Today's Challenge: Recent Episodes
Concrete Wins
Today's Challenge helps you to see more potential in your day by presenting 1 positive, concrete action.
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is method, and I have one for almost everything I do. You want to know how I pick up dog poop without getting it on my hands? I can show you. You want to load a dishwasher a little too full? I can show you that, too. Methods are not my problem, because my mechanical brain is pretty good at coming up with what it thinks is the best approach. My problem is motivating myself after I’ve figured out the method. I mentioned, in episode “86 - Prototype,” that my brain likes to focus on solving the problem. I want to know if I can succeed at building the proof of concept. This podcast has been a valuable lesson in continuing down a path, as was mentioned in yesterday's episode, “157 - Vacillate.” I have come up with a method for producing episodes, but I’ve lost the steam for actually posting them. Yesterday, I investigated some ways to shorten the process of editing audio, and that sparked my method engine. I guess the moral of this episode is just to reinforce that your method is part of the 1% inspiration. That just leaves 99% perspiration to go.
Today’s concrete challenge is to make yourself do something you've been resisting. I'm going to finish editing the episode I was working on yesterday and post it. What will you use your 99% perspiration to do?
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will put in the work today.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who sees it through.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is vacillate. Yesterday, I was thinking through episode “146 - Reform” while I was out on a walk, and I realized my issue with constant reform or change. It turns into vacillation, which is essentially indecisiveness. If I wanted to get home on my walk, I had to pick a direction and stick with it. The same is true for your life. When you want to get somewhere, you have to decide on a path and move forward gradually. Do you want a better job? There are a thousand different ways to achieve that goal, and you’re welcome to explore them all. What you’ll find, though, is that you’re stuck in the same job you have now or state of unemployment if you vacillate between options. Today you’re convinced that you need to get a Master’s degree, tomorrow you think you just need to spend a year apprenticing, and the next day you’re back to believing that you won’t succeed unless you get that Master’s degree. Maybe we should all take Cousin Eddie’s tack and hold out for a management position.
Today’s concrete challenge is to make a decision. Stop vacillating and just choose. Write down your choice to make it official, and share it with a loved one for a little accountability.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will choose.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who picks and sticks.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is warm. I want you to picture someone that you know well. This person makes you feel at ease when you’re around them. You feel like a more genuine version of yourself, like you can let your guard down and tell them anything. Now picture someone that you would consider cool. This person is interesting, and you’d like to get to know them better. However, you’re not sure how to approach them. You feel like there’s a good possibility that you’d end up feeling silly for trying to hold a conversation with them. So far, we’ve focused on our perception of others, but we, too, have one of these effects on people around us. They either feel our warmth or disinterest. I think the word cool is telling. As a young person, you probably wanted to be considered cool, but are you okay now with making others feel distant and ignored? I would love to be perceived as a warm person who makes people around me feel relaxed and cared for. Can you tell me how to get there?
Today’s concrete challenge is to smile at someone around you and ask if you can get them anything. Note that this practice comes from a place of confidence. You are not trying to get the cool person to like you. You are the warm person radiating an invitation of service.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will smile and ask.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is warm.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is permission. Dr. John Gottman, in his book The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work, outlines what he calls the Four Horsemen of marital conflict. They are criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling, and they’re most common in relationships where trust is thin. One of the best ways to destroy trust is by keeping your partner in the dark in decision-making. I know the cool phrase is, “Ask forgiveness, not permission,” but I’ve found that’s a pretty terrible approach to marriage. It may work in relationships that can be burned to “move fast and break things.” However, in your long term relationships, I recommend that you focus on respecting the other person’s input and choose to seek permission first.
Today’s concrete challenge is to make a short list of three conversation topics for your partner. Ask them to do the same. Collaborate on any decision-making so that you both can feel good about the future, while maintaining trust in your relationship.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will ask permission, not forgiveness.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who works to enhance my relationships.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is maturity. Have you ever met someone that was mature for their age? What qualities make someone appear to be mature? Maybe it’s their calm presence, or maybe they give insightful comments in conversation. Whatever it is that makes someone seem mature, you know it when you see it. This leads me to wonder if we can increase our social maturity, and I think I’ve identified one of the best ways to take a giant leap forward without waiting on age to teach you this lesson. If you want to be and appear more mature around others, offer encouragement. Immature people are constantly seeking approval, whether it's by posting selfies or putting other people down. Let’s do the opposite, and build others up. You will gain the respect of people who can tell what you’re doing, and they’re ultimately the people you’ll want to be around.
Today’s concrete challenge is to offer one encouragement. Maybe you know someone who’s going through a hard time, or maybe you just want to say “hey” to a friend and tell them they’re awesome. Don’t be surprised if people start to see you as an encouraging and mature person just because you’re intentional about encouraging them.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will encourage you.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is mature.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is mistake, and we’re giving it a break. Mistakes often don’t feel good in the moment, but they can lead to discoveries and progress. Back in 2007, I was sitting on the toilet, and I heard a bird outside that sounded like it was saying an English word. This mistake in comprehension led me to wonder what a world would be like where bird songs were actually windows into their secret lives. I worked with a friend to sketch out images of turkeys in jogging suits, cranes drinking lattes, and robins dressed as cheerleaders. All those delightful designs came from a moment of mistake. I’ll admit that many mistakes don’t produce this much fruit, such as breaking a dish or stubbing your toe, but we can always look for the upside of mistakes. This is actually part of Carol Dweck’s growth mindset. According to Wikipedia, “Individuals with a ‘growth’ mindset are more likely to continue working hard despite setbacks.” When you experience a mistake today, ask yourself if there are any possibilities hiding behind the frustration.
Today’s concrete challenge is to start out trying to draw a perfect line on a page. You’ll probably find that it’s nigh impossible to freehand a perfectly straight line, but I want you to take 30 seconds to stare at your line. What does your mistake look like? Add to your line to make it into whatever it reminds you of. You might find that you can make art from your mistakes.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will start with a line.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who transforms mistakes.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is acceptance. Have you ever been in a situation where your brain was screaming, “What’s going on?! This shouldn’t be happening!”? I remember, as a teenager, riding down the Interstate with a friend when traffic slowed to a crawl. It was summer, and my little Nissan truck’s A/C just couldn’t keep up with the heat. I looked over at my friend, and he was obviously exasperated. He announced, “I shouldn’t be sweating right now!” Ha, there was nothing we could do about it. It was a moment of cognitive dissonance, where reality didn’t meet his expectations. You’ve probably experienced lots of moments like that, because much of life is beyond our control. I like how the beginning of the Serenity Prayer addresses this tight rope of change and acceptance. It says,
“God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.”
In times of cognitive dissonance, we have a choice. We can try to do something about it, or we can accept it. My friend couldn’t have made the A/C any colder, but he could have gotten out and walked to somewhere cooler. However, wisdom would suggest that stepping out of the car would be dangerous and ultimately counterproductive. His only available serenity-promoting lane was acceptance, but so many times we take the off-ramp toward anger in frustrating situations. Instead, let’s stay on the path of serenity by changing the things we can and accepting when a change is beyond our control. Rely on your increasing wisdom to know the difference.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down one possible change in your life and one thing you need to accept. These could be in your relationships, profession, thoughts, or any other area of your life.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write one change and one acceptance.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who has wisdom.”
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:
The Serenity Prayer and Twelve Step Recovery
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is healthy. I’m sure you could list a dozen things that you’ve heard are healthy for you, but how can you know for sure? For now, you have a couple of options. First, you could try it yourself to see if it makes a difference in the way that you feel. As we discussed in episode “17 - Medication,” you’ll want to take any medications or supplements in a consistent way in order to give them a chance to build up in your body correctly, and be sure to consult your doctor if you have any concerns about whether you should start a regimen. Alternatively, you could rely on the research of others. Dr. Laurie Santos does a great job in her podcast, The Happiness Lab, and in her course, The Science of Well-Being, promoting research-proven practices that boost happiness and fulfillment. You may or may not be surprised to find that most of them are things that people have been doing for millenia, like savoring the moment, meditation, and exercise. I have a feeling that future generations will have health insights that make them look back at us and think, “They had no idea what was going on inside their bodies,” but I’d be surprised if humans ever get away from the basic practices that give us long-term satisfaction and health. What basic health practices do you need to dedicate yourself to?
Today’s concrete challenge is to write one healthy habit that you commit yourself to. While you’re choosing, remember to make your goal small enough that it’s attainable but big enough that it keeps you stretching.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will dedicate my attention to one health goal.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who keeps it simple.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is transform. Lest I bury the lede, here it is: If you’re alive, you’re in a state of change, being constantly transformed for better or worse. One time, I asked my Facebook community whether they agreed that our bodies are the average of all the actions we choose, whether nutritionally, educationally, physically, etc. I got some immediate push back from a few friends that were considering people with debilitating disabilities, and I felt like an idiot because I was working in a disability-related field at the time. I believe their point was that some people don’t have the ability to choose to go to the gym, whether due to a mental or physical disability. While this is a valid reason that we’re not fully the product of our choices, we do have some control in this life. We can choose to reach out or self-isolate. We can choose what we will put into our bodies. We can choose to be sedentary or move. There are exceptions to each of these, but that’s life. The only guarantee is death, so let’s transform ourselves in order to enjoy the ride.
Today’s concrete challenge is to choose one action that will leave your body and mind more healthy, fit, or knowledgeable. It could be as simple as eating a nutritious snack, stretching, doing a few jumping jacks, or asking a friend an open-ended question.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will transform myself in one positive way.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who lives intentionally.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is platform. I have hope of building a software platform someday. It’s a dream born from reading Tim O’Reilly’s book, WTF?: What’s the Future and Why It’s Up To Us. In that dream, I saw people using technology to encourage each other toward fulfilling goals, even if it was completing one run. It turns out that Brigitte Granger had almost the exact same vision and founded Supporti in 2016, an app where you can pair with another person, commit to a goal, and check in with the other person for the benefit of both. I have not found the right people yet to carry my software platform idea forward, but on the journey I have enjoyed podcasting as a platform for my voice. I’ve tried blogging a few times, but I lost interest in each blog topic. I don’t know why podcasting creates the right conditions for me to continue, but I love having an outlet to share my life experiences. I am not unique, though. You have as much to teach as I do. That goes back to my idea for the software platform. Everyone has a voice and gift to share, just like Stephen Covey predicted. Another discovery on the road to success has been the platform that each day provides. Think back to episodes 62 and 135 that mention the film, Groundhog Day. We all have the daily opportunity to build an ideal existence, based in small improvements to our daily routine. In the software sense of the word, a day is the ultimate platform. You can build almost anything on it. What will you do with your platform?
Today’s concrete challenge is to choose one daily activity to start or enhance. What calls to you as needing more investment? Write it down and make small moves each day.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down a daily action that needs more attention.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who builds.”
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:
WTF?: What's the Future and Why It's Up to Us by Tim O'Reilly
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is treasure. My son has been watching new and old episodes of Disney’s DuckTales, which just happens to be one of my favorite childhood shows. Watching it as an adult lends a new perspective, of course, and Scrooge’s money bin stands out as a weird feature. Uncle $crooge was originally a comic book from the 1950’s. According to Wikipedia, the character originated in the “Christmas on Bear Mountain” issue of the Donald Duck comic book and is pretty obviously based on Ebenezer Scrooge of Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It’s strange, though, that Scrooge McDuck loves money as much as he does. When I watch him dive through his gathered wealth, I wonder what that does to little psyches. Do I give less to charity because of those types of influences that I experienced as a child? It makes me think of the episode of Revisionist History titled “Dragon Psychology 101,” which outlines a few of the ways that we humans hoard our treasures. Just today, I was adding an idea to my Google Doc where I have hoarded 26 pages of business thoughts. I rarely go back through and enjoy all of the inspired ideas, but I rest assured that I can whenever I want. Maybe, in that way, Scrooge McDuck is actually getting more use from his spoils than me, but I think Ebenezer Scrooge gets the richest life by giving from his hoard.
Today’s concrete challenge is to identify and write down your real treasures. Here’s how you know: you’d put yourself in danger for them. Anything that doesn’t make the list is something you can give or share.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will identify my treasures and consider what I can give.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who gives.”
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:
Identify Your Real Treasures and Finally Let Go
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is often. This is a very small soundtrack shift that will hopefully help you be more honest with yourself. Our culture has a tendency to hyperbolize. So many things are “the worst” or “the best.” The truth, though, is that very few things are the best or worst. Likewise, I hear myself and others saying that something is “always” happening to us. Just today, I hit my leg on the corner of my bed and was tempted to tell myself that I always hit my leg on that spot. I’ve been training my brain to pivot to a more honest word as soon as I get to the “ah” of always, though. You may have guessed that the word is often. I can honestly say that I often hit my leg on the bed without going down the road of hyperbole. This shift in wording may not seem worthwhile to you, but I’d argue that it’s an important step away from some common cognitive distortions. If you’re not familiar with Dr. Aaron Beck’s cognitive distortions, check out the link to the Wikipedia page in the show notes. I’m not a psychologist, but it seems my example of telling myself that I am always hitting my leg on that spot of the bed might fit all of the following: overgeneralization, filtering, disqualifying the positive, and magnification. I believe small mental changes can help us steer our mental ships, so I choose to say “often,” rather than “always,” as often as I can.
Today’s concrete challenge is to swap out an absolute for a relative term. Instead of “always” or “never,” try “commonly” or “often.” Again, it may seem like an insignificant change, but being honest in your language to yourself and others can help you stay away from the aforementioned cognitive distortions.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will use relatives, rather than absolutes, unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who speaks honestly.”
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:
wiki: Cognitive distortion
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is reform, and we’re leaving it unchanged. I studied education systems in graduate school, and the phrase school reform was inescapable. Every level of politics either has a plan for school reform or is looking to appoint someone who can come in and clean house. In some ways, I can see their reasoning. We always want to push for better education, because if our public school curriculum were the same as it was 100 years ago, we’d be doing the youth of today an obvious disservice. However, too much reform starts to feel unstable. Teachers and administrators need to be able to rely on keeping their jobs, despite regime changes, but many times the house cleaners want to start fresh. The same is true in our personal lives. We have to find the balance between feeling comfortable and staving off stagnancy.
Today’s concrete challenge is to list two things in your life that need to change and two things that need to stay the same.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will create targeted personal reform.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who seeks balance.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is satisfied, and satisfaction is not guaranteed. As I discussed in episode “52 - Savor,” our brains are always searching for the next fix, and we practiced paying attention to and enjoying one moment. Today, we’re going to practice being satisfied with your life. After all, it’s the only life you have. You can wish to win the lottery or experience some other major life shift, but those things are unlikely. Sadly, they probably wouldn’t make you more satisfied, anyway. Satisfaction comes from finding purpose in your life and work, staying connected to people around you, and stopping to appreciate and be grateful for what you already have. Happily, those practices are independent of money, so anyone can start becoming more satisfied today. This point is highlighted in Mark Manson’s book The Subtle Art of Giving a F***. He recounts the Beatle that might have been: Pete Best. Best was the original drummer, and he
Today’s concrete challenge is to try an activity called mental subtraction of positive events or relationships. Pretty smooth name, right? Here’s how it works. Bring one important, positive relationship or event to mind and then imagine all the ways that it might not have worked out the way that it did. It’s similar to what I mentioned in episode “132 - Good,” where George Bailey experienced his life without his friends and family. You, too, can build a greater sense of satisfaction by going through the black and white details of how things would be a little worse without the positive aspects of your life.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will think about or write down details of how life could have been worse.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who visits alternate realities.”
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:
Mental Subtraction of Positive Events (Greater Good in Action)
Mental Subtraction of Relationships (Greater Good in Action)
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is focus. [pause] Ha, I wrote that sentence five hours ago. Today has been anything but focused. It’s alright, though, because the level of focus I’m shooting for does not only apply to the moment-by-moment. I’m looking back at my previous episodes this week, and they all pertain to feeling overwhelmed. Because of that, I’ve started to pare down inputs. I mentioned cleaning off my desk, and that helped me to focus on the hardware for my job that needed to be reset. I unsubscribed from multiple newsletters, and that allowed me to focus on the emails for my current project. I didn’t offer my kids electronics while they waited for swim class, and that choice granted us a little time to walk and be silly together. Focus is difficult because it requires choosing not to gather more stuff, take the easier path, or permit busyness to be a constant companion and excuse. As we looked at in episode “45 - Discontent,” when enough steam builds up, something has to give.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down your one focus in these three domains: home life, health, and work. Make small moves that will allow you to actually focus on those goals, such as clearing clutter and removing distracting temptations.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will focus on one aspect of home life, health, and work.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is able to focus.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is busy. My kids have had swim lessons this week after I get off work, which has made getting them there on time feel like a make or break moment every day. On the first day, my wife herded them into the ol’ minivan while I frantically made a couple of PB&J, threw the sandwiches into the passenger seat with bananas, and sent them on their way. The next day, my wife’s mom was stuck in road construction, and it looked like I might have to drive to meet her in a harried attempt to get the kids and beat traffic. Allow me just a second to say that this is the kind of scenario that I didn’t miss during the pandemic. Thankfully, she was able to battle her way through, and I got the kids to swim lessons in plenty of time. Much of the panic this week has been undue, because we don’t ask ourselves, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Being late is not ideal, but the kids would just join in the lesson when they got there and life would move on. Busyness does not lend itself to perspective. We can only get a wider view of our lives by stopping and reflecting. The time at swim lessons was actually great. I got to interact with each kid while the other was in a lesson, leaving the busy electronics in a bag. I don’t want to miss the short time we have with them while they’re young by thinking that every minute has to be filled.
