THINK THINK THINK: Think for Yourself

“Think. Think. Think. We have so many strong opinions about things that we’ve never even researched. We walk around hating people, and their beliefs, based on other people’s opinions.” — Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist

Meme: Image: Closeup of woman wearing glasses, pointer finger to temple. Text states: “Think. Think. Think. We have so many strong opinions about things that we’ve never even researched. We walk around hating people, and their beliefs, based on other people’s opinions.” — Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist mdillondesigns.com
Tap the play button to listen to today’s podcast. Tap & hold first if necessary, then tap play.
FYI I cuss so wait ’til the kids and elders aren’t around. Press play to listen to today’s podcast. Blessings!

You ever thought about a phrase you hear all the time and realized it makes no sense? Well, something like that is what got me thinking today.

Today’s episode is all about thinking for yourself. Too many of our core beliefs are based purely on other people’s opinions. At some point, we have to ask ourselves why we believe what we believe, and if it’s true for us. Can we prove it? Does it stand up to questioning? Does research support it, or is it just what we’ve always heard, thought, and believed?

It’s okay to let something go when you realize it’s not based in fact. It’s okay to believe differently than your parents did. It’s okay to realize that you have been automatically following certain beliefs and they don’t actually line up with your values or priorities. It’s TOTALLY okay to choose differently once you begin to think for yourself. And it’s okay to apologize if necessary.

Check out today’s podcast. It’s a good one.

Blessings!

Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist

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Upcoming Events

So I currently have three projects going that I’m really excited about. I tell you about two of them on today’s podcast.

The first is a brilliant idea that I gave myself roughly a month to implement. And, of course, #ADHDbelike so I didn’t quite get it done in time. Since wrangling my brain is like trying to get 50 kittens to stand still while you take their photo, it took me a little longer than I hoped, but I just hit publish. And I’m excited to tell you about it!

Tap the play button to listen to today’s podcast. Tap & hold first if necessary, then tap play.
FYI I cuss so wait ’til the kids and elders aren’t around. Press play to listen to today’s podcast. Blessings!

You ever had a brilliant idea, but no idea how to implement it? You have had a brilliant idea, the plans to implement it, but no energy to do it? Ever had all that, the energy, and no free time? Well, welcome to my world.

This last week was ass. It wasn’t ass the whole time, but the collective outcome was ass. A lot of work, growth, forward motion, and then a big loss… like all that work to end up losing. I was devastated.

The “good” thing for me is that anger and pain are great motivators. I get so pissed that all the overthinking I usually do that delays progress, doesn’t happen because I’m so mad that I don’t give a f*ck. My f*ck it energy kicks in and I just do whatever I want to do and don’t care how other people feel about it, what they’d rather I was doing, etc. I don’t hesitate for fear of being interrupted, because I refuse to be interrupted. I make myself unavailable and focus fully on myself, my needs, and what best moves me forward. All the things that usually pull on my attention, focus, and energy fall to the background, and I’m finally able to be focused.

Well, that’s what happened this weekend. Life pissed me off so bad that my f*ck it energy kicked in and I started working on this project I meant to complete days ago. And I’m calling it “F*CK IT FEBRUARY.”

What is FCKITFEB? It’s my growing library of exclusive content available to paid subscribers. I love offering my podcasts and blogs for free. And I intend to continue to do that. This library of exclusive podcasts are ones that I never published publicly. Great content, just like those I’ve offered for free, but these are forgotten episodes that I felt I’d never get to share.

If you are a listener who appreciates my work, and are interested in contributing, or supporting, please check out today’s podcast to learn about this new offer for paid subscribers. You can also tap Learn More below to find out more!

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BTW, I’m feeling too tired to explain my other offer that is up and coming. So definitely listen to today’s podcast to hear all about it. I so appreciate you being here and supporting my work. Play button for today’s podcast is under the photo above.

Blessings!

Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist

Life of BUY

My thoughts on the boycott… Okay, not really. These are my thoughts that came up as a result of the one day boycott….

Just to catch you up…. So in the US many people are pushing back against a new government structure that is leaning toward a racist, misogynistic, anti-anyone-who isn’t-a-caucasian-male, billionaire-run dictatorship. As a show of solidarity against this nonsense, many people joined in on a spend no money boycott on February 28, 2025. These people—myself included—didn’t spend a single dollar online, for gas, for food, for anything. It was just ONE day of not spending. And I realized something really unsettling….

