I’m planning a future “podcast review” show talking about the various shows I listen to and why. I just looked inside my iTunes account and I currently have 49 podcasts in my feed, including my own (just to make sure it shows up like it’s supposed to). How many podcasts do you subscribe to?
"Nothing fails like success." Arnold Toynbee, historian
Cliff Ravenscraft, aka the Podcast Answerman, talks about podcasters making it to episode 7. I think he means that if you can create 7 episodes of a podcast then it’s likely your interest level is high enough to keep going. I’m proof that it’s easy to talk about things that interest you.
In today’s show I’m going to pick back up with Stephen Covey’s book, The 8th Habit. That quote by Mr. Toynbee is worthy of a single show. I built today’s show around that quote and the context of it in the book.
I hope you enjoy this 100th episode (honestly, I passed the century mark a while back what with all the special episodes I’ve released). If it proves anything…it proves I won’t quit. Not today.
A “thank you” show is in the works. There are plenty of people who have helped me directly and indirectly. Some of them don’t even know they’ve helped. Others, are very aware.
Have you ever sat down to think of ALL the people who have helped you? I should do that more often.
The world is full of people who contribute. Yes, there are the takers, but an awful lot of people willingly give. Surround yourself with them and it’ll foster that behavior in your life. Look for this “thank you” show coming soon!
Thanks for listening. I hope you’re subscribed to the podcast.
I first read the term “lifestyle design” in 2007 while reading Tim Ferris‘ book, The 4-Hour Work Week. Tim Ferris introduced me to at least two powerful things I hadn’t known before: lifestyle design and virtual assistants. Both are powerful. Ferris, on many levels, is quite brilliant.
Don Miller‘s book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, is another book that intrigued me. It made quite an impact last year as people embraced the metaphor Miller put forth. Life is a story. If you’re unsatisfied with your life, craft a better story. Live a better story.
Saturday I was doing some work in The Yellow Studio. I turned on the TV to serve as background noise while I worked. I’m fond of Discovery, The History Channel and The National Geographic Channel. It happens that my set was tuned to The National Geographic Channel. The show? Locked Up Abroad. I’d never seen this show, but it was a marathon for this series on Saturday. As I worked, the channel remained on this show. Ten or more episodes, each an hour-long, appeared as I was in and out of the studio working.
Ferris proposed – and I agree with him even though I never had a label for it – that we construct our lives with intention. That we design the life we want. I began to consider Miller’s premise that our lives are a story and it’s up to us to write one that is more interesting. I thought of each episode of this TV show – a compelling show. Interesting stories. Riveting.
As a man in search of an epiphany, I was blessed with one. Okay, I admit it wasn’t really new to me. I admit that I’ve felt this way for quite some time. You may not agree with me, but that’s okay. Maybe that makes things more interesting.
The one-hit wonder defines a career. The sophomore slump doesn’t necessarily define a career, but it might. It depends on what happens in the years that follow.
We dream, we work and we prepare for an opportunity. Waiting for the door to crack open – even if only slightly – we hope for a chance.
Knowing what to do with an opportunity is an important component in how to succeed in business by really, REALLY trying.
Today’s show is all about the process – embracing it, enduring it and finding ways to even enjoy it. Rejection, failure and disappointment are part of it. The process is incomplete without them.
Dr. James Vincent Bonnet , MD was an orthopedic surgeon who practiced in Grapevine, Texas. Last night news of his death arrived via text message. He was my doctor of choice for the past decade plus. If Dr. Bonnet had been a general physician, I’d have gone to see him more often. As it turned out, I saw him pretty often, as evidenced by the scars he gave me.
News of his death depressed me. Greatly.
He had lots of pictures in his office. There was a dog – an Airedale Terrier – in most of them. The Wiki page on Airedales says this, “The Airedale is a dog with a great sense of humor. For those who can laugh along with their Airedale, the dog can provide a unique and entertaining company. For those who don’t appreciate being outsmarted by their dog, owning an Airedale can be a trying experience.” I know understand why Dr. Bonnet owned an Airedale. Fitting.
Dr. Bonnet’s death saddens me, but I’m thankful for the scars I bear. The scars he gave me – intentionally. They represent healing, remedy and improved quality of life. They represent the surgeon who gave them to me. They represent the personal sacrifices he had to make to become a skilled surgeon. They represent the financial and time investment he made to become a medical doctor.
But they also represent the man he was. Dr. Bonnet was likable. That was an important component of the man. It separated him from the herd. It made him unique. It made him…weird, too. But in a good way. In the best way possible. I was immediately attracted to his personality. He was engaging. Affable. Likable.
Take advantage of today. Seize the chances you have to appreciate people who are meaningful in your life.
For me and Dr. Bonnet, there are no do-overs. But if there were, I know exactly how it’d go. He’d greet me warmly, tell me exactly what my options are and in seconds my faith and confidence in him would be reaffirmed. And even though he’d hug my wife – which he did every time she was with me – this time, I’d hug him, too.
Note: Gonesh incense burns in The Yellow Studio. No, that’s got nothing to do with anything – except it explains the smoke you see in the video. I buy Gonesh. You should, too.
It’s not the best resolution in the world, but it is the only picture available on the Internet. Dr. Bonnet has one of the smallest digital footprints I’ve ever seen (or not seen). Proof that lots of web real estate does not provide meaningful proof of one’s worth or value in the world. This post and video very well may double his digital footprint. He wouldn’t likely appreciate it, but perhaps his family – and others – will. I will miss him.
Dr. James Vincent Bonnet, MD
Addition February 14, 2011 – This Facebook page was created after recording this video.