Today’s concrete challenge is to make yourself sit and gain some perspective. Relax and listen to the rest of the episode.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will take a minute away from the busyness.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who balances busyness with rest.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is easier. I wonder how often we choose the easier path. My guess is that most of the time we don’t even realize that we’ve chosen to do or think about the easier thing. For example, while I’ve been writing this episode, I have typed two Google searches, gone to the bathroom, and taken the dog out… and I’m only four sentences in! It’s difficult to stay focused. It’s difficult to be uncomfortable. Some writers have chosen to cut off almost all easier paths by removing the ability to connect to the Internet and sometimes even secluding themselves from other people. I often choose the easier path, but I’m learning to make myself finish. I mentioned in episode “110 - Delay” that I’ve not allowed myself to look at the two websites that I used to turn to during the work day when I wanted to escape the discomfort of focused work. I’m happy to say that I’ve stuck with the practice, and it’s given me one less place to hide from my work. However, I was hoping it would serve as both a carrot and a stick. The stick part works by not allowing myself to take the easier path until I’ve completed the difficult work, but the websites are not quite enough of a treat to convince me that I should get all the difficult work done. It’s a work in progress, but I like that one easier path is blocked.
Today’s concrete challenge is to sit and notice your urges during the rest of this episode. Relax and listen to the rest of the episode. If you want, you can list all of the things your brain tells you that you could be doing.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will notice my urges to do the easier thing.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who persists.”
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:
Learn How To Avoid Distraction In A World That Is Full Of It
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is stuff. Let me just go ahead and admit that I have too much stuff. I wouldn’t even say that I have a lot of stuff. It’s just too much to be able to focus on any of it. Last week, I sold a warmer plate for an Ember mug on eBay, and it felt great to trade something that was lying around for money, i.e. potential. That really is the upside of money; it’s stored energy. I used the net money to buy a board game called Shadows in the Forest that I plan to play with my wife and kids. Yes, I traded stuff for more stuff, but in terms of making my life better, I’ll take the board game. If you feel overwhelmed, try reducing the amount of stuff laying out. Just today, I cleaned off three items from my work desk, and all three of them had associated responsibilities that stared me in the face every minute that they sat in front of me. I admit that I advised in episode “40 - Obstacle” that you place things in your way if you want to do something about them, but I now see that it’s possible to overdo that practice. At some point, the obstacles hinder you from doing anything about them. If you feel that way, clear them all off and try to make one small move per item. For my three, I decided to keep the swimming trunks, called to schedule my car recall work, and realized that I had already deposited that check and didn’t need the paper explaining it. You can do it, too. Clear an area of stuff, and make some money on it at the same time, if possible.
Today’s concrete challenge is to move to an area that has too much stuff on or in it now. Pick up and handle each item so that you’re forced to consider whether you still need it. If it’s not essential, pitch it or sell it.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will clear out one area.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who reduces the nonessential.”
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:
What Is the Bystander Effect?
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is key. If you work to refine any system, you will likely find one aspect that is the gateway for the rest. Without this one, key part, the action will falter along, sometimes successful, but most of the time not. We instituted weekly chores for our two kids at the beginning of 2021, and the subsequent weeks and months of practice have helped me to find the key in that activity. Both kids are expected to wash their own clothes, put them away, and clean one area of our home. They have approximately 40 hours to get it all done, but we soon found that the laundry was the bottleneck. If either of them waits until close to the deadline to start their washing and drying, there’s no way to succeed. I kind of like that aspect of the weekly chores process, because there are many parts of life where waiting too long to begin automatically excludes you from succeeding. Examples that come to mind are school projects, applications to university, and leaving too late for a flight. Almost everything in life has a time window, so we’ve tweaked the expectations for weekend chores. Since the key to success is laundry, we don’t allow Saturday afternoon screen time until each child’s clothes are started in the washer. This simple change has given both kids more success in completing their chores by the end of the weekend. What key change do you need to make in order for the whole system to work better?
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down one janky process in your life. Identify each step so that you can see which is truly the key.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write out the steps."
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who tries new approaches.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is competition, and I feel like I need to apologize to this word. [kiss] In episode “93 - Meaning,” I crapped pretty hard on the idea of competition and racing, but today reminded me of the value of both. I went with a friend to a local 10 mile foot race, and I could feel a palpable tension in the pre-race environment. I love how some activities break up the flow of normal life and help you to feel that you’re taking part in something bigger than your own experience. My friend had been training for this day, actually for years. His last personal record, or PR, was set on this hot, humid course nine years ago. Each year after that, he would assume that it would be the one where he’d best his record, but it never happened. At the same time, life got more complex with his first child and then a couple of twin boys a few years after. He’s in the thick of life. He probably shouldn’t expect to beat his time from back when he was free to run as much as he dared, except, competition is his fuel. He competes with his past record, believing that it’s possible to do what he’s failed to do in previous races. He competes with his body, pushing it further and faster than ever before. He competes with the 24 hours in a day, finding time to train when others would sleep. I waited anxiously for him at mile marker nine and watched the fastest runners huff past. I watched the time, calculating his possible finishing time if he came over the distant hill in the next few seconds. After what felt like too long, he came up the road. He said he was nearly spent physically, but soon started running toward the finish line faster than I could keep up. After nine years, he has a new PR that is nine minutes faster. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, I would estimate that the cost of those nine minutes is equivalent to 100 hours of difficult, uncomfortable physical and mental stress. He put in the work. Today was a win.
Today’s concrete challenge is to look for the joy of competition. I love playing party games, like Catch Phrase and Scattergories, where competition provides motivation and fun. The same is true for yard games. Add one game or area of competition that brings you joy to the next 30 days.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will add one fun, competitive game or activity to my calendar.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who looks for the joy in competition.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is summer. Hopefully, I’ve posted this episode while it’s still summer. I’ve definitely run into a wall with posting episodes, partly due to a new puppy named George [George barking]. The good thing about reaching your limit, though, is that you realize what you’re capable of, just like I described in episode “67 - Age.” Speaking of age, three kids rode by on bicycles yesterday while I was out taking George for a yard break, and it made me remember the feeling of freedom that summer could bring as a kid. Cycling around our neighborhood was one of my favorite experiences, but it was way more fun with friends. Maybe I can convince my middle aged neighbors to feel the freedom again with me. Seeing those kids zoom by inspired me to get my bicycle back functional. I mangled the handlebars when I ran into the side of a truck, but that’s a story for another day. I followed through yesterday and ordered a replacement set of handlebars that I’m not sure will fit. However, sometimes action is better than hesitation. Not being sure of the correct size has delayed me fixing my bicycle for the past five years. It’s time to strike while the summer’s hot!
Today’s concrete challenge is to plan one summer-style activity. Do you want to get in a pool, create a backyard slip ‘n’ slide, or just sit in the shade with a popsicle? Whatever it is, write it down and a time that you will do it.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will take advantage of summer.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who seizes the moment.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is finish, but without being Nordic. I’ve mentioned Jon Acuff kind of a lot on this podcast, but it’s because his book, Finish, made a big impression on me. I love that he calls out the difficulty that most people have in completing goals. I’m one of those people who have difficulty making it across the proverbial finish line. The strange thing, though, is that it’s not difficult for me to make it across the literal finish line. I’ve run up to 15 miles at a time, and I’ve never wanted to quit, especially when close to the finish line. However, I’ve never run a full marathon. Here’s some quippy marathon wisdom: “Marathons are a 10k race (6.2 miles) with a 20 mile warm up.” Lots of people hit their physical exertion “wall” around mile 20, so pith aside, maybe I would question whether finishing is worth the effort after mile 20. There’s only one way to find out. I just messaged my friend to see if he wants to do one with me at the end of the year. Okay, back to the topic at hand. When I visited my cousin’s house, he gave us a brief tour of the renovations they had made. Some were professionally done, and others were DIY jobs. One area stuck out to me, though. In the laundry room, he showed the tile he had installed, and he mentioned that the corner looked kind of bad because it was all he could do to make himself finish it. I’m sure, to him, the corner looked bad, but to anyone else it was just a tiled corner. It’s kind of a family joke to admit that we’re all pretty bad at the last 10%. I’m super proud of his crappy tile work, because it was finished. That’s more than a lot of people can say about DIY projects.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down your next step in finishing a project. In episode “29 - Brave,” I mentioned that I would contact the woodworker that would build our bathroom drawer to help finish that renovation. I definitely contacted him, and he definitely hasn’t built the drawer yet. I guess I know what my next step is.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down my next step.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who takes the next step.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is water, and it may seem evident where I’m going with this. You should drink water, instead of sugary or alcoholic or caffeine-filled beverages. Well, that may be true, but I’d instead like to tell a story. Two young fish were swimming happily along in the ocean... (stop me if you’ve heard this one before). An older fish swims by in the opposite direction and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” The two young fish swim on and eventually one turns to the other and asks, “What the hell is water?” You might have your own interpretation of this story, but David Foster Wallace summarizes his tale by saying, “The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about.” I think that’s part of why I started this podcast. If you don’t fast forward through the intro, you might notice that each episode starts with a call to attention: “This is your life. This is your chance.” It’s a call to look for the water around you and realize that you have some control over large AND small aspects of your life. If you listen to the commencement speech, where the fish story originated, Foster Wallace goes on to say, “Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed.”
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down some thoughts about the water around you. What have you been experiencing but not registering? What is that “most obvious, important reality” in your life? Foster Wallace gives us a hint in identifying it. Usually, it’s that thing that’s difficult to talk about.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will describe the water around me.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who stops to reflect.”
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:
This is Water by David Foster Wallace (Full Transcript and Audio)
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is rep. Just so we’re clear, rep is short for repetition. I’m not cool enough for it to be an abbreviation of reputation. We’ve looked, in episode “62 - Repetitive,” at how to use repetition to learn new skills, but today I want to illustrate a small trick I’ve used to get myself to do repetitive exercises. In December of 2019, I purchased a 40 lb. weight from a local sports store, thinking that I would exercise when I worked from home. I didn’t do much with it until April of 2020, after the pandemic put us into a Groundhog Day scenario. This was my first time doing any kind of regular weight lifting, so I didn’t know exactly how to progress. I set a goal of 10 reps and added one rep per day. The level of challenge seemed right, but where was it leading? Would I continue to add a rep per day until I busted out of every shirt I own? Thankfully, lack of motivation came to the rescue. I kept it regular through most of the summer in 2020, but at some point, the mental part of it caught up with me. I stopped wanting to begin rep one, much less rep 40-something. The 40 lb. weight sat sadly by my back door for months, forlorn in its disuse. Recently, I moved it to our carport, because, in episode “40 - Obstacle,” I talked about how making something harder to ignore can help you follow through. My goal in moving it there was initially to lift it any time I come in the carport door, but that’s, again, a little too high an expectation. Instead, I’ve committed to lifting it once a day when I return from a run, starting with 10 reps and adding one each day. It might seem like I’m headed down the same deadend, but here’s the kicker. When I get up to 20 reps, I reward myself by taking the goal back down to 10. Yes, it won’t build muscle in the same way that making myself power through ever-higher reps would, but I’ve learned from last year. Slow is better than none.
Today’s concrete challenge is to start or continue lifting any kind of weight. Consistency in lifting weights strengthens more than just the activated muscles. It helps your body burn fat more effectively and helps your bones and joints stay strong. Think back to episode “94 - Stretch” and how our bodies are antifragile, becoming stronger and better through use.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will make a plan to stay motivated in lifting any kind of weight.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who stays strong.
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:
5 Health Benefits of Lifting Weights and How to Do It Safely
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is maintenance. Yesterday, we looked at pressing reset on weekly tasks, but some to-do’s are more sporadic. For example, when’s the last time you got an alignment on your car? I can’t remember when it was for my car, but, according to tirebuyer.com, you should get an alignment once or twice per year. I remember, as a teenager, being constantly frustrated when I would take my car for service and they’d say that my tires were wearing out on the edges, due to misalignment. As we looked at in episode “56 - Upstream,” if you don’t want downstream problems, it helps to think a few steps ahead. Maintenance like wheel alignments, balance, and rotation can be the difference between getting to your destination safely or a roadside emergency or worse (Do you know how to change a tire? Do you know if your spare is inflated?). But don’t think that you’re exempt from this analogy just because you don’t own a car. What are some life maintenance tasks that happen throughout the year? Adulthood brings a whole raft of them, such as paying taxes, paying bills, voting, doctor visits for yourself and those you care for (including dental and vision), car maintenance, home maintenance, etc. Even if you’re still in school, you have exams to think ahead about, and hopefully you have some household responsibilities that require planning. I’ve always been interested in aligning all of the disparate tasks into groups of monthly, yearly, and miscellaneous and scheduling them together. For example, January could be the checkup month of the year. Doctor’s physical exam, dental exam, car alignment, HVAC checkup, etc. Why haven’t I done it, then? Because it takes effort and upstream thinking, which are difficult. I guess that’s part of why I’m writing this episode. If I want to commit, I will say the following phrase, “I will clump maintenance activities together in order to make sure they’re done.”
Today’s concrete challenge should be obvious.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will clump maintenance activities together in order to make sure they’re done.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who thinks upstream.”
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:
How often you need a tire alignment
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is reset. Sometimes it feels great to be able to press reset on electronics and watch everything come back up the way it’s supposed to be. How often do you take a day to press reset on life? If you’re not familiar with Shabbat, also called the Sabbath, it’s a Jewish tradition of setting aside one day out of seven to stop buying, stop selling, stop working, and stop striving. I’m guessing there are probably similar practices in all major religions because slowing down periodically is good for the soul. Today is Sunday, and I enjoyed hair trimming, bathroom cleaning, clothes washing, and all the other tasks that get pushed to the weekend. It feels really good to be able to press reset on weekly tasks. If you feel like all of your responsibilities are piling up, try instituting a reset day. As we talked about in episode “82 - Schedule,” it’s also handy to go ahead and allot each reset task a specific time slot in that day.
Today’s concrete challenge is to make a list of weekly reset tasks. What are the things that pile up in your mind and make you feel overwhelmed each week? You’ll feel great when that list is out of your mind and contained on a piece of paper or screen.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down or type out a list of weekly reset tasks.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who thinks ahead.”
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:
Episode 6: The Day of Rest — The Happiness Lab
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is good, and we’re respectfully declining. [smacks lips “Mmm… no thanks] You might be wondering what’s wrong with the word “good.” Aren't good relationships, a good home, and a good life all good things, after all? I’m not trying to make you believe that those are not good and worth having, but Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, writes that “the enemy of great is not bad, the enemy is good.” When we stop pushing to become better, we settle for good. Note that I did not say that you need to push others to be great or to leave a good relationship. As you probably know, you can only control yourself, so if you want a better relationship, home, or life, you have to start with you. I recently mentioned the John Milton quote about our minds creating our reality, and sometimes all that’s missing is an appreciation of what we have, as George Bailey found in the film, It’s a Wonderful Life. At other times, you may have to actively work on becoming a great student, friend, partner, employer, or employee. Don’t settle for good if you believe that great is possible. I will also mention that, statistically, some of you are in an objectively bad relationship or home. In these situations, no amount of self improvement will fix the problem. If you feel that you are being abused in any way, please call 800-799-SAFE.
Today’s concrete challenge is to picture “great.” If you woke up tomorrow and suddenly found yourself in a great life, what would it look, sound, smell, and feel like? Write down a short description of what you’d see around you if you woke up to a great life.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will jot down a short description of what it would be like.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who deserves a great life.”
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:
Miracle question - Wikiversity
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is leverage. I relistened to Dan Heath’s book, Upstream, last week, and one phrase stuck out to me. Heath writes that when you’re thinking about and planning a strategy for what could be a decades-long change effort, the best place to start is by “look[ing] for a point of leverage.” I love this advice because it feels like a hint in a video game. If you’ve ever played a text-based adventure or a mystery game like The Room, you know the frustration of not knowing where to look or how to proceed. Often, a simple hint, like “look for a point of leverage,”will prompt you to go over to the water pump and find the next clue. The same process is possible in our daily lives. We have hopes and dreams, but sometimes we’re not sure how to begin. Is saving $25 per month even worth the effort? Is an afternoon walk going to do anything to help my weight? I think Dan Heath would argue, “Yes and yes,” but he might also tell you how leverage is surprising. If you’ve ever seen how an actual lever can help you lift an impressively heavy object, you’ll understand how starting small in the right area can help you make a gradually larger impact in your life and the lives of those around you. If you’re not familiar with the amazing reality of levers, see the video in the References area of our show notes.
Today’s concrete challenge is to identify a point of leverage in your life. At Coach.me, they consider this point of leverage to be a keystone habit. What’s a tiny action that you can perform consistently in order to create space in your life for larger habits?
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will identify and start a keystone habit in my life.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who leverages leverage.”
