purpose

Ep 79 - Demolishing Goals and Solving Problems with Holly Zink, Research Administrator

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Solving problems, goalsetting, and being purposeful at work are just of the a few subjects we'll learn about in today's episode. Holly Zink, Research Administrator, and founder of www.idogrants.org, gives us a lot to think about!

Episode outline:
1:58 I Do Grants
3:00 Getting involved with grants
3:50 Non-profit vs. for-profit grants
5:00 Holly's background and education
5:45 Identifying roles for self-development
7:10 Making goals meaningful
8:00 Conducting a life audit
8:45 Personal productivity
9:45 Problem solving
11:10 Creativity
12:45 Goalsetting and goal demolishing
13:10 Progressive elaboration in project management
15:30 Work-life balance and role transitions
17:30 Life coaching backed up with research
19:40 Researching on Google Scholar
20:40 Researchgate
22:50 Leadership and personality
24:00 Gallup ClifftonStrengths Assessment
24:40 Bullet journal and journaling for self-reflection
25:00 Write down goals for a 42% boost in achieving them!
29:00 Mission statement vs. vision statement
30:20 Business plans and business plan research
38:30 The secret to a more purposeful life is...

For more information about Holly Zink and her company visit www.idogrants.org.

Download full transcript

Ep 77 - Finding Meaning, Purpose, and Beauty in Your Busy Life

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Today's episode begins with a review of the popular Netflix series, Midnight Diner - a Japanese show that focuses on the wonders of simplicity. We'll explore key components of communication and be inspired by a father's story of heartbreak followed by meaning and beauty. Also, we delve into an inspirational story about young teens that survived on a deserted island for 18 months! Apply these lessons about meaning and purpose to your life now.

Transcript:
Joyful, productive and fulfilled. That's what you're gonna learn. When you listen to this podcast, all the hats we wear. I'm your host, Scott Snow. I'm a life coach and productivity expert. Our first story here is midnight diner. That's a new TV show on Netflix. Well, I guess it's there's a second season now. But I really liked this show, it's 30 minutes long. And it's reminds me of the beauty of simple pleasures. It's all in Japanese. It's about a guy they call master who is who owns a diner, and they open up a midnight, and they close at seven in the morning. So it's all of the people that, you know, they leave work, and they come stop off at the diner for something to eat. And this reminds me of role transitions. Because as you know, one of the trickiest transitions to make is from your work role, to your home personal role. And a lot of times, it helps to, you know, open the windows in the car to have some specific music you like maybe it's quiet, maybe it's a meditation that you do something going out to eat, grabbing something grabbing a coffee, something you need to do to make help you make that transition between the work view and the home you. Now this show, he only has one thing on the menu, and that's a pork miso soup. But if he has the ingredients, he'll make whatever you request. That's his rule. So a lot of people bring their own ingredients and give them to him. So each episode is it's really a charming, sweet show. And each episode focuses on a dish, a simple Japanese dish, it could be butter, rice, soup stock with a rolled omelet. orcia Zuki, which is basically rice with some kind of meat with it pickled plum, cod row salmon, rice with tea rice with soup, bonito flakes over rice, Benito, I guess is like a fish that you It looks like a piece of wood that you shave, you know, with a planer it's called cat rice. So I really enjoyed the show. And it's based on manga series, I guess called Shinya shokudo. And I love the simplicity of it. Actually, you know, I one of my bucket list is to get Japanese flooring in my house. It's called tatami, and this is a woven straw. I'm sure you've seen it, you know, in Japanese movies, or even the, you know, the famous scene in The Matrix, when he's training for kung fu that all the floors, it's just that beautiful, smooth, woven straw material I really like. So some episodes were about friendship, you know, there was one between a mob boss and a transexual. In the, of course, their paths usually wouldn't, you know, connect, but they became friends. And there's one funny quote from the transexual. And they're drinking and he's feeling more comfortable with the mob guy who is very, you know, rigid and standoffish. And they both say that usually they wouldn't like each other at all. Like they they despise mobsters, or despise transexual in the transactional says, oh, get off your high horse. And I thought that was such a perfect response, you know, when he's feeling less inhibited, just to say the truth of what it is. There was one episode about three female friends that they they're funny together, they always talk in unison and they're, they're searching for the perfect love. And there's a fancy food critic, who was very conceited and very rude. And he became very interested in you know, very simple butter rice. There's an episode about a porn star who reunites with his reunites with his elderly mom, who has dementia, a boxer who falls in love. It's just a really charming, interesting show. Reminds me of Episode 13 of my podcast, where I talk about the great documentary Jiro dreams of sushi about the world's greatest sushi restaurant in Japan. Story number two, David kantoor passed away and he was an innovative mental health counselor. He created this idea for mental health support groups, which I'm very interested in because I'm considering starting some open zoom groups. For my all the hats we wear a podcast on all the hats we wear

