Encore Living

You know that meme picture of the dog in a bar that’s on fire? The dog has a smile on his face, as the bar around him burns. And his captioned comment is, “This is fine.” The enduring popularity of this meme is that you can use it in so many situations where you think there’s a catastrophe of some sort. And the dog is sticking his head in the sand and saying, “This is fine.” He’s ignoring the prob...

In today's show, I ask the question: is there a giant fist in front of your face? Let’s say there’s something you want to do or accomplish. You want to see it clearly, but... there's a giant FIST blocking your view. Your own! What does this metaphorical fist represent? It could be anything. Let's say in this case it's your perfectionism. So now, you can only see this giant fist...

In today's message, I ask if we have our goal-setting priorities backwards. We all have goals we want to accomplish, and we "work" at those goals until they are achieved. But by calling it "work," does that take the fun out of the acting of accomplishing the goal? Maybe instead, we should make "having fun" the goal. Have fun on the way to achieving the goal. Than...

Have you ever been to a steel factory? Yeah, me neither. But I DO have a picture in my mind of what one looks like, when they pour the molten steel into a mold, and they make steel. What if your life was like that? You make a mold of whatever you want, and the universe says, where do you want me to pour the steel. Today, we’re going to talk about creating the mold for what you really want. You can...

In today's message, I explore how we can use our body language to increase our confident. In a TED talk given by Amy Cuddy, she talks about how our own body language can give us more confidence and belief in ourselves. She shares research that has shown that people who adopt strong confident stances for just two minutes have higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol, the stre...

In today's message, I recall the TV show "Lost" to discuss how to move forward after facing a conflict that *seems* to have no resolution. Sometimes there are conflicts you may have where it’s not possible to resolve an issue you have with someone else. Let’s say you have a fight or argument. And for whatever reason, you can’t resolve it with them. But you can resolve the issue for...

In today's message, I ask if you've ever considered giving a TED talk. I asked this question six months ago, and it led me on a path to give a TEDx talk in early 2023. What does it take to give a TED talk? You start with an idea -- one idea worth sharing. In this episode, I talk about all the reasons you should consider giving a TED talk. You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorc...

In today's episode, I explore how to have a conversation without it ending in a zero-sum argument. There's a way to state your opinion on a subject without denying or invalidating the other person's opinion. It takes some practice, but see if this one simple mindset hack helps you be a more effective communicator. You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: htt...

In today's message, I explore the idea of perfectionism by way of a recent hit movie: "The Martian." The movie's lead character, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is an astronaut stranded on Mars. With a limited number of potatoes to survive on, he must ration his food in a PERFECT equation until he can be rescued. Sometimes we view our own resources as limited, and we get hung up on ha...

"Think and Grow Rich" is a classic in the field of personal development. But did its author, Napoleon Hill, truly live up to the teachings in his book? In today's message, I briefly look at the complicated truth about Napoleon Hill. I also offer some takeaways on how we can view mentors and thought leaders today. In the episode, I mention a longer podcast episode where I look at Nap...

You know the phrase, "What's the worst that can happen?" That's pretty common, right? But in today's message, I ask, why don't we say, "What's the BEST that can happen?" What we focus on expands, so for three minutes, let's explore the idea of preparing for the best. You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: https://www.inst...

Okay, be honest... how much of your day do you spend in "complaint mode"? You may not be a big complainer, but in today's message, I talk about how micro-complaints -- similar to micro-aggressions -- can really add up. Whether it's complaining about ourselves or others, getting a handle on micro-complaints can make a big difference in happiness. You can find me here: WEBSITE: ...

Imagine your life is a being played by an orchestra, and YOU are the conductor of that orchestra. In today's message, I play with the idea that our lives are like a symphony, and as the conductor of that orchestra, we are in charge of EVERYTHING. Ready to take a listen? You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren You can find me he...

In this episode, I look at perfectionism and ask when we have to be perfect and when we don't. As far as I can tell, juggling chainsaws is one of the few times that really, truly requires perfectionism. Most everything else? Well, have a listen... You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren You can find me here: Dr. Thor on Instagr...

In this episode, I ask if it's possible to draw a new, bigger circle around ourselves. You have capabilities and experiences that you currently believe are within a circle. You have a boundary of what you believe is possible for your life. But beyond that circle, is who you can be going forward. Can we draw a new, bigger circle around what's possible? (HINT: Yes!) You can find me here: W...

In this episode, I ask the question, can you uplevel your game and still have fun? (HINT: It depends on your belief system.) Often we feel that working hard or "grinding" means we can't enjoy the process of achieving what we want. I challenge that notion in this episode. You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren You can...

In this episode, I talk about how we can imagine every solution we need being on the other side of a circle of energy. Where did this idea come from? The movie, "Avengers: Endgame," where the main characters are saved at the end of the movie by a circle of energy that connects them to the solution to their challenge. You don't need to know the movie to get the metaphor, but I think...

In this episode, I talk about the origin of the phrase, "waiting for the other shoe to drop." I discuss how, often, we use this phrase as shorthand for expecting bad things are going to happen. But what if it meant something good was coming instead. Thanks for listening to the show! You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren...

In today's episode, I begin a 30-day experiment. Inspired by Pam Grout's book, "Thank and Grow Rich," I will begin each morning with the phrase, "Something amazingly awesome is going to happen today." I share more about Pam's experiment, and how you can try it out yourself for 30 days. "Thank And Grow Rich" by Pam Grout You can find me here: WEBSITE:  h...

In this episode, I ask the question, are there times when it's better to let go over a perceived insult or slight? Inspired by a TEDx talk by Ashe Beckham, I talk about when to take a stand, and when to maybe just Let It Go. Ash Beckham's TEDx Talk You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren You can find me here: Dr. Thor on I...

In today's episode, I challenge the idea of us saying we don't know how to do something. Because I believe there is a part of us that DOES know. There is always a part of us that knows, the trick is to remind ourselves of that. I share more thoughts on that in today's show. You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren You...

In today's episode, I ask the question:  do you have something in your life that acts as Red Bull for your spirit, for who you are, for your soul? Because in the same way we think about our focus and our energy, we should think about our spirituality, and look for something that can be our Spiritual Red Bull. So what might that be? I have some suggestions in today's show. You can find me...

In today's episode, I look at the phrase "out of the blue," which we commonly associate with things happening in an unexpected or surprising way. But maybe we shouldn't be surprised. Maybe there's another way to think of creating from out of the blue. I explore that idea in this episode. You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: https://www.instagra...

In today's episode, I'm going to encourage you to brag on yourself.  How often do you say good things about yourself positive things about yourself. Let's talk about why that is, and how you can look for more ways to brag on yourself. You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren You can find me here: Dr. Thor on Instagram...

In today's episode, I ask, could you live anywhere? is there some place that you've ever thought about living? And why didn't you do it? I offer a process for discovering if maybe you have limiting beliefs that are holding you back from living boldly. You can find me here: WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren You can find me here: Dr. T...