Ericast.com Podcast - DWEEB THOUGHTS

This episode comes to you thanks to one listener, but that means something different than what it meant last time.  I'll explain next week.  In the meantime... Here's your show.

This episode comes to you thanks to one listener. Wondering where I've been? Here's your show.

When "money is no object" I don't get a self-driving Tesla or a... what else is a hip car?  No, I get a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited.  Why?  Listen and find out. 

We're kicking off a brand new calendar year for the Ericast, and it's already a week into it.  (I did the math!) You know what that means?  Here's your show.

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

Reminder that you're listening to a "personal podcast".  It's a bit like reading a lifestyle blogger, except I don't have a niche lifestyle that I podcast about.  And that's okay.  What I hope is that it's interesting -- maybe useful, maybe entertaining, maybe profoundly life changing, maybe just an intriguing diversion. But interesting. Thanks for listening.

I figured I could kick off the podcast by doing a "what's Eric listening to?" like I did last year.  And then I went looking, and discovered that I did "My Podcast List" in January 2015.  And, ironically, that realization -- that I was two years off in my memory -- fits right in with the theme I chose this week: time sure is speeding by!

One week of a brand new year has already flown by in a blink.  I'll get back to that in a couple minutes...

I narrowed down my podcast list recently, so this is actually pretty current for what I truly listen to:

Marketplace Tech with Molly Wood - has "changed hands" over the years and changed formats, but a consistent favorite since Jon Gordon ran it as "Future Tense" years ago.

Get-It-Done Guy, Stever Robbins.  Short, entertaining, good concepts; if you’re fairly straight-laced, don’t be put off by the quirky persona).  Hasn't changed since 2015!

Remodeling Clay with Clay Shaver.  Every Thursday.  Can't miss it.  It's not "self help."

The Order of Man from Ryan Michler. Framed as guys' issues but not necessarily for men only.  I smile my way through the intro, but the content is usually excellent and always interesting.

The One You Feed from Eric Zimmer.  Named after the wolf metaphor.  I'm getting used to this one.

The New Man (NSFW language) – interview podcast good exposure to new people/ideas.  I keep it in the feed but don't listen regularly and its schedule is almost as bad as the Ericast.

Reply All.  I really, really love this show.  Think of it as an edgier version of NPR by people who left NPR but have all the talent of NPR producers.

Late Night Internet Marketing with Mark Mason (perpetually on the border of podfading so I really should give up on him particularly since I'm not doin internet marketing work... but I'm still emotionally rooting him on to succeed.)

The $100 MBA Show.  This one I listen to and then skip past the irrelevant episodes.

Smart and Simple Matters with Joel Zaslofsky. "Creating Community, Simplicity, and Authenticity with You."  Someday I'll do a whole show on my relationship to/with Joel.

And wrapping up with three that have stayed in my feed for years:

Ray Edwards Show

Achieve Your Goals podcast with Hal Elrod

5 A.M. Miracle with Jeff Sanders

And in catching up on those, I heard something interesting from Hal Elrod.  It's a great podcast and episode 201 is particularly interesting because you hear him on the episode, which has been rare as he's been fighting cancer.  If you want to hear more about that, listen to this episode, as he and co-host Jon Berghoff discuss their "top three tips for achieving your goals in 2018".  It reminds me of my "Goals vs. Desires" realization that dates back to 2008 and I don't think I've ever done an episode on it... maybe that'll be the next Ericast...

Always eager for your feedback!  Getting a video clip from Matt in sunny California while he was on a 60-some-degree bike ride and I was sitting inside in sub-zero temperatures (not sub-freezing... sub-zero. Fahrenheit) was one of the most soul-refreshing experiences I've had in a while.  So, your feedback really matters.  Let me know you're out there!  701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) or any other means of tracking me down and letting me know what you think.

Wrapping up 2017 by revisiting an old theme as we move into 2018.  Here's your show.

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

This is a throwback or review of a topic I addressed back in February 2017: how to better cope with (and perhaps even embrace) your "inner critic" that wants to cut you down.  I always liked that episode, so i was pleasantly surprised when I heard Chandler Bolt's Episode 26 of the Self-Publishing School.  Don't be scared away by the topic (if you're not into the idea of publishing a book) -- his guest was T. Harv Eker and the entire episode was great... but one part in particular stuck out.

Take a listen to this shorter-than-average episode and let me know what you think (of both the content and the timing; I'm thinking that 10 to 12 minutes might be a better length than 20?).  As always, 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) or email me (eric) at ericast.com -- or find my wherever finer social media is found.

When an interesting opportunity comes along... what should you say?  Here's your show.

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

When unintentional caffeine induces insomnia, you get an unusual episode... but the thought still carries through.  This week, inspired by advice from PR strategist Arik Hanson, I juxtapose the advice from Jenna McCarthy on Modern Ontrapreneur (and, yes, their brand spells it "Ontrapreneur") with advice from Natalie Janji on the Achieve Your Goals podcast with Hal Elrod (and Jon Berghoff, who's filling in for Hal while Hal is undergoing cancer treatments).

