Encore Living

In today's episode, I'm going to talk about facing our fears and how it's similar to watching a scary movie for the second time. When we face something that scares us, it's like watching a movie for the first time. However, if we face it again, we know what to expect, and it becomes less scary. This idea can be applied to situations that we are afraid of in life, such as uncertainties about the future.

Author and podcast Tim Ferriss talks about "fear setting," an exercise he uses to examine things he is afraid of doing. He writes down all the things that might happen if he does something, what he could do to prevent them from happening, and what he could do to repair them if they did happen. He then writes down what benefits might come from an attempt or a partial success at this thing, and what the cost of inaction would be.

This exercise helps him face his fears head-on, and he can see that they're not as bad as he thought. It's a great way to deal with potential fears, and it could benefit anyone facing a challenge.

So think of facing your fears like watching a scary movie for the second time - it's not as scary as it seems!

As always, thanks for listening!

You can find me here:

WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

You can find me here:

Dr. Thor on Instagram @thorchallgren

Website: https://thorchallgren.com

In this episode, I talk about the idea of reframing our perceived failures in life as foreshadowing for future success.

I share a personal story about how I viewed not achieving the rank of Eagle Scout in my teenage years as a failure, one I regretted for years.

I also talk about my career as a writer. I didn't have the success I wanted, but eventually realized that the skills and relationships I developed during that time were actually foreshadowing my future success in other areas. 

I explore how we can apply the concept of foreshadowing from storytelling to our own lives. I suggest that instead of seeing past failures as roadblocks, we can view them as opportunities for growth and preparation for future success.

 This episode is a great listen for anyone looking to shift their mindset around failure and turn it into a positive force in their life.

As always, thanks for listening!

You can find me here:

WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

You can find me here:

Dr. Thor on Instagram @thorchallgren

Website: https://thorchallgren.com

In this episode, I talk about how our own limiting beliefs and negative self-talk can act as imaginary speed bumps that slow us down on the road to our goals. 

I discuss the example of a street painting experiment in London, where simulated speed bumps were painted to slow down traffic without actually installing physical speed bumps. The drivers slowed down mostly out of curiosity and uncertainty, not knowing what lay ahead.

Looking at this, it's worth asking if we are creating imaginary speed bumps in our own lives, such as doubting our abilities, fearing judgment or failure, or worrying about what others might think. These self-imposed limitations can prevent us from pursuing our goals and living our best lives.

Maybe what we really need is a can of mental turpentine, to remove the painted speed bumps. By eliminating our self-doubt and limiting beliefs, we can clear the path to success and achieve our goals without unnecessary obstacles.

As always, thanks for listening!

You can find me here:

WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

You can find me here:

Dr. Thor on Instagram @thorchallgren

Website: https://thorchallgren.com

In today's episode, I talk about million dollar ideas.

Do we have enough million dollar ideas? I think not, and the reason for this is that it's hard to know what an idea is worth until you see it come to fruition.

I've personally experienced the idea-to-success journey when I was a writer, working on screenplays on speculation, hoping to sell them in a bidding war. If a screenplay sold for a million dollars, it was considered a huge success. That was an example of how an idea could become worth a million dollars.

However, the definition of a million dollar idea is flexible and can mean different things to different people. For example, Napoleon Hill believed that he made many, many millions because he taught other people how to become successful in the ways that he had been. Therefore, you may never know if your idea is worth a million dollars, but that's okay. Your idea may lead to other people's success, and that's something to be proud of.

So what makes the difference in whether an idea ultimately becomes successful? It comes down to one thing: believing in it.

When you believe that an idea is worth a million dollars, you start looking for ways to make it happen.

One practical suggestion is to decide to come up with an idea that could be worth a fortune to you once a week. You get to define what a fortune means to you - it could be $1,000, $10,000, $100,000, or a million.

The point is, you get to decide what it's worth. It doesn't have to be a revolutionary or huge idea. It could be incremental, like thinking of one new way to market your existing business or adding value to a nonprofit you volunteer for.

Attach a label to your idea and say it out loud, like "this is a $10,000 idea." The key is repetition - the more you say it, the more you start to believe it and look for ways to make it happen. And who knows, one day you might just have a million dollar idea!

As always, thanks for listening!

You can find me here:

WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

You can find me here:

Dr. Thor on Instagram @thorchallgren

Website: https://thorchallgren.com

In this episode, I invite you to think of your life as a TV show, where you are the writer and executive producer. Drawing from the practices of TV showrunners, we can approach our lives with a bigger picture perspective, mapping out the broad arcs of where we want to go and what we want to achieve.

Take popular TV shows like "The Last of Us" and "Succession." In those shows, the characters go on a journey and evolve over the course of a season. The show may ultimately come to an end when the story has been fully explored.

I encourage you to ask yourself these questions as you think of this "season" in your life: 

• Have I gone on a journey? 
• Have I accomplished something big? 
• Am I raising the stakes in my life? 
• Have I grown since the beginning of this season? 
• If there's no room to grow in this current role, is it time to end this story and explore new opportunities?

By looking at your life as if it were a TV show, you can gain a fresh perspective on your personal growth and progress, and ultimately decide what the season finale of your current season of life looks like.

As always, thanks for listening!

