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Wake Up Eager Podcast   |   Wake Up Eager Leader Tips

Eric Church’s Six Strings of Life: Are the Things That Matter Most in Your Life in Tune?

Ep 156
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Inspired by Eric Church’s powerful 2026 UNC commencement speech, Suzie Price connects his “six strings of life” to six dimensions of Axiology to explore how greater self-awareness can help us notice what has drifted out of tune—and intentionally make the adjustments that matter.


TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS

  • 1. Nothing has to be broken to need tuning.

Every important part of life can drift—our direction, relationships, roles, work, community, and even our sense of who we are. The goal is not perfect balance; it is developing enough awareness to notice when something needs attention and being willing to adjust.

  • 2. Self-awareness gives us more choice.

Axiology and the Acumen portion of TriMetrix help reveal how clearly we see ourselves, other people, tasks, roles, and systems. When we recognize our patterns and biases, we gain the ability to respond intentionally rather than simply reacting from habit.

  • 3. One strong string cannot carry the whole song.

Ambition, achievement, resilience, or any other strength can become overused. A meaningful Wake Up Eager life requires paying attention to all the things that matter—not simply continuing to do more of what we are already good at.


KEY GUEST QUOTES

  • “By optimizing sleep, you optimize performance.” 
  • “It’s about the quality of what we’re doing, not necessarily the quantity of what we’re doing.”  
  • “Your good night’s sleep actually starts with how you wake up.”  
  • "Hydrate before you caffeinate.” 
  • “A lot of people are tired, but wired.”  
  • “When we are sleep deprived, executive functioning is one of the first things that gets affected.”  
  • “Good sleep allows you to show up in the rooms that matter most.”  
  • “Healthy, consistent, good quality sleep has a trickle-down effect into so many other areas of your life.” 

 

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  • “An instrument doesn’t have to be broken to be out of tune, and neither do we.” — Carol Mettenbrink
  • “Axiology helps us see our patterns—and once we see them, we have more choice about what we do next.” — Suzie Price
  • “Being right about where the lights were wasn’t nearly as important as being connected to his wife.” — Jim Comenzo
  • “One string can’t carry the whole song.” — Suzie Price
  • “At some point, I believe we have to stop asking only, ‘What am I capable of doing?’ and begin asking, ‘What is truly worth doing with the life I have?’” — Carol Mettenbrink
  • “Once you recognize it, you have a choice. You can react from your automatic pattern, or you can slow down enough to ask, ‘What does this situation and this person actually need from me right now?’” — Jim Comenzo
  • “You don’t throw away the guitar because one string is off. You tune it.” — Suzie Price

Think about your life right now and consider these six areas:

Eric Church’s String Axiology Connection

Tuning Question

  • Faith Self-Direction - Am I clear about what I believe, what matters most, and where I am going?
  • Family Role Awareness - Am I showing up in the roles that matter most to me the way I want to?
  • Relationships & Partnership Understanding Others - Am I truly seeing the people I care about—or mostly reacting to their behavior?
  • Ambition, Resilience & Vision Practical Thinking - What important result do I want, and what is the next useful action?
  • Community Systems Judgment - What system am I part of, and am I seeing it clearly before I follow it or fight it?
  • Individuality Sense of Self Am I living as myself—or spending energy trying to become who someone else expects me to be?

These are not official one-to-one Hartman pairings; they are the connections Suzie heard while listening to Eric Church’s speech.

Choose one string that needs a little attention. Then identify one action: a phone call, a conversation, a new system, a boundary, a decision, or simply some quiet time to get clearer.

You do not have to retune your entire life today.

Notice the string. Then begin tuning it.


ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

Carol Mettenbrink

Carol Mettenbrink is the founder of On the Brink Business Solutions, where she works with individuals and organizations in psychometric analytics, leadership and team development, talent optimization, coaching, and consulting. A longtime student and practitioner of Axiology and TriMetrix, Carol also serves on the Board of Directors of the Robert S. Hartman Institute.

