Today's Challenge

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Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is limit. I believe limits are good for us, not only because they keep us from driving over 100 miles per hour on the roads, but also because limits can actually increase creativity. When you have boundaries to work within, your brain is able to focus on how to fill the space. Many times, blank canvases contain too many possibilities for us to choose just one.

Today’s concrete challenge is to set a limit for yourself. Maybe you can give yourself 15 minutes to get ready for the day, or perhaps you could limit yourself to a drawer full of nutritious fruits and vegetables at lunchtime. You know best how to create a limit that will help you nudge yourself toward creative and beneficial outcomes. 

Use the next few minutes of this podcast to write down your limit. I’ll keep the music playing while you think.

Let me know if this made a difference in your day by leaving a comment in your podcast app or at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.

Full transcript here 👋

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen. 

[water running for most of the episode]

The word for today is conservation. Have you ever heard a story that changed the way you do things? A few years back, I saw a video of a local economics professor that described the way his parents back in China used the same water first for cooking, then for bathing, and last for watering plants. This professor’s story prompted me to begin turning off the water in the middle of my shower, and now I average about 3 minutes of water use per shower.

Today’s concrete challenge is to conserve water. You might turn off the tap when you’re soaping your hands or while you’re lathering in the shower. Capturing and reusing water like the professor’s parents is also a great method. Water conservation is real and necessary for many parts of the world, and it will eventually become unavoidable everywhere.

Hey, you are the kind of person who can do you part for future generations.

Let me know if this made a difference in your day by leaving a comment in your podcast app or at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.

Full transcript here 👋

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is failure. I have a healthy respect for failure, because it’s almost always a step forward. It means that you tried. However, if you have a fixed mindset, failure is not your friend. You might feel that you are a failure and everything you do is destined to fail because you’ve experienced lots of failure in the past. I say, I say… hogwash. If you can’t succeed, it’s just because you’re playing someone else’s game.

Today’s concrete challenge is to define success for yourself. This could be anything as large as seeking a new profession or as small as taking 10 deep breaths. Redefine failure in your life by setting a reasonable mark of success. When you figure out the success you’re looking for, write it down and keep tally marks of failures next to those words. After all, true failure comes from not trying, and you’re not the kind of person that gives up on things that matter to you.

Go ahead and use the next few minutes of this podcast to get it done. You’ll only regret inaction.

Let me know if this made a difference in your day by leaving a comment in your podcast app or at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.

Full transcript here 👋

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is nonsense. Sometimes it’s frustrating when you can’t understand what’s going on around you, but other times it can be delightful. Comedian Tom Segura says that he’s constantly asking himself if anybody else is seeing what he’s seeing. The nonsense in his daily life gives him plenty of stand up material. I love how the song "What Does the Fox Say" capitalizes on nonsense. It’s unique.

Today’s concrete challenge is to inject some nonsense into your day. Create a random movement and sound combination and maybe perform it for a loved one. Mine for today is to jump on one foot while patting my head and repeating, “My, you’re a saucy possum.” [kids ask, "Why would you do that?"] You could also write a nonsense poem for yourself or give it to a classmate or coworker. Enjoy the flapdoodle side of the world today. 

Hey, you ARE the kind of person who can let yourself be happy.

Go ahead and use the next few minutes of this podcast to get it done. You’ll only regret inaction.

Let me know if this made a difference in your day by leaving a comment in your podcast app or at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.

Full transcript here 👋

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is perfect… puurfect, and I’m pulling back the curtain on the myth of perfection [SFX + "holy crap!"]. Perfectionism is responsible for all the destruction and pain in the world. Okay, that’s a baseless claim and probably, most definitely untrue. But perfectionism can certainly keep you up at night, convinced that you could have done it better. It can also prevent you from even trying because you know that you’ll never be able to perform as perfectly as others.

Today’s concrete challenge is to create a drawing that’s intentionally imperfect. Drawing was fun when you were young because you probably weren’t concerned with doing it perfectly. Regain some of that joy today by being okay with a messy sketch, or as my daughter says, a sloppy copy. Draw something that you love in an imperfect way and dispel the myth that perfection is the ultimate goal.

Go ahead and use the next few minutes of this podcast to get it done. You’ll only regret inaction. If you want a little added accountability and fun, join our community on SPAR!. The link can be found in the show notes.

Hey, you ARE the kind of person who can live a life true to yourself. You have two more minutes. Make your move.

