Episode 8

Summary:

Welcome to Happiness Simplified, a weekly podcast about thesimple things that can make your life awesome. In Episode #8 Kayvon and Daidiscuss how to manage your time and commitments effectively. Tune in to hearabout why Kayvon doesn’t do the things that he merely ‘likes’, why you shouldbe sayin ‘No’ ten times as much as ‘Yes’, and why focus is your most powerfultool.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

●     00:42– Introduction

●     01:20– Time management: how do you get the most out of your day?

●     01:40– Dai believes in “Commitment management” rather than time management

●     02:10– Looking at a calendar and saying “What do I want to commit to this week?”

●     03:30– Health is a foundational piece in Dai’s life - daily workouts get blocked in

●     04:22– Family time also has a high priority for Dai. He unplugs from devices andfocuses on them

●     05:55– Kayvon: “My favourite button on my phone is the mute”

●     07:30– Dai’s left his career of 18 years and is going on a book and speaking tourwith his family

●     09:30– “Farmers have a harvest season mentality. When it’s harvest season they canwork 18 hour days...maybe the rest of the year is easy, but harvest season hasto be done NOW”

●     10:45– When is it okay to say no? And when should you give a no rather than a yes?

●     11:40– In each area of your life, you should have only one priority

●     12:10– Kayvon tries to keep things black and white: “Either I love something, or Idon’t. There’s no room for ‘like’”

●     13:30– “For every Yes, there should be about 9 Nos”

●     14:15– “I know I can’t be trusted to make a decision when it’s in front of me. Thedecision making and criteria-choosing should be done well in advance. OtherwiseI convince myself to do things I don’t really love”

●     15:50– Sitting in the grey zone is the source of a lot of suffering

●     15:15– The Zone Diet

●     16:55– “Regret: I regret the things that turned out badly, and that my gut knew fromthe beginning were a mistake.”

●     18:00– “Be you. The world will adjust.”

●     19:05– “If you only had one hour per day to work: what would you do? What would youeliminate?”

●     20:20– Be honest with yourself about what’s important to you and what you want to fit in

●     22:30– “What is the potential win on this?” - Do a cost-benefit analysis

●     23:45– Kayvon: “I have a hard time saying no to books and podcasts - to committingto content. So sometimes I’ll just focus on one topic or one author.”

●     25:30– Focus is powerful - Zero in on one thing

●     26:55–  What do you think about timemanagement and resource management? Let us know!

3 Key Points:

1.       Manageyour priorities, not just your time. Decide what you want to commit to.

2.       Eliminatethe grey areas. You’ll have time to do what you love if you eliminate everything you don’t love.

3.      Focus is powerful. Zone in on one thing at a time andfollow it to completion.

Credits

Show Notes providedby Mallard Creatives

Episode 7

Summary:

Welcome to Happiness Simplified, a weekly podcast about thesimple things that can make your life awesome. In Episode #7 Kayvon and Daidiscuss eating healthily in a busy life. Tune in to learn how to plan ahead andtrack your feelings after food. You’ll learn a handful of simple tricks to keepyou fuller, healthier, and more energized each day.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

●     00:40– Introduction

●     01:15– How do you eat healthily in a busy life?

●     01:40– Dai thinks that everything starts with having a good relationship with thefoods you eat

●     02:05– How do I feel after I’ve eaten something?

●     04:30– “Going from food to feeling; rather than feeling to food”

●     05:40– Certain feelings drive you towards food

●     06:10– A lot of people have a dip in their energy levels in the afternoon - leadingthem towards sugary treats

●     07:04– Make a note of how you feel 30-60 minutes after you’ve eaten something

●     08:55– “If you struggle with snacking, just plan ahead”

●     09:25– Keep healthy things in your bag that will sustain you for a couple of hours

●     10:50– What did Dai’s nutrition look like today?

●     10:07– Every second morning, he drinks a bullet-proof coffee

●     13:10– This morning he had a smoothie; later on a salad with some salad; a mueslibar with water. Tonight is likely to be a steak with salad

●     14:20– “If you eat until you feel full, it’s likely you’ve eaten too much”

●     14:50– Is there a book or method that people can start with?

●     15:15– The Zone Diet

●     16:20– “Just try it for two weeks. Measure your food, even if it’s onerous. It’llteach you how to eyeball it.”

●     18:40– Drink 2-3 litres of water and try to have one big salad every day

●     20:05– What are the ways you try to make your daily diet healthier? Tell us in thecomment section

3 Key Points:

1.       Startthinking about how foods make you feel once you’ve eaten them. Go from food tofeeling, not from feeling to food.

