
0:06:03
0:06:09
share my favourite definition of success. Success is the progressive realisation by you of your
44
0:06:09
0:06:18
worthy ideal. What is your worthy ideal for your life? What do you think your life is about?
45
0:06:19
0:06:26
If you don't clearly know then part of your job this year is to say what is the worthy ideal of
46
0:06:26
0:06:35
my life. I've shared with you previously my worthy ideal and why I do what I do is to learn and grow.
47
0:06:35
0:06:40
A subtext of that is that I'm a freedom warrior. You'll hear that in the background
48
0:06:40
0:06:47
of the foundational principles of this show of how freedom plays such a crucial part in my life.
49
0:06:47
0:06:55
But as I am a freedom warrior I'm also learning and growing whilst pursuing the fight for freedom
50
0:06:55
0:07:01
in a range of five areas including freedom to pursue your passion,
51
0:07:01
0:07:08
hemp and its ability to keep people free, freedom of speech particularly as chairman of the
52
0:07:08
0:07:14
Institute of Comedy, freedom from government overreach which I do as a legal strategist
53
0:07:15
0:07:22
and then freedom that arises from being healthy because if you're in a hospital bed like my son
54
0:07:22
0:07:29
is in hospital you're hardly free. Great health liberates you, frees you.
55
0:07:31
0:07:34
That leads to choice number four. Choose to be healthier.
56
0:07:37
0:07:44
Choose, make this choice at the start of the year I choose to become healthier and my definition of
57
0:07:44
0:07:50
health is that it is and most people don't have a definition of health they think they're healthy
58
0:07:50
0:07:54
and most people don't have a definition of health they think they're healthy
59
0:07:54
0:07:57
but they haven't they say what do you mean by health well I'm not sick that's not a
60
0:07:57
0:08:03
definition that's not health not being sick discernibly sick is not health here's my
61
0:08:03
0:08:08
definition that you may wish to use I urge you to embrace it if you don't have one it's the best
62
0:08:08
0:08:15
one I found I've I've crafted it but it comes about from from 50 plus years of involvement 60
63
0:08:15
0:08:23
plus years of involvement in health and it's this health is the unique optimum balance for you of
64
0:08:23
0:08:33
mental physical and spiritual elements health is the unique optimum balance for you of mental
65
0:08:33
0:08:42
physical and spiritual elements so choice number four choose to be healthier choice number five
66
0:08:42
0:08:53
choose to embrace your problems and not resist them everybody's got problems if you resist them
67
0:08:53
0:08:59
you are wasting your energy pushing back creating unnecessary stress in your life embrace your
68
0:08:59
0:09:05
problems because the fact is you deserve them you the choices that you have previously made have led
69
0:09:05
0:09:11
to the problems you have today and as you've heard me saying other episodes as a human being
70
0:09:11
0:09:16
your reward for solving your problems is not peace happiness joy success blah blah blah
71
0:09:16
0:09:24
your major reward for solving your problems is bigger problems if you are alive it means you
72
0:09:24
0:09:31
have problems to solve and if you resist them it's a waste of your time energy don't do that
73
0:09:32
0:09:37
embrace your problems and then go okay what am I going to learn how am I going to grow by handling
74
0:09:37
0:09:42
this problem don't say to yourself I'm not good enough because I've got these problems if you
75
0:09:42
0:09:49
didn't have problems you would create them so embrace the problems solve them and knowing
76
0:09:49
0:09:55
that you're going to get bigger problems isn't that exciting so you don't beat yourself up
77
0:09:55
0:10:01
because you've got problems which is what many people do choice number six
78
0:10:01
0:10:08
choose your tribe I was going to say choose your gang but you know you can think of it as a gang
79
0:10:08
0:10:18
but choose your tribe for mutual support encouragement and learning to handle global
80
0:10:18
0:10:24
challenges and trust me we are facing a range of global challenges we are facing challenges
81
0:10:25
0:10:33
challenges from the who we are facing challenges from the world economic forum and davos we are
82
0:10:33
0:10:43
facing challenges from the desire to take away national sovereignty if you join groups I can
