Start with Small Steps

203 - Rediscovering Life Through Our Senses In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of our senses with insights from Gretchen Rubin's book Life in Five Senses. We discuss how our senses shape our understanding of the world, the ways in which they adapt when one is lost, and how paying attention to them can enhance our everyday experiences. The Role of Senses in Perception: We explore how...

202 - Wear the Six Thinking Hats In this episode, we explore Edward de Bono’s revolutionary framework, "The Six Thinking Hats." This method offers a structured approach to problem-solving and decision-making by encouraging participants to adopt different mindsets, each represented by a colored hat. We explore how this technique can be applied in various scenarios, from corporate meetings to family...

201 - Creating Your Own Luck The intriguing concept of luck as presented in A.H.Z. Carr’s book "How to Attract Good Luck and Make the Most of It in Your Daily Life." challenges the traditional notion of luck as mere chance or superstition, Carr offers a practical approach to creating luck through preparedness and the right mindset. Redefining Luck : Carr redefines luck as not a mystical force but...

The MEEPS Method for Problem-Solving Change is hard, but with the right strategy, it becomes manageable. The MEMPS method—Motivate, Equip, Nudge, Push, and Shove—offers a structured approach to tackling problems and achieving goals. Here’s how you can apply this method to your own life. The system takes into account the book by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, Nudge. Motivate The first step is to...

199 - Overcoming Costs and Creating Incentives This episode examines how costs, incentives, and biases influence our behavior and decision-making processes. Drawing from both economics and psychology, we discuss strategies to identify and manage these factors effectively, ensuring better outcomes in personal a nd professional scenarios. The Role of Incentives: We explore how incentives, whether fi...

198 - Navigating the Challenges of People Pleasing In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked downside of being too nice. Drawing from "Anxious to Please: Seven Revolutionary Practices for the Chronically Nice" by James Rapson and Craig English, we discuss how chronic people pleasing can impact mental health, relationships, and personal fulfillment. We offer practical strategies to help list...

197 - Seven Key Questions to Be Self-Aware Understanding our essential self is a journey, one that requires introspection and a willingness to ask challenging questions. We look into these questions, drawing from Dain Dunston's book, Being Essential: Seven Questions for Living and Leading with Radical Self-Awareness. This two-part series emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in navigating li...

196 - Your Essential Being In this episode, we explore the concept of radical self-awareness, a transformative practice that allows us to reconnect with our core identity. Inspired by Dane Dunstan's book "Being Essential: Seven Questions for Living and Leading with Radical Self-Awareness," we delve into how understanding our essential self can help us navigate life with clarity and purpose. Key Ta...

195 - Shortcuts in Achieving Goals In our pursuit of goals, the question often arises: is it acceptable to use shortcuts? This topic is more nuanced than it appears, blending practical considerations with ethical ones. Let's explore the implications of using shortcuts to achieve goals and how they impact our learning, integrity, and success. Shortcuts are often perceived negatively, equated with c...

194 - Overcoming Tedious Tasks In today’s episode, we explore how to tackle the boring, tedious tasks that often derail our productivity. Drawing insights from Peter Hollens’ book, Self-Disciplined: for Tedious, Boring, and Difficult Things, we discuss practical strategies to make these tasks more manageable. 1. 52/17 Technique: Work for 52 minutes, then take a 17-minute break. This method, based...

193 - Formulas for Life In this episode, we delve into Patrick King's book, Social Equation, which offers practical formulas to enhance social interactions. Discover how to build trust, improve workplace harmony, and foster romantic relationships through King's insightful equations. Building trust is fundamental to any strong relationship, and Patrick King offers a straightforward formula to achie...

192 - The Enduring Wisdom of George Washington’s Rules In today’s episode, we delve into George Washington’s “110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior,” a set of guidelines that the first U.S. President copied from a French etiquette manual during his youth. These rules, which shaped his conduct and helped forge his character, offer timeless wisdom on politeness and decorum that is surprisingly...