2.       Planahead; keep healthy snacks in your bag.

3.      Check out the Zone Diet to get a feel for portioning and howmuch you should be eating of each food group.

Credits

Show Notes providedby Mallard Creatives

Episode 6

Summary:

Welcome to Happiness Simplified, a weekly podcast about the

simple things that can make your life awesome. In Episode #6 Kayvon and Dai

discuss goals: underachieving, achieving, and celebrating the victories. Listen

in to learn how to make SMARTER goals, what to do when you don’t achieve them,

and a simple strategy to achieve four major milestones a year.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

●     00:36

– Introduction

●     01:35

– Kayvon has started regularly beating his workout goals

●     02:20

– Suggests that he’s now underachieving: his body is outperforming his mind

●     02:50

– “We all like to win...so sometimes we set the bar low”

●     04:00

– “It’s a cliche - but goals should be SMART”

●     04:40

– Combine short-, long- and medium- term goals

●     06:50

– “Have an audacious goal...but be flexible about how you get there”

●     07:30

– “The 12-Week Year” - break your year’s goals

into 12-week chunks

●     08:45

– Having small victories keeps you motivated

●     09:06

– What happens when you don’t hit a goal?

●     09:40

– How do you learn, reset, and reschedule?

●     10:07

– When Dai doesn’t reach his goals, it’s usually because of a lack of planning

and preparation

●     11:10

– Be realistic; do the work

●     11:35

– “Be your own GPS...calmly recalculate a route to your goal without blame or

anger”

●     13:20

– Start with a “Why?”

●     14:22

– Set 12-week plans, four times a year

●     14:52

– Set a baseline: where are you now? Why are you setting this goal?

●     16:25

– Celebrate your successes

●     17:20

– Dai celebrates by having a “Eff-off from reality night” - disconnecting and

vegging out

●     19:15

– Stop for gas so that you can go long distances

●     23:00

– Make sure that you’re rewarding yourself

●     23:22

– What are your goals? And how do you celebrate when you’ve hit them?

●     24:00

– Tell us about your goals and frustrations in the comment section

3 Key Points:

1.       Humans

like to win. Set yourself up for small victories; celebrate when you achieve

your goals.

2.       Know

your baseline. Where are you now? Why do you want to achieve this goal? Make a

record of where you’re starting from.

3.      

Let yourself relax. You’ll go the distance if you give

yourself time to refuel occasionally.

Credits

Show Notes provided

by Mallard Creatives

Episode 5

Summary:

Welcome to Happiness Simplified, a weekly podcast about thesimple things that can make your life awesome. In Episode #5 Kayvon and Daidiscuss The Whole Life Fitness Manifesto, Dai’supcoming book. Listen in to learn about how health is holistic, what mostpeople regret when they’re dying, and how to take control of your life in 30 minutes a day.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

●     00:40– Introduction

●     01:40– The Whole Life Fitness Manifesto

●     02:50– The book has taken a year to write from start to finish

●     04:00– Dai was morbidly obese as a teen and has worked in the health industry for 20years

●     05:20– “Twenty years ago, people didn’t know what obesity was”

●     06:35– Mind, body, and spirit are all connected: “If one is weak, they’ll all beweak”

●     07:30– “There are no more excuses...if you have a body, you can work it”

●     08:20– Excuses are bad habits - you have to own them and change them

●     08:40– Dai’s programme involves 30 minutes a day of physical, mental, and spiritualhealth

●     10:00– Long-term lifestyle changes to support your life

●     10:20– “What do you need to be to live the life you want?”

●     11:30– What are some success stories?

●     12:00– Bronnie Ware- worked in hospice homes in Australia

●     12:50– Found the ‘5 Regrets of the Dying’

●     14:15– People become more self-aware - they make better choices - when they’rehealthier

●     15:10– Dai was working full-time while he wrote his book

●     15:55– Dai’s biggest lesson? “The tribe is important. Community is key.”

●     17:00– Go one better than ‘just do it’ - switch to ‘just did it’

●     18:25– Results are what contribute to our happiness: everyone is task-oriented

●     18:50– Remember where you started: be able to track your progress.

