Optimal Living Daily - Personal Development and Self-Improvement

Kristin Wong of The Wild Wong narrates her own article on quitting. Episode 755: Sometimes You Have to Quit by Kristin Wong (Mindfulness & Happiness). Kristin Wong is a freelance writer and journalist who writes for Lifehacker, Mentalfloss, and New York Magazine. She frequently covers travel, personal finance, and human behavior. Kristin launched her own blog, www.thewildwong.com, to write about l...

YouTube star Amy Lee of Vagabond Youth narrates a post from Angel Chernoff of Marc and Angel Hack Life. Episode 754: 5 Things to Stop Doing & Start Doing for Yourself by Angel Chernoff of Marc & Angel Narrated by Amy Lee - Vagabond Youth. Amy Lee is a 23 year old Korean vlogger born and bred in Los Angeles. Vagabond Youth is a modern upbeat fashion, beauty, & lifestyle channel aimed towards inspir...

YouTube star Jenn Im of Clothes Encounters narrates a post from Courtney Carver with a little guide for more comfort and joy. Episode 753: A Little Guide for More Comfort and Joy by Courtney Carver - Be More With Less Narrated by Jenn Im of Clothes Encounters. Jenn Im is the life and style superstar whose digital influence spans all social media, including her wildly popular YouTube Channel, “Clot...

New author to the show Anthony Ongaro of Break the Twitch narrates his own article for you, inspired in part by Seth Godin. Episode 752: Refusing a Gift From Your Past Self by Anthony Ongaro - Break the Twitch (Mindfulness & Happiness). After years of impulse spending on Amazon and elsewhere, Anthony Ongaro realized that his one-click purchase habits were more of a physical Twitch than an intentio...

2 posts: one from Derek Sivers and one from Tom Bilyeu, both covering ways to improve your life. Episode 751: Unlikely Places and Untangled Goals by Derek Sivers And 3 Signs You Need to Change Your Life by Tom Bilyeu with Success. Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek Sivers created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100M in sales...

Cal Newport of the Study Hacks blog shares pros and cons of bullet journaling and what he'd do to improve upon it. Episode 750: BuJo Pro: Thoughts on Adapting a Bullet Journal to a Hyper-Connected World by Cal Newport (Mindfulness & Happiness). Cal Newport is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, who specializes in the theory of distributed algorithms. He previously...

Will Aylward with Tiny Buddha shares why presence is the best gift you'll ever give. Episode 749: Put Down Your Phone: Why Presence is the Best Gift You'll Ever Give by Will Aylward with Tiny Buddha (Distraction). Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha and Recreate Your Life Story, an online course that helps you let go of the past and live a life you love. Her latest book: Tiny Buddha's Grat...

Cait Flanders shares why she's taking back her evenings. Episode 748: Why I'm Taking Back My Evenings by Cait Flanders (Simple Living & Minimalism). Cait Flanders started Blonde on a Budget to document her debt repayment journey. After paying it off, she adopted a minimalist lifestyle, tossed 75% of her stuff, and is currently doing a two-year shopping ban. She shares stories and lessons learned e...

Steve Pavlina shares why intelligence, more than ignorance, is bliss. Episode 747: Intelligence is Bliss by Steve Pavlina (Mindfulness & Happiness). Steve Pavlina is widely recognized as one of the most successful personal development bloggers on the Internet, with his work attracting more than 100 million visits to his website, StevePavlina.com. He has written more than 1300 articles and recorded...

An excerpt from Courtney Carver's new book: Soulful Simplicity. Episode 746: Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More by Courtney Carver (Slow Living). Courtney Carver was stopped in her tracks with a scary MS diagnosis after decades of debt, discontent, and trying to do it all. She had to slow down, prioritize her health, and figure out what was really important in her li...

2 posts from Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist on Christmas and receiving gifts. Episode 745: Giving the Gift of Christmas And Receiving Gifts from Others by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist (Holiday Gift Giving). Joshua Becker and his family decided to live with fewer possessions after a conversation with his neighbor in 2008. As a result, they found a better way to live, centered on more...

David Cain shares the source of our anxieties and worries and what to do about it, plus a little experiment you can try. Episode 744: When You Can't Stop Looking Ahead, Look Backwards by David Cain of Raptitude (Mental Health - Anxiety and Worry). David Cain is a writer and entrepreneur living in Winnipeg, Canada. On a particular boring day at his office job in 2009, he started Raptitude. His inte...

Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle talks about the educational balance between thinking and intuition. Episode 743: Educational Balance by Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle (Simple Living & Minimalism). Colin Wright is a professional author and international speaker who co-founded a publishing company and travels full-time, moving to a new country every four months or so--that country determined by the...

Leo Babauta of Zen Habits shares his guide to finding calm and being less frustrated. Episode 742: A Guide to Finding Calm & Being Less Frustrated by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits (Simple Living & Minimalism). Leo Babauta created Zen Habits, which is about finding simplicity and mindfulness in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create som...

Mary Jaksch of Good Life Zen shares a super inspiring post about a man who created a fresh start. Episode 741: Do You Dream of a New Start Like This Guy Did by Mary Jaksch of Good Life Zen (Mindfulness & Happiness). Mary Jaksch is an authorized Zen master (Diamond Sangha lineage), psychotherapist, and author. She has two nationalities,--English and German--and lives in New Zealand. She's the mothe...

Allison Fallon with Becoming Minimalist shares how and why to have a lighter, simpler holiday. Episode 740: A Lighter, Simpler, More Beautiful Holiday by Allison Fallon with Becoming Minimalist (A Minimalist Christmas - Simplicity). Joshua Becker and his family decided to live with fewer possessions after a conversation with his neighbor in 2008. As a result, they found a better way to live, cente...

Mr. Money Mustache shares why he really retired from corporate work. Episode 739: Why I Really Retired from Corporate Work by Mr. Money Mustache (Financial Freedom & Entrepreneurship). Mr. Money Mustache is a thirty-something retiree who now writes about how we can all live a frugal, yet awesome, life of leisure. He and his wife studied engineering and computer science in Canada, then worked in st...

Lauren Yacht with No Sidebar shares how minimalism taught her to live fearlessly. Episode 738: How Minimalism Taught Me to Live Fearlessly by Lauren Yacht with No Sidebar (Mindfulness & Happiness). No Sidebar was created by Brian Gardner and is all about designing a simpler life. He and the contributing authors want to help you figure out what's getting in your way, at home and at work. They want...

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to be Rich shares how to stop procrastinating in 5 steps. This is Part 2 of 2. Episode 737: How to Stop Procrastinating in 5 Steps - Part 2 by Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to be Rich (Procrastination and Motivation). Ramit wants to use money to say YES. He knew there was a better way to live a rich life—if we could use psychology to focus on what actually works....

Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to be Rich shares how to stop procrastinating in 5 steps. This is Part 1 of 2. Episode 736: How to Stop Procrastinating in 5 Steps - Part 1 by Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to be Rich (The Cure for Procrastination). Ramit wants to use money to say YES. He knew there was a better way to live a rich life—if we could use psychology to focus on what actually works. No...

Cylon George shares why it's difficult to cultivate gratitude and what to do about it. Episode 735: 3 Reasons Why It's Hard to Cultivate Gratitude & What You Can Do About It - Cylon George - Spiritual Living for Busy People. Cylon George is a spiritual chaplain, musician, devoted husband, and busy dad of six. He loves listening to people’s stories and helping them gain perspective on life’s opport...

Cal Newport of the Study Hacks blog shares shares how your life and work can be exotic and engaging. Episode 734: Interested in Lifestyle Design? Get a PhD by Cal Newport of Study Hacks (Empowerment). Cal Newport is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, who specializes in the theory of distributed algorithms. He previously earned his Ph. D. from MIT in 2009 and gradu...

Lauren Madden with Tiny Buddha shares how to make anxiety a lot less painful. Episode 733: How to Make Anxiety a Lot Less Painful by Lauren Madden with Tiny Buddha (Mindfulness & Happiness). Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha and Recreate Your Life Story, an online course that helps you let go of the past and live a life you love. Her latest book: Tiny Buddha's Gratitude Journal, which in...

David Cain shares why mindfulness seems annoying. Episode 732: Why Mindfulness Seems Annoying by David Cain of Raptitude (Meditation). David Cain is a writer and entrepreneur living in Winnipeg, Canada. On a particular boring day at his office job in 2009, he started Raptitude. His interest has always been human society and the internal human experience, and Raptitude became his megaphone for his...

Guest author Rachel Jonat with Cait Flanders shares the joy in doing nothing. Episode 731: The Joy of Doing Nothing by Rachel Jonat with Cait Flanders (Simple Living & Minimalism). Cait Flanders started Blonde on a Budget to document her debt repayment journey. After paying it off, she adopted a minimalist lifestyle, tossed 75% of her stuff, and is currently doing a two-year shopping ban. She shar...