Podcast 645: Wake Up, A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now with Chris Barez-Brown

Do you feel like you are on autopilot? Just going through the motions-like life is just a blur of commuting to work, calendar event and obligations.  If so then listen up.  I recently interviewed Chris Bartz-Brown the author of a new book entitled ” Wake Up-A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now“.

This is not only a fantastic book, but the book design is exceptional, it really is a handbook–please feel free to take notes on the pages provided.  Chris has provided 54 playful strategies to help the readers snap out of autopilot.  We discussed several playful strategies in our interview together, example “Kill your Television”.  As Chris states, a little television is not a bad thing, but a lot of television wastes our time and our life. What would be the payoff for watching less television?  What else could you do to entertain yourself, read a book, take a walk, exercise, meditate?   All the options seem better than watching television.

How about the idea of noticing what you notice. Most of us are in such a hurry that we infrequently notice the little things in life.  How about carrying a pen or pencil with some paper and just start writing down what you notice? These things could be people, conversations, buildings, articles or a fleeting glance from someone in a passing bus. It doesn’t matter what you find interesting; it only matters that you notice it.  So what is the payoff of this new activity, becoming more sensitized to the world in which we live and as a result enjoying a heightened sense of connectedness and vitality.

Chris’s new book “Wake-Up” is a great easy read with lots of strategies for changing your habits and behavior for the better. If you want to learn more about the book and Chris please click here to be directed to Chris’s website.  

I hope you enjoy this lively interview with author Chris Bartz-Brown.

Podcast 644: Lifestorming, Creating Meaning and Achievement in Your Career and Life with Alan Weiss & Marshall Goldsmith

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Alan Weiss the co-author with Marshall Goldsmith of a new book entitled “Lifestorming-Creating Meaning and Achievement in Your Career and Life“.  This is a practical handbook for becoming the person you want to be.  You will discover what it takes to redesign your life, friends, behaviors, and goals in order to move closer to your goals.

Alan and I discuss the evolutionary journey, and a very important question: To what extent is your journey one of internal control, and to what extent one of external control?  I believe this concept alone is one of the most important elements that one must master if they are going to master their life.  As Alan states are you taking a “random walk” through life, or do you have high control and are one of those people that creates your world, or are you mutually creating your world.  No matter your purview of your world, it would be best to have high control if you want to make something of yourself.

If you want to change behavior, Alan states that most studies have found that it’s very difficult to merely change poor behavior.  It’s much more effective to substitute a more positive behavior. Change for its own sake makes little sense.  The key is to determine the salutary result that makes the change worthwhile.

I hope you enjoy the lively and engaging dialogue with Alan Weiss the co-author of “Lifestorming-Creating Meaning and Achievement in Your Career and Life“.  If you want to learn more about the book you can click here to be directed to the book website page.  If you want to learn more about Alan Weiss please click here or Marshall Goldsmith click here.

Thanks so much for listening, enjoy the podcast!

 

Podcast 636: Heartwork-The Path of Self-Compassion with Radhule Weininger, MD, PhD.

How often do you beat up on yourself?  What if you could learn to apply self-compassion to that part of you that gets lashed by your ego telling you that you are not good enough?

In my interview with author Radhule Weininger MD, Ph.D. we discuss her new book Heartwork The Path of Self-Compassion.  In the interview, with Radhule she reveals the 9 practices for opening our heart up so that we can heal the pain that we carry inside, and that frequently won’t go away.

Hearwork is filled with wonderful success stories and practices so that the reader can apply the techniques to their specific issues.  She also provides various meditation and mindfulness practices that cultivate heightened awareness, tranquility and inner happiness.  As Radhule writes ” As your wounded heart begins to heal with self-compassion, it may begin to fill with generosity and kindness; the boundaries of your self-preoccupation may loosen, and compassion for yourself can naturally widen to compassion for others.  His Holiness the Dalai Lama tells us, ” Although you may not be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you (and others) suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation”

So if you want to learn how to respond differently with self-compassion and compassion for others, then you are going to want to listen to my interview author Radhule Weininger MD, Ph.D.  If you are interested in exploring Radhule’s website, just click here.   You will find more about her workshops, seminars and professional services.