●     20:45– We get caught up in the “should”; “didn’t”; “other people are”

●     21:40– Check out Dai’s community at www.daimanuel.com

●     22:30– All of Dai’s work has grown out of the service he gave to the Sunday Fundayprogram

●     25:30– TheWhole Life Fitness Manifesto

3 Key Points:

1.       Healthis physical, mental, and spiritual: everything is connected.

2.       Communityis key. Having a strong community and tribe around you makes anything possible.

3.      Remember how far you’ve come. Not how far you have togo.

Credits

Show Notes providedby Mallard Creatives

Episode 4

Summary:

Welcome to Happiness Simplified, a weekly podcast about thesimple things that can make your life awesome. In Episode #4 Kayvon and Daidiscuss the power of community. Tune in to hear about how different communitieshave had an impact in their lives, the ways that you can find community as alone entrepreneur, and for a chance to share your own experiences.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

●     00:33– Introduction

●     01:50– The power of community

●     03:00– “When you get people together, it’s remarkable what happens”

●     03:30– People love seeing their friends succeed

●     04:05– Crossfit - “It’s the community that keeps you coming back”

●     06:30– People rally and cheer each other on - Kayvon’s experience finishing aworkout

●     07:40– Social networks allow people to escape geographical constraints

●     09:30– Mastermind group - creates accountability. Just knowing that the group is there.

●     10:10– What type of community would you like to plugged into?

●     10:50– “Health-based communities - when you have health you can pretty much doanything”

●     12:00– “Being an entrepreneur can be lonely...I love opportunities to connect”

●     12:45– Mastermind groups are a great way to connect and share perspectives

●     14:30– Dai’s process of admitting that he had a problem with alcohol

●     15:47– “Habit-related communities can be powerful”

●     16:18– Dai’s community helped him through the recovery process

●     17:10– Kayvon likes to surround himself with healthy people and entrepreneurs

●     19:00– “A community can help you deal with dark clouds around you and find clarityof mind”

●     21:08– What’s a community that’s had an impact in your life? Send us your answers!

3 Key Points:

1.       Communityis powerful: people find it easier to cheer their friends than themselves

2.       Decidewhat kind of community you want to be plugged into: which people make you lightup?

3.      Lone entrepreneurs can benefit from groups likeMastermind that encourage you to share perspectives and be accountable to eachother.

Credits

Show Notes providedby Mallard Creatives

Episode 3

Summary:

Welcome to Happiness Simplified, a weekly podcast about thesimple things that can make your life awesome. In Episode #3 Kayvon and Daidiscuss the question: “What do you do to make success happen?” Tune in to hearDai and Kayvon’s stories about success, learn tips for finding your success pattern, and find out whatcalligraphy and karate can teach you about becoming great.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

●     00:35– Introduction

●     02:00– What do you do to make success happen?

●     02:40– Kay’s always seeking patterns and trends

●     03:50– Find your success pattern: know yourself and how you succeed

●     04:12– Kay shares an exercise for finding your success pattern

●     05:00– Write down examples of your successes

●     05:30– For each example, write down 2 or 3 methods or tips that you used

●     06:30– Analyse your list: what’s been useful to you?

●     07:15– Find the top 3 methods that you’ve used the most often

●     10:20– Define what success means to you: everyone looks at it very differently

●     11:00– “Success is going from one level to the next level”

●     11:30– Kayvon improved his penmanship with constant practice

●     14:20– “Success was going from ‘terrible’ to ‘not terrible’”

●     15:30– Dai took up martial arts: success for him was about constant practice andmentoring

●     17:50– “Look for the joy in pursuing perfection”

●     18:40– “Once you get a black belt in something, you can get a black belt inanything”

●     20:35– A belt is a reminder of the practise and discipline that success takes

●     20:00– What’s the one thing you’ve focused on so much that you’re now a ‘blackbelt’?

●     21:50–  Send us your answers - we love to hearand learn from you!

 3 Key Points:

1.       Studyyour past to find your ‘success pattern’

2.       Successis progress, not perfection. Focus on going from one level to the next.

3.      Success takes practise and discipline: putting in thehours is what makes you great

 Credits

Show Notes providedby Mallard Creatives

Audio by Chris Mottram

Episode 2

Summary:

Welcome to Happiness Simplified, a weekly podcast about thesimple things that can make your life awesome. In Episode #2,  co-host Kayvon shares his story. He’s amedical doctor turned programmer, designer, coach and creator of Sole Focus. Kayvon helps entrepreneurs tosimplify their lives and businesses in order to realise their potential. Listenin to hear Dai and Kayvon discuss focus, transformation, and how to findfulfilment.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

●     00:40– Introduction

●     02:20– Kayvon’s story

●     03:00– Why he’s been nicknamed Rooster

●     04:50– Kayvon’s brand: Sole Focus

●     05:12– “Give yourself completely to what you’re doing”

●     07:55– When you focus on material acquisition, you lose focus

●     08:30– Kayvon was born and raised in Tehran

●     09:00– He’s lived in Vancouver for the last 16 years

●     09:30– Trained as a medical doctor

●     10:15– Realised that he couldn’t remain a doctor for the rest of his life

●     12:10– Always focused on learning and looking at life from different perspectives

●     13:10– Started teaching himself web design, graphic design and programming

●     13:52– Created a business almost by accident - then started studying it!

