Make It Count

It is no secret that we love reading here at the Make It Count Podcast, you may have seen our book reviews (Check them out on Spotify or YouTube) for example. But we tend to stick to Non-fiction books and some of you may be wondering what our thoughts on fiction are. In fact, Matt was wondering what his thoughts were too, and so did some research. By reading about reading of course! 

Listen along to hear what we definitively say about fiction, once and for all!*

Also here's a couple quotes that didn't make it into the episode but Matt liked: 

“Do not read non-fiction prior to bed, which encourages projection into the future and preoccupation/planning. Read fiction that engages the imagination and demands present-state attention.” - Tim Ferriss

“The quality of our reading” stands as “an index to the quality of our thought.” -  Maryanne Wolf, cognitive scientist and author of Reader, Come Home.

Articles we read in the forging of this episode:
Does reading fiction make us better people?
The Case for Reading Fiction
Reading fiction: the benefits are numerous

 
*Opinions subject to future updates

Send us a Message via "Fan Mail" (What is there to lose?)

Watch the latest episodes on YouTube.
________________________________________________________________

Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.

We love hearing from you and your ideas for episodes.
What questions and comments do you have?

Get in touch at: [email protected]

This week we're back with a book review! David's been reading a short book by Katharine Hill and he can't remember much about it, or he forgot what he was supposed to remember, or he remembered not to forget everything...? Oh forget it! 

Here's what the book is supposedly about:
Married life is full of trials and blessings, no matter what season of marriage you are in. One day you're saying your wedding vows, enjoying the honeymoon, making a home together ... and the next you're working through domestic challenges, paying the mortgage and struggling to remember the anniversary. Sometimes just a little wisdom and encouragement is needed to help along the way. Help is here! Katharine Hill offers her wisdom and guidance in stories and bite-sized chapters to help navigate the different seasons of marriage. In the busyness of life, this encouraging book is great for those who want to focus on what matters the most, to have the very best for their marriage. 

P.S. As per usual here's a little disclaimer: We have no affiliation, we just read a book and thought it was worth reviewing. 

Send us a Message via "Fan Mail" (What is there to lose?)

Watch the latest episodes on YouTube.
________________________________________________________________

Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.

We love hearing from you and your ideas for episodes.
What questions and comments do you have?

Get in touch at: [email protected]

We’ve all heard phrases like “Time is money” and “Life is too short for…”  but how do you actually value your time? On the one hand we know that time is something we cannot buy back once it has passed, but on the other hand the passing of time feels slow. One moment feels very much like the next, one day seems no different from the previous.  We can easily be lulled into the sense that there’s always going to be more and it’s going to be very much the same. 

Join us this week as we wrestle with the idea of how to value our time, and perhaps it involves viewing that time as discrete, not continuous…

Here's the poem/quote David reads out in the episode:

If you want to know the value of one year, just ask a student who failed a course.

If you want to know the value of one month, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.

If you want to know the value of one hour, ask the lovers waiting to meet.

If you want to know the value of one minute, ask the person who just missed the bus.

If you want to know the value of one second, ask the person who just escaped death in a car accident.

And if you want to know the value of one-hundredth of a second, ask the athlete who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

― Marc Levy, Et si c'était vrai..., Vous revoir, édition complète 2 en 1

Send us a Message via "Fan Mail" (What is there to lose?)

Watch the latest episodes on YouTube.
________________________________________________________________

Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.

We love hearing from you and your ideas for episodes.
What questions and comments do you have?

Get in touch at: [email protected]

When you are going on a journey and you have a destination you're aiming for it's important to first know where you are. Likewise, life is a journey and  we're all going somewhere. We are strong believers in the value of, well... values! They have an large impact on the decisions we make and the way we live our lives, so it is important to be aware of what they are. 

This week we're discussing three things that can reveal to you what values you're currently living by, your: 
- bank statement
- calendar
- day dreams

Check out the YouTube channel, we have faces as well as voices!

http://www.youtube.com/@MakeItCount-Podcast

Send us a Message via "Fan Mail" (What is there to lose?)

Watch the latest episodes on YouTube.
________________________________________________________________

Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.

We love hearing from you and your ideas for episodes.
What questions and comments do you have?

Get in touch at: [email protected]

We’re all about living with purpose and intentionality wherever you are and in every area of life. “Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.” is our common invitation, which often means facing up to the reality of our situation and not avoiding the challenges. 

So we can often come across as being pretty down on escaping our lives into media and entertainment, which is why Matt decided we had to have a conversation about a rather intriguing quote from the famed author of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings:

“I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which 'Escape' is now so often used. Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?”