191 - Don't Join the Cynicism In this episode, we look into the pervasive issue of cynicism in our modern society, exploring its causes and impactful strategies to foster a more positive outlook. Drawing inspiration from the wise words of George Carlin, we discuss how disillusionment leads to cynicism and how we can transform this mindset to improve our overall quality of life. Understanding Cynic...

190 - Hit the Point and Sell it Welcome to today's episode where we dive into the art of brevity in communication, inspired by the book "Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less." Today, we'll explore why brevity is essential and how to achieve it effectively. Importance of Order: Start communications with the most crucial information. This ensures that even if the audience loses interest...

189 - Be Brief To Get Readers In our fast-paced digital age, where every second counts, mastering the art of brevity has become crucial for effective communication. The concept, brilliantly explored in the book "Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less" by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz, reveals how concise communication can significantly improve how we connect with others. Th...

188 - Sharing Creativity with Others Welcome back to our exploration of creativity, where today we dive deep into the heart of innovation with Austin Kleon's influential work, "Steal Like an Artist." This episode unravels the fabric of creativity, guiding us through the art of borrowing ideas to forge our unique path. Join us as we dissect key insights and share personal anecdotes inspired by Kleo...

187 - The Art of Creative Borrowing Inspiration Welcome to today’s episode, where we dive deep into Austin Kleon’s book, “Steal Like an Artist.” This book has resonated with creators worldwide, urging us to rethink our approach to creativity and inspiration. Kleon delivers a powerful message: innovation doesn’t spring from a vacuum but from the rich tapestry of existing work. Key takeaways from to...

186 - Embrace Adventure And Live Fully In this episode, we dive into the profound lessons from Bear Grylls’ “How to Be a Scout,” exploring how the principles of wilderness survival apply to our daily lives. Grylls introduces the STOP acronym—Stop, Take a moment, Observe, Plan—as a method to tackle life’s challenges head-on without succumbing to panic. We discuss how the priorities of Protection, R...

185 - Unveiling Life's Blueprint Through Scouting In the tapestry of life, few threads are woven as intricately and with as much care as the lessons learned through scouting. It's an odyssey that transcends the mere act of tying knots or pitching tents under the starlit sky. Instead, it lays down a blueprint for building character, fostering resilience, and nurturing a profound connection with the...

184 - The Power of Curiosity and Connection In this episode, I share with you my thoughts on Brene Brown’s book “Braving the Wilderness”. I was particularly struck by the concept of ‘true belonging’, which Brown explores in her book. She argues that true belonging comes from standing in one’s truth, even when it’s uncomfortable or different from those around us. Brown also talks about ‘braving’ as...

183 - The Power of Your Authentic Self I talk about the book from Brené Brown called Braving the Wilderness about the importance of being brave and bringing everyone in, even those we disagree with. She explained that true belonging is about standing in our own opinion, presenting our authentic selves to the world, and having the courage to stand alone when necessary. She also mentioned that belon...

182 - Turn Your Ship Around In this podcast episode, we're delving into the world of leadership, through the experience of a commanding officer plays in shaping the culture and morale of their ship. We will review the book It's Your Ship, Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. We're exploring how the principle of "ownership" can transform a low-m...

181 - Get out of the Rut of Overthinking In this episode, we explore the topic of overthinking and how it can negatively impact us. We discuss the book 'Overthinking' by Daniel Michaels, where the author suggests that overthinking is a safety mechanism that helps us make decisions. However, it can often lead to unnecessary stress and anxiety.  Overthinking can have both mental and physical effects...

180 - Great Opportunity in the Cave of Fear We wrap up our conversation on Joe Polish's book “What’s in It for Them? Nine Networking Principles to Get What You Want by Helping Others Get What They Want.” and highlight the fact that many jobs, especially in retail, require such an ability. Even if your current job isn't your dream job, getting it right is necessary for growth and finding your ideal...

179 - Be Creative to Make A Connection In this podcast episode, we discuss how to improve the lives of others by exploring Joe Polish's book, "What's in it for them? Nine networking principles to get what you want by helping others get what they want." I highlight the importance of investing time, attention, money, effort, and energy to foster connections and relationships. It's crucial to adapt o...