Tag: podcast

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I Haven’t Worn A Coat All Winter – And I’m Learning

We aren’t due comfort

I haven’t worn a coat this winter. In fact, I have tried to wear short sleeve shirts when I can. The most I’ve done is a hoodie. No, I am not becoming a shut in staying inside. I am using this idea of removing my comfort to improve my resilience.

The only thing I hate about this is that I haven’t tried it earlier!

The Idea

I stole this idea after listening to Tim Ferriss podcast with Wim Hof.

Here is the discription of the episode:

Wim Hof () is a Dutch world record holder, adventurer and daredevil, commonly nicknamed “The Iceman” for his ability to withstand extreme cold. He is the creator of the Wim Hof Method and holds more than 20 world records. Wim is an outlier of outliers, as he routinely asks scientists to scrutinize and validate his feats. Here are just a few examples:

  • In 2007, he climbed past the “death zone” altitude on Mount Everest (~7,500 meters) wearing nothing but shorts.

  • In 2009, Hof completed a full marathon above the polar circle in Finland, in temperatures close to −20 °C (−4 °F). Dressed in nothing but shorts, Hof finished in 5 hours and 25 minutes.

  • Hof holds the current Guinness World Record for the longest ice bath, now set at 1 hour 53 minutes and 12 seconds.

It got me thinking. Why do we wear jackets?

I’ve never tested cold before. Since I was young, I learned to put on a coat – “before I catch cold”.  After a certain day, I just threw on a coat, because it was “winter” and didn’t think about it.

I know the people around me meant well, but as I got older, I learned that you don’t catch colds from cold weather – you catch them from disease.

I let that sit in the back of my head for years, until this podcast episode came around. I have thought a lot lately about the ability to test yourself as much as possible when the conditions are favorable, just to see what is the worst that can happen (blame stoicism :-] ).

I have done this for a few weeks now.

 

About 6 Weeks In

I notice my resistance to cold is building up. Going outside used to make me shiver, and now, I am able to walk out fine. What was unbearable a year ago at 37 degrees wasn’t so bad in a tee-shirt. Make no mistake – I am cold (it is winter!) , but I have noticed there hasn’t been too much difference in how cold I am with a coat and how cold I am with no coat.

The only time I really thought about it was earlier this week, when the temperature hit 15 with a below 0 wind chill (too much too soon). Its been interesting, and I still haven’t bought a coat.

 

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Manage,Measure,Adapt – I Got Lucky With My Podcast

[bctt tweet=”Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that I made something.”]

I did it!

I recorded my first podcast last night. I don’t know it’s release date, but it is now in the hands of my producer.

But, I have to admit that I got lucky.

I started the podcast on a whim. Against some of the advice I write about I decided, randomly.  What got me going was a physical reminder and random luck. Here Is what I mean.

  1. I saw an email my producer sent me 2 weeks ago about doing this. (Random Luck)
  2. I had a number of podcast parts laying on the floor. (Physical Reminder)

These two things happened within 5 minutes of each other at a time where I found myself with a lot of free time. That combined into me creating.

Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that I made something.

What makes me feel off is that I got lucky. Not good lucky, but amateur lucky.

The main difference between amateurs and professionals is purposeful action. Things don’t come down from on high, they get managed, measured, and adapted.  Each of these things are important because they allow for growth.

  • Manage – The product is accurate and precise. I put my best foot forward. When something bad happens, I take a look and I don’t shy away from it, to properly manage I need to…
  • Measure – What are the numbers? Any time I talk to anyone, I ask for the numbers. If you don’t know the numbers, you don’t know the business. If you don’t know the business you can’t…
  • Adapt – Products work best when thought of as a living organism. Organisms evolve. As a shepherd of the product, whatever we ship, we have to adapt with that evolution, which allows us to manage.

It’s a cycle. That takes the luck to a higher level. But, the lovely thing about anything is that it can change. What started off as amateur changes to professional if you do the work.