Connect with Carol on LinkedIn
Hear Carol on Wake Up Eager Episode #71: Deeper Than DISC

Jim Comenzo

Jim Comenzo is President of Creating Healthy Relationships, LLC and a licensed marriage and family therapist, organizational development consultant, and coach. He brings more than 30 years of experience applying Axiology and Family Systems theory with individuals, couples, families, leaders, and organizations.

Connect with Jim on LinkedIn


EPISODE RESOURCES:

Eric Church’s Six Strings of Life

Eric Church — 2026 UNC-Chapel Hill Commencement Address
Church structured his commencement message around the six strings of a guitar: Faith, Family, Partnership, Ambition/Resilience/Vision, Community, and Individuality.

Watch Eric Church’s Full 2026 Commencement Speech:

Eric Church’s Official Commencement 

TriMetrix Assessment — Acumen/Axiology
The Acumen portion of TriMetrix looks at how clearly we see ourselves, other people, and situations and includes the six dimensions discussed in this episode.

What Is TriMetrix?:

https://www.pricelessprofessional.com/what-is-trimetrix.html

TriMetrix University — Learning Bites & Development Resources
This is the master resource library for the Acumen dimensions, including workbooks, audio lessons, videos, self-awareness questions, and development exercises.

TriMetrix University Development Insights:

Understanding Others

Resources include:

  • ·       Workbook: Understanding Others / Empathetic Outlook
  • ·       Video: Understanding and Evaluating Others
  • ·       Audio + Transcript: Understanding Others and the Car Analogy
  • ·       Self-awareness questions and development exercises

Understanding Others:

Audio: Episode #57, Tools, Car Analogy & Development 
Video: Understanding and Evaluating Others

Resources include the Practical Thinking workbook, self-awareness questions, development exercises, and practical tools for translating ideas and intentions into action.

Practical Thinking — Getting Things Done Immediately, Thoroughly & Cheerfully

Related Wake Up Eager Episodes

Episode #127: The Art of Getting Things Done Immediately, Thoroughly, and Cheerfully

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity — David Allen

Suzie shares how David Allen’s GTD system helped her strengthen her own Practical Thinking by creating a trusted structure for capturing commitments, clarifying next actions, and following through.

Getting Things Done

Official GTD Site:
Getting Things Done 

Systems Judgment:

Book Information 

TriMetrix University resources include:

  • ·       Systems Judgment workbook
  • ·       Conceptual Thinking
  • ·       Creativity
  • ·       Following Directions
  • ·       Integrative Ability
  • ·       Long-Range Planning
  • ·       Meeting Standards
  • ·       Quality Orientation
  • ·       Respect for Policies
  • ·       Theoretical Problem Solving
  • ·       Self-awareness questions and development exercises

Access Systems Judgment Resources in TriMetrix University

Sense of Self Resources include:

  • ·       Workbook: Sense of Self / Self-Esteem
  • ·       Audio: Sense of Self / Self-Esteem
  • ·       Emotional Control
  • ·       Internal Self-Control
  • ·       Personal Drive
  • ·       Self-Assessment
  • ·       Self-Improvement
  • ·       Self-awareness questions and development exercises

Access Sense of Self Resources in TriMetrix University
Audio: Sense of Self / Self-Esteem: Role Awareness

Resources include:

Resources include:

  • ·       Workbook + Audio: Self-Direction
  • ·       Workbook + Audio: Goal Directedness
  • ·       Workbook + Audio: Initiative
  • ·       Workbook + Audio: Job Ethics
  • ·       Personal Commitment
  • ·       Realistic Personal Goal Setting
  • ·       Self-Discipline and Sense of Duty
  • ·       Self-Starting Ability
  • ·       Self-awareness questions and development exercises

Access Self-Direction Resources in TriMetrix University

Audio: Self-Direction

Audio: Goal Directedness

Audio: Initiative

Audio: Job Ethics

Related Wake Up Eager Episode

  • Make People Feel Something: Leadership with Kevin Paul Scott A related conversation about seeing and valuing people, authentic connection, relationships, and creating experiences people want to return to.

Episode #155: Make People Feel Something

Episode Show Notes: PricelessProfessional.com/sixstrings


EPISODE RESOURCES:


Connect with Suzie Price:

Podcast:


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