Episode 1241: Invest in Others - Interview with Treveal Lynch from I am The Possible – Part 2

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining us on episode 1,241 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:00:06] Treveal Lynch: I'm Treveal Lynch, and I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talents, and your treasures to live out your. Having the ability to see the possibilities in yourself is key, and one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this The Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend Scott Maderer.

[00:00:41] The

[00:00:41] greatest form of self development is self discovery. And what I mean by that is, is that when you know or you learn what you are, then you are able to learn then what you are able to do, what you are able to be, how you are able to serve. [00:01:00] And The more you discover yourself.

[00:01:04] Scott Maderer: Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:01:09] If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling. In the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others, and develop your influence so that. Can impact the

[00:01:29] world.

[00:01:29] In today's interview with Travel Lynch, I asked travel about his company, I Am The Possible and what it really means to him. I also ask him to share how self development can lead to serving others. And travel also shares his advice if you want to mentor or develop others. One reason I like to bring you great interviews, like the one you're gonna hear today is because of the power.

[00:01:52] In learning from others. Another great way to learn from others is through reading books. But if you're like most people [00:02:00] today, you find it hard to find the time to sit down and read, and that's why today's podcast is brought to you by Audible. Go to inspired stewardship.com/audible to sign up and you can get a 30 day free trial.

[00:02:15] There's over 180,000 titles to choose from, and instead of reading, you can listen your way to learn from some of the greatest minds out there. That's inspired stewardship.com/audible to get your free trial and listen to great books the same way you're listening to this podcast. Trave Lynch is a Ware specialist podcast host Arthur and founder of I Am.

[00:02:39] The Possible Travel comes from a challenging past, including much trauma that led to homelessness, crime, and eventually incarceration. Today Travel is a father of four and husband of one. He's become an ordained pastor, a men's mentor, self worth specialist, corporate trainer, Arthur speaker and podcast host.

[00:02:59] His journey [00:03:00] in life exemplify that idea of self transformation and his company's philosophy. I and my possibilities are one and the. Everything. I hope to be tomorrow. I already am today. Welcome to the

[00:03:12] Treveal Lynch: show, Tve. Hey, thanks so much, Scott. I really

[00:03:15] Scott Maderer: appreciate this opportunity

[00:03:16] Treveal Lynch: and really excited about being on the show today.

[00:03:18] Thank you so much for having me.

[00:03:20] Scott Maderer: So last week we talked a little bit about your journey and some of the things that came about because of that, and. We mentioned a little bit about your book and, but you also have a podcast and a company and an outreach that you do called I Am The Possible. Where did that name and that idea come from and why that, Why did you start a podcast called I Am the Possible.

[00:03:46] Treveal Lynch: Wow. Okay. How can I taper this , because that question gets me excited. I know we only have a limited amount of time, so how can I package this the easiest way? Okay. I am the possible. [00:04:00] Was inspired. So whether it's the company, whether it's the podcast, whether it's my future book whether it's the university that's on the way everything under the umbrella of I Am the Possible was birthed through the inspiration of a bus ride.

[00:04:17] A bus ride. I've been in corporate America for, shoot, 16 years this year. Wow. But there was a point in time where I was commuting from Pasadena, California out to Rancho Cucamonga. My family and I, we had moved to Rancho and my offices were in Pasadena. And I would ride the six 90 bus every day from Pasadena to Rancho Cuca, Marga, and.

[00:04:41] I'm a people watcher. I just observe. I watch and I just look and I just say I wonder what they're thinking or I I wonder what their life is like. I don't know. Just one of those weird things that I do. And Through my observation, I began for about a month or so really having this inner [00:05:00] cool or unction that I needed to really watch and observe a little deeper.

[00:05:08] So for about a week or so, I did that. And one day during this observ. I looked into several people's eyes. Some of them were coworkers, some of them were total strangers. And it was a very surreal moment. And that's why the only way that I can really describe it is it was just a inspired thought.

[00:05:30] And I always say that their eyes said to me, I want to like myself, but not like this. And that was all I heard. I want to like myself, but not like this. And that laid the foundation and that sparked this idea of I am present tense, the possible that which is to come. , it was, I want to like [00:06:00] myself this possibility.

