Learning for a job or merely to advance your career is too often one dimensional and rigid, the other - learning for life - is interconnected, holistic and open, and then it flows into all areas of our lives. And, afterall, a life well lived, a good life, has to be connected. Our world is full of people with great careers and financial success, who are miserable in almost all other areas. They linger in the realm of quiet desperation, like Thoreau would say, appearing to be doing wonderfully well to those equally blindsighted by the traps of our economical world. A lack of positive relationships, positive emotion, interests, intellectual wealth, joy, and thus freedom act to imprison them in a type of slave like existence with no chains in sight. 

Sutter instead asks us to learn for life, for life itself, showing us how to live with curiosity and awareness. He pleads that we must make a change to our way of learning in order to prevent the misery so rife in our older (and other) populations. He calls for a shift in education so we can create new norms and conditions for the full growth of the human being. 

When we stop learning we replace curiosity, openness, playfulness and a lightness of being with narrow views that are ignorant and fickle. We just see problems, and barriers, and roadblocks and a tone of negativity takes over our entire lives. The lifelong learner, on the other hand, is less reactive and sees chances to enjoy themselves, and thus their lives, before they die. 

And of course this isn’t just a cautionary tale for when we get old - it is something we need to do now - a habit we form now, and a value that we cherish now. Because that’s the trick, maybe one of the greatest, that we can start doing the things we want when we get older and have ticked off all those other things that we have to do. No, you can’t. If you don’t do them now it is difficult, almost impossible, to then shift deeply ingrained patterns and behaviours after 30 years of doing the opposite. You will have money and lots of time - maybe, maybe not - but you will be in a type of coma, lacking the creativity to think differently and paralysed in doing anything you really want, and need, to do. 

A punchy and important 20 minute talk to help you construct a life worth living. 

To construct a life worth living - a connected, interesting, interested and fulfilled life - we need to examine and explore everything outside and inside of us, and perhaps with a greater emphasis on the inside. We can tend to think of exploring in an external sense and think travel in this way is all the exploration we need. Travel is great, but in this day and age even this beautiful tool of self-discovery and emancipation is becoming slightly more superficial and limiting in what it can do for us. 

Sutter continues counting down his list of 12 ideas to construct a life worth living, and number 4 is one worth listening to. He tells us to travel, and mainly to travel our inner worlds. He uses his experiences travelling to over 50 countries and compares that to his experiences meditating in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Monastery and his introspective journeys using psychedelics to show us that maybe “the way out is in.” 

This punchy and interesting talk combines the ideas of Socrates, Jung, and Nietzsche with real life anecdotes and travel, research on the benefits of meditation and psychedelic drugs; all combining seamlessly to softly nudge us to this idea that maybe the best exploration happens when we aren’t moving at all. 

In each moment it is fascinating to observe just how many choices we are making. These choices shape our lives, our characters, our capacities. And, of course everything around us influences these choices. But, how many are really our own, and how many are merely the result of our schooling, the media, the TV shows and advertising we consume, even the area we happened to grow up in. 

And, how often are we easily influenced by a skillfully curated campaign by a big company, a political party, or an entire industry in order to confuse us and get us to align with their agenda - or fall in line with their agenda. We are bombarded by an abundance of well placed stories that aim to influence our choices in most moments. It can seem at times that we are walking in a real life video game. Every time we turn on our phones or TVs, even every time we walk down the street, trillion dollar industries are hunting for our attention. And, each with their very own agenda, bias and conflicts. 

Author and activist, Sutter, takes a bat to The Saturday Paper, Jordan Peterson, all-meat diets, Kim Kardashian, and social media influencers in this punchy and super important talk. He tells us to be careful who we listen to - and to be careful who our heroes are - in order to live freely and authentically. 

“We are conditioned by our ideas, the stories we read and hear, to think this is good and this bad - - the trick is knowing what will actually make us happier, freer and more fulfilled!”

A must listen podcast episode! 

Philosopher Nietske emphasised the lived life - a move away from a preoccupation with trivial concerns - he told us to avoid the unlived life, and to live boldly and fully. 

