The most important work we do is to make decisions. Decisions don’t seem effortful (turn left or right, say yes or no) but the apparent risk and emotional labor is real. Hard decisions are hard because of the story we tell ourselves about repercussions and responsibility.
I’m not sure when I fully integrated the idea that making decisions is a creative act. But it definitely is a creative act. Making a decision is not simply choosing among options. Making a decision is not simply saying ‘yes’ to something. (And I’m not referring to the obvious corollary that a ‘yes’ to something is a ‘no’ to other things.) Making a decision creates a connection between the before and the after. Those were two things, and through our decision we create a connection; We create something greater than the simple sum of those two “parts.” The connection itself is something wholly new.
My journey of growth has been ascending levels of perspective shifts. Some of us don’t get to go on that journey because of external and evil forces or because of the random, initial conditions they drew at the beginning of their lives. While I don’t understand what my self even is, I do understand that hiding—ignoring reality—is not going to move me further along on my journey of self-discovery.
“Daytime” is us closing our eyes and pretending it makes infinity go away.
Munroe has gone on quite a journey. I think everyone far enough along on their needs-satisfaction curve (anyone who’s ever watched entertainment or played a video game is far enough along) would be moved, inspired, made to laugh and cry, by reading all of Munroe’s cartoons.
This cartoon is number 2,849. He publishes a cartoon Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. So, he’s published cartoons for about 950 weeks. About 18 years.
From this experience I learned what legendary writers call ‘killing your darlings’—the plot points and characters that detract from a novel. Sometimes you need to stop doing things you love in order to nurture the one thing that matters most.
How can pursuing multiple creative passions and approaches shape personal growth and productivity in podcasting and beyond?
Balancing creative chaos with focus highlights the challenges and rewards of pursuing diverse passions.
[At] first I was like, ‘Oh, you know, I have these ninety seven ideas for a podcast.’ Okay, now I’ve got a whittled down to twelve, now I’ve got it whittled down to seven, now I’ve got four. I’ve got four ideas for a podcast and I was talking to a mastermind group that I have from a a workshop and they’re like, ‘Why don’t you just do all of them?
~ Heat Dziczek (3:01)
The conversation discusses the creative and practical aspects of podcasting, emphasizing the freedom to experiment with diverse ideas. Heat reflects on the challenge of narrowing down topics and deciding to integrate multiple themes into a single podcast. She shares the liberating realization that she can design her work in a way that aligns with personal goals rather than external expectations.
Another focus is personal growth, including learning to express positivity and overcoming negativity. Heat explains how this shift has influenced her creative pursuits and interactions. She also touches on balancing the pursuit of creative endeavors with financial sustainability, sharing insights into the complexities of monetizing passion projects without compromising their intrinsic value.
Takeaways
Integrating diverse ideas — Pursuing multiple creative threads in one project can be a source of innovation and fulfillment.
Learning positivity — Developing the habit of recognizing and expressing positive traits requires deliberate effort and can transform relationships.
Balancing creativity and practicality — Striking a balance between artistic passion and financial stability remains a recurring challenge for creators.
Freedom in podcasting — Podcasting offers flexibility to explore unique formats and ideas without rigid boundaries.
The influence of personal history — Past experiences and environments shape how individuals approach creative and interpersonal growth.
The power of gradual change — Incremental exposure to new ideas can lead to profound transformations over time.
The challenge of monetization — Making creative pursuits profitable often requires rethinking traditional approaches to work and income.
What drives the unique satisfaction and challenges of creating and hosting a podcast focused on storytelling and community building?
Exploring myths and conversations showcases the depth of storytelling’s impact.
[S]o many people have incredible stories and incredible wisdom to share, and they just need a platform. But they’re scared to stand on the platform for whatever reason.
~ Boston Blake (12:01)
The conversation explores Boston’s experience with podcasting, emphasizing its rewards and challenges. Topics include the art of storytelling, the technical tools like Descript that streamline the editing process, and the fulfillment derived from creating platforms for diverse voices. Podcasting’s ability to provide meaningful connections during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic is also discussed, highlighting its unique role as a social outlet.
Additionally, the discussion dips into the difficulties of building and sustaining online communities, particularly for niche topics such as mythology. Boston shares insights on how podcasting acts as both a medium for personal growth and a means to empower others, while grappling with the challenges of audience engagement and creating dialogues beyond the episodes.
