Hey, it's Luca and welcome to the Luca Savati podcast. Have you ever read something, maybe a horoscope, maybe an article, and thought, "Wow, this is exactly what I'm going through." And then the more you read, the more it seems to fit. Not in a vague way, not in a this could apply to anyone way, but specific enough that you just stare and think, wait, what? So, that happened to me not long ago. It's what happened after that made me want to sit down and have this conversation with you. So, I was sitting on the couch wrapping up the year, sending messages to friends, wishing people happy holidays, happy new year, and one of the friends I texted had also been my coach at some point. So, I told her that last year had been amazing, scary, some kind of a roller coaster, a year of exploring. And I told her about a decision I just made. The decision to quit my job. Yes. To go allin on my work around my book, speaking um launching this podcast. A few minutes later, I get a reply which got me even more excited. And then she told me that she had also decided to start a new chapter in her life. And I could feel the energy blasting off my screen. So at the end of the message she adds this link and writes this article looks like it's written for us. Now I don't believe in horoscopes but I am curious. So I clicked and the article talked about the current year that we were wrapping up being the year of the snake according to Chinese zodiacs. a year of reflection, of going inward, of searching for meaning. And I remember thinking, "Yeah, that's been my year." I could totally relate. The way it was described, I mean, it was like they were having an interview with me. And then it talked about the following year which was going to be the year of the horse. A year of momentum, movement, things shifting into gear, clarity, action. And for a brief moment, I bought into the story. I felt excited. I felt confirmed like okay so if one year was about reflection and that seemed to be my year then if the next year is about growth and momentum bring it on. And while I was in that mode something else happened. I caught myself thinking, wait a second, how can something written for millions of people feel so precise? And suddenly I wasn't interested in the content of the article anymore. I was interested in what was happening inside me. Because if an article can feel this personal, then something interesting is going on. I wasn't changing because it was the year of the snake. I recognized myself in that story because I had already been changing. I didn't reflect because a year told me to. The article resonated because I had already been reflecting. And as humans, we are actually really good at this. At noticing patterns, at meaning making our attention filters for what matters to us. When something becomes important in our life, you start noticing. You start noticing it everywhere in conversations, in articles, in people around you. Not because those things created the change, but because you were already in it. And that's the part that matters to me. Because instead of asking what is this year going to bring me, the better question is how do I want to show up in this year? Because momentum isn't something that just happens to you. It's something that you build and it starts when you take a small step. usually before you feel ready. And when you do something with a bit of courage, then you create evidence. And that evidence builds confidence. And confidence builds courage. And if you repeat this, you get momentum. Not because the year brings it, but because you took action. And that's why I want to share five questions with you. Now, these are questions that I use myself not just at the end of the year, but whenever I feel the urge to change, to move, or to show up a bit differently. They're not here to give you a full plan to follow. They're here simply to help you notice where you are and take ownership of whatever comes next. All right, you ready? So the question is how do you want to feel one month, six months, a year from now? So not what you want to fix, not what do you want to achieve, how do you want to feel one month, 6 months or a year from now. Now before you answer that, it can help to notice something else first. How have you actually been feeling lately? When you wake up, when your day ends, in those quiet moments when it's just you, just naming that already does something. Because once you name how you feel, it becomes easier to sense what you might want to feel instead. Are you feeling anxious and instead you want more calm? Are you feeling a bit off or restless and instead you want more alignment? You want to feel more grounded? I start with this question simply because naming how you feel can already change how you relate to it, the thoughts that you have, the meaning that you make. Naming the feeling isn't fixing anything. It's simply orientation. It's noticing what's going on inside and it's giving you language. And that's often the first way that we step back into the driver's seat instead of letting life just happen to us. Take a moment and check with yourself. How do you want to feel a month, six months, or a year from now? Once you've named how you want to feel, there's a second question that naturally follows. And it's an important one because feelings aren't random. They are signals. They tell us something about what we care about, about what feels aligned or what feels out of sync. So here's the second question. Why does that feeling matter to you? Just why this feeling specifically? So if you want to feel more calm, why does that matter to you? If you want to feel more spacious, why does that matter? If you want to feel more confident, it might not be about performance at all, but about wanting to trust yourself again. When I looked into this, what stood out to me was how often we skip this step. We jump from I want to feel different to so now I need to change something. And often that something feels pretty big. A new plan, a new role, a new direction. But often what we need is something smaller. And asking why can be a way to see things a little more clearly. And if your answer starts with what you don't want anymore, that's also fine. Just see if you can