Start with Small Steps

89 - Ben Franklin and His Life Improvement Plan I recently came across Benjamin Franklin’s Book of Virtues and was intrigued by the system he developed to become a better person. He identified 13 virtues, one for each week, and worked on improving himself in each area. These virtues include things like temperance, order, and sincerity. The most amazing part about this system is that it’s not just...

88 - Be Happy Alone or In a Community In this episode, I explore some fascinating cultural concepts related to happiness. We’ll dive into the benefits of walking alone, taking time to relax without feeling the pressure to accomplish anything, and finding comfort in simply being lost in thought. But we won’t stop there! We’ll also discuss how building strong relationships with others can lead to gr...

87 - Changes That Save Relationships I talk about the book called People Can’t Drive You Crazy if You Don’t Give Them the Keys by Mike Bechtle. It is eye-opening and helpful when it comes to managing emotions and responding to relationships in a healthier way. The author emphasizes the importance of building trust, kindness, and integrity while also choosing the right battles. I’ve learned to valu...

  86 - Take the Key from Drama I discuss the book People Can’t Drive You Crazy if You Don’t Give Them the Keys by Mike Bechtle. It helps people deal with drama in life in a more positive way. One of the things I’ve learned is to first ask myself if there’s anything I can do to change the situation or my attitude towards it. If not, I may have to limit my exposure to drama, but I don’t want to give...

85 - Coco and Miguel Shows Us How to Forgive Have you seen the movie “Coco”? It’s an incredible story about family, sacrifice, and forgiveness. The main character is a boy named Miguel who loves music, but unfortunately, his family has banned it. One day, he finds himself in the land of the dead and learns all about his family’s past and the importance of forgiveness. It really inspired me to thin...

84 - Find your Fun Magnets Have you ever felt like you’re not having enough fun in your life? The book called “The Power of Fun” by Catherine Price tries to help. She suggests using the acronym SPARK to identify and pursue true fun: make space, pursue passions, attract fun, rebel, and keep at it. I’ve been analyzing my past experiences and breaking them down into “fun magnets,” and it’s been so he...

83 - Are You Having Fun? I review the book called "Are You Having Fun?" by Catherine Price. It opened my eyes to the importance of true fun and how we can identify and prioritize activities that bring us joy. Price talks about how distractions like technology can have a negative impact on our ability to have fun and encourages us to create space in our schedules for it. She breaks down true fun in...

82 – Gain Everyday Courage Everyday courage as described by Mel Robbins and her amazing books and videos really inspired me to think differently about how I approach my goals and my fears. We need to reframe negative thoughts and anxiety into excitement and give our mind a new explanation to change how it reacts. It’s amazing how gaining confidence and acting on our goals can improve relationships...

81 - Go! Go Now! I talk about the 5-Second Rule by Mel Robbins. It’s a game-changer! Basically, all you have to do is count down from 5 and then take action on whatever it is you want to do. It sounds simple, but trust me, it works wonders. This rule can help us to overcome hesitation and make progress in our life. The book and TED Talk are full of inspiring examples of how this rule has worked fo...

80 - Dopamine Dizziness Did you know that there’s a molecule in our brains called dopamine that can actually make us addicted to things like social media, sugar, and video games? Companies intentionally hack into our dopamine systems to keep us engaged and coming back for more. We can detox from dopamine by eliminating distractions, avoiding open systems, and focusing on the present moment. And th...

79 - Use Objects In All Their Imperfections As I explore the idea of finding joy in imperfection, I’m reminded of the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi and the Greek philosophy of Epicureanism. Both embrace the beauty of imperfections and find pleasure in life’s simple moments. I want to encourage you to appreciate the imperfections in yourself and the world around you, and to find beauty in the stori...

78 - Take Five and a Health Snack The book called "Feel Better in Five" by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is about taking small, quick actions, or "health snacks," to improve your physical and emotional well-being. Dr. Chatterjee emphasizes that it's not about the destination, but rather the journey. And he gives some awesome tips for creating healthy habits, like starting easy, tying habits to existing on...