I hope you enjoy my interview with author Radhule Weininger MD, PhD about her new book Heartwork, The Path to Self-Compassion.

Podcast 598: Fully Engaged-Using the Practicing Mind in Daily Life with Thomas Sterner

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Tom Sterner the author of a new book entitled ” Fully Engaged-Using the Practicing Mind in Daily Life“.  As Tom states in the introduction to the book “Everything in life worth achieving requires practice.  In fact, life itself is nothing more than one long practice session, and endless effort of refining our motions”

Tom realizes and teaches to his coaching clients that to be fully engaged in any activity means to be present in the moment and in what you are doing right now.  This task is easier spoken about than achieved.  As stated this takes practice and becoming aware of one’s thoughts and actions.  Now while thousands of books have been written about this subject, Tom cuts to the chase and to the core of what he believes is required of us to attain an elevated level of awareness and consciousness.

In Fully Engaged, Tom explores specific techniques, such as through awareness training and setting goals with accurate data, and demonstrates how using these techniques will not only help you reach your objectives, but will keep you engaged in each moment of your life.

If you want to learn more about Tom Sterner you can click here to be directed to his website, or you can click here to visit his Facebook page.

I hope you enjoy my interview with Tom Sterner.

 

Podcast 592: The Metrics of Human Consciousness with Richard Barrett

I recently had the pleasure of conducting another interview with Richard Barrett about his new book entitled “The Metrics of Human Consciousness“.   In our interview we discuss the seven levels model of human consciousness that Richard developed to assist his clients in better understanding their employees as well as helping to move the organizational consciousness in a positive direction.

Richards seven levels are 1 ) Surviving-Satisfying your physiological needs 2) Conforming-Satisfying your needs for love and belonging. 3) Differentiating-Satisfying your need for respect and recognition. 4) Individuating-Satisfying your need for freedom and autonomy.  5) Self-actualizing-Satisfying your need to find meaning and purpose in life 6) Integrating-Satisfying your need to make a difference in the world.7) Serving-Fulfilling your destiny by caring for the well-being of humanity and or the planet.

Richard states that our level of consciousness changes as our values change.  He provides a really cool website where you can take a 5 minute assessment to measure your level of consciousness.  After you complete the assessment his organization sends you a report so you can see where your values lie on the human metrics of consciousness.

I hope you enjoy another great interview with Richard Barrett.  If you want to access the free-assessment please click here to be directed to the assessment page.  If you want to learn more about Richard Barrett and Values Centre please click here to be directed to his website.

 

Podcast 586: Simplicity Survival Handbook with Bill Jensen

Bill Jensen is a returning guest to Inside Personal Growth.  This time he joins me to discuss a book he published sometime ago called The Simplicity Survival Handbook.  Simplicity is something that we all need a bit more of in our lives. We have become more inundated with complexity in our world as a result of the speed of transmission of information, and the devices that keep us tethered every minute.   We are spending more time on email, distracted by social media not to mention that the devices are “always on” which leads to us being so distracted that we are not paying attention to our most important relationship–our family.

Simplicity is the power to do less (of what does not matter), simplicity is the power to do more (of what does matter), states Jensen. Bill guides the reader on how to reduce email clutter, write shorter emails, go to fewer meetings, how to quickly communicate with anyone more effectively, how to leave shorter voicemails and much more.

If you are like most technology workers your day is filled with emails, voicemails, texts, meetings and attempting to put out fires and solve problems.  Now this is what you are probably paid to do, but what if you could shift some of those activities to more productive and creative endeavors?  Imagine the value you would bring to your organization, and how much better you would feel everyday.

I encourage you to listen to and implement some of the thirty-two techniques that Bill Jensen writes about in his book “The Simplicity Survival Handbook“.  You can learn more about Bill Jensen by clicking here to be directed to his website.  You can also watch a presentation on the Future of Work Bill did in 2015 by clicking here.

 

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