Brilliant [00:00:00] If you know me, you know that my work is really centered around a single question, what does it mean to live a good life and how can we do it? You and I might not have ever met. Nevertheless, I feel confident in telling you that you are unaware of how unaware you are. Do you want to know how to diffuse from your thoughts, get better at accepting unwanted emotions and get more clarity around your goals and values? If you are interested to improve the quality of your life, the quality of relationships, the quality of your communication, if you are interested to understand yourself more fully, who you really are, why you do what you do, what you want, where you’re headed in life. I think you’ll be interested in the conversation I have with today’s guest. His name is Neal Allen Stevens case, my new friend, Todd Rose, Mr. David McCranie, my new friend Tony Bartal, me with my new friend Mike Finkel. Will you tell me, please, what is life about?
Rachel Harris [00:00:58] Oh, that’s right. You start with those kinds of questions. You know, I actually have an answer for that. I think life is about learning.
Pam Mandel [00:01:06] I’ve been thinking about this and I think life is about breakfast.
Todd Rose [00:01:11] I think life is actually about the pursuit of happiness, like Thomas Jefferson said.
Jim Davidson [00:01:16] I think life is about trying to do the best with what you’re handed at the time and trying to help other people rise up as well. And I think we take turns lifting each other up.
Sadhguru [00:01:27] It’s about life. Life is a grand enough phenomenal by itself. It need not be about anything. Those who do not experience the profoundness of what life is, they will invent other agendas for life.
Brilliant [00:01:45] Let’s go ahead and transition to the enlightening lightning around. So again, this is a series of questions on a variety of topics. You’re welcome to answer as long as you want. But my aim for the most part is to simply ask the question and stand aside. Question number one, please complete the following sentence with something other than a box of chocolates. Life is like a….
Pam Mandel [00:02:06] It’s like a diner breakfast.
Don Miguel Ruiz Jr [00:02:08] Joy ride.
Avi Loeb [00:02:10] An adventure.
David McRaney [00:02:11] A life is like a walk on part in a play thats in another language.
Todd Rose [00:02:17] Carnival.
Rachel Harris [00:02:19] A challenge.
Jim Davidson [00:02:20] A mixed bouquet of flowers.
Brilliant [00:02:22] Question number two: what important truth do very few people agree with you on?
Todd Rose [00:02:27] I believe that people are fundamentally trustworthy and that because we fail to recognize that we don’t invest in them. So specifically, I think if you did something like guaranteed income, not even tied to having a job, that people would actually work harder, they would contribute more.
Jim Davidson [00:02:50] That you have to keep pushing yourself. In order to refine yourself.
Mike Finkel [00:02:57] I believe that everybody has a fascinating story to tell, and nobody, if you ask the right questions, is really boring.
Brilliant [00:03:10] Question number three, if you were required every day for the rest of your life to wear a T-shirt with a slogan on it or a phrase or a saying or a quote or a quip, what would the shirts say?
Steven Hayes [00:03:19] Love isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.
Dennis [00:03:22] Everybody’s work matters.
Tony Bartelme [00:03:24] I am the truth and so are you.
Brilliant [00:03:27] Question number four, what book other than one of your own have you gifted or recommended most often?
Todd Rose [00:03:34] Karl Popper’s this is this is the one that I’m a reformed academic, so, Karl Popper’s the logic of scientific discovery will completely blow your mind about what science really is. I thought it was about a collection of facts. And it is so much more anti authority and so much more than that fundamentally changed how I thought of myself as a scientist. I think it’s worth everybody reading.
Brilliant [00:03:56] Question number five. So you’ve traveled a lot in your life. What’s one travel hack, meaning something you do or something you take with you when you travel to make your travel less painful or more enjoyable?
Tony Bartelme [00:04:08] Always pack really light. So, you know, I went to Tanzania with a single backpack and just the less you have, the less you have to worry about. Less I lose stuff so less I have to lose. And if you do lose something, you really know it. So one bag.
Brilliant [00:04:27] So question number six, what’s one thing you’ve started or stopped doing in order to live or age well?
Jim Davidson [00:04:32] Stop getting mad at the news on TV.
Brilliant [00:04:36] And how did you manage to stop that?
Jim Davidson [00:04:38] I stopped watching the news. I’m only joking. I watch far less, but I try to watch national news for a few minutes a day, be aware of what’s going on, and once the news repeats itself, I shut it off and then move on with my life.
