Coffee With Dad

Thoughts from today’s episode on mortality were inspired by Dr. Atul Gawande’s book “Being Mortal.” One of the primary takeaways that I’d like to explore today, from the book, is how flawed our medical society is because we overly emphasize curing things and prolonging life as much as possible and this determines our success. We fail to realize that there are other factors that should be taken into account as well. Let’s talk about that today.

Injury…stress…problems…things that are unexpected. Sometimes things happen that just knock us down and leave us feeling frustrated and ready to quit. In today’s episode I’d like to talk with you about how to look at the unexpected events that happen to us in a different way - to make them actually work for you.

Today is a topic that we don’t like to talk about but it’s important - suffering. In this episode we define what suffering is and how it is different than despair. We’ll learn the story of Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl and how he overcame suffering while in a Nazi concentration camp without having it devolve into despair. It is a very important strategy that it would be essential for you know. And… there’s homework with this episode.

I got today’s theme from a book of the same title by Angela Duckworth. The idea I want to talk about today, inspired by the book, is that you succeed in life not because you’re enthusiastic but because you have endurance - or grit. Think of it like falling in love (the easy part) and staying in love (the harder but necessary part). I will outline three important points to help you “Get Grit” in today’s podcast. 

Today we begin with a well-known Steven Covey quote - “you are not a product of your circumstances, you are a product of your decisions.” How many people do you know who say I could have done this, but I was in circumstances that prevented it. This is the stance of a victim. Those who choose to own up to their decisions are on the way to success. And the best decision you can begin with is the one I want to talk about today.

No person is inherently bad or evil. As they say, “God doesn’t make junk.” And this means that if someone does bad things to you or to someone around you should never direct your language, your actions or your anger at the person - instead it should be directed at the action. This is an important step toward understanding others and helping you deal with people who are ‘less than nice’ to you. This is fundamental in friendship- and it’s what we talk about today.

Martin Luther King had a famous saying that inspired today’s episode. It’s a quote that encourages us to never stop trying. When we do stop, there is a whole lot of things that happen to our brain that you need to be aware of so you can avoid them. Do what you need to do to keep moving! Physically… and mentally.

There’s one ingredient that is very important to success, so important that without it success is impossible. That one thing is effort. Now, that word tends to have a negative sound. It makes us feel worn out or tired. But when you look at the big picture, effort is something that gets easier the further along you move toward your success. And the best part about effort is, anyone can choose to use it. And in today’s episode we’ll find out how the magic really happens when we commit to effort.

It’s a funny kind of concept but it’s true. The younger we are, what seems so important right now in shaping your future, really isn’t. The things that are important are communication, personal resilience and emotional intelligence. Basically knowing yourself. You flaws, strengths, and your values. That’s what we talk about today.

This episode is very important. If you can grasp this, the ONE thing, you are well on your way along a successful life path. You will become what you think about and mastering this concept is of utmost importance. zYour brain will always stop short of what your body can achieve and this concept holds the key to pushing your brain past what it thinks it can do and allows you to push past mediocrity. How? I let you know one simple thing to do.