77  - Why Say Yes to Life The book by Viktor Frankl’s book “Yes to Life” is about finding meaning in life, even when things get tough. I’ve been reading it lately and it’s really inspired me to take action and focus on loving others. Frankl asks some pretty deep life questions to help us find purpose. He also talks about how materialism can have negative effects and how we need positive role model...

76 – Be Negative and Be Prepared In this podcast episode, I talk about “The Power of Negative Thinking” by Bobby Knight. He makes excellent points about how being aware of potential negatives can actually lead to positive outcomes. It was fascinating to hear his perspective on why having a positive attitude all the time can actually be counterproductive. Instead, he emphasized the importance of di...

75 – Go For a Walk, Meet a Neighbor, and Be Happy I love discussing cultural concepts and this week the topic is related to appreciating our surroundings and finding happiness through leisurely walks, taming the environment, and connecting with nature. See how these concepts can help make your life better too. https://startwithsmallsteps.com/?p=3083 https://www.gearpatrol.com/archive/a266818/how-t...

74 - Be a Scientist of Your Own Life   I discuss the book “Skip the Line” by James Altucher, it challenges us about how to achieve our goals and dreams. Altucher suggests setting up small experiments in life that are easy to do, have little downside, and have a potential upside. I love the idea of becoming a scientist of my own life and being obsessed with what I’m working on. It’s also important...

73 - This Episode Correlates to Success I talk about something really important: how to avoid being misled by correlations. I've seen so many people fall for statistical mistakes and manipulations, and I want to help you avoid making the same mistakes. One of the most common ways people manipulate statistics is by cherry-picking data. They'll choose only the data that supports their argument and i...

72 - Can We Trust Statistics? I'm sure you've come across them before, maybe even unintentionally used them yourself. But it's crucial to know when statistics are being misused, whether it's through tainted data, bad questions, or a lack of understanding of sample size. As a consumer of information, it's essential to be able to identify when statistics are being used correctly and when they're not...

71 – Take On Fear I talk about facing our fears and solving problems instead of avoiding them and encourage people to take small steps towards addressing our fears and turning fear into excitement. I discuss the negative effects of the confirmation, coherence, and compliance effects. I encourage dropping the rope in the tug-of-war with anxiety. I challenge everyone to identify one fear and take sm...

 70 - Say YES to Yourself I review the book "Getting to Yes with Yourself" by William Ury which really struck a chord with me. It got me thinking about the importance of negotiating with ourselves and how often we hold ourselves back because of fears and anxieties we may not even be aware of. But by taking the time to listen to ourselves, understand our needs, and find acceptable negotiating point...

69 - Let the Reticular Activating System Fill Your Thoughts Today, I talk about the Reticular Activating System (RAS). I've been doing some research on this bundle of nerves in the brainstem that filters out important information and boosts things that it thinks we want to pay attention to. It's fascinating how it can cause dysfunctions like attention deficit or PTSD and even validate negative sel...

I discuss the movie “About Time.” I love this movie; it really got me thinking about the importance of living in the present moment. The main character, who discovers he can time travel, initially uses his power to try and fix his life and find love. But as he learns, changing the past can have unintended consequences. In the end, he realizes that true happiness comes from enjoying the present and...

67 – Follow the Red Nose to Your Dreams I’m so excited to share with you my thoughts on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and what we can all learn from it. This classic children’s story is all about accepting and embracing differences, discovering our strengths, and working hard to achieve our goals. When Rudolph and Hermie, the aspiring dentist, faced rejection and discrimination for being differen...

66 - Observe and Deduce I share some tips on how to improve your observational skills and use deductive thinking to make better decisions. If you're looking to become more detail-oriented or want to focus 100% on things that matter, this episode is for you! We'll be covering some great strategies, including noticing differences from baseline, understanding people's self-perceptions, and seeing the...

65 - Solve Problems With Sherlock Today, I talk about how we can think like Sherlock Holmes to solve problems using the SCAMPER and CPS methods creatively. I truly believe that when you leave no stone unturned and consider all factors, you can devise a solution with the fewest downsides and the most benefits. It’s all about brainstorming and converging on the best possible solution while also crea...