Big Q, Author at QuOTeD - The Question of the Day Podcast

Purpose vs. Happiness, Another Take

Sixteen years ago, a friend and I found ourselves talking about purpose. The following is a partial transcript from that conversation. I had just made a comment about how “knowing yourself” always seemed to be the promise of the next stage of life. When you’re thirty, this. When you’re forty that. When you’re fifty…

Paint swatch on white wall. Why did you wander into the room? What's your purpose? — Paint swatch on white wall.

Incidentally, the original Question of the Day was “Tell me about a wake-up call that informs the way you live your life today.”

Safety First, Revenge Second

“Safety First, Revenge Second”, Who wrote it? Why? Why there? What does it bring to mind?

Written on the sidewalk a few blocks from the house we read, “Safety 1st, Revenge 2nd”. A poetic threat? I imagined hooligans busting out the chalk.

Revenge: Junior high girls exact their revenge on a the meanest math teacher in the world and somehow survive adolescence despite a daily dose of humiliation.

Continue reading “Safety First, Revenge Second”

Trading in the old car

How does it feel to trade in the old car?

After 13 years, Brian trades in his Mazda that has had one too many repairs. The night before we take it into the dealer, we get the car washed and take it for a spin around our favorite places in town.

What does it mean to be grounded?

What are the barriers to being grounded in a culture filled with distractions and how can we separate the signal from the noise to get grounded?

Being grounded means that you’re self-aware, don’t put on personas, are down-to-earth and solid but open and probably kind. You have confidence (but you’re not cocky), which means that you’re not prone to taking things personally. You’re comfortable with making meaningful decisions because you have figured out how to separate the signal from the noise; being grounded means that you focus on the important stuff.

You’re generally calm. Above all you are present! You’re living in the moment! You are not judgmental, but accepting of imperfections, including your own. This puts people at ease and that’s just one reason why they like you. Why can it be tough to be grounded in today’s world? What can we do to filter out the noise of smart phones, war drums and looping commercials that take us away from ourselves? Meditation, walking, yoga and even taking an improv class are just some ideas suggested.

Thank you…

Klass, Dan. “#342: A.D.H…Nevermind.” Audio blog post. The Bitterest Pill – The Dan Klass Podcast. Jacket Media, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.
Dreamy Flashback Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Happy Boy End Theme Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Home Base Groove Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

References

If you can tell me what these references/links have to do with this episode, I will send you a postcard.

Can we say March?

So Valentine’s Day has come and gone and no podcast yet. It’s coming together and I’m aiming to post it by March. I can’t wait to share it with you! Yesterday Brian and I hung out in the new studio where I experimented with a question for an upcoming episode. While we ended up having a nice conversation, the question didn’t exactly work.

Coming soon! Question of the Day Podcast

I’ve recorded over 20 answers to “the question” and am in the process of marking up the tapes and formulating ideas about how I want to assemble the clips I take from them. I expect to have something ready by Valentines Day or earlier.