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:
Why Levers are AWESOME- Smarter Every Day 74
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is job. When I was about 22 years old, my uncle asked me if I wanted to do some eBay selling for his small business. I had played around with selling on eBay the previous couple of years and had some success, but here’s the thing about eBay and maybe selling in general. Small sales are tedious and big sales are addictive, especially when I earned the same percentage on both. With that stark contrast, it’s no wonder that my uncle found me spending most of my time picking through the items he wanted to sell, looking for the ones that would fetch the highest price. Yes, it was completely hedonistic, and it’s part of what embarrasses me about what happened next. My uncle asked me to purchase a printer, so I got that done without much trouble. However, it was defective, and he asked me to ship it back for a refund. I eventually shipped it back, and then my uncle got a message from the seller. I hadn’t added much, if any, padding around the printer, so it had gotten destroyed in the shipping process. He should have taken it out of my pay, but I don’t think he did. I tell this story to illustrate how job crafting can go awry. When we pick only the parts of a job that we enjoy and neglect the rest, we’re not being fair to our employer. I could blame it on the incentive structure, but it was truly just me not doing a good job.
Today’s concrete challenge is to do a good job for your employer. Write down one task or area where you need to focus some energy. It might be dressing up a little more, submitting timesheets or TPS reports on time, or any other part of your job that you could elevate.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will identify one part of my job to elevate.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who does a good job.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is incentive. Okay, put yourself in this scenario and think about your options. Your job is to oversee chores at a place where eight teen boys are temporarily away from their family, most of the time as a consequence for their poor behavior. You start your shift at 7AM and have until 2PM to get the guys to complete basic household chores, such as sweeping and mopping common rooms and cleaning their suite’s bathroom. Don’t forget to factor two meals into those seven hours and the fact that none of these guys care about cleaning their space. How do you make sure chores are completed? At first, I tried to plan fun outings in the afternoon and only allow the guys that finished their chores to attend. This worked fairly well, but what do you do with kids that don’t succeed? They have to stay home with one of only two on-duty staff members. I actually had to work on my own many times, so I was forced to improvise. How could I get all eight guys to complete their chores without me nagging or trying to force them? I used $15 of my own dollars each week to buy one $10 and one $5 gift card that I would award the top two cleaners. This small investment leveraged the power of incentive on a few different levels. First, the guys had to outwork the others, which meant cleaner areas than ever before. Second, my role changed from enforcer to benefactor, which was 100% better. Last, and maybe most importantly, the guys went home with the power and pride of being able to buy treats for themselves and others. These were kids who often came from little means, so the gift cards were truly motivating for most of them. You might handle the situation differently, but I believe incentives made my task possible, given the constraints.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down one difficult task of yours or one that you oversee. Pair it with an incentive that could motivate those involved. I’ve jokingly told my wife that we should look up the cost of hiring a professional for home projects, halve that number, and let ourselves spend that amount as a reward for completing the project ourselves. My wife still isn’t sold on the idea, but maybe that’s why we have lingering home projects that are mostly, but not fully, finished.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will pair one incentive with one hard task.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who gets creative.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is open. Have you found certain places or situations that make you more open to experiencing the richness of life? Charlotte told me that she believes traveling has that effect on most people. Charlotte was someone I met while sitting in an Internet cafe in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Due to poor planning and a lack of email communication, I had missed an opportunity to stay with a guy from CouchSurfing.com, so I leaned over to Charlotte and asked if she knew anyone I could stay with. I normally wouldn’t be open to asking this kind of question, but when you’re in a foreign city and have nowhere else to stay, it changes things. Surprisingly, she said that she had noticed that I was on the CouchSurfing website and that I could stay with her. That night, Charlotte talked me into going with her to watch a film called Turistas about a group of travelers who have their organs harvested by the locals. Was this part of her diabolical plan to foreshadow how the night would go? Thankfully, no, and Charlotte apologized for taking me to what was, for many reasons, a terrible choice of film. Well, I guess this has turned into a cautionary tale about being too open to experiences. My wife has taught me to keep at least one foot grounded in awareness because a little discernment can have a large impact on the rest of your life. I actually have another story about a possible close call while traveling, but I’ll save that for another episode.
Today’s concrete challenge is to walk the line of openness and caution. What’s something you’ve always wanted to do? Write down what it is, when you’ll do it, and a safe way to see it through.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will come up with a good plan to do what I’ve always wanted.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who thinks AND leaps.”
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:
My original blog post about the Londonderry adventure
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is unsure. If I could take away one thing from both popular psychology and marriage it’s that I need to admit that I’m unsure. Too many times I’ve told my wife that something would surely happen, and then it didn’t. It’s usually not even big things, either. Just today, my wife asked if the dump was open so that we could get rid of an old mattress. My thought was, “Why wouldn’t they be open on a Monday?” so I said, “Yes.” It turned out that the answer to “Why wouldn’t they be?” is simply, “Because they aren’t.” As luck would have it, I’m not the only one who’s bad at prediction. Whether it’s assuming on your wedding day that there’s no way your marriage could end in divorce or believing that you will probably never get in [cough] another wreck, most of us stay blissfully ignorant. As Dan Gilbert puts it in his book, Stumbling on Happiness, “Your mistake was not in imagining things you could not know—that is, after all, what imagination is for. Rather, your mistake was in unthinkingly treating what you imagined as though it were an accurate representation of the facts.” So, what are the facts? One fact is that you, me, and everyone else is unsure about whether we will live another day, much less make it to the dump that just happens to be closed. Life is precious and fragile, and it’s better lived in the realization that we don’t know most outcomes until they happen.
Today’s concrete challenge is to admit that you’re unsure.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down or tell someone at least one thing that I’m unsure about.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who admits that I’m unsure.”
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:
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Todd Gilbert
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is add. What are you adding to your home, your workplace, or your friend groups? This feels like an aggressive question, but I think it’s one worth asking. In her article, “3 Key Mindset Shifts That Made Me a Significantly Happier Person,” Ria T calls out the contributor mindset as key to helping her understand how to excel at work. Instead of trying to “work the room,” she asks herself, “How can I add value here?” Without putting a name to the practice, I feel like I learned the same lesson at the boys’ home, where I worked after college. There were no bonuses to be earned or much praise to be had, but it was an opportunity to do some job crafting, as Amy Wrzesniewski calls the practice of adding enjoyable aspects to your current work. At some point in working with the guys, I realized that their computer in the corner of the rec room didn’t even fully boot. This made me wonder if my experience in computer use and repair could be useful, not only to my employer by fixing the rec room computer but also to the guys by teaching them a little bit about PCs. A fellow PC enthusiast helped me gather some fixer upper computer towers, and I started meeting with individual residents for some simple computer classes. My point is not to say how great I am, rather to illustrate how we can add value to our own lives and the lives of those around us by asking, “What am I good at, and how can I use it to add value where I am?” Last, I would be remiss if I fail to mention that you have intrinsic value. Just by being present, you are adding value to a room.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down one tiny way you can actively add value to your home, work, or friend groups. It’ll help you craft a new reality for yourself and those around you.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down one thing I’m good at that I can add to my work, home, or friends.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who adds value.”
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:
3 Key Mindset Shifts That Made Me a Significantly Happier Person
JOB CRAFTING AND CULTIVATING POSITIVE MEANING AND IDENTITY IN WORK
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is helpless, and we’re throwing it a life preserver. [splash] Helplessness is tricky, because it’s basically a mirage. Learned helplessness is a very real psychological trait that we share with other animals, but it’s still just based in belief. If you’re not familiar with Seligman and Overmier’s experiments with dogs and electric shocks, here’s the gist. They had three groups of dogs, where the first group was simply harnessed for a short time and then released. Group 2 were given electric shocks in a confined space, and they could press a lever to end the electricity. Whenever these dogs were shocked, a paired dog in Group 3 was shocked with the same amount of electricity, but the lever near this dog did not stop the electricity. As you might expect, Group 3 dogs learned that their actions could not stop the electricity, so they sat down and whined helplessly, even when, in the second part of the experiment, all they had to do was jump over a small barrier to escape the electric shocks. No amount of threats, rewards, or demonstrations would convince Group 3 dogs that they had the power to help themselves. The only solution was to physically guide the dogs through the process of moving over the barrier and away from the shocks, and this had to be done more than once to convince Group 3 dogs that they could do it themselves. This whole experimental situation was, of course, unfair to the dogs in Group 3. They were tricked into believing that they had no power, and the same thing happens to humans. The New York Post has an interesting article about luxury beliefs and how affluent people downplay the importance of marriage, religion, and hard work. Did you catch that last one? By projecting that everything happens by chance, these people who have enough money to not need hard work in their lives are inviting all of us into a Group 3 situation. Don’t fall for it. You’re not helpless. You have some control over your life and actions, and that’s all the Group 3 dogs needed in order to get to a better place.
Today’s concrete challenge is to go through the motions of success. Just like the Group 3 dogs, maybe we just need to feel the steps in order to believe that they’re possible. Find someone who will role play with you that job interview, positive parenting interaction, or whatever situation that feels impossible right now.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down the scene that I need to role play and someone who could help me with it.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is not helpless.”
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:
Learned helplessness on Wikipedia
'Luxury beliefs' are latest status symbol for rich Americans
"Splash" by swordofkings128
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is proximity. Have you ever realized that people who seemed so different from yourself are actually really similar? My father used to help out with a program at our church that gave homeless people shelter for the night. I remember going with him when I was maybe 9 or 10 years old, and as I watched them set up their sleeping space and I saw kids with their parents, I had the epiphany that they were simply people, like myself. I might never have had that realization without proximity. Bryan Stevenson at NYU says that proximity to people who are poor or different from ourselves is essential in creating any kind of social change. There is a link to his presentation in the show notes. I’ve worked in disability services professionally, and the same realization has happened there. Someone with a disability is simply and fully a person. Act accordingly.
Today’s concrete challenge is to get proximate to people who are different from yourself and your circle. I know the pandemic has made this difficult, but the opportunity is reemerging. I plan to go work at the public library space down from my house once a week to see what revelations still exist.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will find people to interact with that are different from myself.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who sees that we’re all the same.”
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:
The Power of Proximity | CEO Initiative 2018
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is whole. Happiness science is a booming field right now. In particular, Dr. Laurie Santos’s Happiness Course tries to get people to practice fulfilling, wholesome acts in order to feel complete. All those words, fulfilling, wholesome, and complete, speak to a common human urge. We all want to be whole. We want to feel cared for and to care for others. We want our work to fit into a bigger picture. As Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes sings, “I'd rather be a functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me.” How do we get there? I think part of it is just believing that you are whole. John Milton wrote, “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.” We have some power over our perception, and it’s up to us to try to leverage our own minds. We’ve featured a soundtrack at the end of each episode to encourage you, me, and everyone else to widen our frame of identity. Let’s look at one that might help us to feel more whole through simple daily repetition.
Today’s concrete challenge is to post the following phrases and repeat them at the beginning and end of each day to see if it affects your feeling of wholeness. You might feel a little ridiculous saying it aloud, but try saying, “I am whole. I am happy. I am harmonious with others.”
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write the affirmation and say it twice a day for one week.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is whole.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is space. When I go out for exercise, I love listening to anything that teaches, challenges, or inspires. Today, I listened to Greg McKeown’s interview with Rachel Cooke, and one phrase stuck out as gold. Ms. Cooke asks what we can do to “infuse one small breath” into someone else’s day. In other words, how can we give someone space to breathe as a tiny act of service toward them? This kind of practice reminds me of a 7-day Love Notes challenge that I created. In it, participants conveyed their love and appreciation for their partner in a specific, small way each day. The important aspect of what Ms. Cooke is saying and my Love Notes challenge is a bias toward action. I feel that I am still too passive in my marriage, even after researching concrete principles and practices. That’s why it’s vital to keep things simple. Even when you’re overwhelmed, picture that one tiny act of love and service that you can do now. They’ll appreciate the space to breathe.
Today’s concrete challenge is to take just a minute to think of one tiny act of service for someone in your life. If you have time, go ahead and perform it now.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will think of one act to give them space to breathe.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who serves others.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is routine. For the past four months, I have had a routine of waking up, getting some coffee and sitting down to write a podcast episode. That routine was stressed last week while we were out of our house for some home repairs, and it was finally broken yesterday when I didn’t write an episode after a streak of 120 consecutive days. The disruption also spirals out to smaller parts of my daily routine, like stretching and supplements. What do you do when YOUR routine is broken? Option 1 is to write a podcast episode about it. Many times, though, we just stop moving forward when our routine is messed up. Hey, good things in your life require incremental progress, so please don’t give up. Just like I’m doing now, lower the bar so that you can continue building your road.
Today’s concrete challenge is to describe your destination. Chip and Dan Heath talk about a “destination postcard” in their book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. Write a postcard style blurb to yourself from a hypothetical future where you are in your desired location or state of being. Be sure to include details about how it feels to be there!
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write myself a destination postcard now.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who continues.”
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:
Destination Postcards Activity
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is better. When you picture a better toothbrush, what comes to mind? [pause] My bet is that you are thinking of an electric toothbrush, and maybe electric toothbrushes do have the capability to clean teeth more thoroughly. It’s easy to assume, though, that more complex is always better. I’ve mentioned the book, Essentialism, a couple times recently because its central tenet, “Less but better,” can apply to any area of life. With the toothbrush, you can ask, “Would an electric or manual toothbrush help me to move toward ‘less but better?’” You have to answer that question for yourself, but you don’t have to be right the first time. Maintain some humility and grace by being okay with trying again. Find the better option while pursuing less complexity in your life.
Today’s concrete challenge is to clean out a drawer. Use the “less but better” credo to evaluate whether you need the things you are keeping.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will clean out one drawer today at (blank) o’clock.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is okay with less but better.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is strategy. If you’ve ever played a game with people that were already familiar with the game’s strategies, you probably found that it was difficult to keep up, much less compete. Was your strategy in Monopoly to buy every property you landed on, or were you more discerning? Strategies are powerful when they work. I heard from a local runner, after she ran 40 miles in the Tennessee summer, that she developed her method in the middle of the race. She noticed that a lot of the men were walking through the heat, where they felt sapped of energy, and then running under the shaded spots on the road. She decided to do the opposite, even though it made sunny stretches more uncomfortable. Her strategy made it possible to run 40 miles at the same pace that I eked out my best 10 miler in the same heat. What strategies would help you to win in daily life? We’ve looked at investing, choosing some quiet times, and changing your mental soundtracks. Find a strategy that works for you.
Today’s concrete challenge is to do a little digging on the Internet, if you don’t have a strategy in mind. In what area of your life do you want a better strategy? If you find that one strategy doesn’t work well for you, there’s a low cost of switching, so don’t be afraid to try.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will find and implement a new strategy.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who isn’t afraid to try something new.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is weak, and we’re examining this one more closely. [“Hmmm… yes...”] Weakness is almost universally frowned on. Is there any benefit or use to weakness? One of my weaknesses is feeling like I have failed. Just yesterday, we came home to a kitchen flooring renovation with high hopes about the updated look. As soon as I walked in, my stomach hurt because it didn’t feel like the right flooring choice, and I only had myself to blame. I had rushed to pick out the flooring. I felt like I had failed, and I felt sad and weak. I guess one nice thing about weakness is that it keeps you humble. My wife was similarly disappointed with the reveal, but she immediately started looking for reasons why the flooring might still work. She has kept me from being too hard on myself, and that’s what you should expect from your partner. Your weakness is an opportunity to rely on someone else. Now, there are implications to relying on someone that I’m not educated enough to advise you on. I do know there are unhealthy versions, though, like codependency and emotional abuse. If you feel that your partner treats you like an equal and has your back, you’re likely safe to express your feelings of weakness with them.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down some things that make you feel weak and share them with a friend or partner. Talking through your triggers can help you to feel understood and more prepared for the next emotional roller coaster.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will share some things that make me feel weak with someone I trust.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who shares my world.”
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:
5 Essentials to Having a Healthy Relationship (joinonelove.org)
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is consequence. I’m afraid that I’ve trained my kids to believe that all consequences are negative, but a consequence is just an outcome. This story is about a negative consequence. [sad trumpet] We recently received a letter from our local water company saying that our house was leaking. I was nervous that one of the PEX joints from my bathroom renovation was spraying water under our house, but I found no swimming pool in our crawlspace. It turned out that I had set the fill level of an old toilet too high, and it was constantly leaking water into the tank’s drain. Not a huge deal. I adjusted it back, and the water company reimbursed us for the charges. About a month after that, we got another letter saying that we were leaking again. That same old toilet had its flush mechanism stuck open because I had used a zip tie to make it work. The water company wasn’t as convinced this time that we had fixed the leak, so it seems like they’re not going to reimburse the charges, plus I had to pay for a new tank kit that I probably should have bought before adjusting the fill level way back at the beginning of this story. The moral is: Consequences follow you. Do it right the first time, and you’ll hopefully stay on their good side.
Today’s concrete challenge is to use a full measure, even when you’re tempted to do it halfway. I don’t recommend the approach taken in Breaking Bad, but I agree with the intent. Think through your to-do’s and pinpoint one that you want to do all the way, just for the practice.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down a task that I will see all the way through today.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who does it right the first time.”
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:
"Wah Wah.wav" by GeraRamirez
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is zero. Maybe this would have fit well on the days where we get rid of a word, but today we’re just going to look at the upside of zero. When I think of zero, the phrase “inbox zero” comes to mind. I like that phrase because it comes with a built-in dare, the challenge of less. I’ve been digging Greg McKeown’s Essentialism for the last week, and he sums up his entire book with the phrase “less, but better.” So many areas of life would benefit from this approach, and it’s why zero is attractive. Zero marketing emails that you have to step over in order to find the important ones. Zero foods sitting out on your countertop, waiting to be thoughtlessly consumed. Zero clothes in your drawers and closet that haven’t been worn in the last two years. These goals are interesting because they are concrete and success is black and white. You either make it to zero, or you don’t. No in-between.