[00:06:02] I want to like me just as I am, just where I am but I'm not able to because the way that I am today, my conditions, my circumstances, what I've achieved, what I've done, right? Just unpacking it. It's preventing me. My idea of where I am and how I am prevents me from accepting and embracing. And so I am the possible says I and my possibilities.

[00:06:31] That's really the what The philosophy of it is I and my possibilities are one and the same. Everything I hope to be tomorrow. I already am today because God showed me a revelation of these people's inner. of, I really desire to accept love, appreciate myself, but I can't do Scott, I can't do that because of, look at where I am, look at what I [00:07:00] have or have not done.

[00:07:00] Look at what, what's going on with me. And so when he inspired me with the I am the possible. Just really quick, he. It was right around the time where as an associate pastor we're given multiple times per year to preach a sermon. And I was given the opportunity right around his time to prepare for a message.

[00:07:23] And I cannot remember how, just must have been God, but he led me to study the life of a, but. and I incorporated it into my message at that time. But as I studied the life cycle of a butterfly and as I really unpacked this concept of I want to like myself, but not like this, and God given me this word, I am the possible, I am.

[00:07:51] That which I am becoming, the lifestyle or the life cycle of a butterfly is. From a scientific [00:08:00] perspective, the egg, which is the very first stage of a butterfly's life, the egg and the adult butterfly, which is the last leg of life cuz the adult butterfly only lives about two, two or so weeks. So that adult butterfly, the butterfly, the picture that we normally get of those beautiful majestic animals, you that the butterfly.

[00:08:23] As an egg and the butterfly at that final stage, they're one and the same. Scientifically, yes, they go through this metamorphosis, but specifically to who they are, what they are by a DNA's perspective. They've never changed. They've only changed in the outward form, but the. Essence of that butterfly has never changed, even though it's gone through four different stages of life.

[00:08:54] And so I just really tie that into the fact that we too, as humans go through [00:09:00] stages, seasons, ups, downs, pains, pleasures, and the list goes on and on. But what God created us in the beginning as and four. Has never changed and it never will change. And I think people need to know that. And so that that's what inspired me to take this on and to really champion this idea that you can accept yourself right where you are Right how you are.

[00:09:28] So yeah, that's the little bit of it

[00:09:31] Scott Maderer: It's, I think it's interesting. For instance, I think a lot of us tend to see ourselves only in the moment of today. We don't look at the past or the future as real in a way. It's, How do you think why do you think that's such a common human experience?

[00:09:56] Treveal Lynch: While not blaming, I don't want to hear I don't want you [00:10:00] or the listeners to hear blame when I say this. I'm not blaming, I'm just observing and just sharing as we say my truth. Just sharing what I've observed, because we are hardwired for acceptance. We are hardwired for acceptance.

[00:10:14] Community was a part. This is my faith. Community was a part of God's plan. Acceptance. fitting in, being a part of society was a part of God's desire and plan. When he created this whole thing. Sure. Because we're hardwired for acceptance and the culture says, and that's why I say it, don't take it as blame but we do live in a society and a culture where there's a prevalent idea that in order to be, and you fill in the.

[00:10:47] Cool. On the next wave, trendy with it to be cool, to be acceptable to be popular. Okay. We got a [00:11:00] criteria for you. You need to have this income. You need to live in these places. You need to wear these things. You need to have these things going on. You need to have accomplished these things.

[00:11:08] You need to be on this path. And again, that's not an absolute, that's a very generic way of saying it, but it's so prevalent that I believe many of us are saying, Wait a minute. I have this desire to accept myself and to be accepted by others. And what I see is a certain criteria that's been created by our culture that says that if I don't meet these criteria, then I don't fit in.

[00:11:33] And so I think that, that, that creates this idea of what do I have? To answer your question, where am I today? Like the people on the bus, I wanna accept myself, but the standard in our society says I need to be driving X, Y, and Z, or I need to have my income at X, Y, and Z. And I don't have that yet.

[00:11:56] So there's no way that I could possibly accept myself [00:12:00] because I haven't met the criteria yet. And so it's where they are. . Currently I don't have those things or I haven't accomplished those things, or they're yet to be accomplished. They're down the road. So because what qualifies me to be accepted is down the road, then me and my ability to accept myself is also down the road.

[00:12:22] Scott Maderer: And I'll go one step further with that. Last week we talked about that idea of the both end versus the either or. I would also put. Put forward that, at least in my experience, that list of things that you have to accomplish is a list that's impossible to accomplish in the first place.