Meme of an individual holding shopping bags while scrolling on their phone Text states: "We don’t even realize we’re being conditioned to buy. A one-day spending hiatus is a powerful tool for increasing our awareness of our habits of unnecessary spending.” Share & Let's Live! podcast watermark bottom right corner — Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist mdillondesigns.com/blog
Tap the play button to listen to today’s podcast. Tap & hold first if necessary, then tap play.
FYI I cuss so wait ’til the kids and elders aren’t around. Press play to listen to today’s podcast. Blessings!

Not spending money is hard. I was surprised at how many moments came up in that 24 hour period where I was about to spend some money, and remembered the boycott. I mean, all day I was having moments like… “I’m feeling a bit parched. Let me just pull into this drive through and grab a …. Oh, yeah.” OR “You know what I need? Let me just get on my Amazon app and order a… Damn. Tomorrow, then.”

And as I thought about it, I realized that what some people were saying was right. Having a one day boycott does send a message (if enough people participate). However, if we all rush to the store to stock up the day before, AND immediately go back to shopping as usual the day after, we kind of miss the point. And as business owners that study buying habits, they could easily anticipate the surge before and after and not shake that much.

However, for me, just taking that one day off helped me see the habit of spending. It helped me become aware of how often tapping (my debit card, not my pressure points) is my automatic go-to behavior. It’s like tapping is my cigarette break.

Most of us probably have no idea how many times we mindlessly create “solutions” to our “problems” by buying. And it made me really think about how the ease of spending, and the promoted desire to have a lush life, has lulled us into a habit of giving away every dollar that comes in…. and even to spend what we don’t have (i.e. credit, loans, borrowing others money to maintain a lifestyle, etc.).

Today’s podcast is NOT ABOUT ME JUDGING. It’s about me seeing the tendency in MYSELF and recognizing it, and sharing that same opportunity for awareness with you. I hope you’ll check it out. It was eye-opening for me. Maybe more came out of this boycott than we think.

Enjoy the podcast!

Blessings!

Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist

Who Are You Being in the Current Moment?

We don’t always realize how we tend to shift from one persona to another based on what we believe about ourselves in any given moment. For example, if we believe we are timid people pleasers, we will approach interpersonal conflicts differently than if we view ourselves as strong, independent thinkers who prioritize our needs.

Meme Image of strong lioness standing before her cubs. Text states: “We don’t realize that we are constantly shifting personas—thinking, then behaving, in ways that align with how we view ourselves. By becoming aware of this tendency, we can take control of our lives, and step into our power.” — Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist mdillondesigns.com/blog Share & Let's Live! podcast logo watermark in bottom right corner above website address
Tap the play button to listen to today’s podcast. Tap & hold first if necessary, then tap play.
FYI I cuss so wait ’til the kids and elders aren’t around. Press play to listen to today’s podcast. Blessings!

This morning I was listening to a previous podcast episode. In it I relearned the importance of being aware of who I am being in any given moment.

I’ll kinda give you an idea of how to do this. So in a moment, you ask yourself questions like:
– How do I view myself in relation to the current situation?
– Am I feeling empowered? Weak? Strong? Afraid? Worried? Confident?
– If I was my most empowered self, how would I view this situation?
– If I am certain that everything is gonna work out, would I feel like I do right now?

So, as I went through my morning, I found myself going into fear, anxiety, and doubt. And I started to think about these kinds of questions and shifted back into my power. I began to declare (in my mind) that “I am ______,” to support the morning that I wanted to experience.

For example, I shifted from “I am panicking,” “I am worrying,” and “I am expecting to be late,” to “I am arriving on time,” “I am dropping her off on time,” “I am expecting things to work out.” And as I shifted the energy within me, the energy around me shifted, and we arrived on time and all the “I am” statements I declared came true….

What we place behind, “I am” is so important. As we go through our days, let’s be more aware of who we are being, and shift accordingly to get the most out of our days.

I explain this more on today’s podcast. Check it out!

Blessings!

Marlene Dillon Empowerment Specialist