In today’s modern, uber connected, world it is easy to get lost in a pursuit of things - shinier, brighter, faster, better, more. Which makes the examination side, one preached by many a philosopher, and made popular by Socrates and his unexamined life is not worth living idea, all the more difficult. With limited time, busy and tired, it is definitely easy to be lured into the buy-my happiness culture in the pursuit of feeling good quickly.  And, we see how quickly we can fall prey to a consumer society that attacks our attention and aims to manipulate and confuse, that targets each of our own insecurities and delicate imperfections so vividly that we yearn for that next click of the buy now button. 

This pursuit is an endless cycle. Schopenhauer wrote that “the accumulation of wealth and goods is endless and unsatisfying. The more we possess, the more our claims multiply.” He says “wealth is like seawater, the more we drink, the thirstier we become, and in the end, we don’t have our goods, they have us.”  

This means that sadly, critically, we don’t experience things - we just buy them. And, in choosing things over experiences again and again we do our happiness and wellbeing, our relationships, our life, our planet, a tremendous disservice. In settling for a quick fix, we miss the truer beauty that lies just below. 

Join author and activist, Evan Sutter, as he dives into our addiction to things. Skilfully connecting parenthood, work-life balance, technology, nature, connection, climate change, wellbeing and distraction; Sutter offers us a chance to foster a deeper awareness and take control of our time in order to really enjoy our lives! 

We are told to chase, and strive, to never stop, to just do it, to hustle. To wake up at 4am and keep pushing. That nothing good ever came to the person who doesn’t compete, who doesn’t get down and dirty. You get the picture. You know the picture. It’s everywhere! 

Sutter opens season 3 of his popular talk series, Sutterfaction, with a piercing look into the modern world’s addiction to doing. How did we become such ardent hard workers? Where did we learn to never give up? Is hustling merely a modern age gimmick? Is it healthy or dangerous? Join Sutter as he pulls back the curtain and scrutinises the problematic messaging from David Goggins and the mistruths of Steve Jobs. With Thich Nhat Hanh, Kristen Neff, Daniel Gottlieb, Carl Jung, and others along for the ride, buckle up for idea number one for constructing a life worth living. 

Key Takeaways. 

It’s a commonly held misconception that if we are hard on ourselves, we will be more motivated and driven, that we will succeed more. The “inner critic” is often seen as “the task master” and that if we don’t listen to this loud, barrating, harsh and critical voice then we will become a slob and stay at home in bed eating chocolate all day.  A common fallacy is that the inner critic is highly necessary in order to achieve and maintain productive momentum.  

Interestingly, research has found that self-criticism is not an effective motivator because it tends to undermine our self-confidence, increase procrastination and leads to a fear of failure. Whereas if we are kinder, more accepting of our inadequacies, we will still be motivated to achieve our goals but not because we perceive ourselves as inadequate and failures but because we care about ourselves and regard reaching our full potential as important and enriching. 

We too often associate courage with pushing ourselves, working hard, making huge sacrifices, but what if we used our courage to motivate us to give up? The courage to foster a deeper awareness to notice that the path we are taking may be harmful to our health, and our relationships. 

We continue to look at rising mental health and environmental destruction as if they emerge in isolation, we slap on another band-aid to offer short-term relief and wonder why we end up in the same place. 

In this powerful and punchy 40 minute talk, Sutter looks at Mental Health, Climate Change, Social Media, Consumerism, Capitalism, Neoliberalism, GDP, Authenticity, Leisure Time, Heroes, and introduces us to Greenwashing’s Ugly New Friend. Importantly, he investigates how they are all deeply interconnected and proposes a way out of impending climate and mental health catastrophe. 

He calls for a move away from being merely a consumer. He screams for a shift from the neoliberal assault, and our dog eat dog world where competition and consumption is promoted. He calls out unethical companies, lacklustre mental health initiatives, ‘tick a box’ corporate wellbeing programs, false friends, the education system and broken structures. 

Episode 16 is a wild ride through politics, business, corruption, consumerism, society and culture, and so much more. Sutter gets a helping hand from great thinkers like Chomsky, Suzuki, Socrates, and Kennedy and blends it with stories and case studies to deliver a comprehensive and engaging talk that simply must be listened to - if you are human, that is
 

How does one find meaning and purpose in life? Is it even a worthwhile pursuit as we navigate an unpredictable and uncertain world? Can meaning bring us more joy? Does purpose lead to freedom? Is freedom the key to happiness? 