[00:12:41] Absolutely. Absolutely. It's a list that nobody actually has met, so it's it's an artificial criteria that we've created. That is because it comes a lot of times outta comparison too. Yes. And this is where social media and [00:13:00] some of those things have added to it of I don't know about you, but you know what I post on Facebook and Instagram usually, Is it the whole story?

[00:13:09] That's right. I pick and choose. I curate. I think we all do to some extent, oh, yes. Oh yeah. And so you're fair you're comparing yourself with an artificial reality to begin with a lot of times. And yet we do that. We, and I think we've always done it. I don't think those, so I don't think social media created that problem.

[00:13:25] I think it's just accelerated it or made it more, more obvious.

[00:13:29] You focus a lot and you talk a lot about self development, self improvement, or I hate those words because it. But the journey that we're on and taking ourselves on that journey yeah it's kinda I talk a lot about time management and I hate the word time management, but I'm like, but that's what everyone else calls it.

[00:13:49] So that's what I have to call it, even though that's not what I like to call it. Start the same thing. Self development, Everyone knows what that means, but that's not really the best description for what we're talking about. So how do you think that [00:14:00] journey that we're on affects and leads to.

[00:14:04] how we can interact with others or help others or serve other people as well. Yeah.

[00:14:11] Treveal Lynch: Speaking of the self-development one of my philosophies, and I do, I am pro philosophy. I believe we all live by a philosophy. I just think sometimes we don't, we're not aware of what our philosophies are. , but but we all have one to some degree. But. One of the philosophies under the I Am the possible umbrella is that the greatest form of self-development is self discovery. And so I too have a I don't have a problem necessarily with self development, but I definitely have a different paradigm or a different a different perspective on how we approach it and, To answer your question, the greatest form of self-development is self-discovery. And what I mean by that is, is that when you know, or you learn what you are, then you are able to learn [00:15:00] then what you are able to do, what you are able to be, how you are able to serve.

[00:15:07] And so the more you discover yourself, You will discover when you really, Okay, so let me preference this. When you really discover you versus

[00:15:20] Scott Maderer: the

[00:15:21] Treveal Lynch: adapted you or the altered you, meaning the you that you've become, because society has pressured you in into becoming something that you're not or someone that you're not.

[00:15:29] So when I say that, I'm really talking about the core essence of who you. In terms of God's creation. And so the more you discover who you are and really what you are, more, more importantly, then you will discover the gifts that you have, the talents that you have. The natural, and I love this one, the natural inclination, the natural pool of your life, those things that make you cry naturally.

[00:15:59] The things that [00:16:00] make you laugh naturally, the things that you care about and that are most meaningful meaningful to you naturally. You don't have to manufacture it, you don't have to come up with it is just when you see it happening, you just feel. Very connected to that thing. So the more you unpack you, I like to say it.

[00:16:18] We live in a world where everyone wants to level up. I say before we level up, let's level down . Let's get beneath the surface, man. Find out what's already there. And the more you unpack you, the more you discover, Wow, I got a lot to offer, A lot to offer the world, A lot to offer my neighbor a lot, to offer my church, a lot to offer my friends, my family, my coworkers.

[00:16:43] And again, going back to P philosophy, one of our philosophies is that we are created as a contribution to the betterment of our. Not just to make a contribution, but more importantly to be a contribution. I know this is a long answer, but no, I love

[00:16:59] Scott Maderer: [00:17:00] it. I live for it, right? I

[00:17:01] Treveal Lynch: live for it because it's when you begin to see yourself a contribution, not just one that's gonna make one.

[00:17:09] Cause if you make one, let's say for example, if I make a contribution to my favorite charity, okay I may not always be able to make that equal contribu. , this year I gave a hundred thousand dollars. Next year I lose my job and everything falls apart and I'm really connected to this thing, but I wanna make that same contribution.

[00:17:28] Now I'm no longer in that position, but if I am a contribution in and of myself now my scope and perspective changes. And I understand that wherever I am, I can bring a contribution in and through who I. and I can show up and I can give, and I can contribute to the betterment of those around me because of my very presence.

[00:17:52] Not just my present, the thing that's in my hand but my presence in and of myself. And yeah, so that, that's [00:18:00] how we tackle self-development. We look at it from. The lens of self discovery, the more I discover about me, the more I'm able to develop skill sets that are able to serve those around me.

