If you’re anything like Katie and me you have a low-grade, background anxiety about death. In this edition of Doing What Works we share what helps us in case it helps you. Bonus feature? Never, ever do what Darrell did as a kid. You’ll be sorry!

Here are your show notes…

Jerry Weintraub said death keeps the rope taut.

In Tuesdays with Morrie, Morrie suggested asking a little bird on your shoulder if today is the day you will die.

Barbara Sher said the passage of time drives you crazy when you know you aren’t using it right.  

Elizabeth Gilbert says you can tell who’s living for others by the anguished look on the faces of the others.

It might be helpful when you’re struggling to think, “This is the curriculum.”

Betty White wasn’t afraid to die.

An alarm I carry to scare off dogs didn’t scare a dog that terrorized me recently, but it accidentally kept me safe in a different way. That’s why I was eager to talk about utility in this edition of Doing What Works.

Here are your show notes…

A util is “a hypothetical unit measuring satisfaction.”

Nibbles & Bits are worth it!

Marginal utility is “the amount of additional utility provided by an additional unit of an economic good or service.”

How would you know what happiness feels like if you never felt the opposite? We’re happy to give sadness its due in this edition of Doing What Works.

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“It is such a secret place, the land of tears.”

Make sure you have something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to.

If you’ve ever wondered how radio works but were afraid to ask, you’ll get your answer in this edition of Doing What Works. And that’s not all. You’ll also get some ideas for making peace with the unknowable, if making peace with the unknowable is your thing.

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How radio works!

What string theory is!

“Convoy” is a song that celebrated citizens band radio.

Dr. Nick Morgan introduced us to the term infovore.

“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”

“It’s the one secret that we don’t know.” ~ What Betty White’s mother said about death.

“I photosynthesize,” Katie declares to my surprise in this edition of Doing What Works, “and I can’t do that in the dark.” Katie’s the master of being where she is, which is the secret to surprising yourself on a regular basis and staying interested in your life.

Here are your show notes…

Don’t trust how you feel about your life after nine o’clock in the evening.

“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time.”

Unless you become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Television was introduced to “the mass public” at the 1939 World’s Fair.

Until this year’s Super Bowl, Katie had never watched an entire game of football and cared about the football. Now she’s disappointed that’s it for the season. So what changed? Well, thanks for asking! We have some amusing answers for you in this edition of Doing What Works.

Here are your show notes…   

“Why do the Detroit Lions wear Honolulu Blue?”

Quarterback is on Netflix. So is Friday Night Lights!

Why sports fans are sports fans, by Tim Urban.

“I wanted you to see Paris for the first time with a man who will always love you no matter what.”  

“Testosterone changes during vicarious experiences of winning and losing among fans at sporting events.”

What does it take to feel safe, and how do you create what Katie calls the illusion of safety? From a mouse in the house to death at your door, we offer coping mechanisms in this edition of Doing What Works.

Here are your show notes…

Jerry Seinfeld explains why speeding cab drivers don’t scare you.

Barbara Sher said the passage of time drives you crazy when you know you’re not using it right.

The Car Talk guys knew how to live.

Katie and I are easily bored, so we’re choosy about what we talk about with whom. But what if I’m boring her? Then what? We worked it out, believe it or not, in this edition of Doing What Works -- and that’s just one of the ways we show you how change happens.

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Moneyball is a book about baseball.

Jack Canfield says the people who live the most effective lives act as if they’re in the future, and the future is perfect.

Do you believe you’re the most successful person in the world?

We love to read and watch stories about people who suffer, and still prevail. So why do we often become indignant at having to suffer ourselves? It’s a question worth pondering in this edition of Doing What Works.

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Whimsy is the nagging sensation life could be magical if we were willing to take a few risks.

A hero, by definition, suffers.

Uncertain waits seem longer than known, finite waits.

Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.

“Language is a spectacularly rudimentary way of trying to communicate what is happening inside, and I think for a lot of us what happens inside is something we’ll never fully be able to put into words.” ~ That’s our very own Katie Anderson!

“Failure’s like a muscle. You have to keep it strong. You need to have small failures constantly to keep you in shape for the big ol’ whopper that comes along once in a while.” ~ Sally Hogshead

A hack from Dan Harris on making workouts suck a little bit less.

Tell yourself you’re going to have fun and learn a lot, almost no matter what the experience, and guess what? You likely will. That’s the case we make in this edition of Doing What Works.

Here are your show notes…

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

Jerry Seinfeld is in the business of funny.

Whimsy is the nagging sensation life could be magical if we were willing to take a few risks.

Find something to be surprised by every day.

Do you see the field?