Let me know if this made a difference in your day by leaving a comment in your podcast app or at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.

References:

"fast_whoosh.wav" by alanmcki

"Horse Whinny 1.wav" by GoodListener

Full transcript here 👋

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is content. That’s one of my least favorite buzz words of the last decade. [Cool Guy voice] Boost engagement by maximizing content of your side hustle in order to increase sales! [Normal voice] Do most producers even care about what their consumers do with their content? In their book, The Experience Economy, authors Pine and Gilmore say that businesses of the future will not only tailor experiences to individuals, but they will also foster transformation in their customers. In order to do our part to aid in your transformation, we’re starting a group that will check in daily on an app called SPAR!. In it, you’ll make a short video either during or after you’ve completed the concrete challenge. I’m excited about how this will make me follow through, too.

Today’s concrete challenge is to download the SPAR! app and use the website address found in the show notes to join the group. Heads up that challenges will run for 7 days, end, and then restart for a new week. After you’ve joined, missing a check-in will incur a $3 penalty to add some concrete accountability.

Go ahead and use the next few minutes of this podcast to get it done. You’ll only regret inaction.

Hey, you ARE the kind of person who can make yourself follow through.

Let me know if this made a difference by leaving a comment in your podcast app or at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.

Full transcript here 👋

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is change. Do you ever feel like a ghost with unfinished business, waiting for that one opportunity to be at peace? What if you didn’t have to wait any longer? What if you had the ability to control things and effect change?

Today’s concrete challenge is to register for our new Concrete Wins Ghost Institute. CWGI or quiggy is committed to helping you close out the accounts that are keeping you tethered to this plane of existence. Today is your opportunity to move forward with your afterlife. Today is your chance for change.

Concrete Wins Ghost Institute is not responsible for moving objects, rattling chains, moaning or any other ghost-related activities. Quiggy is not liable for any damages resulting from ghost training. Deposits are non-refundable.

Full transcript here 👋

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is help. What are your expectations around help? Can you count on your family and friends to help you if you ask? Have you been put off and ignored in the past to the point where you have stopped asking people for help? I have high expectations, so much so that I try to ignore my kids’ whining and complaining until they officially ask for help. My wife and I are trying to train our kids to ask for help because it’s a valuable life skill. You won’t be able to do everything on your own, and you shouldn’t expect that of yourself. We’re built for community.

Today’s concrete challenge is to ask for help in one small part of your day. It can even be something that you’re completely capable of doing yourself. The point is to practice asking for help, because again, it’s a valuable life skill. If the person is able to help you, make sure they feel your gratitude. It’s a beautiful, reciprocal process.

Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.

Full transcript here 👋

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is verbalize. What is it that you need right now? What’s something that you truly want? My wife asked me about a decade ago what my ideal job would be. At the time, I was working as an educational assistant, and I enjoyed going to the computer lab with the class I was helping. I told my wife I would like to run a computer lab as my next job. After that, a friend’s mom told me about a job teaching tech skills to people that are blind or have a vision impairment. I got the job, and part of it was running a small computer lab. Just recently, I told my wife that I didn’t have any comfortable sleeping positions, due to nerve inflammation. That night or the night after, I tried moving a pillow beside me, and I have slept so much better.

Today’s concrete challenge is to verbalize your desires and needs. Now, I realize that the stories I’ve shared are purely anecdotes with no data to back them, but there’s very little to lose in verbalizing your desires. In fact, telling others about your needs increases odds that they’ll be met through the possibility of those people helping you meet them. Don’t keep it in today. Verbalize your wishes and ask someone else to tell you theirs.

Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.

Full transcript here 👋

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is brave. I think the bar for bravery is too high. Bravery is simply doing anything that scares you. Sometimes just facing the day requires bravery. Sometimes you’ve been working on a bathroom renovation for the past 2 years, and you’re scared to do the final touch ups. Side question: Why is it so scary to finish things? Check out Jon Acuff’s book Finish for a little inspiration. I think I’ll do that today.

Today’s concrete challenge is to make one brave step. Intentionally keep the bar low, because a high bar means you probably won’t ever do it. Take a few seconds to find that thing that has been intimidating you but that you know you are fully capable of doing and then picture the tiniest action that would count as progress. I’m going to email measurements for the bathroom drawer that needs to be built. Ugh, that feels big, but I can do it. Pro tip: asking for help can be a tiny step that gets you much further than you could have gotten on your own.

Let me know what tiny, brave step you took at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.