Takeaways
Storytelling in podcasting — A rewarding yet challenging way to share and explore myths, fairy tales, and personal narratives.
The impact of podcasting tools — Tools like Descript revolutionize podcast editing, enhancing clarity and listener engagement.
Creating platforms for others — Podcasting can serve as an empowering platform for individuals hesitant to share their stories.
Building online communities — Maintaining engagement in niche interest communities proves to be an ongoing challenge.
Social aspects of podcasting — Podcasting fosters connections and serves as a valuable social outlet, especially during isolating times.
Navigating technical challenges — Exploring various tools and platforms helps optimize the podcasting process.
Expanding audience reach — Finding effective ways to share podcasts with wider audiences remains a focus.
Resources
Descript — A podcast editing tool that simplifies workflows and improves audio clarity.
Canva — A design tool used for creating podcast cover art.
GoodPods — A social network platform for podcasters and listeners.
Why talk about what we want? That is childish. Absurd. Of course you are interested in what you want. You are eternally interested in it. But no one else is. The rest of us are just like you: We are interested in what we want. So the only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.
Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
Your priorities are determined from the top down—i.e. your purpose and values will drive your vision of the purpose being fulfilled, which will create goals and objectives, which will frame areas of focus and accountability. All of those will generate projects which will require actions to get them done.
Okay, I generally try to dial down my vocabulary in blog posts. Not because I think you, Dear Reader, are dumb; I dial it down because I tend toward prolixity, pontification, posturing, and preaching. Things I’d be better a person if I did less of. But today, I feel irresistibly compelled to trot out vertiginous…
Thinking about one’s purpose is vertiginous. When I sit still—physically and mentally still—as I do quite often, and climb the stairs to the highest view of the farthest horizon, the vertigo is physical. Who am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose of life? …or the hopefully smaller and more tractable: What is my purpose? I have no clear answer to any of those. But I have 100% absolutely for-sure take-it-to-the-bank found something that enables me to continue looking for answers…
Simply sit with the feeling and gaze at that horizon.
I’m pushing 50 and the challenge of getting enough physical activity into the day is, well, a serious challenge. My biggest challenge though is my unhealthy relationship with food, and my self-imposed stress. But, I’ll set those later two aside for another day.
Today I want to talk about a neat little program by Jerzy Gregorek, (who’s known as the “Lion of Olympic weight lifting,”) called the Happy Body Program. I’d been toying with this program for over a year, before I got serious a couple months ago.
In his “Happy Body” book, Gregorek has a very direct and simple way of defining, measuring and working towards a happy body — meaning one that is basically fit — in the sense of fit for living. There’s a companion poster)—it’s pricey but rather useful to put the entire program up on your wall.
Every morning starts with me doing about 20 minutes of mobility work, followed by Tracy and I running through Happy Body. Currently, we’re working our way up in the number of circuits it calls for, but it’s easy to do and as quick as real work can be.
For example, as part of GDPR, we’re now constantly seeing pop-ups that say, “Hey, we use cookies — click here.” This doesn’t help. You have no idea what you’re doing, what you’re consenting to. A meaningful choice would be, say, “I’m OK that you’re using cookies to track me” or “I don’t want to be tracked but still want to enjoy the service” or “It’s fine to use cookies for this particular transaction, but throw unnecessary data out and never share it with others.” But none of these choices are provided. In what sense is this a matter of choosing (versus mere picking)?
One cannot legislate morality. GDPR does nothing to change people’s morals. The same people are still working within those same corporations with their same unconsidered morals. A new law simply changes the playing field in which those same people continue working towards the same goals they already had.
I think that overall, the evidence suggests that polyphenol-rich foods are healthy in moderation, and eating them on a regular basis is generally a good idea. Certain other plant chemicals, such as suforaphane found in cruciferous vegetables, and allicin found in garlic, exhibit similar effects and may also act by hormesis. Some of the best-studied polyphenol-rich foods are tea (particularly green tea), blueberries, extra-virgin olive oil, red wine, citrus fruits, hibiscus tea, soy, dark chocolate, coffee, turmeric and other herbs and spices, and a number of traditional medicinal herbs. A good rule of thumb is to “eat the rainbow”, choosing foods with a variety of colors.
This is part 2 of the best series on polyphenols I have ever found. I bet they don’t work the way you think they work… and they’re NOT antioxidants, except in your digestive tract, where they actually help prevent YOUR OWN GUT from creating trans fats …and they’re actually a toxic stressor… oh, just click already :P
