I learned early that people will admire your work more if they are not jealous of you.
~ Benjamin Franklin
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On this day
August 5thRacing thoughts
Rather than try to escape these thoughts, you can begin by trying to understand them differently, which could change how you react to them. […] Have you ever paused to wonder why certain thoughts tend to grab your attention when you’re in bed? The reasons might seem obvious on the surface (eg, ‘Work is important, so I worry about work’), but Ehrnstrom suggests it can be helpful to give this some deeper consideration. You can do that while you’re having the thoughts at night, or during the day.
~ Matt Huston, from What to do when racing thoughts keep you up at night
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Sometimes my over-wrought processes for how I find things, read them, queue them for inclusion on my blog or 7 for Sunday pays off a bonus. In this article’s case, I read the advice given back in April (it now being late July if you don’t want to scroll for the date) and set about trying to use it: For me at least, it really does work. Trying to escape the racing thoughts has never worked for me, but getting all meta about those thoughts has worked on several occasions. Often, my thoughts are racing because I care about whatever-it-is, and being clear then about what (if anything) I can do, and when I can do it, shifts my thinking enough that I… wake up the next morning.
And sometimes I don’t actually care. Here too, being clear about what I should do (nothing) and when I should do it (never), has been enough that I… wake up the next morning.
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33 — Bouldering
(Part 14 of 46 in series, Level 52 countdown)
Fun little session with just enough pebble wrestling to get a good workout. Tomorrow’s activity will be walking.
Truth
The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.
~ George Orwell
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Wise consumption
Wise consumption is much more complicated than wise production. What five people will produce, one person can very easily consume, and the question for each individual and for every nation is not how are we to produce, but how our products are to be consumed.
~ John Ruskin
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Stingy with positive reinforcement
Here’s something I’ve noticed about myself: If I read something great, I’ll sometimes write a short comment like “This was amazing, you’re the best!” Then I’ll stare at it for 10 seconds and decide that posting it would be lame and humiliating, so I delete it go about my day. But on the rare occasions that I read something that triggers me, I get a strong feeling that I have important insights. Assuming that I’m not uniquely broken in this way, it explains a lot.
~ “Dynomight” from, So you’re thinking about writing on the internet
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I too have this tendency. In recent years I’ve been actively working on my own version of “See something. Say something.” as part of my changes to achieve results. My version is that nice things must be said out loud. No more sitting on the positive thoughts; Yes, I need to squish my incessant critical commentary. Dial that down, please. But I also need to practice letting out the good stuff too. Nice shirt. Smooth movement. This food is delicious. It’s so insanely comfortable here. Thank you for making this come together. If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.
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Audience with Tyler Williams
What are the differences and challenges in engaging an audience across live performances, studio recordings, and podcasts?
Crafting a consistent identity for a podcast requires balancing creative freedom and audience expectations.
I started out thinking every episode of my podcast needed three actionable tips, something concrete so that even a stranger would walk away with value. But then I realized I was having so much fun just talking to my musician friends—those natural conversations became the real heart of the show.
~ Tyler Williams (8:07)
The conversation explores the differences between live performances, studio recordings, and podcasting, particularly how they affect the performer’s ability to connect with an audience. Live performances demand real-time adaptability, like responding to unexpected disruptions, while studio recordings offer intimacy and control. Podcasting, on the other hand, presents unique challenges due to the absence of a visible audience, requiring conscious effort to maintain energy and engagement.
Another key topic is podcast structure and identity. The discussion touches on title choices, episode intros, and whether podcasts should always deliver specific value, such as tips or insights. The importance of consistency and balancing creativity with audience expectations is emphasized, particularly as podcast creators experiment with formats, such as solo episodes versus guest interviews.
The conversation also highlights audience surprises, such as unexpected feedback on edited episodes, and the role of accessibility. Strategies for improving audience reach, including artwork and search relevance, are considered, alongside concerns over licensing agreements with platforms like Spotify.
Takeaways
Live performance adaptability — Engaging a live audience requires real-time reactions to unexpected challenges, such as disruptions or mistakes.
Podcast intimacy — Studio recordings and podcasts offer a controlled, intimate setting to connect with the audience.
Audience engagement challenges — Podcasting lacks direct audience feedback, making it harder to gauge and maintain engagement during recording.
Podcast identity and structure — Balancing creativity with consistent value, like including tips or key insights, helps define a podcast’s identity.