You can find me here:

Dr. Thor on Instagram @thorchallgren

Website: https://thorchallgren.com

I am concluding my multi-part series on how I got and gave a TEDx talk. Today, in part six, I talk about my how I prepared on the day of the event, including my mindset and visualization approach to giving the talk.

I share my own personal approach to preparing for the day of the talk, including:

• How many times I practiced the speech before the day of the event
• The different ways I rehearsed it
• The value of constant repetition
• Why having stories can help with memorization
• How the day-of differed from the month leading up to the talk
• The mindset approach I came up with to deal with nervousness

As always, thanks for listening!

You can find me here:

WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

You can find me here:

Dr. Thor on Instagram @thorchallgren

Website: https://thorchallgren.com

I'm continuing my multi-part series on how I got and gave a TEDx talk. In this episode, part five, I talk about my own process of researching, applying for, and ultimately landing a TEDx talk.

For me, the first step was to search for a good fit by going to the main TED site and looking for events that were in the timeframe I wanted to give a talk.

Once I had a list of potential events, I researched each one to see if they were a good fit for my idea. I used a spreadsheet to track all this information, including what questions each event asked, and how I answered them.

I talk about all of this, and more, in today's episode. Tomorrow, I wrap up the series by talking about my preparation on the day of the event.

As always, thanks for listening!

You can find me here:

WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

You can find me here:

Dr. Thor on Instagram @thorchallgren

Website: https://thorchallgren.com

This is the fourth episode of my multi-part series on getting and giving in a TEDx talk. I share my personal experience of preparing for a TEDx talk.

In previous episodes, I covered what a TED talk is, how to craft an idea, and the process of getting from applying to giving the talk on stage.

Today, I'll talk about how much work goes into preparing for a TEDx talk.

Let me tell you, it's a lot of work. I had dozens of drafts, notebooks, and printed-out drafts. I kept a notebook filled with all my ideas and brainstorms, as well as stories in early drafts that didn't make it to later ones. I moved stories around, cut things down, truncated stories, and added new ideas as they came to me.

I gave the talk to groups like my Toastmasters Club, and I got their feedback on it, as well as feedback from friends and family. And all of this was after I had already gotten the talk, so there was a lot of work that went into it before that point.

It's important to note that you don't get paid for giving a TEDx talk. You're investing a lot of your own time and money into this. You may hire coaches, read books, and spend money on travel expenses without any expectation of compensation.

So why do all of this? Hopefully, it's because you have an idea worth sharing and a passion for making a difference in the world. And once you give your talk and have that video of it, you have the chance to reach a wider audience and inspire others.

I hope my experience helps you understand what goes into preparing for a TEDx talk and motivates you to keep pursuing your ideas and passions. Thanks for listening, and I'll see you in the next episode.

As always, thanks for listening.

You can find me here:

WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

You can find me here:

Dr. Thor on Instagram @thorchallgren

Website: https://thorchallgren.com

In this episode of "Every Day A New Thought," I share my personal experience of giving a TEDx talk at TEDx Anchorage 2023.

In case you missed them, I recommend checking out the first two episodes of this series. This episode will focus on the logistics of giving a TEDx talk, specifically the time frame for the talk itself and the preparation process.

First things first, a TEDx talk can be no more than 18 minutes, which is a firm requirement if you want your talk to be posted on the TED site and their YouTube channel. For my own talk, it was about 2000 words long, delivered in about 16 minutes. All of the talk must be memorized, and this is for your benefit as well as for the organizers who are programming the speakers. They are expecting you to say things in a certain way, and going off the cuff is not an option.

When it comes to the preparation process, it usually takes about six months from the time of application to the actual talk. It's important to have a clear message and purpose for your talk, and to practice and rehearse until it seems like you're having a conversation with your audience. 

Giving a TEDx talk can be a nerve-wracking experience, but with proper preparation and a clear understanding of the logistics involved, it can also be a rewarding one. Stay tuned for the next episodes of this series where I'll share more about my personal experience of giving a TEDx talk.

As always, thanks for listening.

You can find me here:

WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

You can find me here:

Dr. Thor on Instagram @thorchallgren

Website: https://thorchallgren.com

I'm sharing my experience on crafting my TEDx Talk in a six-part series. Today's episode is part two, so if you haven't listened to part one, go back and check it out.

To create a TEDx talk, you need to distill your idea down into an easily recognizable phrase. For example, "Most people think X about a topic. But really, Y is true." This framework works because it frames your idea in a new and intriguing way, which draws the audience in. My talk, "Embrace Chaos on Vacation," falls into this category, as it challenges the idea that vacations should be all about relaxation and fun.

Another example is Larry Smith's talk, "Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career." The blunt title challenges the usual positive approach to career advice, and the talk points out the excuses that prevent people from achieving their career goals.

When crafting your idea, consider using this framework to make it fresh and original. But keep in mind that not every idea will fit this format. In tomorrow's episode, we'll discuss the logistics of a TEDx talk, such as its length and preparation time. See you then!

Larry Smith's TEDx Talk - "Why You Will Fail To Have a Great Career"
Rory Vaden's TEDx Talk - "How to Multiply Your Time"

As always, thanks for listening.

You can find me here:

WEBSITE:  https://www.thorchallgren.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thorchallgren

You can find me here:

Dr. Thor on Instagram @thorchallgren

Website: https://thorchallgren.com