Brilliant [00:04:51] And question number seven, what’s one thing you wish every American knew?
Avi Loeb [00:04:55] Science is important and crucial for our future. That knowledge is to our benefit always. See some people prefer to bury their head in the sand. When I say some people, it’s not just the general public, but also scientists. You know, the scientists that refused to examine some some anomalies. And what they don’t understand is knowledge is always good.
Brilliant [00:05:17] Number eight, what’s the most important or useful thing you’ve ever learned about making relationships work?
Todd Rose [00:05:24] I believe that it’s about leading with a spirit of generosity. That intent matters a lot. And when we come in and we think about things in terms of transactional, like what can I get out of this, it doesn’t end well.
Brilliant [00:05:39] The last question here is about money. What’s the most important or useful thing you’ve ever learned about money?
Mike Finkel [00:05:46] Spend some of it not wisely spend, some of it not wisely using. Not wisely. Yeah. Yeah. Blow some of the. Yeah. Like gamble or just buy something. Just some of it, some of it not wise. Give away 10 percent and below 10 percent. The other 80 percent. You can be very cautious about 10 percent donate 10 percent spend unwisely. I think you’re going to really remember that unwise 10 percent also the donation of 10 percent to I like that’s the twenty percent that’s important. The 80 percent that’s paying your bills and your mortgage. Ho hum.
Brilliant [00:06:18] What advice or encouragement would you offer anybody listening who is either in the process of writing their own book or who is harboring the dream?
David McRaney [00:06:25] I recommend you keep a hardcore schedule. There’s a time when you stop working every day. One of the things that almost killed me was working all day, every day for long periods of time. Don’t do that. Stop at five, stop at seven, whatever works for you. And as Corey Doctorow told me, leave a ragged edge. So when it’s time for you to quit, stop even if it’s midsentence. I know this sounds sacrilegious. Stop because. You need to be the thing that will impinge your progress is when you sit down the next morning, you need to know how to get going again. And you can if it’s completing that sentence or that idea, that paragraph, you don’t have to even think. You just sit down and go.
Jim Davidson [00:07:06] Never give up, keep moving forward and be brave. And to be brave part is about being brave about how you put yourself into the world to show your vulnerability and your flaws and your mistakes, and to be brave about the story you’re telling you have to do.
Edward Creagan [00:07:21] Every day without exception. You get a yellow legal tab or whatever and write down a thousand words. This is non-negotiable. This is not optional. They could be bombing Salt Lake City. Some Third World country is invading Los Angeles. I don’t care. I set my smartphone for one hour, one hour a day, and I either dictate or fine tune. So I would say to that author, don’t let anybody discourage you.
Neal Allen [00:07:53] It will take many more steps and longer than you think.
Steven Hayes [00:07:59] I’m the kind of person who does my best writing when other people are part of the process. So almost all of my publications, almost all my books, all my articles ET are with others. And I have regular meetings. We do outlines, we do drafts, we do shares that. We have commitments.
Rachel Harris [00:08:21] Yeah, I actually have advice. Don’t read anything that’s badly written, read the most beautifully written, whatever, whether it’s nonfiction or fiction, the most beautifully written material. Don’t, don’t read a badly written book.
Brilliant [00:08:48] Hey, thanks so much for listening to this episode of the School for Good Living podcast. Before you take off, just want to extend an invitation to you. Despite living in an age where we have more comforts and conveniences than ever before, life still isn’t working for many people, whether it’s here in the developed world where we deal with depression, anxiety, loneliness, addiction, divorce, unfulfilling jobs or relationships that don’t work, or in the developing world where so many people still don’t have access to basic things like clean water or sanitation or health care or education, or they live in conflict zones. There are a lot of people on this planet that life isn’t working very well for. If you’re one of those people or even if your life is working, but you have the sense that it could work better. Consider signing up for the School for Good Livings Transformational Coaching Program. It’s something I’ve designed to help you navigate the transitions that we all go through, whether you’ve just graduated or you’ve gone through a divorce or you’ve gotten married, headed into retirement, starting a business, been married for a long time, whatever. No matter where you are in life, this nine month program will give you the opportunity to go deep in every area of your life to explore life’s big questions, to create answers for yourself in a community of other growth minded individuals. And it can help you get clarity and be accountable. To realize more of your unrealized potential can also help you find and maintain motivation. In short, is designed to help you live with greater health, happiness and meaning so that you can be, do, have and give more visit goodliving.com to learn more or to sign up today.
