Curious with Calvin Wayman

What if you could gain control in the exact moment you feel like you’re losing control?

COVID-19 is still in full swing. What we are dealing with is unprecedented. Chances are, while you’re reading this, you’re under quarantine. There are still many questions left unanswered which can lead to many feelings of uncertainty. With that uncertainty, taking care of yourself has never been more important—specifically, taking care of your mental health during this pandemic.

Amidst the uncertainty, if we can find a sense of personal control, forward progress, and a clear headspace, we’ll be setting ourselves up for a huge advantage once this storm clears.

Below are 5 books to help you do just that. 

1. Barking Up The Wrong Tree by Eric Barker - The surprising science behind why everything you know about success is (mostly) wrong

This is my favorite book I’ve ever read on success. It’s straight-talk. It’s to the point. It’s nuanced. It’s well researched. And it’s entertaining. It puts you in a powerful frame of mind and puts you in control.

My favorite takeaway: “Self compassion is better than self confidence.” Learning to have compassion for yourself is one of the greatest skills you could ever develop.

2. Ultralearning by Scott H. Young - master hard skills, outsmart the competition, and accelerate your career

What if you could become fluent in a new language in less than 3 months? Or learn how to paint like a pro in less than 30 days, or even build your own video-game? In Ultralearning, you’ll discover you can do just that. Scott H. Young not only shows that you can master very difficult skills, but provides the framework to become an “ultralearner.” (PS, I’m practicing the techniques in the book right now to learn how to play Fur Elise on the piano—even though I’ve never taken piano lessons and I don’t know how to read notes)

My favorite takeaway: The quickest and most effective way to learn is through “directness”—being in the game. Getting on the court. And being okay with messing up. 

3. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield - break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles

For any creative-type, this book is a MUST read. It helps you break past the limiting beliefs and BS your brain sneaks into your head space. The core concept Steve Pressfield talks about that holds us back from getting our work done is a little thing known as “resistance.” Resistance is what gets in the way of our most important things, and you break it by “turning pro.” 

My favorite takeaway: The professional knows that success, like happiness, comes as a byproduct of work. Do the work for the sake of the work itself. And let the success (or not) come of its own accord. 

4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone by JK Rowling

Yes, I just barely dropped Harry Potter in a list of nonfiction books. But trust me on this, it is deliberate. Through stressful times, I think it’s important to have some sort of release valve. Harry Potter could represent any fiction, but, particularly, I love how Harry is the underdog through so much of the story and how he gets many uncertain situations.

My favorite takeaway: At a meta-level, the writing in Harry Potter is so freaking fantastic! The opening of this book is my favorite opening of any book I’ve ever read. Just read the first page and see how much information JK Rolling is able to portray in a few sentences. It’s incredible.

5. Feeling Good by David D. Burns

As I asked at the beginning, what if you could gain control in the exact moment you feel like you’re losing control? This book is for just that.

Feeling Good has had more impact on my mood than any other book I’ve read in years. It is an amazingly practical book for feeling, well, “good,” regardless of the wild external stimuli we deal with (aka, the things that come from “life”).

It is filled with tools and techniques to help you stay mentally and emotionally sharp. 

My favorite takeaway: The key to changing the negative self-talk isn’t through forcing positive thoughts, it’s in first recognizing the thought, and then practicing talking back. It’s not just in “thinking happy thoughts.” It’s noticing the thought, and then literally calling it out. Recognizing why it’s BS.

In times of uncertainty, health (both physically and mentally) is more important than ever. I hope one or all of these books help you a ton.

In closing, what amazing books have you read recently? What book would you add to the list?

"Put your reps in."

This is the central advice Amy Landino gives me in this episode of Curious, where we talk about how to get out of obscurity as a speaker and be recognized as one of the best and brightest.

Amy, who has built a career as one of the most popular productivity and lifestyle Youtubers for over a decade, has now went on to write "Good Morning, Good Life: 5 Simple Habits to Master Your Mornings and Upgrade Your Life" and "How to Vlog Like a Boss", as well as becoming part of VaynerSpeakers with Gary Vee.