83
0:10:43
0:10:51
help you find such tribes or groups or gangs you create a mutual support mechanism so that when
84
0:10:51
0:10:58
the shit really hits the fan you have got a group ready willing and able to get into action
85
0:10:58
0:11:03
regardless of what happens and then being part of such a group and I'm a member of a number of these
86
0:11:03
0:11:13
groups it liberates you from from unnecessary fear being part of a tribe coalesced around a
87
0:11:13
0:11:24
particular goal is a very powerful resource for you and lastly the last choice the seventh choice
88
0:11:25
0:11:34
a very powerful choice I left this to last it's just four words it is the secret to happiness
89
0:11:34
0:11:41
and I said I would guarantee for you a happy 2023 well if you make this choice you will
90
0:11:41
0:11:48
indeed be happy and the choice is four words choose to be happy
91
0:11:51
0:12:00
sounds simple doesn't it not easy choose to be happy these four words are of crucial importance
92
0:12:00
0:12:05
to you you see most people in my experience I have a lot of experience most people are unhappy
93
0:12:05
0:12:09
because they've got problems but I've already said to you you're going to have problems for
94
0:12:09
0:12:16
the rest of your life if you're waiting for the absence of problems to be happy you won't be happy
95
0:12:17
0:12:22
and I promise you you can be happy in the midst of problems how do I know I've got plenty of
96
0:12:22
0:12:31
problems and I'm happy this is a powerful liberating idea Julie lives her life by this way
97
0:12:31
0:12:38
I live my life this way my dad taught me this I promise you it works the Dalai Lama also says
98
0:12:38
0:12:46
that stop waiting for some state of nirvana before you're happy choose to be happy
99
0:12:49
0:12:57
when you are happy your ability to handle all the stuff you need to handle is is is enhanced
100
0:12:57
0:13:03
is empowered is enlarged it's a it's a wonderful way to live your life
101
0:13:04
0:13:09
and it's a conscious choice for the previous six choices I gave you if you make your conscious
102
0:13:09
0:13:19
choices amongst these seven you will indeed have a wonderful successful spectacular happy
103
0:13:19
0:13:28
2023 I promise you so let me give you the resources to then help you
104
0:13:29
0:13:32
live life in this way according to these conscious choices you make
105
0:13:34
0:13:40
my quote is by John C. Maxwell a prolific author expert on leadership
106
0:13:41
0:13:49
he says this life is a matter of choices and every choice you make makes you
107
0:13:50
0:13:57
how about that you can make yourself totally new this year by making these seven choices
108
0:13:57
0:14:06
consciously life is a matter of choices and every choice you make makes you my book this week is by
109
0:14:06
0:14:14
John C. Maxwell it's called how successful people grow and I picked this book out of his many books
110
0:14:14
0:14:20
because I've said to you before my worthy ideal is to learn and grow that's what my life is about
111
0:14:20
0:14:25
the meaning of my life is to be here to learn and grow to embrace this experience of life well how
112
0:14:25
0:14:31
do you grow well John Maxwell's book could be the one that you need my song this week
113
0:14:33
0:14:37
is by James Brown and the idea of this song is to make you happy
114
0:14:39
0:14:50
and it's oh I feel good I knew that I would now I feel good and the reason why I also picked
115
0:14:50
0:14:57
this song is it is a happy song but also because this was the theme song that we chose in our team
116
0:14:57
0:15:05
in 1993 when I went to business school in Hawaii with Robert Kiyosaki and we had a team of 11 of
117
0:15:05
0:15:11
us and it's a pretty powerful team and this was our theme song when we were doing hard exercise
118
0:15:11
0:15:20
we are I feel good I feel fine and we'd be running walking up the hill so songs are powerful
119
0:15:21
0:15:26
songs music is the language of the soul pick a song that revives your spirits
120
0:15:28
0:15:32
my health tip this week I'm getting a lot of information from the various sources that you
121
0:15:32
0:15:39
know that I have access to of the power of vitamin d3 now I've been increasing my intake of vitamin d3
122
0:15:40
0:15:47
and I had a test and I was shocked despite all my exercise on my bike to find how low my vitamin d
