Wiser with Rob Bialostocki

Every day is precious, filled with possibilities like a blank whiteboard ready for the pen. Like an empty stage ready for the dance, or a lump of clay ready to be molded. For whatever art you want to create. Because your life is your art. But, do you make room for that in your busy life? Let’s talk about mindfulness in midlife and beyond. 

Because the more we appreciate and enjoy the moment, the more we enjoy life. 

Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!

Thanks for listening! See you again soon.

Rob

PS Subscribe to Wiser

and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.

Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!

Life has phases as we grow. If we don’t adapt to the requirements and capabilities of a new phase, we can get pretty frustrated. To flourish in our second half, we need to accept there are things we can’t do anymore. But that’s actually really good news! In this episode, find out why. 

Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!

Thanks for listening! See you again soon.

Rob

PS Subscribe to Wiser

and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.

Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!

While I don’t advocate planning everything in your life out to the nth degree, I do think it’s wise to reflect on the past and distil a few key lessons and guidelines for the future. I mean, who wants to repeat the same mistakes or poor choices? Rob uses the idea of calling yourself 10 years ago for one minute.

Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!

Thanks for listening! See you again soon.

Rob

PS Subscribe to Wiser

and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.

Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!

There is a world of difference between someone who continues to grow as a person throughout their life and someone who gets stuck psychologically or emotionally and just grows older. Rob discusses the difference and suggests three ways to consciously progress as an adult towards greater maturity.

Key points

The story of a child growing up in two potentially different ways.

Society expects certain cultural norms and these influence how we grow, especially in modern life.

By your 50s you can experience dissatisfaction with your life, especially compared with your previous hopes and dreams.

We discuss awareness, consideration, and caring about conscious personal development throughout life.

You can become happy, content, mature and satisfied with your life…if that’s what you consciously want.

We contrast growing up versus merely growing older. You can inadvertently become a 60-year-old version of your 40-year-old self despite having lived much longer!

Three suggestions for progress - reflecting on the journey so far and embracing what’s transpired, learning about how and why humans perceive and act, and about self, and learning to meditate/be present/be mindful to raise self-awareness.

From this Episode

“We’re all biased in our thinking, very much so, and the more you learn about yourself, the more shocked you might become. But, it helps you become more aware and cut others more slack.”

Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!

Thanks for listening! See you again soon.

Rob

PS Subscribe to Wiser

and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.

Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!

Rob shares a more personal episode, talking about the experiences of his grandparents who were forced out of their Polish estate, sent to the Gulags, and then relocated to New Zealand. But the key insight is that while externals can be stripped from you, what’s on the inside cannot be taken away. That, and the reality that none of us have the control in life we think we do. 

Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!

Thanks for listening! See you again soon.

Rob

PS Subscribe to Wiser

and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.

Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!

Life is extremely busy, and it will periodically overrun us if we don't actively find ways to deal with it. Rob explains what happens in your brain and body when you rush, and discusses how we can practically manage these feelings of overwhelm. Rob describes a simple technique he teaches to calm your nervous system, improve your sense of control, and generate better relationships by being more present. 

Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!

Thanks for listening! See you again soon.

Rob

PS Subscribe to Wiser

and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.

Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!

Developing your communication skills is one of the best ways to gain more influence, develop better relationships, and create presence and impact. However, most people think they’re pretty good at communicating. But in my experience of 10 years in radio and 25 years of corporate coaching, I think there’s one skill most of us need to improve on: listening.

KEY POINTS

• Listening effectively is not as easy as we think because of our automatic habits.
• The goal of good communication is NOT to speak clearly.
• Don’t be a gap-jumper!
• Rob gives clear suggestions on how to improve. But they involve greater awareness and discipline.
• The power of using the keyword approach.

Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!

Thanks for listening! See you again soon.

Rob

PS Subscribe to Wiser

and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.

Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!

Today, let's dive into a powerful concept from the world of engineers, programmers, and data experts — forward modelling — and explore how it can boost your personal development.

While many are familiar with the idea of priming (the technique of setting the stage with context before sharing more details — often used in sales and negotiations - to influence the direction of people's thinking), forward modelling might be a new term for some. 

As the saying goes, "Outcomes reveal pathways." This means that the way you approach any goal — the steps you take along the way — determines where you ultimately end up. If you want to achieve a specific result, mapping out the best possible route to get there can greatly increase your chances of success.

In short, forward modelling is about visualizing your desired outcome and then working backward to plan the most effective path toward it. This strategy doesn’t just make your goals clearer; it actively enhances your ability to reach them.

Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!

Thanks for listening! See you again soon.

Rob

PS Subscribe to Wiser

and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.

Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!

Everyone has an opinion.

That's because it's the way we are made.

But not all opinions are useful, or even downright correct.

So, we can deal with that by:

• Setting our compass - deciding what's important to us
• Setting up filters - to help us say no and free up our time and attention
• Turning off autopilot - and doing the work needed to find out what is best for us in our situation.

Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!

Thanks for listening! See you again soon.

Rob

PS Subscribe to Wiser

and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.

Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!

This episode is mostly about getting real and, as a result, feeling and being more free.

"Don't ask for things to happen as you would LIKE them to. But wish them to happen as they ACTUALLY DO, and you will be alright."

Epictetus said that many years ago.

In this episode:

• The difference accepting reality can make to our lives.
• Don't wish for something you cannot control.
• Almost nothing is in your control.
• Getting clear on this can bring tremendous freedom.
• Being fatalistic is fruitless.
• How to cease wasting time and energy.
• At least three things you DO have control over.
• The world has no love for us. Or anyone else.

Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!

Thanks for listening! See you again soon.

Rob

PS Subscribe to Wiser

and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.

Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!