5:01

So where people could get together and have support and have some exercises to help them manage their busy life, and share resources with one another. love that idea, I think there's a great need for it too. So, keep watch on the website, I do have a page about this zoom support group. So I'm trying to find out the schedule. I mean, probably in the next week, you'll see some regular office hours that where we can get together and you can pop in and get some help. Now this guy, David Cantor, he he left a lasting legacy. And his pioneering work pioneering work was his structural dynamics theory of communications and sounds very fancy. He had a theory of face to face communication, where anytime two or more people were in a room conversing. If they have history, they'll develop a dynamic. So the foundation of his theory was the four player method, or model. And he says, There are only four kinds of structural acts that people use in all communication. All communication within this group can be funneled down to four actions. The first is to move like an example let's go to the movies, someone who's in charge and who's given the suggestion to is to follow, three is to oppose. And four is the bystander, which is the most important vocal act of the four. And this is the ability to add perspective to what's going on, and to bridge differences between people. I'm also thinking of Irvin yalom, who was like the godfather of psychiatric group therapy, and he wrote an excellent book about that, that was part of my internship. Report, my paper that I had to do with my six month internship at Westboro state psychiatric hospital. Also, he started something he called the well met halfway house. And it was innovative back in then, because it had college students working in residential group homes, this halfway house, and it was a family atmosphere, that people in transition are more open to change than those stably located in an institution. I think that's an important point. He expanded his systems theory to the business world and did a lot of management consulting in his later years, and he wrote a book called reading the room, group dynamics for coaches and leaders. interesting guy. Next story, finding meaning in grief. The book is called finding meaning the sixth stage of grief by David Kessler. He says that we have to find meaning in our loss, to process our grief. Now, we've all lost things due to the pandemic, rituals, loved ones, events, graduations ceremonies. And we have the false idea that our work is to make the grief smaller word our actual work is to become bigger and go around that grief and that loss. Kessler says that meaning doesn't mean understanding. For example, you may never understand why a loved one died. But you can find meaning. And that may change you for the better example. The woman who lost her child to a drunk driver went on to found MADD Mothers Against Drunk Driving. So she became much more determined and generous and she had a vehicle to celebrate his life and to do something worthy of meaning. Also, Kessler says that he fears when things open up after the pandemic that people that have passed away, their family members might just say, Well, they've been gone for a while, you know, let's not have a funeral. But he says that we need to have funerals, that their grief hasn't been witnessed. The person who passed away it was left alone in isolation during the pandemic, and that we need these rituals like a funeral. A funeral is a marking of life, he says. And Kessler had some extreme loss in his life as well. He lost a 21 year old son back in 2016. Very suddenly. And Kessler doesn't agree with the the advice, move on, just move on. He prefers move forward with it.

9:33

And I love this story here. This gets a ding. He did a lecture series in Hamburg, Germany. And he says there's a church right in the middle of a bustling, beautiful city. There's a church that's still in ruins, and they keep it there. It's St. Nikolai church, in Hamburg, Germany. And he likes to hold the loss of his son in his heart like this church. is surrounded by a beautiful new city. So Kessler says his heart partially is always devastated by that loss of his son. There's always a place in his heart that's just always going to be ruined because of that. But that doesn't mean that he can still build a beautiful structure around that devastation. He can go on with his life and make beautiful things happen. So well said, Kessler. Next story is about shipwrecked boys that had a situation just like the Lord of the Flies. And Australians seafarer named Peter Warner, in 1966 discovered six boys on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific. They had been there for 15 months, hadn't had six boys. When they 15 months before the boys their ages 13 to 16. They stole a boat for a joy ride, or Mariner joy ride. And then they got a storm. And then they were adrift for eight days. And then finally they saw this island so they got to the island. They first lived off rockfish and birds eggs. And after a while they stumbled upon the ruins of a village and they found a machete and some chicken and they made a fire. And then they created their own house a thatched roof hut. They made a garden. They had badminton, they made a guitar and each night they ended the night with prayers and songs. I mean, it sounds like the best movie ever. They had a strict duty roster where they all participated in duties. And they learned how to trust themselves. So it's kind of a real life Lord of the Rings, but it wasn't murderous anarchy. Like in the famous book. It suggested that cooperation perhaps is an integral feature of the human nature. So inspirational story there. All right. Thanks for joining me. I hope you got something out of this podcast. If you did, let me know. If you want to hear more about what I do. Check out the website. All the hats we wear calm, and you can even take a free one hour course to completely change your approach to time management and balancing your crazy busy life. Check out all the hats we wear calm. Until next time, we'll see you!

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Be the Curator for Your Life to Increase Your Wellness, Purpose, and Joy

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A curator for a museum makes sure that only the highest quality art makes it into the museum. We must be the curator for our life.

We choose books to read and how to spend out time. We choose the people we wish to spend time with, too. You’ve probably heard the old saying: love your family, choose your friends.

The trickiest part comes when we must stand guard to protect against negative energy and draining influences. In order to prevent a toxic person’s influence, we must first recognize the negativity for what it is: horse pucky! See it for what it is - right away. This takes practice and requires awareness.

Be able to identify BS and anything that isn’t going to serve you. I’m not saying you have to live in a perfect bubble. The more you spend time on self-development, mission, purpose, goals, and self-work, the easier it’ll be to sense the toxic energy coming your way.