123
0:15:47
0:15:53
levels were get your vitamin d levels tested vitamin d has a crucial element in many in the
124
0:15:53
0:16:04
functioning of many parts of your body's system my spiritual tip is to meditate on who your 12 top
125
0:16:04
0:16:11
friends are you see being friends are your friends are those that you care about you love
126
0:16:11
0:16:16
is a spiritual element of your life it's one of the 10 spiritual elements starting with it the
127
0:16:16
0:16:25
letter f your friends but who are your top 12 that you are going to nurture throughout 2023
128
0:16:25
0:16:32
who love you the most who you love the most you can have thousands of facebook friends but they're
129
0:16:32
0:16:37
not your friends these are the top 12 friends and many of you will have many more friends you can
130
0:16:37
0:16:46
go gosh how do I limit this to the top 12 and then lastly on the issue of choices we have a spot
131
0:16:46
0:16:57
of humor and it's a it's a small story about a small shop owner and it's it's relevant because
132
0:16:57
0:17:02
when it's now it's summer in in Australia in Melbourne here in Victoria and I used to be
133
0:17:02
0:17:07
president of the lawn surf life-saving club and yesterday was the peer to pub swim at lawn
134
0:17:07
0:17:11
I didn't get a chance to go and do that because I had too much work on
135
0:17:12
0:17:20
um but lawn over summer like many seaside resorts is busy busy busy busy but then in winter it gets
136
0:17:20
0:17:26
quieter well this is a story about a small shop owner who has a store on a beach needs to hire
137
0:17:26
0:17:34
some help and the job's of course a seasonal so he found two he found two he couldn't decide which
138
0:17:34
0:17:39
one but he thought oh well you know uh they've got to go back to school at the end of the holidays
139
0:17:39
0:17:43
so after interviews he chose a young man named Jack who'll do most of the heavy lifting
140
0:17:43
0:17:49
and a young pretty girl named Melanie to work the till and do some light sails they work out
141
0:17:49
0:17:55
extremely well the summer is busy but as it starts to come to an end and the weather turns cool
142
0:17:55
0:18:01
sales go down and there's a lack of tourists so he needs to alleviate the lack of income
143
0:18:02
0:18:05
and he knows he has to get rid of one of his new employees but he likes them both
144
0:18:06
0:18:12
and he's reluctant to make a choice Melanie is moving some boxes so he decides to pose the
145
0:18:12
0:18:19
dilemma to her maybe one of them wants to go willingly Melanie he says I have a bit of an
146
0:18:19
0:18:25
issue that I need your help to decide which way to go I either have to lay you or jack off
147
0:18:27
0:18:32
she continues to move the box in the hand and replies could you check off I have a headache
148
0:18:32
0:18:38
I know it's a bit rude but hello it's a new year and uh Julie's shocked that I would have that
149
0:18:38
0:18:48
joke no she's not she knows what I'm like so I hope today's big idea and the choices I've inspired
150
0:18:48
0:18:55
of provoking you to make will help you to make this an amazing year will help you to raise your
151
0:18:55
0:19:02
self-awareness will help you to live your life with passion to embrace this amazing gift that
152
0:19:02
0:19:08
we have of life I invite you to subscribe to this youtube channel or the rumble channel
153
0:19:09
0:19:14
or to the podcast to share it with your family and friends and your work colleagues
154
0:19:16
0:19:22
discover more about our corporate and public programs at covest.com and for the self-awareness
155
0:19:22
0:19:30
and passion quest visit charlescovesse.com you can access my first two books passionate people
156
0:19:30
0:19:37
produce and passionate performance at both of those websites now let's review some key happenings
157
0:19:37
0:19:43
over the last three weeks it's hard to imagine that three weeks has gone just like that the
158
0:19:43
0:19:47
previous show I recorded on the 18th of December and now I'm recording this on the 8th of January
159
0:19:48
0:19:54
wow so three weeks goes by we had Christmas celebrations new year celebrations some of you
160
0:19:54
0:20:00
will notice that my beard has got a bit lighter well a week ago I had to cut off my beard because
161
0:20:00
0:20:04
we had to dress up for a new year's eve party which we do every year and I had to go as a woman so I