[00:18:11] Scott Maderer: And as part of that it's I'm sure you've had the same experience I have where you're talking to someone and gifting in them. You see something that, and the first reaction that most of us have when someone calls that out is, Oh yeah, that's nothing special.

[00:18:31] Yeah. Yeah. That's no big deal. Yeah. That's what do you say when you hear that coming back at you from somebody ?

[00:18:39] Treveal Lynch: The comment of that's no big deal. I I definitely begged the differ. I definitely would challenge that. Anything that is natural, anything that naturally occurs, you should probably pay attention to anything that comes up for you that you didn't have to fight for.

[00:18:58] You didn't have to make, [00:19:00] you didn't have to buy, you didn't have to purchase, you didn't have to finagle anything. You didn't have to compromise anything for, and it just comes up for you. You. You might want to pay attention to those things because those are what I call the bread crumbs and the clues to your contribution.

[00:19:18] Not in all cases but in some enough where what comes up for you naturally, how you naturally are wired that definitely gives some indication to what you are connected to and where you are best. Best. To serve and to be of service. Gifts, they come in every size, shape, color, and none of us have the right to judge someone else's gift.

[00:19:47] And the capacity for them to operate through that gift. Because if we truly believe in God and we truly believe that he is at work within us, then for us to question. The potency or the [00:20:00] importance of someone's gift or their certain talents would actually be a cap on God's ability to work through them.

[00:20:06] Yeah, I definitely wouldn't, I definitely wouldn't just shun it off and just push it off as, ah, that's no big deal. Some of the smallest things that go underneath the radar are some of the most impactful things. When we. Pauses and really consider the influence that we have in other people's lives.

[00:20:23] Scott Maderer: So last week you mentioned you know, that you have a mentor and that mentorship is something that you're a big believer in. And yet I've again I've seen a lot where somebody wants to maybe mentor others, but again, I think our knee-jerk reaction is, Oh, I'm not ready for that. I'm not capable of that.

[00:20:43] I'm not able to be that. What would your answer be to somebody who's got that drive, that feeling that maybe they wanna mentor other young men, young women, others in their career, whatever it is, when, whatever shape that mentorship is gonna take, but doesn't feel prepared or [00:21:00] capable or able to do it.

[00:21:01] Treveal Lynch: Yeah, I always say focus on presence. One of the, for about two or three years, whenever I started my there was a point in time where I was doing live Facebook. I was pretty much , I was pretty much doing live coaching sessions cuz these things would go on for an hour. But my intro was Hey, welcome everyone you know.

[00:21:23] Good morning. I first wanna thank you guys for your presence. Your presence is the greatest present that you could ever give to. , and I don't know where that came from, but it was, but once I started saying it, it really made sense to me and I really held onto it. If you're doubting your ability to mentor someone else It's perhaps because you are considering skill sets that maybe you haven't acquired some sort of professional certification that you haven't acquired or some sort of outstanding criteria.

[00:21:54] Here's the criteria that I would encourage you to consider. You are further. [00:22:00] along than someone. That's it. You're, you are a little further along than someone else, and you have a multitude of experiences, emotions, ups, downs, wins, losses. You have a lot within you and your life's journey up to this point.

[00:22:21] No matter where you are in that journey that you can offer in the form of stories loving advice counsel, and just the power of your very presence. Cuz a lot of people are just looking for presence. They're they just don't feel like no one's, I'm sorry, they don't feel like anyone's paying attention to.

[00:22:43] A lot of people are just lonely. They just don't feel any connection. So no, you should feel encouraged if you want to begin to mentor someone. A, you're alive, you're breathing. So your presence is the most powerful present that you can give every, that you can give anyone. And then [00:23:00] secondly, your story.

[00:23:01] Your story is perhaps the centerpiece to it. And so many people can draw from your story and you don't have to have a skill and you don't have to have graduated from college and you don't have to have some plaque on the wall. Nope. You are the plaque. You're already here. Just tell your story and be present with people.

[00:23:22] Scott Maderer: So when it comes to developing, Ourselves so that we can serve others and pour into other people. What are some mindsets or resources or tips that you would give to folks to think about as they're looking at that?

[00:23:37] Treveal Lynch: Yes. So the mindset that I would encourage is twofold. So going back to my earlier point, presence, the mindset of presence being present is actually a.