So, I got lucky. Let’s make it good.

With all that said, the podcast will debut soon! I’m excited!

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Patience,Providence & FOMO – Tim Ferriss(@TFerriss) Interviews Tara Brach (@TaraBrach)

One time Gandhi said to a group of his backers, “I need to set aside one hour a day to do meditation.”

One of the backers said, “oh no, you can’t do that! You are too busy, Gandhi!”

Gandhi said, “Well, then, I now need to set aside two hours a day to do meditation.”

I love Tim Ferris’s podcast . The Tim Ferris Podcast features some of the best performers in their field ( venture capitalists, athletes, actors to name a few) and breaks down what makes them tick, from books to habits. This isn’t the usual fluff that many of these podcasts give, it is real actionable advice, and every once in a while, you get a piece of the interviewer – or interviewee.

This is what happened in the latest podcast between Tim Ferriss and Tara Brach. Tara Brach is one of the worlds foremost experts on meditation.  While there are plenty of things to get from this interview(her discussion on our inner self, and self-hatred could go for almost anybody I know) one thing that stood out was Tim’s vulnurability when it came to FOMO.

FOMO – or fear of missing out, is the idea that you could miss out if you don’t stay. For example, remember that time you left the party and it got crazy, and no one could stop talking about it. FOMO is the fear you get afterwards. Now you have to stay till the end of every party, even when most parties you go to stink because you have stayed far to long.

Tim’s fear, is that by taking a break(he wants a 3 month sabbatical)  from the world of startups will leave him out of the loop. His friends are telling him that one you are out you are out.This fear is interesting from him ( he is the guy that made the 4 hour workweek), and it is a stark reminder that FOMO is real. But Tara calms him down, reminding him of the power of distance.  It was a great reminder that fear, for the most part, is a test (Tim Quotes Cus D’Mato, Mike Tyson’s former trainer, when he says that the hero and the coward feel the same fear, it’s simply the decision to act that separates the two).

 

The Show Description:

Tara Brach (@TaraBrach) is a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and one of the leading teachers of Buddhist thinking and meditation in the Western world.

She is the founder of the Insight Meditation Community in Washington, D.C. and her lectures are downloaded hundreds of thousands of times each month at tarabrach.com.

I was first introduced to Tara’s work by another guest on this podcast, Maria Popova. Soon thereafter, a friend and neuroscience Ph.D. recommended her book, Radical Acceptance, as life-changing. It exceeded all expectations.

It’s my hope that this tactical conversation offers you techniques for addressing loneliness, anger, self-hatred, the “trance of unworthiness,” and much more. Tara’s had a measurable impact on my life, and I wish the same for you.

For those who know my fondness for Stoic philosophy, I think Tara’s work is a fantastic compliment to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and other favorites.

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Are You A Creative – Listen To Sinbad

Any creative can take a lesson from the comedian Sinbad.  In show business almost 40 years, anyone who works for himself can dig on the following from the comedic master after his wonderful appearance on WTF with Marc Maron

 

  • Informed by life – Sinbad talks about how life informed his act. There is serious power in grabbing your life and infusing it with what you do. In one anecdote Sinbad reflects how he tried to write his act down word for word and an older entertainer crumpled the paper and threw it away, saying “This isn’t funny, you are”.
  • Hustle – Sinbad played every venue he could. From night clubs to juke joints, he did anything that would have him. After being in a ton of movies and TV, he still works every weekend.
  • Different – Sinbad does everything differently, from how he dresses to how he performs.  He dedicates his life to being different. as a result, everything he does recharges him in some way. He takes music up to take a break from stand up – for example.

Take a listen, and enjoy.

 

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Podcast time?

Life comes at you fast.

I think I came up with a list of podcast topics accidentally when writing down my takeaways and notes for the articles I have been reading all year.

Yesterday I looked at the headlines I gave them and thought – these sound like podcast titles.

Maybe a sign I should start.

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