162
0:20:04
0:20:11
decided I wouldn't go as a bearded woman I went unshaven so it's coming back you can see so I'm
163
0:20:11
0:20:17
pleased to see that in about two weeks time it won't be any different my beard goes very quickly
164
0:20:18
0:20:25
I must say it was surprising how many people that I'm close to did not notice that I had lost my
165
0:20:25
0:20:32
beard and it was a salutary lesson again that you will stop worrying about what people think
166
0:20:32
0:20:39
of you when you realize how little time they spend thinking of you close family members
167
0:20:39
0:20:46
did not notice my beard was missing the global meetings that I moderate three each week continues
168
0:20:47
0:20:54
so there have been nine meetings of importance relevance including the medical doctors for ethics
169
0:20:54
0:21:01
that I've told you about and then the foam meetings and the important matters and ideas have come up
170
0:21:01
0:21:06
out of that that you will get the benefit of from these weekly shows so stick around because there
171
0:21:06
0:21:14
are some major challenges that humanity is facing and coming up in this month is the World Economic
172
0:21:14
0:21:21
Forum meeting in Davos I consider the weft to be a grossly evil organization and I urge you to
173
0:21:21
0:21:28
question everything it says I also consider the United Nations to be bad of bad intent and the
174
0:21:29
0:21:36
the smart cities campaign that it's promoting must be resisted and there's this nonsense of the 20
175
0:21:36
0:21:42
minute rule 15 minute rule please make yourself aware of it it is such a threat to your freedom
176
0:21:42
0:21:51
and my freedom I am implacably opposed to it and lastly over the last three weeks you'll be pleased
177
0:21:51
0:21:56
to know that Julie and I have maintained our health have done the things that help us to be
178
0:21:56
0:22:02
healthy have done the exercise I've continued to train almost every day and I urge you to do the
179
0:22:02
0:22:07
same it's one of the choices that you make choose to be healthier what I assure you with all the
180
0:22:08
0:22:15
things I've got on my plate I never I never have the idea I can't afford to exercise every hour
181
0:22:15
0:22:22
of exercise increases your capability gives you two hours of productivity so you're one hour ahead
182
0:22:23
0:22:30
so if you're new to the show stick around now for the last part which is the background about me in
183
0:22:30
0:22:35
some detail but the foundational principles of the show there's some good ideas to share in it thank
184
0:22:35
0:22:42
you for watching thank you for listening thank you for subscribing thank you for sharing amongst
185
0:22:42
0:22:51
your family and friends and work colleagues I again wish for you a successful 2023 I urge you
186
0:22:51
0:22:59
to make these seven conscious choices that I've brought to your attention I hope your week is full
187
0:22:59
0:23:08
of passion of challenge of love of friendship and anticipation for next week's episode of the
188
0:23:08
0:23:13
Charles Coves show thanks for being here bye for now
189
0:23:13
0:23:30
and now for viewers and listeners who want to know more about my background and what else I
190
0:23:30
0:23:36
do with my life as well as the foundational principles of the show here we are since 1993
191
0:23:36
0:23:42
when I left my legal career a career that I love to become Australasias passion provocateur
192
0:23:43
0:23:50
I have inspired and provoked and educated and motivated people all over the world to discover
193
0:23:50
0:23:56
and pursue their passion I have helped people via the books that I've written via speeches at
194
0:23:56
0:24:06
conferences via in-depth team building programs workshops over one two or three days or over three
195
0:24:06
0:24:11
months six months and I've coached people of all ages one on one from small medium and large
196
0:24:11
0:24:19
enterprises government enterprises helping them to identify the often tiny changes that can make a
197
0:24:19
0:24:27
massive difference one of my core principles is that freedom is what makes us truly human
198
0:24:27
0:24:34
that's why one of the greatest threats that government imposes on you to force you to observe
199
0:24:34
0:24:40
its laws is the threat of imprisonment the loss of your freedom just think about that