Episode titles and artwork — Titles and visuals impact whether a potential listener clicks “play” on an episode.
Audience surprises — Listeners often respond unexpectedly to certain episodes, highlighting the subjective nature of audience preferences.
Podcast format flexibility — Mixing guest interviews with solo episodes provides creative freedom without creating separate shows.
Licensing and platform concerns — Understanding the implications of podcast licensing agreements, particularly with platforms like Spotify, is crucial.
Accessibility of older episodes — The longevity of podcast episodes allows them to surprise creators long after publication.
Introductions and summaries — Crafting episode intros or show notes can range from minimal to highly curated, depending on the podcast’s style.
Resources
Hear Me Pod — Tyler’s podcast
Mac Power Users Podcast — A podcast offering tips and insights on Apple devices and workflows.
The Working Musician Podcast — A podcast discussing the challenges and realities of working musicians.
Anchor by Spotify — A free podcasting platform discussed in relation to its push for advertising and licensing agreements.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Journey with Steve Heatherington
What is the personal and professional journey of someone who engages deeply with podcasting and alpaca farming?
The challenge of helping alpaca owners led to building a community-driven podcast from scratch.
You’re onto a good thing when that happens—the resistance is an indicator and therefore you need to engage with that and find a way through it, round it, over it, whatever to get past it.
~ Steve Heatherington (8:59)
Craig and Steve engage in a conversation that spans podcasting, personal growth, and alpaca husbandry. They reflect on Steve’s podcasting journey, which begins with his intention to help his wife promote her book. Over time, this evolves into a deeper commitment to podcasting, leading to the creation of his show, Alpaca Tribe, and a role as a coach in podcasting workshops. Steve shares his experiences of learning the craft, overcoming challenges like imposter syndrome, and balancing different podcast formats such as solo episodes and interviews. The pair also discuss the significant time and effort required to develop a podcasting practice.
Steve’s passion for alpacas emerges as another key topic. He describes his life as an alpaca shepherd and shares how his podcast aims to help alpaca owners feel confident and fulfilled while caring for their animals. The discussion also delves into broader themes of creativity and growth, with Craig noting the similarities between podcasting and artistic endeavors like painting. They explore how both pursuits involve facing challenges and continuously improving. Steve emphasizes the importance of identifying a compelling problem to address, one that resonates deeply enough to sustain years of exploration and conversation.
Takeaways
Having a clear purpose — Revisiting “why” helps keep the podcast focused and aligned over time.
The power of curiosity — Sustained exploration and willingness to learn drive growth in podcasting.
Different podcast formats — Host-on-mic versus interviews create distinct challenges and require varied skill sets.
Imposter syndrome — Resistance often signals that you’re doing meaningful work worth pursuing.
Balancing storytelling with practicality — Melding stories with helpful information engages a broad audience.
The iterative process — Success comes from continuous refinement and revisiting foundational questions.
Starting small — Big ideas often begin as modest, practical experiments.
Resources
The Alpaca Tribe Podcast — A podcast aimed at helping alpaca owners feel confident and fulfilled.
The Pod Buffet — A curated platform featuring short, impactful podcast episodes.
Akimbo Podcasting Workshop — A workshop designed to teach podcasting skills and foster community collaboration.
Stephen Pressfield’s Blog — Mentioned in the context of overcoming resistance and creative challenges.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Thinking
If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.
~ George S. Patton
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Tick tock
Because we can look back and see that the way time has been measured throughout history has changed, it’s reasonable to imagine when looking forward that it will continue to change – our current use of hours, minutes, weeks and months may be as obscure and forgotten as the nundina, the akhet, or the gesh several millennia from now. The day, the year, and the movements of the other planets in our solar system, on the other hand, aren’t at the whim of the powers that be or of passing cultural trends. The 10,000 Year Clock, therefore, keeps track of these robust and durable units of time. The Clock’s main dial keeps track of the Sun, Moon and stars while The Orrery models our solar system.
~ Austin Brown from, Long Now’s Orrery Prototype For The 10,000 Year Clock – Long Now
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Immediately before reading the above article, I read something about the eastern Sahara Desert. About a researcher who managed to extract a 50-foot core-sample from a lake bed spanning 11,000 years of seasons. What is now a desert was once a lush paradise.
The projects and updates from the Long Now Foundation always fill me with awe and wonder. They always make me try to imagine 10,000 years from now. And that makes me feel like a slightly better person for having spent some time trying to think bigger-than-myself. But that core sample? …it covered still more. 10,000 years is but a blink in geologic time.