[00:23:53] it's something that's cultivated. It starts off with just an intention. Okay. I'm gonna show up on the Inspired [00:24:00] Stewardship podcast for the next whatever timeframe that we're on this podcast. And this is just an example. All I'm gonna think about is engaging with Scott. Yes. I got a ton of other stuff going on today.

[00:24:14] So what? Right now all I have is this present. And all I, for all I know because no man can predict his lifespan. For all I know, I'm gonna shut down this podcast and I'm gonna walk away and I'm gonna lose my life. Now, I know that might sound a little morbid and weird to say, but let's be honest, no one knows the time or the moment.

[00:24:38] Sure. So the best thing that you can do in terms of a mindset is when I'm with a person. I'm with that person and everything else has to wait and everything else can wait. So presence, being very present with the person. And then the other thing is empathy. [00:25:00] Empathy is also something that is trained and developed.

[00:25:05] The ability to say, Let me step out of my shoes, my skin, my reality. And how might this person. . If you're mentoring a person, if you're encouraging someone, if you're counseling someone, if you're coaching someone, how might this person feel in their situation? And really give yourself permission to feel what they might be feeling and to your best ability, sit in that and allow that to work on you and say, You know what?

[00:25:37] If I'm here to serve if I'm here to coach, if I'm here to mentor, The best way that I can do that is to get inside of this experience with this person and then bring along your story, your experiences, your expertise, and anything else that you could possibly offer in that moment. So presence, being able [00:26:00] to actually focused on the moment and the time at.

[00:26:04] Without being two days in the future and five days in the past. Just the now and then being or even

[00:26:12] Scott Maderer: the now that you think you should be doing instead of the, now that's actually happening. There you

[00:26:17] Treveal Lynch: go. That's right. There you go. Yep.

[00:26:19] Scott Maderer: So those are the two skills because, I'm married and I don't know about you, but I've had that conversation with my wife where about halfway through it I realize.

[00:26:29] I'm actually in my head somewhere else. I'm not even here in those conversation I'm having right now. Absolutely. That's not fair to her. That's not fair to me. That's not fair to the relationship. Stop it. Get back to where you're supposed to be right this minute. Not absolutely not worried about that other thing that you need to be doing.

[00:26:46] And yet again, that's another one of those, You're not gonna be perfect at that. By the way, folks that's his constant journey to do that because yeah we. . We also, the I all, I add to [00:27:00] that too, something else. That, at least for me, I know it's a challenge and maybe it is for you sometimes too, is when you are present and when you are listening to someone else, listen to hear what's being said, not to plan your own response.

[00:27:16] Treveal Lynch: That's key. Absolutely.

[00:27:18] Scott Maderer: I'm crappy that sometimes I really admit that. But yeah. But it's, there's a huge difference between those two things, I think. Yes.

[00:27:27] Treveal Lynch: Yeah. Huge. Yep. Couldn't agree more.

[00:27:30] Scott Maderer: You can follow Trave Lynch on Facebook or Instagram as I am the possible, or find him on his website at i am the possible.com. Of course, he's also active over on YouTube as Trave Lynch. I am the possible, I'll have links to all of this over in the show notes as well, trave. Is there anything else you'd like to share with

[00:27:50] Treveal Lynch: the listener?

[00:27:51] Yeah, I just want to, as I'm always given an opportunity to, or whenever I'm given an opportunity to is that I just want to [00:28:00] encourage you, no matter where you are, no matter what you've accomplished, no matter what you've not accomplished that I really want you to really consider the fact that your existence is the evidence that you matter.

[00:28:13] The only reason that you're. Is because you matter. Your existence is the evidence that you need to prove and to show yourself where it matters most, that you matter. And be encouraged to take that journey of self discovery that journey of the inward journey. And to really seek out, to really search and to really secure an identity for yourself that comes from within and not come from, or doesn't come from those things that are without on the outside of you.

[00:28:53] So that would be my number one encouragement.

[00:28:55] Scott Maderer: Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. [00:29:00] As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this, Please. Please do us a favor. Go over to inspired stewardship.com/itunes.

[00:29:23] Rate all one word iTunes rate. It'll take you through how to leave a rating and review, and how to make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that you can get every episode as it comes out in your feed. Until next time, invest your. Your talent and your treasures. Develop your influence and impact the world.