― J.R.R. Tolkien

Send us a Message via "Fan Mail" (What is there to lose?)

Watch the latest episodes on YouTube.
________________________________________________________________

Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.

We love hearing from you and your ideas for episodes.
What questions and comments do you have?

Get in touch at: [email protected]

We’re constantly bombarded with messages from marketers and influencers about instantaneous and meteoric growth, endless shortcuts to success, and various life hacks. Yet, the reality is that growth often isn’t constantly “up and to the right”, long term change often isn’t exponential. 

Last year David was given a flower… an orchid, to be specific, and in his process of becoming an expert gardener he has observed a life principle based on the lessons he’s learned in in helping flowers flourish.

Quotes shared in this episode: 

“The fruit falls off the tree. You don't shake it off before it's ready to fall.” - Al Pacino

“You can’t have the fruits without the roots” Stephen R. Covey

P.S. We joked that this episode was sponsored by "Orchids R' Us, well it turns out that is a real company in Australia! 😂 So for those interested check them out here! 

Send us a Message via "Fan Mail" (What is there to lose?)

Watch the latest episodes on YouTube.
________________________________________________________________

Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.

We love hearing from you and your ideas for episodes.
What questions and comments do you have?

Get in touch at: [email protected]

This week we're continuing the theme of "Too busy to..."
Now whilst many people don't have a choice over when they can take a break, even those of us who do have that agency can easily fall into thinking we've just got too much to do to take a break.
It turns out that thinking is flawed, and taking a break (or several) can help us to get more done, be more creative and feel better whilst we're doing it!

Here's the article mentioned in this episode: Why You Need To Stop Thinking You Are Too Busy To Take Breaks

Send us a Message via "Fan Mail" (What is there to lose?)

Watch the latest episodes on YouTube.
________________________________________________________________

Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.

We love hearing from you and your ideas for episodes.
What questions and comments do you have?

Get in touch at: [email protected]

"Many of us are just too busy to live emotionally healthy and spiritually rich and vibrant lives." - John Mark Comer

If you're anything like us, this resonates as true. It can be as simple as spending more time doom scrolling on our phones when you've had a busy and tiring day, or as complex a trying to juggle the ever pervading demands of work, multiple schedules and attempting to keep our social lives, well... alive! 

It seems like we have setup an impossible game where in order to succeed in one field you will inevitably fail at several others. Have we just got too many plates spinning? 

Perhaps the solution is addition by subtraction... 

Books mentioned in this episode: 
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry - John Mark Comer
Ordering You Private World - Gordon MacDonald
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality - Peter Scazzero

Send us a Message via "Fan Mail" (What is there to lose?)

Watch the latest episodes on YouTube.
________________________________________________________________

Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.

We love hearing from you and your ideas for episodes.
What questions and comments do you have?

Get in touch at: [email protected]

Questions are powerful, often they can be the first step on a journey of discovery, whether that's scientific, or philosophical, or a simple invitation to get to know someone over lunch. But not all questions are created equal, some questions may actually hinder us from the very start. This week we're discussing an idea from Julie Gurner ( an executive performance coach) on the importance of asking better questions:

"The questions you ask yourself will largely determine the answers you get.

"Why am I not successful?" You'll get answers that berate you.

"How can I succeed here?" You'll get answers that push you. "


For more on questions check out episode 036 where we reviewed Tom Hughes' book Curious - The Unexpected Power of a Question-Led Life
 

Send us a Message via "Fan Mail" (What is there to lose?)

Watch the latest episodes on YouTube.
________________________________________________________________

Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.

We love hearing from you and your ideas for episodes.
What questions and comments do you have?

Get in touch at: [email protected]

We live in what some have called “an age of anger” or “rage culture” and this seems to be spurred on by a myriad of factors, from always being connected to algorithms which favour inciting content to get more engagement. This week we’re discussing some of the consequences of speaking in haste when we’re angry and some modern advice which is a new spin on some ancient wisdom from James* “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” 

‘Tom Murphy’s advice to Warren Buffett "Warren, you can always tell someone to go to hell tomorrow." 

In other words, you haven't missed the opportunity. Just forget about it for a day. If you feel the same way tomorrow, tell them then—but don't spout off in a moment of anger.’

Source: Getting There: A Book of Mentors

 * the brother of Jesus in case you were wondering which James, this 

Send us a Message via "Fan Mail" (What is there to lose?)

Watch the latest episodes on YouTube.
________________________________________________________________

Join us as we move from the daily drift to positive purpose.

We love hearing from you and your ideas for episodes.
What questions and comments do you have?

Get in touch at: [email protected]