Let’s describe the feeling you want to have when curating your life. As you may know from prior blog posts, I recommend a creativity-building writing exercise called word salad. It’s a short, zany, stream-of-consciousness story you write and you have to use 15 color words (new vocabulary or at least uncommon words and phrases). It takes about 10-15 minutes. Start by carefully selecting - ahem… curating - your 15 words. I like to think of myself as walking through the forest with a big straw basket and carefully selecting the best truffles to place into my basket. I’m foraging. It’s a warmly invigorating feeling - that’s what you want to move towards.

Surround yourself with things, habits, activities, hobbies, passions, people, music, books, and ideas that enhance your mental wellbeing. Be a curator and stringent guardian - the toughest gatekeeper you can be - for the richness and beauty of your life.

Ubuntu: I Am Because We Are - The Secret to Teamwork

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Ubuntu is a South African philosophy which means humanity. It is translated as I am because we are or humanity towards others. In other words, a person is a person through other people. Ubuntu became the unifying motto of the 2008 NBA Championship team, the Boston Celtics.

Doc Rivers was the coach and he often reminded his team, ‘When you play free, you can’t be beat.’ His philosophy was true teamwork - each individual plays for the other members of the team.

Before the 2008 season, Rivers brought his top three players - Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen - on a surprise field trip. He arranged for a private Duck Tour (amphibious vehicle) through the championship celebration parade route that he envisioned his team participating in! Now, THAT’S having clear, positive vision for the organization.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu said the following about ubuntu: “A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, based from a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.“

Related Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_philosophy

Ep 49 - Your Legacy Starts Today

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We’re thinking big in today’s episode! What’s your legacy? You’ll hear inspirational stories related to: the accomplishments of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a world-class puzzle-making company, a beautiful quote by actress Cynthia Nixon, poet Audre Lorde’s explanation of the roles she plays, Tootsie screenwriter on storytelling,  of the classic film Tootsie’s experience of storytelling as a child, and a quote by entrepreneur and actress Taraji P. Henson.

Life Purpose Podcast Episode Notes:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Fondness for Antonin Scalia

3.30 RBG on Work Life Balance 

4:20 RBG and her imagination

6:00 Stave Puzzles: world-class puzzle maker

7:00 Cynthia Nixon

8:00 Audre Lorde

9:30 Tootsie Screenwriter on storytelling

11:00 Taraji P. Henson

Sara Safari Interview

“When they write the history of my reign, sweet sister, they will say it began today” - Viserys, Game of Thrones

These stories about living your life purpose, productivity, and mission were curated so you can start living your legacy now! 


Ep 35 - Building Top-Level Leadership: An Interview with Ken Banta, Founder of Vanguard Group for Leadership

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Learn the trends of leadership development from Ken Banta. He shares twenty years of experience facilitating executives to align with their purpose and transform their companies. He outlines the full range of skills needed by today's leaders - including situational leadership, humility, reflection, and the ability to catalyze change for the organization. Ken is able to explain complex subjects related to corporate leadership in a way that we can understand. You'll glean many useful concepts to expand the tools in your tool belt, regardless of the level of leadership in your position. 

Related link:
www.thevanguardgroupforleadership.com

Podcast Notes:

Leaders must change their behavior before their team’s behavior will change

Importance of a leader’s why

JFK story about top to bottom purpose in an organization

You can hang a lot of great concepts on purpose including values and behaviors

10:30 CEO’s have very few people they can talk to and this is why consultants are so key

The best leaders have humility

12:40 Situational leadership

Today’s leaders need multiple leadership styles

Book: A Short History of London - Simon Jenkins

Community Solutions

The White Institute

Parallel Exit

Ep 32 - Keeping Your Passion and Career Separate: An Interview with Darrin Schenck, Professional Speaker

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Darrin Schenk is an inspiration. In this episode, he’ll share his incredible story of nearly dying in a head-on collision and how it shaped his destiny. Darrin talks about getting into a flow state of peak performance and has some powerful advice for separating career and passion.

Related link:
www.darrinchatter.com

Podcast notes:
Fly fishing and flow state

Book: River Runs Through it - Norman Maclean

Book: Never Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi

9:50 Near-death experience story

Separating passion and career: Don’t take something you love and turn it into a job

Being persuasive

Sales advice

Gary Vaynerchuk

Tiktok

Social media is a highlight reel not real life

Ep 30 - Purpose, Planning, and Power: An Interview with Donna Peters, Founder of The Me-Suite

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Donna Peters shares her groundbreaking idea for leading a life of purpose: applying the C-Suite mentality to our own lives. Prepare to take a deep dive into self-development with a recognized executive coach, speaker, and workshop leader with 20+ years advising senior executives and next generation leaders at the world's most admired companies. Donna challenges us to explore the following questions: Why should we identify and embody our core values? What should we know about work life balance? How do we build our own board of directors? What are ways we can use improv in business and life? What's a process for giving ourselves more options no matter how challenging the situation? What are the benefits of adopting the Me-Suite Mindset?

For more information about Donna Peters,
visit https://www.the-me-suite.com/