Today’s concrete challenge is to identify something that you want zero of in your life and make it happen today.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down my zero goal and work toward it today.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who does less but better.”
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:
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is cross. This is an appeal, and it’s possible that it doesn’t apply to you. We’re staying down the road from our old house this week, so I thought it would be fun to run over that way for exercise. The morning was hotter than I expected, so as soon as I turned on to our old road, I was ready to be wrapping it up. In front of me, cars were kicking up dust from road construction. How much was this about to suck? Then I noticed that the wind was carrying the dust toward me and away from the sidewalk on the other side of the road. My tiredness told me to continue straight on, but sense talked me into crossing the road and avoiding the obvious problem. What comes to mind when you hear this question: “What or who do I need to avoid right now?” I’m not generally a fan of avoidance, but sometimes there’s no advantage to going forward through the dust cloud. Cross the road, even if it’s difficult.
Today’s concrete challenge is to consider if there’s something or someone you need to avoid. When thinking through your commitments and relationships, here’s some advice from Greg McKeown in Essentialism: “If it’s not a clear ‘yes,’ then it’s a clear ‘no.’”
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will spend a couple minutes scanning for dust clouds in my immediate future.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who looks ahead.”
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:
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is performance. If you’ve ever performed song, dance, theater or anything else, you know that it can be intimidating to be in the spotlight, but if you’ve stuck with it long enough you’ve probably found enjoyment within the chaos. Two performances stick out in my mind as particularly worthwhile and memorable. The first was unplanned. My family was visiting my cousins in Florence, AL, and we usually just stayed there and watched movies. However, this particular time, my middle cousin took my brother and me to Godfather’s Pizza. His wife, then girlfriend, was closing the store, and a couple of his friends were playing music there. After they played for a while, they asked if my brother or I wanted to play a song. I played “Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead, and I probably wouldn't remember the performance, except that my cousin’s wife later commented on it. She didn’t say that my playing was exceptional or that she enjoyed the song. She said that it sounded like a CD. That was maybe the best thing she could have said, because it would be easy for modesty to downplay anything said about my playing or singing. The second memorable performance was very much planned. My wife wanted to come down the aisle at our wedding to Ben Folds’ “The Luckiest,” so I conspired with the wedding pianist for him to play it and I would sing it as a surprise. I underestimated the nerves on this one. [singing “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds] As she began to come through the door, my voice got shaky, but the quality of the performance didn’t matter this time. It was the follow-through that mattered.
Today’s concrete challenge is to perform in front of people. Going through the process of learning something well enough to perform it is great for your brain’s health and self confidence. Even if it’s a short poem, commit it to memory and put your own flavor on the performance. You are the only person who can perform it like you.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will find something to memorize and perform now.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who finds joy in performance.”
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:
Memorization: A Proven Method of Learning
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is narrow. I wouldn’t consider myself any kind of scientist, but I think I understand the scientific process. I’m pretty sure it can be summarized as a narrowing of focus. Scientists isolate variables, remove bias, and study longitudinally in order to keep their gaze narrow because possibilities can be overwhelming. As a personal tinkerer, I’ve been working on reducing snacking. Without getting too deep in the weeds of nutrition theory, I’ve made ⅔ of my meals the same every day. Protein drink with flax seed after a morning run and a mixer bowl-sized salad for lunch. Essentially, I’ve narrowed my window of overdoing eating. That leaves me with some flexibility in dinner and a dessert, but it also makes the little voice in my head say, “This is our only chance to gorge. Eat it all!” I’m fine with that, though. It’s better than dealing with that little voice all day, trying to convince me that a snack every 20 minutes is fine. It also gives me the opportunity to focus on structuring the last third, if I want to.
Today’s concrete challenge is to narrow your focus by separating your day into components. Do you want to work on your morning or bedtime routine? Both are important, but it’s easier to change one at a time.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will break apart my day and narrow my focus to one section.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who narrows my focus.”
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:
Blinded experiment
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Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is sign, as in marks on a page, and marks as in dots and lines, not people named Mark. Okay, now that we’re clear. As I was signing my refinance paperwork last week, I realized how unfamiliar writing has become. Almost everything I create is either typed or dictated. I’ve mentioned before that I worked at a group home for teenage boys when I was fresh out of college, and it was probably the most difficult job I’ve ever had. When I was still in training there, one of the boys came up to me during their pottery class and shoved wet clay in my face, I guess to see what I’d do. I wiped it off my face and hoped that the full-time staff member would give the kid a consequence. He did not. A few months later, this group of boys graduated out of the group home. The staff were asked to say a few words to honor the guys and give them a proper send-off. It was difficult to think of positive words for people whose main source of fun was giving staff a hard time, but I remembered that a couple of them had said that they liked the pen that I kept in my pocket. I handed them the same kind of pen and told them that writing is unique. It unites what you say with what you do. That’s exactly what I did last week in signing mortgage paperwork. My wife and I wrote our names and initials to say we’ll pay the loan. At the same time, signing acts as a marker in time to begin making payments.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down your commitments. I recently bought a test copy of the Today’s Challenge notebook, and I’m doing all the challenges from the beginning of this podcast. It’s been good to write my thoughts and responses to each episode. I also sign my name beside the upcoming challenge. It shows me my commitment to myself.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down my commitments to make them more concrete.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who signs on the dotted line.”
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:Is Handwriting Relevant in the Digital Era?
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Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is condescending, and we’re throwing it off the mountain. [descending sound] I don’t know if it’s because I’m a middle child or what, but I’ve always had a condescending attitude on the back burner, ready to flare up under the right conditions. I remember being part of a melodramatic confrontation in middle school where a small group of the “cool kids” singled one person out. I guess using the word “alternative” as a music and clothing style was still new in 1994, because that’s the word one of the ingroup tried to pin on the outgrouper. His specific words were, “You’re alternative.” Now, I’m not going to get into the power of labels, but I will recommend Derek DelGaudio's 'In & of Itself,’ if you haven’t seen it. I will say that I was complicit in the confrontation. I mustered all of my condescension and vocabulary knowledge to produce the sentence, “Yeah, you’re the alternative to us.” [record scratch] If I were writing this for TV, it would be the perfect moment for the ingroup to unite with the outgroup in turning to look at me like the idiot that I was. These days, I hear myself saying things to my kids like they’re the idiots, but I’m pretty sure, in that moment, it’s still me.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write about a time that you demonstrated humility. Much of change hinges on where you spend your mental energy, so we’re going to focus on the opposite of condescension.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will recall and write a few lines about a time I was humble.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who detests condescension.”
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:"Falling, Comedic, A.wav" by InspectorJ
"record scratch.wav" by luffy
Humility Reflection for Teens (Greater Good in Action)
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is delay. Usually delays bring to mind getting bumped to the next flight or sitting in traffic when you’re already running late. Delays can make you feel insane, but they can be flipped with a judo move into an advantage. Zig Ziglar was famous for finding new ways of looking at old problems. Whenever his flight got delayed, he used the time as an opportunity to work on his current project. The magic of delays can do even more than provide time. It takes some practice, but you can gain power over your motivation and willpower by delaying gratification. Now, I realize that once you hear that phrase, you might be picturing all manner of Puritanical and/or perverted situations. Hear me out. Two of my favorite websites are ArsTechnica and TheVerge. I haven’t visited those sites in a few days, because I don’t allow myself to type them into the address bar until I have edited and posted two podcast episodes. At the moment, I don’t even have recordings that I can edit, so I’m going to use delayed gratification to catapult my willpower to record. What’s one thing you can make yourself wait to enjoy?
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down one activity that you can make yourself wait to enjoy. Use this strategy to make yourself wash dishes, finish your homework, or whatever else you have a hard time doing.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down a delayed gratification and what I’ll use it to do.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who delays gratification.”
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:
Zig Ziglar
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is improvisation. I think I’ve never felt as unfunny as when we were required to perform some improvisational exercises in high school drama class. Every time I tried to add something to the scene, I could feel the whole class groan [group groan]. Maybe it was just my 15-year-old hypersensitivity, but I’ve never tried it again because of that experience. On-stage improv is not the only situation where you need to be able to create responses on-the-fly, though. Barry Schwartz, in his book Practical Wisdom, writes that wisdom is really just the ability to choose well in the moment. Wisdom doesn’t grow by going through the same motions every single day, though. As I mentioned in “94 - Stretch,” we need to be challenged in order to grow. This means learning and adopting new ideas and methods of interacting with the world and people around you. With a wider base of experience, you’ll be able to improwise. [explosion + choral singing + thunderous laughter]
[clears throat] Excuse me. Today’s concrete challenge is to try something that’s a little uncomfortable. It could be inviting your neighbors that you hardly see to an outdoor bar-be-cue; it could be attending a religious meeting of a religion you’re unfamiliar with. You could even come back to improv comedy after a 24 year sabbatical.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will add something that’s a little uncomfortable to my calendar.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who tries new things.”
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:
Practical Wisdom: The Right Way To Do the Right Thing
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is template. If you’ve ever created something regularly, you’ve probably seen the benefit of having a template. My friend, Kristen, made pin-on buttons for bands in her 20’s, and the business she built revolved around that tiny button-shaped template. She didn’t have to remake her process every time a new order came in. Print the images, cut them out, press them into buttons. That template kept her moving forward. I realize that templates are somewhat limiting, but as we looked at in “38 - Limit,” it’s possible to be creative within boundaries. I’ve done the same with this podcast. You can see how my template has evolved over the past few months, and that’s what I want to point out today. You may be tempted to focus on creating a perfect template before you get started. However, if you go back to early episodes of one of my favorite podcasts, Hidden Brain, you can see that they were developing their template on the fly. Go ahead and start (and yes, it may be ugly at first), but keep track of what parts you want to keep in your template. That way, when you get stuck, you can rely on your template to guide and motivate your action.
Today’s concrete challenge is to create or refine your template. Don’t be fooled into thinking this only applies to business or creative pursuits. I also have a template for my evening. Dinner, clean up, wrestle with kids, relax with wife.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down a rough idea of a template in my life.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is organized.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is safety. Becoming responsible for more than just yourself really shifts your perspective on safety. I look back on my choices as a teenager and even into my 20’s that were just plain dangerous and cringe. Terrible things could have happened, but they somehow didn’t. I still have a mixed relationship with safety, though. I like to take my kids on rides around our local area, but that includes riding close to cars. In fact, my son recently fell off the sidewalk and into the road. Thankfully, the person driving close to us swerved well out of the way. Risk is a part of life. How much of it should we invite into our lives? I’m a fan of authors that encourage their readers to let children experience some risk in titles such as 50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do), The Coddling of the American Mind, and GIST: The Essence of Raising Life-Ready Kids. I guess my personal answer to “How much risk?” is “Enough that it makes you a little uncomfortable but not so much that it makes your stomach hurt.”
Today’s concrete challenge is to stretch your comfort just a little by planning something for yourself or those around you that feels a tiny bit dangerous. As an example, I’m going to offer my kids the chance to experience electricity by sticking a 9V battery to their tongue. Disclaimer: I don’t recommend doing something that’s overtly dangerous. Consult a doctor or someone with some sense if you’re not sure.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will plan one not-too-dangerous activity.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who embraces tiny risks.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is refrain. I’m guessing that, since you’re a human, you’ve said things that you wish you could take back. I was thinking recently about alternate realities, and the easiest way to explore them is through writing. Songwriting, in particular, is how I’ve thought through how badly things can go in life and relationships. I’ve seen, in my imagination, the possible hurt that I’ve caused by saying anything and everything that comes into my head during times of conflict. It ain’t pretty. Sometimes, all you can do is refrain from delivering that verbal jab, but sometimes that’s exactly what your relationships need.
Today’s concrete challenge is to refrain from saying an angry, rude, or hurtful comment. Use this litmus test before speaking: “Is it helpful? Is it kind?” Repeat those to yourself throughout the day so that they’re top of mind when you get into a conflict.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will practice the phrases, ‘Is it helpful? Is it kind?’ right now.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who thinks before I speak.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is inadequate, and we’re washing it down the drain. Adequacy may feel like a low bar, but sometimes doing the minimum is all we can muster. Dan Harris interviewed a couple whose child had been very sick. I can’t imagine the pressures they experienced, and one of them, Miguel Sancho, admitted that he made the situation worse for his family a few times. He said he had to strive for adequacy. My wife has confronted me more than once about an agreement I made to clean the showers and tubs in our house. Defensively, I have vowed in the past to clean them even more frequently than we first agreed. My wife doesn’t need a clean tub hero, though. She needs “adequate.”
Today’s concrete challenge is to strive for adequacy in an area where you feel you are falling down. Have a conversation with someone you trust or do some journaling to figure out where you feel inadequate and what action would help you feel adequate. Keep it simple and ask, “What have I agreed to do?” At the same time, know that we all have failings. You, as a whole, are adequate.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will strive for adequacy today.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who feels adequate, overall.”
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:
346 The Gospel of Adequacy | Miguel Sancho & Felicia Morton
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is letter. Gratitude letters are a common refrain in positive and pop psychology, and if you aren’t familiar, here’s how they’re supposed to work. You pick someone that has made a positive difference in your life, someone that you’ve never fully thanked for their impact. Write a short letter of just a couple paragraphs and then read it aloud to them. Yeah, that last part is somewhat intimidating, but it’s the element that makes the experience so memorable. Researchers have found that people who follow through with the reading report a boost in happiness, even weeks later. I wrote a gratitude letter to both of my parents during the summer of 2020, and I have no regrets. I admit that I was nervous to read the letter aloud, but I will always be happy that I did it.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write a gratitude letter to someone you’d like to thank for their influence on your life. Go ahead and sketch out what you would say to them, and don’t feel like you have to make it sound good. Keep it simple and genuine.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will stop for a couple of minutes and write down a grateful note.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who demonstrates my gratitude.”
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:
Gratitude Letter | Practice | Greater Good in Action
Episode 2: PJ and Alex Love to Gripe — The Happiness Lab
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is perspective. Last night, my perspective shifted. While watching The Truth About Killer Robots, I did not become more afraid of robots. I was, however, alarmed at how different my life is from factory workers in China. I was struck by how easy and spacious my life is compared to the majority of the people in the world. As we looked at in episode “70 - Normal,” because I don’t see the lives of others, I think my life is typical. It’s not, though. If you want to compare your income to the world, search for the phrase, “How rich am I?,” in a web browser. It just might change your perspective.
Today’s concrete challenge is to send a “Thank you” letter to Chinese workers that build the majority of our precious electronics. These are the very workers that are being edged out of work by robots and automation. Some gratitude is due. Unfortunately, there’s not an easy way that I can find to send a letter directly to workers, so I’m going to email media@foxconn.com with my letter.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write and send a ‘Thank you’ letter to Chinese factory workers.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who appreciates different perspectives.”
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:
How Rich Am I?
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is optional. Well, optional is the mandatory word of the day. I focused in episode “51 - Half” on shortening the field in Capture the Flag, but I also mentioned another change that I believe made the game more fun. Participation was made optional, because it’s difficult to force people to have fun. Forced fun has actually become a meme for the simple fact that it’s ridiculous. I was reminded of this by Dr. Katy Milkman when she was interviewed by Dan Harris on his 10 Percent Happier podcast. Dr. Milkman says that gamification can easily backfire when employers force everyone to participate. Optionality increases your feeling of control, and as we looked at in episode “62 - Repetitive,” we’re willing to increase our effort when we feel in control of the activity. How can you give the people around you the option of participating?
Today’s concrete challenge is to make participation optional. One way I do this with my family is by asking. I’ll often ask my kids to put on their shoes, instead of ordering them to do it. It isn’t always effective, but it at least gives them some level of control in the situation.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will find a way to give the option of participating.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you think it through, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who makes participation optional when possible.”
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:
345 How to Change Your Habits | Katy Milkman
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Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is persistent. As a child, my favorite movie was The Wizard of Oz. We had a VHS copy that was recorded from a network channel broadcast, and I watched it for years. I recently read the book by L. Frank Baum with my son. I was amazed once again with the persistence of the protagonists, maybe even more so in the book. What made them so sure about their destination? I think the “road of yellow bricks,” as it was originally called, provided a mental anchor for these fictional characters. It helped them to persevere through a dangerous forest and across a raging river because they could see that they were going in the right direction. Unfortunately, we don’t have such a clear indicator, but it’s also kind of nice that we have the option of charting our own course. We can create our own yellow brick road through persistence. To do this, find an action that you want to perform regularly, something that creates value for yourself and maybe even for others. For me, persistence in writing these podcast episodes has been like creating one brick a day that I can lay down in front of myself to build a road. I don’t know where it’s leading, but the process is satisfying.
Today’s concrete challenge is to start or continue building your yellow brick road. Write down the action that helps you regularly create a brick. Commit to persistently performing that action in order to amass enough bricks to build a road.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will choose an action that creates lasting value and persist.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who persists, even through trying times.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is small. My wife and I were out one evening and happened to stop by a discount store. We found some wool dryer balls that bounce around among your drying clothes and help to increase efficiency and decrease drying time. We tried them and now use them in almost every dryer load. My wife thought about getting more, and I read a few reviews out of curiosity. One person thought that they were a waste of money because they only decrease drying time by 10 minutes. That’s about 15% faster on every load, though. This kind of thinking is why not everyone has a huge savings account. Any time you can get a 15% return, especially on an investment that you can reuse, do it! Saving 10 minutes on a load of laundry per day adds up to 60 HOURS over a year that your dryer isn’t running. Imagine running your dryer for 2 and a half days straight because you didn’t think it was worth simply tossing wool balls in with each load.
