Schooling Struggle

39: Happiness & Setting World Records

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Episode Guest: Adam Adatto Sandel - philosopher, (previous) Guinness World Record holder for Most Pull-Ups in One Minute (68), and an award-winning teacher, author, and current assistant D.A. in Brooklyn NY.

Much discussion about pull-ups, philosophy, world records...


Mental habit / action / tool examples:

  • Sometimes frustration can become a realization of opportunity.
  • Listening to the limitations of your own body can lead to meaningful transformation.
  • Stacking what we learn from previous experiences has utility in the next endeavors we undertake.
  • Beware of getting wrapped up in a goal, no matter the topic.
  • There exists a relationship between many efforts physically and things in our natural environment.
  • Philosophy can serve as a framework for deeper connection, awareness of the deeper levels of connectedness we experience throughout life.
  • Try to keep an open awareness of obsession around goals.  When things you see somehow in your mind, carry you back to the obsession, this is a flag.
  • Qualities of character define us outside our typical endeavors.
  • Friendships - are important in the exchange and deep meaning of what that word means to us all.  Allies, Friends, Acquaintances.

    • Related points:

    • Drop and give me twenty push-ups, often it is not thrilling.
    • Sometimes in the rain, it can seem like your running pace is expedited. 
    • Sometimes pullups trump what can be gleaned from law school.
    • Don’t be afraid of letting go (holding less tightly) when you get too close and become overly obsessed in goal chasing.
    • Happiness.  It most often involves overcoming some sort of hardship.

      • Quotes / quips:

      • "If I’m encountering these difficulties, could it actually be nature’s way of telling me I need to go in a different direction?”
      • “Sport can take you into a different zone, a more expansive zone, where you can appreciate the world around you in a new way and shift your perspective on things.”
      • “When we get too hung up on the goal, it can be damaging.  As a result, we can lose an appreciation for the activity itself.”
      • “What can I take from this experience that's going to last, that I can carry forward.”
      • “If you have a passion, if you’re motivated, go for it!”
      • “If you want good neighbors, be a good neighbor - same goes for friends.”
      • “Happiness isn't something you find, rather a way of acting/being.”
      • “A life that is happy, is a life that involves meaningful struggles. And ones that fit into a narrative that you can own up to.”

        • Rando Mentions:

        • Chest to Bar Pullups
        • Harvard Philosophy Department
        • Amazon.com: Adam Adatto Sandel: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
        • Guiness Book of World Record
          • ...more
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