translate it into what you want instead. Because without understanding why a feeling matters, change can feel forced. And when you force something, it's hard to keep showing up for it. Try going to the gym. I honestly love going to the gym, but imagine going to the gym without having a clear why. Um, I'm guessing that you might start off well, but eventually you won't go as often or you won't go at all. When you connect a feeling to why it matters, you're not motivating yourself through pressure. You're changing because there's meaning for you. And that matters because meaning shapes behavior far more than willpower. It gives your nervous system context. It tells your brain, "This matters." And when something matters, you're more likely to notice, to protect it, to make choices for it, to show up, and be different. Take a moment with this one. Why does the way you want to feel matter to you? What would it allow you to do or be or to finally stop holding on to? Once you know why feeling matters to you, you'll notice what you can do to move towards it. So this brings us to the next question. What would need to change in how you show up? This question is about ownership and knowing what you can and can't influence. about understanding that you cannot change other people and that no one is coming to save you. It's up to you uh to do the work because we often say we want to feel different but we keep showing up the same way and then we're surprised that nothing changes. So this question isn't about your job. It's not about other people. It's not about something huge you need to fix. It's about you and it usually shows up in small everyday moments. Your choices, your boundaries, your attention, your energy. Again, ownership. And it comes third for a reason. Because once you've named how you want to feel and why that feeling matters, you usually already know deep down what would need to change. Maybe there's something you've been putting off. Telling yourself you'll do it when the time is right. That's a lie. There never will be the right time. What we call waiting for the right time is actually avoiding. And avoiding is also a choice. But will it create the change that you want to make? What would need to change in how you show up? Fourth question, what is one small next step you can take? And I'm not talking about the perfect plan. I'm not even talking about a solution. Just one small next step. And the word small really matters here because when we want to change something, our mind usually jumps ahead. I know mine does. Now, wouldn't it be great if there was just one thing that changed everything and that we knew exactly what that thing was. But that's not usually how it works. When you feel stuck in any area of your life, you often don't even know what your next step is. So fear kicks in. You start overthinking. Confidence drops. You spiral. And the more you do that, the more stuck you start to feel. That's exactly why this question brings things back to something more doable, something you could still do on a day when motivation is low. And this is also why the previous questions matter. Because once you're connected to why this matters to you, you often already have a sense of what the next small step could be. And I want to encourage you to make it even smaller than you think it should be. If calling someone feels too big or too confrontational, maybe the next small step is just sending a short message. Or if changing jobs feels overwhelming, then maybe the small next step isn't switching careers, it's simply writing down a few directions you're curious about. And you can make it even smaller because any step is still a step. And sometimes that one step is enough for today. It doesn't have to be the perfect one. It might not even be the right one. And it can still be helpful because even a wrong step gives you information. It shows you something. It guides you closer to what does fit. So when you take a small step and you actually follow through, your brain registers that as a win. I know small steps don't look impressive or sexy, but they give you evidence that you can move. And let me repeat this. Evidence builds confidence. Confidence builds courage. And the more you repeat this, the more momentum you create, the easier it feels to take steps towards your goals. That's why I'm not asking you what you should do. As you're listening right now, something might already be coming to mind. So, I'm asking you this. What is one small step that matters to you that feels doable from where you are right now? That brings me to question number five. When will you take that first step? Because soon isn't a day in your calendar. If we keep waiting for things to calm down or to become clear, nothing is going to change. Intentions are great and we all have good intentions. But this question is where intention turns into action. We're not committing to something big. We're simply choosing a moment. Can you do it right away? That's great. Go do it. Later today, also great. Tomorrow morning, totally fine. But if you notice yourself already opening your agenda, scrolling ahead for next week, maybe the week after, that might be a sign that the step is still a bit too big. So, be realistic and challenge yourself at the same time. Pick a moment because once you do, you've made a commitment with yourself. And notice what happens when you decide. Maybe there's a bit of excitement. Maybe a bit of nervousness, too. I know I get this tiny smile. I feel a bit naughty when I realize I'm choosing to do something outside of my comfort zone. That's what you just did. You chose something that gets you moving again. You chose courage and courage grows into confidence. And if you keep repeating that step by step, moment by moment, that's how you get momentum. And that feeling you named in the first question is how you start moving toward it. So these were the five questions that I wanted to share with you. And if this episode was helpful to you and it made you think of someone you care about, make sure to share this with them and tell them what made you think of them. All right, my name is Luca. Thank you so much for being here and I look forward to seeing you in our next conversation.