Today’s concrete challenge is to look for small savings. You could purchase some wool dryer balls if you don’t have any, or you could adjust your budget to save a small amount of your paycheck each week or month. Take advantage of compounding interest in a mutual fund, and you’ll see even more return for your small investment.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will find a small way to save today.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who understands how small savings accumulate.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is support. What are some difficult areas of your life? [pause] For me, sleep has become increasingly problematic. It’s certainly not the simple affair that it was when I was 20 or younger. This has caused me to look for sleep supports. My wife laughs when I get ready for bed, because I look like I’m getting dressed for some strange sport. Carpal tunnel wrist splints, a left elbow splint, an anti-grinding mouth guard, a knee pillow that looks like an inflated sideways knee pad, an oversized sleep mask, socks, and sometimes a little silicone nasal passage opener are my uniform for sleep. These supports may seem like overkill, but I feel it when I don’t use them. Author Ben Greenfield lays out all the things he’s tried to increase his sleep quality in his book, Boundless. Spoiler alert: It’s way more than me! Think back to your answer to a difficult area of your life. What’s one support that you could try to find out if it increases your quality of life by even 1%? Speaking of small changes, tomorrow, we’ll look at tiny, incremental improvement and why it’s valuable.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down your difficult area of life and one support that you’d like to try. Here’s an example. If you have difficulty waking up in the morning try supporting your wakefulness by moving your phone or alarm to a spot where you have to walk to turn it off. You could also have coffee auto-brew, as mentioned in a previous episode.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write and try one support for a problem area in my life.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is willing to try a change.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is problem, and we’re owning it [cash register dings]. When I read Black Swan and other books by Nassim Taleb, one thought kept coming to me. Taleb is a convincing writer, and he has no problem pushing back at other thinkers he disagrees with. My recurring thought was to ask Taleb why he, personally, is the problem. This may seem like a strange thing to ask anyone, but I think it was a reaction to Taleb’s air of superiority. I’m sure that he is financially successful, and he may have even pioneered an approach to watching the markets. We humans have to remember and accept that we all have failings, though. Here, I’ll go first. “I am the problem because I focus most of my time on myself, turn a blind eye to most human suffering, and see money as success. It hurts a little to say these things about myself, but I think that they’re true. I also think that this kind of self-reflection and ownership is a step toward doing something about it.
Today’s concrete challenge is to tell or write why you are the problem. There is no correct answer; just be honest with yourself.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will tell or write why I am the problem.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is able to see my failings and do something about them.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is resolve. Remember when the world believed that stick-to-it-ive-ness was a word? Maybe it still does, but resolve is the correct word. Resolve is your determination to see something through. My friend resolved to watch 365 films in one year. As the year drew to a close, he had to watch more than one film per day in order to catch up, but he did end up watching 365 films that year. I was proud of him. It’s easy to crap on a goal like this and think, “Why didn’t he use that same resolve to do something active or help others?” Well, probably for the same reason that you… Sorry. I’m getting defensive. The point here is that resolve begets resolve. When you see something through, you become the kind of person that sees things through. Oh, and just a little update… I mentioned in episode “40 - Obstacle” that I would put refinance paperwork in my own way. Well, that whole process required small sprints of resolve that will result in closing on the new loan next week!
Today’s concrete challenge is to use your resolve, grit, determination, or whatever you want to call it to complete one task today. Cleaning is a classic area that requires a little resolve, but you know what small challenge that you’ll need resolve to complete today.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will use my resolve to complete the task today.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who builds resolve through small wins.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is closeness. I’ve been asking my coworkers questions from the famous set of 36 questions from researchers Elaine and Arthur Aron. These questions were originally intended to help the duo study how two people fall in love, but they work in a variety of settings where you want to generate closeness. There are lots of settings where just a little prompting can have big returns: lunches with friends and family, study groups where you want a fun ice breaker, in-bed conversations with your partner. These are all moments where an interesting question can and does create closer relationships. The Arons proved it with their research and 36 questions. Extending on this idea, John Gottman and his company have put together the Gottman Card Decks. It’s a free app with hundreds of questions designed to promote closeness, and they sell physical cards, as well.
Today’s concrete challenge is to try out the 36 questions or the Gottman Card Decks in an area of your life where you’d like to create more closeness. Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of asking intimate questions. Some of them are as simple as, “Would you like to be famous? If so, in what way?”
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will ask one closeness-promoting question today.” Message the person or people that you will ask right now so that they can help you remember to do it.
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who seeks closeness in my relationships.”
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:
36 Questions for Intimacy, Back Story
Behind the famous ‘36 questions that lead to love’
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is memory. One of my most treasured memories is a little embarrassing, but it taught me that not every situation is a place to joke around. Some of my cousins live in Florence, AL, and we would often meet kind of in the middle of their house and our house at my grandparents' farm in Lynnville, TN. These cousins have always been game for a laugh, so the get-togethers were some of my favorite times in life. On one particular stay, my grandfather took my oldest cousin and me to his mother's grave to place some flowers on Mother's Day. When we arrived at the cemetery, he turned to us and said, "There's a time to be a boy, and there's a time to be a man." This was his way of telling us to show some respect and not to joke around while we were there. I was less mature than my cousin and tried to get him to laugh at what we had just heard, but he had taken the advice to heart. I learned from his reaction that the time was now to put aside the joking for a little while.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down or tell someone a treasured memory of your own. Go ahead and write down the first few ideas that come to mind, and keep it simple. A couple of paragraphs should be enough.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down or share a treasured memory today.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who stops to reflect.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is stretch. My daughter asked me this morning why I do 10 minutes of yoga after I wake up. Adult routines must seem foreign to kids whose bodies can excel on a diet of Pop-tarts and mac & cheese. I told my daughter that aging frames become less flexible and more fragile. In contrast, author Nassim Taleb describes the human body as antifragile. In his book, Antifragile, Taleb writes, “Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty. [...] The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.” Our bodies have the potential to continue becoming stronger, but it requires more effort as we age. Free time becomes less plentiful, and as a result, adults become reluctant to stretch in meaningful ways.
Today’s concrete challenge is to stretch yourself. If you need physical stretching, do it now. If you need a little randomness, go for a walk right now or turn on an unfamiliar radio station. Stay flexible in all aspects of life by embracing adventure, risk, and uncertainty.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will become stronger by stretching in some way right now.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who stretches myself because I am antifragile.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is meaning. Last night, I woke up with a clear scene of how creating your own meaning drives out competition. I wish I had left myself a few more clues as to what that phrase means, but I’m gonna explore the thought for a minute. Let’s see, what’s an area of life where I feel the pull of competition? I guess running could qualify, because I would love to be able to run faster than others. It would be fun to win a race. I know, however, if that becomes my reason for getting out the door for daily exercise, the competition aspect will derail my enjoyment and consistency. Instead, I have given myself space to create my own meaning for daily running. I don’t have any race goals. I do have a personal 40 mile whale that I’m still hunting, though. Alright, I think I can see how the phrase, “creating your own meaning drives out competition,” applies to life. I still wish I had better described the scene from my dream, but getting back to sleep is usually my priority at 2 AM.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write down anywhere in your life that competition is hindering your enjoyment. Consider replacing that competitive drive by creating personal meaning in the activity.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down at least one area of my life where competition could be replaced by personal meaning.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who creates my own meaning, rather than relying on competition for motivation.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is commit. I had a small talk with my daughter last night after she changed her mind about a commitment. Usually, she’s not one to flake out, and she asked if she had a choice of whether or not to follow through. I told her that she did have a choice, but I reminded her of an example from when I started this podcast. I had recently re-read Nir Eyal’s Indistractable, where he mentions burning $100 if he fails to exercise daily. I thought I had similar resolve in writing and recording a podcast episode per day. Well, my daughter noticed in the second week of publishing episodes that a new one wasn’t available and quickly asked for her payout, because I had told my two kids that I would let them split $100 if I failed. Naturally, I tried to wiggle my way out of responsibility by saying that I had consistently written an episode per day, but that wasn’t the commitment. My wife reminded me of that. I ended up paying the $100 to show myself and my kids the power of commitment. I don’t know if my daughter ended up following through on her commitment, but I’m satisfied that she has had an opportunity to reflect on it and choose her own path.
Today’s concrete challenge is to follow through. What’s that plan or event that you’ve told someone you’d do? I have a couple of home projects where I need to follow through on my commitment. I’m going to schedule some time this coming weekend.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will follow through on one commitment today.” Go ahead and write down your commitment and send a message if it involves someone else.
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who follows through on my commitments.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is fake, and we’re making it real. [crowd aahh] We are somewhat at the mercy of our biological wetware. However, our brains have a truly amazing property. They are able to be changed and shaped by our beliefs and experiences. An older guy told me about his journey with alcohol addiction, and he said a key part of recovery for him was a “fake it ‘til you make it” attitude. It should be noted that this was only one aspect of his 12-step recovery, but acting as if you already are a certain way is a viable and common approach to change. I could easily believe that this podcast won’t ever help anyone, but I choose to continue creating episodes in a kind of “fake it ‘til you make it” style until it eventually succeeds at helping even one person.
Today’s concrete challenge is to fake it until you make it. Try acting as if you’re already a success. What would a successful person do in your situation?
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will try one ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ activity.” Write down what that activity is and a time that you will perform it.
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who tries new approaches.”
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:
"referee-whistle.wav" by Pablo-F
Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is feedback. This week, my son discovered one kind of feedback. He found that he can create feedback noise by holding his Pikachu-themed walkie talkies up to one another. Feedback from people, though, is a necessary part of life. We learn our place from others’ reactions to our behavior, and this process has the potential to be even harsher than electronic feedback. Do you ever get frustrated when you’re trying to show a family member how to do something? Communication is complex. Emotions of impatience and frustration convey to children that you’d rather not have to deal with them right now. As difficult as it might be, getting rid of the emotional component of reactions can help you and your family members stay calm with one another so that your intended feedback is not muddied by layers of negative emotional noise.
Today’s concrete challenge is to leave emotion out of reaction. There are, of course, times where emotions are a necessary part of the message you want to convey, but a high percentage of emotional reactions are not necessary or helpful.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will make an effort to give feedback without emotional noise.” You can also send a message to your family letting them know your intention so that they can help you stay accountable.
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who tries new approaches.”
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:
Why Conversations Go Wrong - Hidden Brain
Clicker Training For Humans
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is brush. I’ve found that delaying brushing my teeth at night can create a cycle of excuses. I think to myself, “Well, I haven’t brushed yet, so I can have a snack.” and “Just one more episode won’t hurt; I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet.” The simple fact that I haven’t done one of the final activities of the day means that I have one more excuse for staying up. I recently started brushing with my daughter in the early evening, and it’s a great way to make myself put a cap on snacking, model healthy behaviors, and rid myself of the excuse.
Today’s concrete challenge is to brush early. I think you’ll find that it feels great to put that one task behind you long before you start to get sleepy.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will brush early today.” You can also set a reminder to brush in your phone. Try to set it for the time you usually start winding down.
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who thinks ahead.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is desire. Do you pay attention to your desires? Do you ever try to fight them? The word desire itself is a little bit loaded, hinting at sexual desire, but it can be more than that. Your desires should guide you toward fulfillment. I’ve been watching a show after my wife goes to sleep about neurobiology. I know… risque. The thing that strikes me, though, is that our desires exist on different levels, even physically. Our amygdala desires to keep us safe. Our thalamus and hypothalamus desire sleep and food. Our hippocampus desires organized memories. All of these mental pulls are regulated by the outer parts of the brain, and that gives us the strange ability to be divided against one’s self. Meditation is one of the best ways to harmonize these different brain areas by actually changing their shape and interplay. This is not just another pitch to meditate, though. It’s a plea to cut through the layers of desire to figure out why you’re here, inside this moment of your life. In his book, The 8th Habit, Stephen Covey says that we all have a unique voice, and we all have the ability to help others find theirs.
Today’s concrete challenge is to look at the intersection of your talents, needs, conscience, and passion. When you picture yourself, what do you find in the middle of those areas? Go ahead and write down some thoughts.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will search for the intersection of my talent, needs, conscience, and passion.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who can help myself and others.”
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:
What Does Mindfulness Meditation Do to Your Brain?
Neuroscience: Understanding the Brain
The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness by Stephen R. Covey
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is invest. My brother got me into playing with cryptocurrencies over the past month, and I have to admit that it’s fun. It feels like playing a board game with real money where you try out different strategies to find what works. One of my investments recently started to decline, and it sent me into a small mental panic. I started evaluating all of our long-term investments in my mind to make sure that we were okay financially. This was a little ridiculous because I was playing with $100 in crypto, so that’s the most I could potentially lose. It did make me feel better, though, to know that my family has better investments than volatile cryptocurrencies. If you haven’t invested in a reliable form of long-term savings, today is your opportunity. Your future self will pat your past self on its past back. Wait, future back? You get it, right? Even if you’re 15 years old (and maybe especially if you’re 15), investing is a great idea.
Today’s concrete challenge is to ratchet up your long-term investments. If you’ve never started an account, search for a mutual fund or an index fund where you can consistently sink $100 a month. If you’re 15, you could have a million dollars in that account by the time you’re 50 or two million by 55. That’s the power of compound interest. If you have a 401k or IRA at work, make sure you’re enrolled in a program that automatically increases your investment percentage each year.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will start a new investment or increase my current investments now.” Go ahead and add just a little bit. I’ve never regretted adding to a long-term investment.
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who invests in my future.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is prototype. I’m sure that you’ve probably had an idea for a physical product or app. How far did you take the idea? I’m guessing that the amount of decent product ideas that never get realized is nearly all of them. It’s really difficult to create something that’s usable, not even considering if people would actually want to use it. When I’ve tried to create products, I’m usually focused on the prototype. I want to know if I can create the thing. Here are some tools and websites that I’ve found super helpful in the pursuit of prototyping:
Glideapps.com allowed me to not only mock up an app design, but it was also a usable prototype that facilitated my first group interactions.
Tinkercad.com helped me to create simple 3D models that could be downloaded and fed into a 3D printer to bring ideas into the physical world.
TheGameCrafter.com gave me the ability to create decks of cards and custom game pieces.
I’m sure there are thousands of other incredible creator tools out there.
Today’s concrete challenge is to explore the possibility of prototyping your idea. Consider asking a friend for help, because it’s truly fun to create together.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will research tools and/or ask a friend for help.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who can create a prototype.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is tools. I’ve learned over years of repairing things that the right tools can make a huge difference. If you’ve ever worked on a car, you’ve probably found that there are some nuts and bolts that you just cannot remove without the correct tool. I was trying to repair a leak under the roof rack of our car yesterday, and it looked so easy in the video. When I gathered my tools, I found that I didn’t have a large enough star bit to use my drill. I had a choice. Stop the task or improvise. Another thing I’ve learned about tools is that they can be an excuse. Here are some things we tell ourselves:
“I can’t record until I have a professional setup.”
“I can’t invest until I’ve taken a course.”
“I can’t start my business until I have an MBA.”
A couple days ago, I mentioned that Jon Acuff calls these secret rules, and they have the power to stop any potential progress. Yesterday, I found that an Allen wrench worked just fine as a substitute, even though it was a little more difficult. Don’t let the lack of professional tools stop you from moving forward. Instead, improvise with the tools that you already have and pick up better tools and practices along the way.
Today’s concrete challenge is to identify what you want to do and one tool that can help you succeed.
I’ll keep the music playing while you complete the following phrases, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
I want to _____.
I can use _____ to do it.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who doesn’t let tools act as an excuse.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is rules. We’ve set up a whole system in our house that relies on kids asking permission to do some pretty basic things, and I wish we didn’t have to live with so many rules. We’ve tried simplifying house rules to some basics like the Golden Rule, but that doesn’t help much when your kids won’t just stay seated at the table. Setting expectations and giving consequences seems to be the most effective way to manage behaviors, but when does management become unnecessary? Ha, you can probably tell that we are in the thick of raising kids, because I can’t tell which way is up.
Today’s concrete challenge is to question your rules. These might be household rules, but it’s also possible you have what Jon Acuff calls secret rules. Have you ever thought, “It’s cheating to ask for help.” or “My kids need me to do everything for them.”? Consider revising your rules right now.
I’ll keep the music playing while you fill in the blanks of the following phrases, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
A rule I’d like to change is _____. My new rule is _____.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who can question the rules that I set for myself and others.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is fat, and you get to choose what to do with this word. Before I watched the show Shrill, I would have said that we should get rid of the word fat as a person’s characteristic. In the show, the main character writes an article titled, “Hello, I’m fat,” where she takes control of the definition that many people have put on her life. I’ve never struggled with weight, but I can imagine the frustration and feelings of no control and shame. I’m glad that we’re in an era of redefining body images. If you haven’t seen Shrill, it’s a great watch for adults.
Today’s concrete challenge is to choose how you perceive yourself. This might require a soundtrack change. If you’re prone to thinking, “I’m unhappy with my weight,” try changing it to a personal soundtrack that supports who you are and how you look. Repeat the new soundtrack to yourself until it replaces the negative one.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down a custom soundtrack about my body and weight.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who can choose how I perceive myself.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Link to printable Weekly Planner (daylight hours)
Nir’s Timebox Schedule Maker (full day)
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is schedule. How strict is your daily schedule? Are there any tasks or responsibilities that seem to slip by or sneak up on you? Nir Eyal is a proponent of scheduling every hour block of the day so that you define your priorities up front. If your priority is scrolling through social media for 30 minutes, that’s fine. Write it down on your schedule. When you know what you want to do, it becomes very apparent when you’re distracted from your priorities. Right now, I find myself blown around by the winds of desire for a large part of the day. That’s why I’ve been working on scheduling each hour. It’s not fun work, but it falls in line with previous topics on this podcast, such as limits, intent, and planning.