200
0:24:40
0:24:44
government says if you don't behave yourself we're going to put you in jail no no don't go to jail I
201
0:24:44
0:24:52
don't want to lose my freedom that's a reminder to you of why freedom is so important without
202
0:24:52
0:24:57
freedom you and I are not much different to animals if you are locked up in a cage for the
203
0:24:57
0:25:04
rest of your life how how different would you be to an animal this commitment to fighting for
204
0:25:04
0:25:12
freedoms for all people is carried out by me primarily through five channels number one
205
0:25:12
0:25:21
preserving the freedom to pursue your passion number two inspiring you to be able to be free
206
0:25:21
0:25:28
through excellent health number three helping preserve freedom throughout the world through
207
0:25:28
0:25:36
the expansion of industrial hemp a magnificent agricultural crop an almost miraculous crop
208
0:25:37
0:25:46
that enables every community to thrive independently of government in this way the power of government
209
0:25:46
0:25:54
to take away freedom is minimized number four fighting for freedom through legal strategies
210
0:25:54
0:26:00
so I do work as a legal strategy consultant as an interface between clients and their lawyers
211
0:26:01
0:26:06
and number five as chairman of the Australian Institute of Comedy and as a board member of the
212
0:26:06
0:26:15
Australian Cartoon Museum fighting for the freedom of thought and speech through uncensored
213
0:26:16
0:26:26
comedy and humor through avoiding political correctness in the comedic space when you block
214
0:26:26
0:26:30
freedom of speech freedom of thought that's the beginning of the end of your freedoms
215
0:26:31
0:26:35
the foundational principles for the Charles Covass show are founded on the formula
216
0:26:36
0:26:44
SA plus P equals S your self-awareness added to your passion will guarantee that you are
217
0:26:44
0:26:50
successful and the best definition of success I have found in life is that success is the
218
0:26:50
0:26:57
progressive realization of your worthy ideals the progressive realization of your worthy ideals
219
0:26:58
0:27:04
this show is also guided by Socrates famous principle and quote the unexamined life is not
220
0:27:04
0:27:09
worth living you can see I'm wearing my red jacket I wear my red jacket for all my shows red is the
221
0:27:09
0:27:16
color of passion so that when you see me on the YouTube version it reminds you that when you see
222
0:27:16
0:27:23
red in your life you ask yourself the question am I pursuing my passion what am I passionate about
223
0:27:23
0:27:30
am I still passionate about that what might I newly be passionate about each week I explore one big
224
0:27:30
0:27:35
idea that can change your life and it's just one big idea because there's a chance you will remember
225
0:27:35
0:27:40
if I give you too many ideas then we we get confused and we don't do anything
226
0:27:41
0:27:49
clarity leads to power confusion kills passion each week I share simple and practical resources
227
0:27:49
0:27:55
that you've heard me describe in the earlier part of the show a spiritual tip a health tip
228
0:27:55
0:28:02
lyrics of a song a book a quote and of course humor this show is not politically correct I have
229
0:28:02
0:28:07
no intention of being politically correct and I love certain addictions including my addiction
230
0:28:07
0:28:18
to great coffee my addiction to exercise my addiction to reading and my addiction to certain
231
0:28:18
0:28:26
other unmentionable in public type behaviors who would know what they are this show definitely
232
0:28:26
0:28:32
subscribes to the view that we have a spiritual life so if you don't like discussion of spirituality
233
0:28:32
0:28:38
this show is not for you I promise you that I don't include anything in this show that I
234
0:28:38
0:28:43
don't consider to be true and that I have not found to be useful in the work that I've done
235
0:28:43
0:28:50
over the past 28 years but also over the past 50 years in business as a lawyer as a consultant
236
0:28:50
0:28:57
advisor I only want to share stuff with you that is of value to you finally if you have any
237
0:28:57
0:29:03
questions or suggestions please feel free to contact me at Charles at Covess.com again
238
0:29:03
0:29:17
thanks for watching and listening to my show bye