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Splintering of the Internet
What is new is the increased splintering in the non-China Internet: the U.S. model is still the default for most of the world, but the European Union and India are increasingly pursuing their own paths.
~ Ben Thompson from, India, Jio, and the Four Internets – Stratechery by Ben Thompson
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Sometimes my blog briefly turns into a technology blog—recall, this blog has a purpose; It’s a vehicle for my process of reflection. Boop! It’s a tech blog.
This terrifically clear overview of how the different Internets work together, and will be working together less in the future, is a must-read for anyone using the Internet. (Hint: That’s you.) We—ok, not me, but I bet you—don’t think about where exactly all the things we interact with are located. This article by Thompson will give you a basic picture. …literally, there’s like a crayon drawing at the end of it.
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Dopamine
On the other hand, if you choose to work inside this messy metaphor, you get the thrill of finding a new path instead of merely following the old one.
~ Seth Godin from, Ahead of the curve | Seth’s Blog
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I was reading recently about ways to add pleasure and enjoyment by simply planning ahead for the more simple things one regularly does. For example, instead of just going out randomly for dinner, plan in the morning to go out for dinner at 6:15 this evening—even if it’s just to your regular, local spot. The anticipation of even a small, normally trivial and unconsidered act, will be pleasurable all day.
Which leads me to wondering about wether one of my problems is that I too often rush ahead. If I have an idea for a project, since I’ve a tremendous amount of freedom to choose what I do on a daily basis, there’s no reason (so my thinking goes,) that I shouldn’t just start on it right now. …and of course once I’ve started, I may as well sprint all the way through, and reveal my creation fully formed.
Except, there was no anticipation between the idea and the execution.
I already, intentionally do not act on a lot of ideas. (My motto for 2019 is, “no.”) But what if I intentionally begin to not act yet on my ideas to which I’ve said yes. If an idea is so great, it will certainly be there tomorrow. (I see now that there’s also an element of impulse control involved here.) Tomorrow—or next week—when I come back to the idea and find it still very interesting, then it might be time to schedule some time to work on it. Then let that sit for a few more days, and so on.
Some interesting food for thought. I’ll think about this some more tomorrow.
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The kind of training I need
The truth is that if you can push into the discomfort, with love, and keep going … it’ll be an amazing breakthrough for you, an opening up of your habitual patterns. It’ll be a place of growth, of learning, of tremendous change. This is the kind of training that you need to put yourself in if you want to grow. Not a meditation retreat, necessarily, but any kind of practice that makes you want to retreat. It doesn’t have to be hardcore, just something that causes you to be uncomfortable, that causes your old habitual patterns to come up.
~ Leo Babauta from, A Guide to a Life of Purpose – Zen Habits Website
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Leo’s Zen Habits has helped me tremendously over the years. His was one of the first useful sites I found about 10 years ago when I started changing my life. The idea that hard work– not a retreat per se, but anything that makes you want to retreat– is exactly what I need to work on, is one of the pillars upon which I began rebuilding. When things start to crack– when I feel my grip on my reasonable demeanor slipping– it’s this idea which I try to pull up.
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Don’t over-fill; Don’t over-sharpen
Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
~ Lao Tzu
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Day 4/100 – Walking and weeding
(Part 5 of 104 in series, 100 Days of Training (2017))
Tracy and I are off to walk a two mile loop with a stop to weed our plot in the community garden and harvest some tomatos! #artdudeplacement #100days https://constantine.name/100days
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Good coaches
In contrast, a transformational coach realizes the power of the coaching platform to inspire, motivate, and produce positive change in his or her followers. He or she is acutely mindful of the moral, social, emotional, and psychological needs of young people. Transformational coaches offer individual support and encouragement to each player and have a clear vision for the desired impact on their players’ lives. And not surprisingly, a transformational coach, even in organized athletics, allows and encourages young people to simply play.
~ Joe Ehrmann from, InSideOut Coaching
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What it means to be mortal
We, like all living things, want to live on — we want to project ourselves into the future, we have this will to live. And yet, unlike other living things, we have to live in a knowledge that this will is going to be thwarted, that we’re going to die. And so we might have to live with this sense of personal apocalypse — the worst thing that could possibly happen, will. This is what it means to be mortal.
~ Maria Popova from, The Philosophy of Immortality – The Marginalian
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You must do the thing you think you cannot
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” … You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
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