These are both episodes from 2017, but the conversation really goes back to 2015 and even 2012 (and to the beginning of human history, I suppose) with podcaster-bloggers like Michael Hyatt:

How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty [Podcast S06E04] - Michael Hyatt

#027: How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty [Podcast] - Michael Hyatt

5 Reasons Why You Need to Get Better at Saying “No” - Michael Hyatt

Note (and this is bonus show-notes material not discussed in the podcast) that this isn't about dealing with rejection and being told "No," like Jia Jiang discusses.  This is you (or me) saying "No" to yourself or to other people.  Or, per Jenna McCarthy and Arik Hansen, saying "Yes".

Thoughts?  Want to say "Yes!" to me?  Cal 701-645-3724 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) and let me know.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to make an Ericast episode?  Here's your show.

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

In what might possibly be the dullest Ericast ever (and one of the longer episodes, though it's only about a half-hour -- hang in there!) this is a narration of the entire episode-creation process, from logging in and plugging in the microphone (which was harder than it should be!) to hitting "publish" (and then coming back to tweak the posting).

In some ways I really hate to put this into the Ericast archive (especially right before the Minnesota Blogger Convention, since this will be the episode that any new friends will encounter if they rush out to listen and learn more about me) but I wanted to bond with longtime listeners and true friends-of-the-Ericast who might wonder why I disappear for long stretches of time.  No, it's not rocket surgery, but it isn't trivial.

Better episodes are ahead, but I'd love your feedback on this one.  Questions?  Ideas?  Call 701-645-ERIC (a.k.a. 701-645-3742) and let me know!

Yes, I've been gone awhile. But it's not like I don't have things to talk about. Maybe that's why I've been gone awhile. Want the scoop?  Here's your show.

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

Thanks, anonymous person, for the text message of encouragement!  This episode is a list/discussion/monologue of some potential future episodes (proving that I really do have topics in store... "the list of episodes is strong but the podcasting motivation is weak"?)

Questions?  Ideas?  Call 701-645-ERIC (a.k.a. 701-645-3742) and let me know!

What's it all about?  No, not the deep meaning-of-life stuff, but the purpose of this podcast?

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

I was pondering how I was going to frame this show and then heard something from Clay Shaver at Remodeling Clay podcast.

"Everytime I meet someone face to face from a Podcast I listen to... my first thought is 'did he have a stroke?' I'm a 1.8x Guy."  @RemodlingClay | 9:17 AM - 6 Oct 2016

Clay's perspective on the reason behind podcasting.  (I adopted this without even realizing it:  "Here's your show.")

Joe Rogan. Background pocast?  The exception to the rule?

We don't say "the" in front of freeways in the Twin Cities, and that would sound weird.  They're just numbers. "This morning, I'll take 35E to work. I exit before I hit 94 so traffic isn't bad. It slows down around 494, though."  (494 and 694 form the "beltway" around the downtowns that 94 runs through on its way up to North Dakota)

“For Southern Californians in particular, hella represents a crucial shibboleth separating the two major regions of the state"  Bonus points if you know where the term "shibboleth" comes from without Googling.

Hella reminds me a line from a TV commercial:  "Just say Stella!"  Or is it Pella?  Or is it "use" and not "say"?  And what's it for?  What a horrible jingle if I can't remember any of that?

Seasons as a podcast structure.  They can be good.  They provide natural breaks and entry/exit points.  But they only work with a themed show.  If I get into batching the Ericast, I might do it "silently" and do themes that amount to seasons.  My fear in that is setting an awful tone because the pre-recorded episodes don't take national (or personal) events into account.

Keep that feedback coming!  701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) or email me (eric) at ericast.com

For most people, summer is a chance to relax and unwind. Maybe it will be.

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

This episode features a new Audio-Technica microphone!  Let me know if you like how it sounds.

The Ericast, which in 2005 was a weekly 20 minute podcast, is now "several times a year." That's a nod and a tease to Vince Miller's podcast.

What's the Spring 2017 summary?  Moab in March.  April - Warren Nelson.  Then back-to-back "Men's Conferences".  May - Hot air balloon ride for Candela and the Small Business Expo (like Get Motivated).   We've been at our new church for exactly a year, give or take a few days, and every few weeks I bump into someone who realizes that and says, "I had no idea you'd left Berean!"

What would you like to hear next on the Ericast?  701-645-3742 and let me know!

This is going to be a bit of a travelogue. So when you ask, "Where did you go with your daughter?" ... here's your show.

I'm a little tired.  And, podcasts are just too hard.  I'm going to

be talking for about 20 minutes, so that's 20 minutes. But there's about

a half-hour of show-prep before that, typing up some notes and figuring

out what I'm talking about. And then there's at least a half hour,

probably closer to 45 minutes, of copying and pasting code to putz with

the feed.

Maybe I'm just reeling a bit from the loss of the Minnov8 podcast, which closed after 400 episodes.

And if I had an income stream, I'd hire out the podcast production, but I think my time is cheaper than that.

So,

I'm looking for some feedback on the future of the show.  As you can

tell, it's not very regular.  I love doing it, and I have plenty of

content to make it weekly, but I'm starting to think that an erratic

podcast is worse than none at all.

One good excuse for the delay, though, was a little family getaway.  Highlights:

Questions? Comments? Call 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) and let me know what you think (and where I should take the show)