Today’s concrete challenge is to create a timebox schedule of your day. Go ahead and fill in each hour of your waking day. You can use your phone’s calendar or download and print the one in our show notes, if you have a typical daylight schedule.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will try planning every hour of at least one full day.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is able to stick to my plans.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is neighbors. I saw my neighbor out mowing yesterday, and it made me wonder how to value our neighbors more. My first thought is more time together. There’s a finding in the psychological sciences called the mere-exposure effect, where you begin to enjoy something just by being around it more. Do you open up your home to your neighbors? Our neighbors have invited us over more than we’ve invited them, but I’d love for that to change. During the pandemic, I had a vision of being able to send out a notification to our neighbors about what we were making for dinner that day and ask who wants to join us. At this moment, that doesn’t seem very realistic, but maybe we could have a regular potluck get together or something.
Today’s concrete challenge is to find a way to show appreciation to your neighbors. You could host a karaoke night for adults or an egg/treasure hunt for kids. My daughter likes to bake and deliver sweet treats to people on our street. Whatever you choose, put it in your calendar and announce it with plenty of notice so that your neighbors can commit.
I’ll keep the music playing while you fill in the blank of the following phrase, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
In order to appreciate my neighbors even more, I will _______.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who shows appreciation and warmth to my neighbors.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is precedent. Have you ever wondered how a specific social norm or practice started? Like, who was the first person to clap when they were delighted? [caveman grunting and discovering clapping]
Everything in the world has a precedent, the first time that it happened. But precedents are more than that. I’ve seen a change happen with my wife’s family. In parting, we make sure to say we love each other, and it’s because of an intentional effort on her parents' part for the exchange to happen. Precedents are moments when something catches on and continues. Positive changes can happen in your relationships when you set precedents for positive actions. Apologizing can be a precedent. Asking if they want a back rub or taking a day off together can be a precedent. Simple actions precede compounding benefits.
Today’s concrete challenge is to determine one precedent you’d like to set in your relationship. Do you want to send one love note per day to your partner, buy snacks for your coworkers once a week?
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write down and perform one precedent in a relationship.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who can set a precedent and keep it going.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is intent. There’s a famous phrase that says, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” While I don’t generally agree with the sentiment, that phrase makes an interesting comment on intent. It’s not enough to desire. Wishing is insufficient. Intention is only the beginning, because action is what makes it real. Life is really that simple. Desire, followed by action, followed by repetition. That’s the recipe for success. The part that I’m learning at 40, though, is sticking with the action long enough for it to produce fruit.
Today’s concrete challenge is to choose an action that you want to continue. What are some shoulds and woulds that you can let go of in order to focus your important intentions into action?
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will choose one action to stick by.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who picks and sticks.”
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:
Crowd of Children Saying "Eww"
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Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is ideas. One of my favorite activities in the world is synthesizing ideas. A few years back, my friends and I worked on creating board games, and it was exhilarating to problem solve all of the issues that came up. You never know when a great idea will strike, though. I find that a lot of ideas come to me while I am out running in the morning and listening to an inspiring audiobook or podcast, so I need an idea capture system that can work hands-free, at any time. Here’s what you can do to set something similar up:
- Add yourself as a contact in your phone and add your home and work email addresses
- Change your name to “me” on your contact card
- Ask Siri or Google Assistant to “email ‘me’”
- Dictate the email with enough detail that you remember the full idea later
- Sort the idea emails later into documents
Today’s concrete challenge is to set up your idea capture system. It could be a pad of sticky notes and a pen that you always keep in your pocket or purse. You can also text or email yourself. Yes, great ideas mean nothing without follow-through, but it all starts with the idea.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will find a way to capture ideas now.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who seizes a great idea .”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is hopeless, and it’s going down with the ship [fog horn + bubbles]. Now, I can completely accept that some people don’t have control over their outlook. If it’s possible to have the kinds of experiences described in Oliver Sacks’s book, Hallucinations, then it’s equally possible to have your brain create a kind of hopelessness that feels very real and inescapable. According to positive psychologists, though, hope is yet another mental habit that can be enhanced through practice, and it is distinct from general optimism. Miceli & Castelfranch write, “Being hopeful is regarded as more realistic. The hopeful individual recognizes that life may not work out as planned, yet maintains positive expectancy directed toward possible outcomes that hold personal significance.” For the last month, we’ve included a phrase for you to repeat at the end of each episode. This simple practice of massaging your identity can help you to see hope where it was hidden before. If you feel the kind of pervasive hopelessness that interferes with your will to continue living, please get psychological help at 1-800-273-TALK.
Today’s concrete challenge is to repeat the soundtrack at the end of this episode. It’ll play right after this break.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is able to see possibilities that are realistic, yet require me to stretch.”
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:
"Bubbling, Large, A.wav" by InspectorJ
Happiness, Hope, Optimism
Happiness & SWB What is Hope in Psychology + 7 Exercises & Worksheets
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is individual. How important is individualism to you? If you live in the United States, you’re likely to hold individualistic beliefs whether you realize it or not. Check if any of these sound familiar:
- Dependence on others is looked down on (think of middle aged people living with their parents or low-income people relying on government subsidies)
- Independence is prioritized (look no further than the phrase f-you money and the lust people have for it)
- The rights of individuals take precedence (consider how the amendments to the U.S. constitution are often a platform for individuals)
I’m not trying to convince you that individualism is wrong, just that we all hold implicit values whether we realize it or not. The recent Addams Family film makes the opposite, collectivism, appear trite and even creepy in its portrayal of cookie cutter people who want you to assimilate. I’d argue, though, that any push for individualism needs a recognition that the group is still necessary and valuable. At the same time, we can widen our definition of the group to include more people.
Today’s concrete challenge is to write or say the following soundtrack: “Humans are people just like me. Nationality and race are just ideas, and I will not let them separate me from others.” Are you feeling cozy and assimilated yet?
I’ll keep the music playing while you consider the implications of these ideas, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is able to widen my definition of us.”
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:
Individualistic Cultures and Behavior
The Addams Family (2019)
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is ready. Are you ever hesitant to start something that you know you should? Recording episodes of this podcast is difficult for me because conditions have to be right. There can’t be anyone in my house because their noise is distracting and would show up in the background of the audio. I’ve moved my recording stuff out to the backyard shed a few times, but mowing season has started. The most frustrating part of the equation happens when I realize that it’s a quiet moment, but I just don’t want to get everything set up. The key here is to have things ready, and I’m sure you can see how this generalizes to anything else where the setup detracts from your desire to do the activity. Exercise is a classic example, and I heard a tip from Steve Kamb in his book, Level Up Your Life, to just wear your workout clothes to bed.
Today’s concrete challenge is to have things ready. What is it that you’ve not wanted to do recently? Is it cleaning your bathroom, mopping, making a nutritious meal rather than snacking? I promise that when the bottle of cleaner is sitting out with a rag on the top, you’ll find it easier to start cleaning.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will move things into position now.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who sets myself up for success.”
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:
Level Up Your Life: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story by Steve Kamb
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is excuse. I took my daughter to school this week, and we heard people on the local radio station describe times that they’ve deceptively called out sick to work. It was fairly entertaining, but it brought to mind a situation from when I was maybe 19 years old. A friend had gotten me a ticket to see the band Weezer, and I had forgotten that I had agreed to help a guy hang cabinets on the same day as the show. I had a very clear decision. Ditch the work, which included leaving the guy trying to hang cabinets on his own, or follow through on my commitment. It was a little gut wrenching, but somehow my 19 year old self chose to forgo the Weezer show. I’ve still never seen them live, but I don’t regret the decision.
Today’s concrete challenge is to remove excuses. They are a coverup of the truth, and you’d only need them if you’re scared of the truth. You’re not, though. Excuses have become a social norm, but they leave people doubting your sincerity. When you tell someone that you cannot attend their event, just say, “I’m sorry; I can’t commit to that.”
If you want to commit to this practice, say the following phrase: “I will tell the truth today.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who doesn’t use the crutch of excuses.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is story. There’s something magical about a good story. Steve Jobs told the Pixar group that he was jealous of their work because their stories would endure, while his work would eventually find its way to a landfill. Indeed, Pixar stories are some of the most enduring, but what makes a good story? I recently heard an interview with Pete Docter, and my takeaway from his explanation of their process was that great storytelling requires the same ingredients as any other quality product: collaboration and endurance. If you don’t consider yourself a good storyteller, it’s probably because you haven’t done much of it. If you do tell a lot of stories but you feel that your listeners aren’t interested, it may be time to collaborate with other storytellers in a storytelling course. You can improve at anything.
Today’s concrete challenge is to share the story of you. Think back and identify one moment of your life that you feel is hilarious, tragic, mysterious, or dramatic. Write down an outline of the event and try sharing it with a loved one through storytelling. It may feel scary, but I think you’ll enjoy the thrill of the challenge.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will share one of my life’s stories.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who shares myself with others.”
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:
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Pete Docter: (People I (Mostly) Admire, Ep. 21)
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is choice. Now that we’re hopefully reaching the end of the pandemic, I’m getting nervous. I can feel the social obligations creeping back in. For a long year, everyone had a respite from the feeling that you need to be on the move every single day. Some choice was removed from daily life, and I enjoyed that part of 2020. With vaccines being widespread, choice about where to go and when has returned to our home, but I plan on applying some of what I learned from the limits of the last year.
Today’s concrete challenge is to choose some days and times that you will be still. Think back on practices that have become important to you and your family this past year. Preserve down time or family time in order to remain stable in the ever-increasing busyness of life. It’s coming. I can feel it.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will choose some times of rest for myself and my family.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who sees the value of rest.”
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:
Maybe Social Media Isn’t Making Teens Depressed, After All. And Here’s What Likely Is.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is tracking. I have a mixed relationship with my fitness tracker. I’ve had a Garmin wristband for over two years, but I’d be surprised if I’ve worn it half that time. While it’s interesting to see sleep patterns, heart rate info, and pace from runs, I think I struggle with what to do with that information. The most actionable is moving the pace of runs lower, but I think that’s where I end up abandoning the fitness band. I don’t want my goal of exercise to be an arbitrary number, and tracking performance data nudges me toward number goals.
Today’s concrete challenge is to consider your fitness goals and whether tracking will help you get there. Write down a tiny exercise habit that you have or want and then write a huge exercise goal next to it. One example is walking 10 minutes every day to running a 10k. A can help you get to B, and some people benefit greatly from tracking progress of the tiny habit. Some good apps for this are Coach.me and Strides.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will pair a small fitness habit with a large fitness goal and consider tracking.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who sees the connection between tiny habits and large goals.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
11 Sites and Apps for Watching Documentaries Free Online
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is normal, and we’re going to have to chisel this one down to a useful size [chisel sound]. This word is tricky only because we humans are so subjective in our thinking that we believe our norms should apply to everyone else. Have you ever said, “Kids these days are so different.”? Every older generation thinks that kids should do what they did, but why is your childhood the baseline for normal? Kahneman and Tversky’s availability heuristic explains why we think our life experience is the definition of normal; normality is just whatever memories jump to mind. That’s your normal.
Today’s concrete challenge is to experience someone else’s normal. Documentaries provide a great way to see and hear other peoples’ lives. I recently watched a film about the Hadza people of East Africa, and it helped me appreciate their perspective and way of life. The trick of normality is to realize that other people’s strange life could just as easily be yours if you were born into their group.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will find one documentary to watch today, or I’ll set a time to watch it.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who knows that my normal is not everyone’s normal.”
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:
Availability heuristic
The Hadza: Last of the First (2014)
"Rock_Hammer_Chisel_01.wav" by dheming
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is voice. Do you feel heard? Do you have a place to speak your mind? Psychological safety is the idea that you should feel good about sharing your thoughts with others. It’s a key component to high performing teamwork, but it’s also vital in your personal relationships. Do people around you feel that they have psychological safety with you? Do they have a voice?
Today’s concrete challenge is to ask people in your life if they feel that they have psychological safety with you. Ask this question: “Do I make you feel like you can share your thoughts without fear of negative consequences?” It might feel a little awkward, but there are many areas of life that work better after a little awkwardness.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will ask them now or set a time to have this conversation.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who creates psychological safety.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Personal Transformation books
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is transform. I mentioned the book, The Experience Economy, recently, and I’ve been listening to their updated version. The authors expand on all of the topics, but I was particularly interested to hear more about transformational businesses. They save that section until the end of the book, because they see transformation as the ultimate offering. Without knowing their principles, I’ve been working toward creating experience offerings. Along the way, my question has constantly been, “Where do you go to learn new skills, ideas, and practices?” Essentially, where do you go to be transformed? I’d love to hear your answer via a comment in your podcast app.
Today’s concrete challenge is to find a transformational book. I’ve included a best-sellers list from Amazon’s Personal Transformation section in the show notes. Real transformation comes from practice, so plan to practice at least one idea from the book. Transformation can be slow, but it starts with a new approach.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will get a transformational book today.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who seeks out transformation.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is age. There are certainly advantages to being young. I remember one particular Saturday morning when I was probably less than 10 years old. I woke up rested and stopped to appreciate that nothing in my body ached. I was completely comfortable. That might have been the last time that I couldn’t identify some point of discomfort in my body, because age seems to lend itself to accumulating pains. Age also contains the possibility of wisdom. I remember my senior high school English teacher telling us that the best part of being older is knowing what you are and are not adept at or interested in. I think she was saying that you find out where to put your efforts.
Today’s concrete challenge is to put some effort into a task that you love. We have a new puzzle going that I really want to work on. If you don’t have time to work on your choice activity now, write down what it is and a time today that you will do it. We have a limited amount of time on Earth. Let’s enjoy the perks of age.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will either do it now or write what it is and when I will do it.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who gets better with age.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is protest. That word feels scary to me, maybe just because I haven’t done it. My wife is way more brave in this area and has attended rallies for social justice in our area and neighboring cities. It’s strange that unrest is often necessary to bring about a greater peace and understanding. I guess the opposite would be lying down and letting the powers decide your rights.
Today’s concrete challenge is to protest. This can be for yourself or for marginalized groups that often go unconsidered. Several websites make this fairly easy. Go to Change.org to find causes you care about, or contact your local representatives by searching house.gov, commoncause.org, or openstates.org.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will stand up for myself and others right now.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who speaks out against injustice.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is family. This is my third attempt at starting this writing because family can be a complicated topic. Let’s keep it simple, though. Who are the people that you want to surround yourself with? I like how modern media often conveys the message that family has a flexible definition. Family should make you feel safe and cared for. Family should be the people that you would struggle to come back to. If that happens to be your biological family, that’s great! If not, find some people that feel like family.
Today’s concrete challenge is to appreciate the people that feel like family. Write or record a short note to the people you love. It’s easy to underappreciate the people that surround us because of habituation and hedonic adaptation. Work against these mental forces by posting or sending your note now.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will create my note and send it now.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who appreciates those closest to me.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is ephemeral. I’ve liked this word ever since I learned it in high school, but it also makes me a little sad. As you age, you realize that every event is short lived. You look forward to a weekend get-together or a relaxing evening, and it’s gone so quickly. In their book, The Power of Moments, authors Chip and Dan Heath argue that lasting memories can be intentionally constructed as a way to crystallize more experiences. What are some touchstone events in your life? The Heath brothers would bet that each of them include one or more of the following: elevation, insight, pride, and connection.
Today’s concrete challenge is to fight ephemerality by crafting a memorable experience. Don’t get overwhelmed by the possibilities. Focus on including more sensory elements at your next special occasion. Heighten the sights, sounds, and scents to turn an ordinary day into a significant one. You can do this.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will begin crafting one memorable experience.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who creates memorable moments.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is wonder. I remember the first time I had my mind blown. I was maybe four or five years old and trying to fall asleep. I guess we had recently talked about how God has always existed at church, because I remember trying to process how old that makes God. My little mind started spinning in circles. What was before God? God was before God. It was a moment of wonder. I like how wonder can be both a state and an action. What do you wonder about? What are some topics that make your mind spin? If none come to mind, you likely need LESS concreteness in your life. The 2015 film, The Little Prince, depicts a life of literal concrete and order. It’s juxtaposed with the pilot’s existence, which includes grass, trees, dreams, and wonder. If you haven’t seen it, please put it on your list.
Today’s concrete challenge is to find a sense of wonder. A great place to look is NASA’s Image of the Day. If you prefer audio, check out NASA’s From Space to Sound. Wherever you find wonder, pull it up now and revel for a little while.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will look for and enjoy a sense of wonder today.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who looks for wonder.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is repetitive, and we’re salvaging this oft-maligned word [construction sounds + angels]. Many people identified strongly with the film Groundhog Day during 2020 because each day felt like a carbon copy of the previous day. What is it about repetition that drives us crazy? I think it’s the lack of control. Few people would put hotel cleaner on the top of their desired jobs list, but it’s an excellent option if you want to exercise while working. In a famous study, researchers at Harvard simply let hotel staff know how many calories they were burning while working. This information prompted the staff to increase their effort during, what most would consider, mind-numbing, repetitive tasks. I believe these hotel cleaners sensed some control over how many calories they were burning and leveraged repetition. You probably do the same when you’re engrossed in an activity. You’ll search for piece after piece when you’re enjoying a puzzle or pad across endless miles when jogging or hiking. I’ve enjoyed getting better at salad building and kitchen cleaning over the past year because both make me feel that I contribute in our home.