●     16:00– “I found my tribe” among entrepreneurs

●     17:00– Kayvon helps entrepreneurs to focus, become productive, and realise theirpotential

●     18:50– “I love my life!... When you find your calling you’ll never work a day inyour life”

●     20:00– What’s the first step toward fulfilment?

●     20:30– “Simplify and clarify”

●     21:00– Stop comparing yourself to other people

●     22:20– Start asking yourself the right questions

●     24:40– Focus, clarify, and decide what your real passions are

●     26:00– Ask yourself:  “What matters the mostto me?”

●     28:00– Kayvon’s parents moved to Vancouver because family mattered most to them

●     30:10– In 2012, Kayvon started to make his mental and physical health a priority

●     32:45– He visited Dai’s Sunday Funday - a free Sunday workout

●     34:20– Made a New Year’s resolution to exercise every day of 2013 - and carried itout

●     37:00– Travel more; focus on his family; create content that helps people

●     37:40– Community, support and accountability made the change possible

●     38:20– What’s one question that people should ask themselves?

●     38:45– “It’s one year from now and you’re happy with the changes you’ve made in yourpersonal and professional life. What are those changes?”

●     41:20–  Send us your answers - we love to hearwhat you think!

3 Key Points:

1.       Themost valuable thing that you can give anyone is your full attention

2.       Simplifyand clarify your life. Ask yourself what really matters to you.

3.      Find a community to support you and hold youaccountable to your goals.

Credits

●    Show Notes provided by MallardCreatives

Episode 1

Summary:

Welcome to the first episode of Happiness Simplified - aweekly podcast by Dr Kayvon K and Dai Manuel, teaching you how to createhappiness in your life. In this episode, Dai shares the story of his journeyfrom obesity and depression to becoming a health and fitness leader. Listen into hear Kayvon and Dai talk health, personal transformation, and why it’simportant to “Embrace the Suck”.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

●     01:00– Introduction

●     02:30– “Am I living my life to my maximum capacity?”

●     03:20– The grandeur of nature pushes us to look for a place in the world

●     04:45– “Just before going to sleep is when I wonder about my place”

●     06:00– AquaNotes:“No more great ideas down the drain”

●     07:10– Exchanges with the people around us bring happiness

●     07:47– Dai shares his story

●     08:00– “My lifestyle changed when I was nine...my parents divorced”

●     09:00– “I consoled myself with things I had control over - food, video games”

●     10:50– Became morbidly obese as a teenager and was severely depressed

●     12:10– Broke down aged 14 in front of the mirror - had a turning point

●     14:26– “I was not going to continue down that path”

●     15:02– Joined a gym with a friend and started cycling every day

●     15:50– “I started enjoying my body...I started feeling really good.”

●     16:50– “I started believing that I could do the things I set my mind to.”

●     18:00– “I dedicated myself to helping people transform”

●     18:50– Lifestyle transformation - health is the most important thing in your life

●     20:15– “Health is not tied to age...it’s timeless”

●     22:00– “Life gives you hints about your health...first a nudge, then a push, then aMac truck”

●     24:25– “It all starts with you...if you do the work you’ll get the results”

●     25:00–  Dai started selling fitness equipmentand eventually built his own business

●     27:40–  “We get used to living in a state ofill health”

●     28:50–  “Equipment is not the solution”

●     30:10– You have to go back to basics...focusing on equipment is abandoning thesolution

●     31:20– Visit Dai’sblog to learn more about his journey

●     32:50– What are the changes you would make inthe next 3 years to increase your happiness?

●     33:30– Travel more; focus on his family; create content that helps people

●     36:00– What would your answer to that question be? Continue the conversation.

●     38:30– “Embrace the Suck” - Life will be joyful and easy afterwards

●     39:03– “Get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable’

●     40:15–  Get in touch - tell us what you wantto hear!

 

3 Key Points:

1.       Getcomfortable with feeling uncomfortable

2.       Eithermake time for health or make time for illness: one of them is inevitable

3.      Everything starts with you. Take responsibility, putthe work in, and you’ll start to see change.

Resources Mentioned:

●     AquaNotes– Waterproof notes for those great ideas that come you in the shower

●     Dai’s Blog

Credits

Show Notes providedby Mallard Creatives

Audio Production by Chris Mottram