She's easily one of the most successful speakers and vloggers in her sphere, and she's here to share with us some highly effective tips on how to build your own career as a speaker in 2020: consistency, content, writing emails to speaking agencies and events organizers, and many many more.

Are you looking to start your career as a speaker? Or an up-and-comer looking to expand your reach in the industry? Give this episode a try, and #StayCurious.

What was one of your toughest lessons from 2019?

Last year was, for some people, quite a challenging one. Not just for me, but for many others too. In this episode, I jam with Mike Sczcesniak. We talk about some of the hardest challenges 2019 dished out, and how we overcame each low point and turned them into growth. We talk about disappointment, missed goals, vulnerability, and never settling for lowering our targets just because we failed to hit them the first time.

We also talk about the #75Hard Program by Andy Frisella, which we're starting this January! If you want to join the group, just head to calvinwayman.com/75hard.

If you’ve ever felt like life has kicked you in the teeth, this is worth a listen. The great news is, we can turn those stumbling blocks into stepping stones, and make way for a brand new year (and a new DECADE) of growth!

The Podcast is back! And for our first episode in a while, we have Sagi Shrieber: entrepreneur and host of the Creativepreneur podcast. He'll be jamming with us as we talk about something ALL entrepreneurs struggle with: putting ourselves out there and taking the RISK.

Sagi and I talk about our experiences of going down that path and taking a huge LEAP into the unknown. We talk about encountering hurdles, being stuck, and going beyond that rut.

Most importantly, we talk about how we break free from the cycle, by GETTING SCHOOLED. Want to know more? Listen to the podcast and stay around to hear a special announcement from Sagi and I. We're so excited to bring this new project to you! Peace out. #StayCurious

And just like that, we’re are at episode 250!! Can you believe it??

It’s been such a fun journey up to this point. Podcasting has been an amazing avenue to learn about amazing topics and people, and even a place to explore myself more.

With that said, there are major changes coming to the show! I talk about them in today’s episode. 

If you’re someone that’s listened to even 1 episode, I just want to say “THANKS!”

Now, it’s time to take things even deeper in the quest to making the best podcast ever.

#StayCurious 

How do you go about losing 50 pounds, or running 50 miles, or removing $50k in debt?

Or even doing something like getting paid to speak, or publishing your first book?

The answer is simpler than you think. If you’re a BIG dreamer, and now you’re just wondering how to make it happen, this episode is for YOU!

#StayCurious

Have you ever felt like quitting?

When you’re at the end of your rope, how do you bounce back? 

On today’s show, I’m speaking with Mike Young, host of the Made Over podcast. 

Mike has his fair share of experiences with hitting road blocks. But what’s been super inspiring is seeing how he not only hit into those obstacles, but also find the light at the end of the tunnel.

He’s documented his “way out,” and also inspires others to do the same. 

If you’ve ever felt unsure of yourself or how to get through, this episode is for you!

#StayCurious

Have you ever wanted to write a book? 

Most people do. 

What’s also true, is most people never will.

Why? 

Simply, they don’t know where to start.

On today’s show, I’m going to share how you could make your dream a reality—how to publish your book in under 2 months!

#StayCurious

Did you know that 92% of goal-setters FAIL?!

Yup. 

Change of subject. Have you ever gone after something, only to eventually lose steam?

Well, that’s why 3 years ago I wrote Fish Out of Water: The Guide To Achieving Breakthrough and Permanently Transforming Into The New You!

And on today’s episode, I’m calling it “Give Day Friday!” because to celebrate the 3-year anniversary, I’m giving Fish Out of Water for FREE! Yup. Strings attached? Zero. There are other cool prizes too! Just my way of having fun with this book over the past several years. I hope you enjoy!

#StayCurious

How do you go from broke to multi-six figures, and even into seven figures? 

That’s what Chad Thibodeaux and I talk about on today’s show. This episode is JAM PACKED with valuable takeaways from beginning to end. 

If you’re looking to “make it” in business, this is your episode.

Enjoy the show!

#StayCurious