Today’s concrete challenge is to look for the opportunity in repetition. Write down an activity you’d like to perform better and then list the advantages of increasing your skill.
If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will write a desired activity and leverage repetition to learn it.”
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who leverages repetition.”
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:
Mind-set matters: exercise and the placebo effect
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is observe. Now, I’m certainly not the most observant person. I had a random memory today of noticing a fairly obvious attribute of a friend about 8 years later than I should have. After elementary, middle, and half of high school, I saw that one of my friend’s ears was partially folded down. I asked him if it happened recently, and he said it was as recent as his birth.
Today’s concrete challenge is to stop and notice. Right now, you’re probably surrounded by a familiar environment, but if you’re not, that could make this activity even more rich. Take at least 60 seconds to stop and notice something new. It could be the sounds, sights, scents, or any other sensory information. Observe your environment and find something new, even if you’ve been in this scene a thousand times before.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to stop and notice. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is able to stop and observe.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Beck Anxiety Inventory
Penn State Worry Questionnaire
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is anxiety. I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced persistent anxiety, but it can manifest in scary ways. During the pandemic of 2020, the stresses of trying to stay away from the virus and, at the same time, having to stay away from friends and family slowly built to a boiling point close to the end of the year. Driving anywhere became a trigger for labored breathing. It was weird. I read Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Happiness Hypothesis, around this time, and he mentions that uncontrollable anxiety is treatable in only three research-proven ways: medication, meditation, and Cognitive Therapy. We took action to lessen the anxiety in our house, and 2021 has been much better.
Today’s concrete challenge is to take the Beck Anxiety Inventory and/or the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. The Anxiety Inventory focuses on physical symptoms, where the Worry Questionnaire deals more with mental state. Both of these will give you some idea of your level of anxiety. Links are found in the show notes.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to try out the questionnaires. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who takes care of myself mentally.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is flow. How’s your relationship with time? Do you feel like hours drag along, or do you wish there were more hours in the day? It’s weird that our perception of time is so affected by our mental state, but what isn’t affected by our mental state? I was recently working on a slideshow presentation that I was going to use to host a game night on Zoom, and it was one of those times that you glance at the clock and realize way more time has passed than you had guessed. When that happens, it’s a good indication that you were in a state of flow, where you are completely engrossed in an activity. It’s difficult to predict the activities you’ll get lost in, but you can increase the chances by doing the following:
- Get rid of distractions (if possible, turn off notifications on your devices)
- Work on one thing at a time
Today’s concrete challenge is to focus on one activity at a time. If you’re doing desk work, you might want to try ambient music or ocean waves. Neither of these will require enough attention to distract you from your focus. Try single-tasking now to find out if it lends itself to a flow state. Put your devices in Do Not Disturb mode to increase chances of staying in the zone.
I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who can focus and find flow.”
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:
How To Reach Flow State (Using 10 Flow State 'Triggers') | by Jari Roomer | Personal Growth Lab
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is error. I think I was probably in 4th grade, and our teacher at church was helping us learn a song that lists the names of the New Testament books. Well, I was cruising through the melody while remembering all of the names, and I finished strong with "Jude and Revelations!" The teacher looked over the group and asked, "Who added Revelations at the end?" I didn't know we were going to get quizzed on the authors. I thought we were just learning the song. It felt like a mean trick.
We sang through again, and the teacher stopped everyone. He was getting annoyed. "Who added Revelations?!" No answer from the group.
We sang through one last time, and I made the same mistake yet again. Clearly peaved, our teacher implored, "Who is adding 'Revelations' at the end?!?'" I finally understood the issue and that it was me. I added Revelations at the end of the New Testament. Did I confess? No, I did not. I took my embarrassment in stride and ever so carefully removed the "s" from Revelation in future rehearsals.
Today’s concrete challenge is to be gentle with errors. If you’ve been harsh with someone that has done something incorrectly, apologize. If you need a soundtrack to help you remember today, repeat this phrase for the rest of the podcast: “Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.”
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to either apologize to someone that you’ve been harsh with or repeat the soundtrack. I’ll keep the music playing while you do.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who can show strength through gentleness.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is think. I can remember, as a child, my dad encouraging me to stop and think. Many times this was prompted by a repetitive question where I already knew the answer, and he was forcing me to come back to the present moment. Other times, I had done something careless, and the same words applied. Stop and think.
Today’s concrete challenge is to stop and think. Pay attention to the things your mind is leading you toward. Write down anything you might forget later.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to stop, breathe, and think. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who can stop and 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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is upstream. Have you ever noticed the ripple effects that occur when there’s a change in your routine? Maybe you’ve slept in (like I did this morning) and then you find that the rest of your day’s activities are all bumping into each other because of that one upstream change. In his book, Upstream, Dan Heath discusses all of the ways that humans are prone to downstream thinking. In the oversleeping example, we’re tempted to solve the problem by rushing through the day’s activities. Success, right? Heath argues that true success comes from addressing the upstream issue, which for me, was staying up too late.
Today’s concrete challenge is to identify and write down one upstream intervention in your life. This might require some concerted thought to trace your downstream problems up to their source. Keep it super simple, though. Some examples are overweight = focus on foods, tired = focus on bedtime, don’t like your job = focus on interviewing.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to write your personal upstream intervention . I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who looks upstream for solutions.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is unlucky, and it’s number is up [auctioneer and gavel]. Do you ever think of yourself as unlucky? Does it seem like everyone around you is getting the good stuff while you are stuck with the same old life? It’s time to breathe a sigh of relief, because luck doesn’t exist. Random stuff does happen, but labeling it as luck contributes to a fixed mindset. Psychologists would say that someone who puts a lot of stock in luck has an external locus of control. This person believes that their circumstances are controlled by outside forces, while people with an internal locus of control believe that their actions directly influence their outcomes.
Today’s concrete challenge is to move your needle a little further toward an internal locus of control. Finish the following sentences in a way that accepts responsibility and focuses on self-guided action.
If I failed to complete a task or assignment, I would…
If a friend blamed me for making them late, I would…
If I accidentally bumped and broke a dish that was partially hanging off a shelf in a store, I would...
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to finish the phrases. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who takes responsibility for my life and actions .”
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:
Locus of Control
"autioneer.wav" by gezortenplotz
"gavel-double.flac" by zerolagtime
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Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is document. How do you keep up with your thoughts? Do you have a journal, or do you store your thoughts in a digital document? I have found that thoughts are so fleeting that the choice is usually to record it or lose it. One of my favorite ways to prevent losing thoughts is to email it to myself. I have labeled my email address in my contacts as “me” so that I can tell my virtual assistant, “Email me.” I can then dictate an email that summarizes the idea I just had.
Today’s concrete challenge is to document your thoughts. From those emails to myself, I like to compile digital documents that contain all of my thoughts on that topic. Whether you go the digital or analogue route, set up a system now where you can record interesting thoughts throughout the day.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to set up your system to document your thoughts. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who values creativity.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is soundtrack. Do you have phrases or thoughts that pop in your head when you’re in a certain situation? When my kids make a mess or break something, the word that often comes to my lips is “Why?!” Jon Acuff calls this a soundtrack in his book by the same name, because it can color your world just like a musical soundtrack can color a film scene. The question of “Why?!” is not productive in a frustrating situation, but I have also experienced a positive soundtrack change. When I was commuting regularly, I started telling other drivers, “You are so welcome to come over into my lane.” This small soundtrack shift lowered my anxiety and anger on the road.
Today’s concrete challenge is to identify and change one counterproductive soundtrack. What’s that phrase or word that you keep saying to yourself that you could easily swap out for a better soundtrack? Could you change “I’m always failing” to “I’m always making incremental progress”? The possibilities for soundtrack changes are limitless.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to write down your new soundtrack and post it somewhere you’ll see it and repeat it. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who can change my soundtracks.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is savor. Our brains are not built for prolonged enjoyment. Instead, we’re novelty-seeking machines, always trying to find bursts of pleasure, because that’s how we used to find food and reproduce. We do have the ability to train our brains to stop and enjoy for short periods, though. It’s called savoring the moment. With this practice, you can kind of trick your brain into stretching out the bursts of pleasure into a slow burn.
Today’s concrete challenge is to savor the moment right now. You can use food or drink to enhance the experience by paying attention to every flavor, or you can simply sit and focus on the good parts of your life.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to experience this moment in your life. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who appreciates as many moments as possible.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is half. In 2009, my wife and I went to a camp in the Catskills called Camp Shiloh to serve for the summer. My wife ended up being the camp cook, and I was in charge of camper games. By far, my favorite game to play with the campers was capture the flag, but I found that the young girls kind of hated it. Most of the girls would mill around while the faster ones ran the fairly long field. I made two changes that resulted in super-fun girls’ capture the flag. First, I let the girls that didn’t want to play do something else with their time, clearing the field of non-participants. Second, I brought the ends of the field in toward the center, effectively halving the playing field. Instant fun was born, and it was the highlight of my summer.
Today’s concrete challenge is to cut your lofty goal in half. Jon Acuff has his 30 Day of Hustle participants cut their current goal in half, because fun will carry you further. When you get a sense of success from a completed small goal, you’ll be more likely to stretch to hit another milestone.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to write down your revised goal so that you don’t default back to thinking a large goal is the only way. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who realizes that small goals are valuable.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is priority. Do you feel that you’re good at focusing on your priorities? Do you know what your top 5 priorities are? Warren Buffet once gave some surprising advice about guarding your priorities. He said to list at least 25 life or work goals. From that list, choose your top 5 and circle them. So far, it’s pretty intuitive, right? It seems like you should focus on the top 5 and start on the lower priority items when time allows. No, Warren Buffet flips the list on its head and says that once you’ve identified the top 5, you now have a list of 20 other activities that you should avoid at all cost. They will only serve to distract you from your priorities.
This is tough advice. I enjoy flitting from one task to another, but I’ve noticed that it’s caused me to fail at finishing the big projects that I set for myself. Nir Eyal’s book, Indistractable, is another great place to find tips on ridding your life of distraction.
Today’s concrete challenge is to make the list. Find out what lower priority tasks are holding you back from true achievement. I have a feeling that just creating the list will change the way we operate.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to separate the wheat from the chaff. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who can let go of lower priority items.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is conflict. What is your M.O. regarding disagreement? Do you get defensive? Do you tend to criticize and belittle as a response to conflict? Dr. John Gottman says that communication starts to go downhill when complaining turns to criticism. As soon as the phrase, “You always” or “You never” comes into play, the conversation has taken a turn for the worse.
Today’s concrete challenge is to practice expressing yourself while leaving out any criticism. The key phrases to do this are,
“When I feel, hear, see, think...” (any observation word can fit here)
“I feel…”
“because I need or value…”
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to recite those phrases multiple times so that you’ll be more likely to remember to use them in your next argument. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who is able to express my needs without criticising someone else.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is hypocrite, and we’re laying it to rest [squeaky casket slam]. Have you ever called someone a hypocrite? How did it go? I’m guessing not well, because as soon as someone smells the word hypocrite, steel-plated, self-protective walls go up. Further complicating the situation, is the fact that they can throw the word right back at you. We’re all hypocritical in some area of life. Rather than calling someone a hypocrite, let them lovingly know that you sense a mismatch between their words and their actions. I’m sure that there will still be some defensiveness, but I think you’ll ultimately get further in helping them change their behavior.
Today’s concrete challenge is to do some soul searching. Write down two areas or practices in your life where there’s a mismatch between what you say or how you present yourself and what you actually do.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to get it done. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who acknowledges my own faults.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is pride. In his podcast, People I (Mostly) Admire, Steven Levitt says that he asked a group of strangers to tell their life story at a dinner party. That’s not too abnormal, right? The twist was that he asked them to leave out all modesty and self deprecation and share their biggest accomplishments. Levitt says that everyone ended up with tears as they listened to others’ deepest failures and greatest fears. Have you ever made space for others to tell you about their accomplishments, fears, and failures? It would require a psychologically safe atmosphere and a genuine interest.
Today’s concrete challenge is to share one accomplishment with someone you trust. Let them know why you are proud of your triumph. Ask them to tell you about something they take pride in, while leaving out any modesty or humility.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to either message them now or set up a time to have this discussion. I’ll keep the music playing while you do, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.
Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who takes pride in myself and others.”
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is expectations. Do you make your expectations clear to the people around you? I’ve found that life runs much more smoothly when you’re transparent about what you expect will happen. In the last few months, we have created a chore chart that shows our kids exactly what they need to do each week. Some of the expectations are tied to rewards, some are tied to penalty avoidance, but the important thing is that they are spelled out and the same in everyone’s mind.
Today’s concrete challenge is to set up cleaning expectations in your household or workplace. Have a conversation to determine the important areas of cleaning to each person involved. At the same time, ask which tasks or physical areas people want to be responsible for. You’ll probably find that volunteering works much better than assigning with adults, but kids will, of course, need some guidance in setting up their chores. Clear expectations lead to better outcomes. You can .
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to either message them now or set up a time to have this discussion. Don't worry. I’ll keep the music playing for you.
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is discontent. Have you ever had a moment where you realize that things need to change? In their insightful book, The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath describe Roy F. Baumeister’s phrase the crystallization of discontent. This occurs when we find the motivation to create major change for ourselves among minor areas of discontent. When your car breaks down for the 6th time, you might suddenly see the pattern of your low wage job, subpar housing, and constant stress and decide to apply for federal grants to begin night classes at the local college.
Today’s concrete challenge is to list your areas of discontent. Write down at least five areas of your life where you feel things are lacking. What’s the pattern that you find? Can you think of a life change that would address multiple areas of discontent?
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to make your list. I’ll keep the music playing for you.
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is fun. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you picture yourself having fun? For me, it’s outdoor games. How about something that’s extremely fun? My answer: snowboarding. I don’t believe that fun is the point of life, but it’s way more enjoyable with some fun now and then.
Today’s concrete challenge is to figure out one thing that’s truly fun and put it on your schedule. If it involves friends, go ahead and invite them so that it’s on their calendar, too. It may seem awkward to have to pencil in fun, but life’s responsibilities have a way of crowding out fun if you let them.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to Pencil in the fun. I’ll keep the music playing while you do.
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is delegate. I don’t know if you consider yourself a responsible person, but it’s possible to be too responsible. Many times one partner or group member will be in charge of the majority of duties. Are you engulfed by household responsibilities, work or school assignments? If you find that you are overwhelmed, it’s time to delegate. Who are some people around you that would be willing to share the load?
I think the best way to delegate is to show some vulnerability and humility. If you assign tasks from atop your high horse, you’ll probably find that your delegates don’t take full responsibility and often half-ass the task. Have a real conversation with the people that support you to figure out what they are willing to take on. You might be surprised at how willing people are to help you when you let them know that you can’t do it all.
Today’s concrete challenge is to delegate one of your responsibilities. Either message them now or set up a time to have this discussion. I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done.
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is grease. No, I’m not talking about the color, the musical or the country. I’m talking about social lotion. When I taught 2nd grade, I noticed that the spots in the school day where interactions were most likely to break down were times of transition. Many teachers use songs or chants while students move from one activity or area to another, and these grease the tracks of the transition. What’s an area of your day that needs a little grease?
Lots of people benefit from audiobooks and podcasts on their commute or while exercising. You might also consider advance preparation, such as having coffee automatically brew before you wake up. There are myriad tiny ways that you can smooth the kinks in your day.
Today’s concrete challenge is to identify one transition time in your day that is often unpleasant and come up with some grease that you can generously apply to that situation. Be sure to write down your plan.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to find your grease. I’ll keep the music playing for you.
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is bum, and it’s time to lay this word to rest. [funeral music] People who are homeless or look rough are not bums; they are people. I recently watched the film mid90s, and it had a short scene where the kids are talking to a homeless person. They treat him with dignity, and it’s a good reminder of the humanity in every person. They don’t seem to see him as a bum.
Today’s concrete challenge is to call a homeless shelter or organization that works with homeless people in your area and ask them what you can do to help. Some commonly needed items are warm socks and coats and toys for homeless children, but they can tell you specifically what people in your area need.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to get it done. I’ll keep the music playing while you look up the number.
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:
BAGPIPES AMAZING GRACE 1.aif
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Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is obstacle. Most of the time obstacles are a problem, right? Do you enjoy a traffic jam when you’re just trying to get across town? Probably not, but I want to show you a use for obstacles. If you want to get something done, place it squarely in your way. If you want to mail a package, put it in front of the door. That way, you can’t walk out the door without seeing or handling the package.
I have refinance paperwork that I’ve ever so carefully avoided by pushing it to the edge of my desk. I’m going to put it on top of my computer keyboard right now so that I’ll deal with it today.
Today’s concrete challenge is to look for that thing you’ve been putting off and place it squarely in your way.
I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done.
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is gift. What are some of your favorite gifts that you’ve received? Do you remember some favorite gifts that you’ve given? One of my favorite gifts received was money donated to Operation Smile. My wife’s parents were kind enough to give on my behalf, because I had recently heard about the affordable, life changing work of that charity. I love this kind of gift because it makes you feel good, the giver feel good, and it benefits the donation recipient. Not many other activities spread so much good will in one shot.