Turn on the TV, open up your phone, walk down the street, and we are bombarded by an abundance of well placed stories that tell us that we need something more, better, different. Trillion dollar industries, political movements, entire systems are built on the idea that we always need to be moving forward, growing, bettering ourselves, and it is an ideology that has us sitting in record numbers of mental health, and facing climate catastrophe. What should one do? Keep forcing ahead, continuing to accumulate for a future that is more unpredictable than ever before?

We need to be aware that life is impermanent and inconstant and that this moment will quickly end. Sitting stuck in some trivial thing from the past or miles ahead down the road, will only cause more suffering. We sit around worried about getting things that will make us happy, or to confirm that we are doing well to others, when we are surrounded by beauty each and every day. A beauty that is often missed in our haste. 

Sutter, author of Awake and keynote speaker, asks us if meaning and purpose really are the keys we must find in order to be free. He blends the wisdom from great philosophers, thinkers, writers, and doers with practical psychology, storytelling, and his own unique experiences to plant seeds for thought and discussion.

Sutter makes a case for ‘knowing yourself’ as a powerful antidote for unnecessary suffering. He challenges us all to value authenticity as a way to experience true freedom and fulfillment, and help us to not fall prey to the dangers of the pleasure trap. 

When have you asked yourself, “Why am I doing this?” When have you ever stopped and really analyzed what you are doing? Too many people find themselves in a circle, an unhealthy circle, chasing after one thing until it is acquired, before immediately setting their sights on their next target. Sometimes we lose sight as to why we started chasing these things in the first place, and we continue to run and the circle just continues. 

Would you be moving in this kind of a circle if you knew what you wanted? When you don’t start by deeply examining yourself, you could find yourself living a life of merely existing, until something comes along and makes you “happy.” This doesn’t sound like a true, genuine happiness, but more like a “pleasure trap,” and pleasures are wilting moments that come and go. Like shopping, we buy something and we feel good, for a moment, and just as quickly as it arrives, it is gone. The same good feeling we get when posting on social media, we feel good, we get likes, but just as quickly it is gone. It’s fickle. 

When we are always running, moving, striving, chasing more, better, different -  we can’t explore and examine what’s really going on inside us. If we can’t sit in our discomfort and ride out the waves, we learn nothing, and we miss out on so much life. In this sense, deep exploration starts by the opposite of how we think it does. It isn’t when we are moving, traveling, seeking, and looking outward; it is when we stop and find stillness, solitude, quietude, and idleness. 

To find an authentic happiness that is truly ours and not the type of happiness that is dependent on external circumstances and conditions, we need to find these moments of quiet, and instead of running away from them, we need to embrace them. 

17 minutes of thought-provoking and powerful philosophy, that is as engaging as it is relevant. Sutter finishes with practical tips to boost your wellbeing.

A must listen episode for anyone who enjoys enjoying their life.

What gets us stuck in the pleasure trap, the circle of distraction and dissatisfaction? How do we explore life in a way that is enriching long-term? Is our modern, Instagram fuelled travel the best way to learn about who we are and what we want?

Sutter dives into what it means to travel and explore authentically. He brings some great philosophers and thinkers on the journey with us to ensure we get the most out of our adventures. From Von Goethe we plunge boldly into the thick of life, William James ensures action is in the right place, and Carl Jung makes sure we actually understand and feel the unseen and unheard parts of who we are along the way.

Sutter finishes with a simple practice to help create the conditions for your happiness to flourish. And a simple reminder of where the best adventures actually take place - offline.

We can get in the habit of churning through the days without ever giving things any real thought. We get stuck in a routine of monotony and forget all the amazing things we have every single day that we are grateful for.

In this short 5 minute talk, in collaboration with 5 minutes for me, Sutter gives us 3 very simple and practical skills to enjoy our lives more. He blends philosophy and unique ideas to provoke thought and offer light encouragement to shift habits and play in the uncertainty of life - without it weighing you down.

Explore How Am I? writing meditation, gratitude, slowing down, writing, connection, the pleasure trap, eating meditation and creating ways to enjoy each and every moment of your day.

“I’ve failed many (many) times, but I’ve learnt that it is not about always being perfect or always being happy, but maybe it is more about having a full life. And with a full, engaged, and interesting life it is inevitable that we will suffer - what’s more important is having the skills and tools to still enjoy life when we do….So in this talk I’m going to share 3 skills from my unique wellbeing book meets journal Awake, that can allow you to still enjoy life and grow, even amidst the uncertainty, chaos and fickleness of life.” Sutter