Today’s concrete challenge is to give on someone’s behalf. Even if it’s $1, find a charity that you know your loved one will appreciate. You can choose whether or not to tell them, because sometimes a secret gift is good, too. Also consider asking someone to give to a charity when your friends and family are asking for gift ideas. I think you’ll be surprised at how memorable those gifts are when compared to other gifts of the past.
Use the next few minutes of this podcast to find a charity. Givewell.org is a good place to look. I’ll keep the music playing while you search.
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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
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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 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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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.
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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 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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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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 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.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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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 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.
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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 goals. Recently, Jon Acuff said that a group of high school students proclaimed that weight loss is the only legitimate reason for a goal. I don’t know if you’re feeling that wisdom, but they’re vocalizing what many people probably think. Goals are only for when you’re in a pickle. No! Goals are small markers for where you want to be. I bet every one of those high schoolers have dreams, but I bet most are scared to set goals to achieve those dreams. That makes the dream feel like work, and dreams are just supposed to be granted, right?
Today’s concrete challenge is to envision where you want to be next year. This could be a physical location, level of success, or any other life attribute that you truly want. Be honest with yourself about what’s feasible, but also stretch what you think is possible. If you want to take it one step further, make one micro-goal that will serve as a tiny mark of progress. You are capable of more than you know.
Let me know about your next year’s life at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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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 ugly, and it’s being put out to pasture. [horse whinny] If you’ve ever been called ugly, you know how devastating it is to have your features judged to be unattractive. Let’s retire this unkind and unhelpful word.
Today’s concrete challenge is to call someone or something beautiful. When’s the last time you used that word? See, the magic of beauty is that we can find it in almost anything when we’re looking for it. If you want a more enchanted and enjoyable experience of life, look for and label beauty. You’ll find it in some unexpected places.
Let me know where you found beauty at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
References:
"Horse Whinny 1.wav" by GoodListener
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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 alive. What makes you feel most alive? For me, one of those things is waking up on the side of a mountain when I’m backcountry hiking. It feels so fresh outdoors in the morning.
Today’s concrete challenge is to do something today that makes you feel alive. Take a moment to consider what that is. Is it a quiet spot in the morning, a hard workout in the afternoon? Think about it and follow through on that thing that makes you feel alive today.
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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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 reminder. I wouldn’t say that my day hinges on reminders, but I do use them to offload future responsibilities. Repeating and distant events such as changing the oil in your car, changing your A/C filter, and registering for free birthday food at local restaurants can all be set and forget in your reminders app of choice.
Today’s concrete challenge is to try adding one reminder to your phone. I recommend using the virtual assistant and saying, “Remind me at time on date to responsibility.” For example, “Remind me at 9AM tomorrow to look at this reminder.”
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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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 consistent. What helps you to be more consistent? The pandemic of 2020 taught me that keeping the exact same schedule every day of every week helps me to be consistent in the small things. I started exercising more consistently, eating a salad for lunch almost every day, and cleaning the kitchen at the end of the day. It should be noted that a large part of my ability to do those things came from my wife’s help in childcare.
Today’s concrete challenge is to choose one thing that you want to be more consistent with. It needs to be something you care about deeply, because that will provide intrinsic motivation. Do you want to pray daily, stretch, or spend time with your family? Find a time that the activity naturally fits into your schedule and reserve that time specifically for that activity. When your calendar changes, find a new spot in your day for that important thing. You might find that consistency in just one activity helps you to be consistent in more areas of life.
Let me know your one thing at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
Today we have a special guest. This is my daughter, and she is turning 9 today.
Birthdays are special. They are the one day of the year that is all about you, and you get celebrated!
This brings me to today’s word of the day. Celebrate. Today’s concrete challenge is to take a few minutes, just a few, to celebrate you.
It can be with friends and family, or just some you time. So take some time today to celebrate you.
Let us know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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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 planning. At some point, I realized I am an adult. What makes an adult, though? Age is the obvious answer, but there are some 40-year-olds that might as well be 13, based on their behavior. I believe planning is a vital ingredient in adulthood. Every day requires planning when you are responsible for yourself and others.
Today’s concrete challenge is to plan one weekly recurring event. It could be something that you usually avoid planning, like grocery shopping, or maybe it’s a fun activity like a family or friends movie night. Whatever it is, put it in your phone’s calendar so that you get a little prompt each week to remind you to plan it. Good luck in your adulting.
Let me know what you choose to plan at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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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 home. Is there a difference to you between a house and a home? (pause) Sure, the difference is purely semantic, but, to me, home is a place where you should feel needed, cared for, and at peace. I remember living in a house at 21 years old with four friends and never feeling more restless and alone. I think it was because we didn’t deeply need each other. After that, I worked and lived at a boys’ home where most of the kids didn’t want me around, but I felt a sense of purpose and ownership. I felt needed.
Today’s concrete challenge is to have a conversation with the people in your house. Ask them what they think would make your home feel even more homey. It might be decorations, a daily or weekly discussion time, or some other connection ritual. Take whatever suggestions they have and make it a priority to implement them.
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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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 stupid, and it’s going into the lexical meat grinder. This may seem like a playground word, but I guarantee that it’s hurtful when you angrily call someone stupid. No one enjoys having their intellect demeaned. I noticed one day that my friend Kyle said something was silly when he would have previously said stupid. This small act taught me that silly is a good substitute for stupid. It allows you to call something into question in a less aggressive way.
Today’s concrete challenge is to switch to the word silly. When you want to say that something or someone is stupid, dim, dumb, foolish, dull-witted, slow-witted, witless, slow, dunce-like, simpleminded, empty-headed, vacuous, vapid, halfwitted, idiotic, moronic, muttonheaded, daft, barmy, not the full shilling, or thick as two short planks, try using silly instead.
Let me know how it goes at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
References:
Meat grinder sound
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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 slowly. One time I got to go to Tanzania, Africa, and I learned a phrase in Swahili that has stuck with me for 20 years. When someone sees you stumble, they say, “Polepole.” It’s a way of showing care, but it’s also a reminder to slow down. Tanzanian culture emphasizes gradual progress. I didn’t get to hike up Kilimanjaro, but Tom Bouwer writes, “[our mountain guide told us] ‘everyone can go fast at 9,000 feet – I want you to be able to get to the top.’ In other words, by going slowly, we had a better chance of reaching our goal in less time.” Stephen Covey had a similar sentiment when he said, “With people, slow is fast and fast is slow.”
Today’s concrete challenge is to go slowly in one small aspect of your day. It could be a small moment with your family or friends where you stop what you’re doing to give them your undivided attention, or it might be a break that you take from work to go outside for a short walk. Consider NOT powering through every minute today and see if you ultimately get further and feel better. Polepole.
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
References:
Pole Pole – A Lesson in Swahili
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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 Thursday, you know… the fake Friday. My wife revealed to me early in our relationship something that I had known deep down all my life. She pointed out that Thursdays often feel like Friday, until you realize there’s actually one more day until Friday.
Today’s concrete challenge is to make Thursday special. Friday has a lot going for it, so don’t worry about it right now. Create a Thursday ritual that makes the realization that there’s still one more day until Friday hurt a little less. My wife used to get a facial once a month on a Thursday, and we would often go out for dinner at McAlister’s Deli on Thursday nights. Kids eat free equated to $12 feeding all four of us.
Let me know your new Thursday treat at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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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 medication. You might be thinking that I mean meditation, but no… medication. About 50% of people don’t take their medications as prescribed by their doctor. This means that millions of people are leaving health on the table that they could otherwise be enjoying.
Today’s concrete challenge is to get religion concerning your medication regimen. Even if you only take supplements, many of them require consistency in order to accumulate successfully in your body. You can use the Reminders or Calendar app on your phone or download an app that will pester you, such as Due (DUE) or Better Habits. I like these apps because of their ability to buzz your phone up to 10 times per reminder.
Let me know what approach you chose at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
References:
Medication Adherence: WHO Cares?
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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 fidelity. I enjoy the word fidelity because of its association with the abbreviations Hi-Fi, Wi-Fi, and Cry-Fi. Okay, I made that last one up, but with 2 young children we get plenty of crying fidelity in this house. Fidelity is faithfulness, and there are innumerable things, ideas, and people that you can be faithful to. How can you show your faithfulness, though? Actually, showing up for people is a great way to demonstrate fidelity, but today we’re going to be using money to show commitment.
Today’s concrete challenge is to vote with your dollars. I like this phrase because it implies fidelity to the cause. You could vote for your relationship by buying something for your love; you could vote for your morals by purchasing from a black-owned business. Pledge fidelity today to something or someone in your life by voting with your dollars.
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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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 love. Few things in life are as complicated and, at the same time, simple as love. I believe love is our feeling of attachment. As a child, that feeling probably came easily for you. If you’re struggling with love, try making things simpler, whatever that means to you.
Today’s concrete challenge is to try a loving kindness meditation. UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center has a free app on both Android and iOS. Just search for the UCLA Mindful app, and it has a free loving kindness meditation in the Basic meditations section. Be aware that this type of meditation is most effective when practiced repeatedly over a long stretch of time, but it’s worth trying at least once.
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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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 rest. How often do you feel tired? Are you tired right now? If you’re an adult listening to this in the United States, there’s a 1 in 3 chance that you are sleep deprived. How would life change in the U.S. if people got more sleep? We might be more likely to treat each other well, less likely to die prematurely, and more consistently creative.
Today’s concrete challenge is to plan for your bedtime. Here are some tips on successfully transitioning to sleep:
- Put your phone or tablet in a place where you can’t reach it an hour or more before sleep
- Write down your thoughts and to-do’s
- Read a physical or e-paper book
If you still have trouble sleeping, you can try a very low dose of a melatonin supplement. Somewhere around 1 mg 30 minutes before you’d like to sleep is a good place to start.
Let me know how it went at concrete.win (WIN) /today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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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 loser, and it too is going into the waste bin of our lexicon. The word loser had its moment in the sun in the 1990’s, but it’s still a go-to term for someone that you don’t like. I feel the word loser is attractive because we want people that have hurt us to lose. We want them to feel like a loser, so we project that status onto them. However, this is the direct opposite of compassion, and it has the power to put you in a cage of resentment, whether it successfully hurts the person or not.
Today’s concrete challenge is to change your mental script. Think of one person that you might have considered a loser in the past and say to them in your head, “You are important.” If you feel prompted to do more, go for it, but the goal today is to rid your mind of the label, “loser.”
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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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 willpower. There’s controversy in the research community about how willpower works. Is it finite and exhaustible, or do we just need the right motivations to be able to push through anything? I’m guessing there are so many different situations in life that you could find both, depending on where you look. I do believe willpower can be built like a muscle, though.
Today’s concrete challenge is to do one experiment with willpower. Can you resist dessert? Can you make yourself plan tomorrow’s details today? Can you brave the elements to get some movement outside? Whatever your mountain is, you can make strides toward the summit through small acts of willpower. If you feel like you’ve run out, give yourself some quality rest. It’ll come back.
Let me know how your striving went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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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 mistakes. We recently watched a movie called Timmy Failure: Mistake Were Made, which my kids thought was hilarious. I enjoyed its countercultural, Portland bent. It didn’t spend too much time harping on the topic from the title, mistakes were made, but Darryl Philbin does call out the main character for not taking responsibility. It’s so tempting to divert fault to someone or something else when things go wrong.
Today’s concrete challenge is to own up to one mistake. I’m guessing that things will not go 100% correctly for you today or tomorrow. You might talk over someone, get overly irritated at the people you live with, or ignore someone around you when you get busy. Whatever you feel you could have done better, take complete ownership and apologize, if apologies apply.
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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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 forgive. Forgiveness sucks because it means that someone has hurt you, but it can also feel amazing when you’re released from the grip of anger and resentment. I acknowledge that some of you have been hurt more deeply than I will ever experience. However, you are still capable of freedom.
Today’s concrete challenge is to begin the journey of forgiveness. This can be through a small act like mouthing the words, “I forgive you.” You don’t even have to direct those words to anyone in particular. Let this be your first step of a thousand miles.
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
You might get a weird feeling in your stomach when you think about difficult situations and tasks because difficulty can be uncomfortable. Difficulty makes me want to quit, and many times I have; probably more quitting than was beneficial. Angela Duckworth, the fairy godmother of grit, says, “Enthusiasm is common; endurance is rare.”
Today’s concrete challenge is to try one hard thing. I’ve been chipping away at learning the Rubik’s cube for the past year and a half, and it’s a great combination of memorization and coordination. What’s your one hard thing that you want to try? Pick something that you won’t let yourself quit when it becomes truly difficult.
Let me know what you chose at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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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 why. Why is that the word today? Well, slow down and let me tell you. When you find the why behind your actions, you’ll know what motivates you and what doesn’t. It’s worth a little introspection to figure out what drives you. Lots of people are chasing money, popularity, and power because they haven’t stopped to ask themselves why.
Today’s concrete challenge is the practice of 5 why’s. I want you to think about a sticking point in your life and then ask why it’s difficult. For myself, I ask why I get angry as a parent, and the answer is that my kids sometimes do things that don’t make sense to me. Why do they do that? Because they have their own motivations. Why? Because they are trying to balance the pressures in their life. Why? Because they have outside pressures from parents and inner pressures of what they want. Why? Because they are doing the best they can. Why? Because they didn’t choose their life. This practice has led me to greater empathy toward my kids. Now, if I can just remember that in the moment, maybe everyone in this house will be a little less angry.
Let me know how your 5 why’s went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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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 visualize. There’s power in visualization. I found it particularly helpful in college when I was freaking out about having to teach math and science lessons to first graders. A few hours before showtime, my mind would race through the steps and necessary supplies. This simple, anxiety-fueled practice made me more successful than my procrastination deserved.
Today’s concrete challenge is to visualize the process of one difficult activity in your life. Really, stop right now and picture in your eye’s mind that one thing that seems to trip you up every time. It could be getting your kids dressed in the morning, staying up too late at night, or any other recurring aspect of life that you’d like to change. Go ahead and mentally rehearse that activity; notice if there are any gaps where you could do things differently. Sometimes a small change can have big results.
Let me know if things went better for you today at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
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Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is lazy, and we’re actually going to throw this word into the trash bin. Labeling yourself or someone else as lazy doesn’t benefit anyone. Often, what looks like laziness is that person being mentally overwhelmed by pressures that you can’t see and, frankly, don’t know anything about. If you’ve ever tried the 5 why’s exercise, you might have found that even your own motivations are somewhat hidden from your conscious self.
Today’s concrete challenge is to give someone the benefit of the doubt. In other words, assume good intentions with one person today. When you start to feel yourself getting angry or uncomfortable, remind yourself that the person has their own world that they’re dealing with. Go ahead and say, “When I start to feel upset (mumbled), I will tell myself that they are dealing with life the best they can (mumbled), and they’re not lazy or trying to hurt me (mumbled).”
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is gratitude. Gratitude is important because it reminds us that we are not the center of the universe. It has the power to reshape our worldview through a simple act of remembering the people and situations that have helped us.
Today’s concrete challenge is to thank one person that has helped you in the past. It could be someone that delivered your groceries this week or maybe your third grade teacher who refused to let you throw in the towel on multiplication. If you accept the challenge, take a minute to do it now or make a plan to do it at a specific time today. Go ahead and say, “After I fill-in-the-blank, I will send a message of gratitude.”
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
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Hi. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is empathy. Empathy has two layers, sensing people’s emotions and predicting how those emotions make them feel. I don’t find either of those easy or natural, but the good news is that researchers believe that empathy is an ability that can be intentionally increased through practice.
Today’s concrete challenge is to identify someone’s emotions while you’re talking to them. You don’t have to announce, “I can tell that you’re upset,” but sometimes even this can be beneficial when you use it in an empathetic way. People often appreciate when you act as a mirror to their emotions through active listening or your body language.
Let me know how your emotional identification exercise went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
References:
EMPATHY: a tool to enhance nonverbal communication between clinicians and their patients
How to cultivate empathy - Greater Good Science Center
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Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is genuine. I’ve found that age helps me to be more genuine, but it’s not automatic. You have to be willing to stop being sarcastic and embrace others for who they are. It’s hard work.
Today’s concrete challenge is to give one genuine comment to someone around you. It can be a compliment, observation, or encouragement, but you will need to use your voice. No texting this time.
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
"I'm really glad that you're my son."
"I don't want to say anything... uh, hello?"
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Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is noise. I’m sure that you’re familiar.
[gradually building background noise]
[spoken loudly over the noise] When you need some quiet today, listen to that impulse and take a break from the noise.
[deep inhale and exhale]
Today’s challenge is to turn off one (just one) notification on your phone. I highly recommend the little red bubble on your email saying you have 2,434 unread emails. I think you’ll find it easier to focus on your work and the people around you when you’re not distracted and overwhelmed.
For both iOS and Android, go into the Settings app and look for Notifications to adjust the noise from your apps.
Let me know how much more free you feel today at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
References:
Turn off Android Notifications
Turn off iOS Notifications
Ambience, Large Crowd, A.wav by InspectorJ
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations
Full transcript here 👋
Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.
The word for today is connect. What does that word conjure in your mind? Take a few breaths and see what images come to you. Connect. If you picture an action for yourself, take that seriously today. Make some time for it.
Today’s challenge is to reach out to someone literally or figuratively. Let them know that you value your relationship. This could be in an email, text message, call, or touch (taking every pandemic precaution, of course).
Let me know how it went at concrete.win/today.
Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/today/donations