Good Life Project || Inspiration | Motivation | Happiness | Meaning | Success

Burned-out, overwhelmed? Try walking in the rain.We've all been there. That place where it feels like it's just too much. Too much work, too much stimulation, too much stress, too much expectation, too much to deliver in too little time, too much change, too much anger, vitriol, outrage. For many, it leads to overwhelm, stress, burnout and sadness.So, what do you do about that? Many things, and it's different for everyone. But, today, we're talking about something really simple. The power of solitude, nature and movement. And, just for the fun, there's even a little poetry mixed in.Good Life Science Update. Screen-time and happiness, oh my. This is one of those things we love to hear, and hate to hear. We all want science to back up our decision to rail against more screen-time. But, then, secretly, we don't really want to give up on our devices. Well, a new study that crunched the data from more than one-million teens revealed something pretty powerful.There is actually a specific amount of daily screen

What would you do to live your truth?Samantha Paige is an artist, parent, philanthropist, and the founder of the Last Cut Project – but you most likely know her from Equinox’s “Commit to Something” campaign.She’s a thyroid cancer survivor and BRCA1 previvor, but she’s a symbol of strength for so much more than that.Samantha was subjected to a series of uncomfortable decisions throughout her life, but after a double mastectomy and an implant surgery that continued to make her sick for months, she found herself faced with surprisingly, her most life-changing decision of all: to remove the silicone implants.Directly after her surgery, Samantha’s life took a turn, she looked around and realized that she didn’t even recognize her surroundings. As soon as Samantha made that initial decision to remove her implants, she found herself. She found truth and freedom, and was finally able to live a life that feels like hers, but with that came an internal battle to accept her new body.Over the yea

If you don't have a teacher, you're cheating yourself.Wow, I do NOT like those words!In fact, I resisted the whole notion of a teacher for decades. Friends and colleagues, from artists to athletes, execs to educators would all tell me about their amazing mentors, teachers, coaches and gurus. My eyes would roll. I'm an autodidact, I'd tell myself, I learn best when I'm in control. I don't need a teacher or a coach, I just need access to information.Turns out, that is a complete and utter lie.To go from being a newbie to being really good at anything takes a ton of work. Still, most people, with enough motivation, can get there. To go from really good to excellent takes a whole different level of effort known as "deliberate practice." But, to go from excellent to stunningly-good, to step into that final, brutally-hard to access top 5% of your potential, that takes something entirely different. Something called "directed practice." And, here's the thing, you cannot DO directed practice without a teacher. End of

Scott Stabile had every reason to be angry with the world, but he chose love instead.At the age of 14, Scott's parents were killed at the market they ran, leaving behind a family of seven kids. Stabile was the baby of the group, and nine years later, his brother overdosed and died from a heroine addiction.In those years, he was surrounded by a lot of tragedy, addiction and loss. And, he buried it all, keeping it secret through school, until eventually, it couldn't stay buried any longer. His awakening eventually led him into a journey of discovery where his deep seeking for answers and connection led him to San Francisco and eventually into the embrace of a cult, where he stayed for many years.Flowing through all of this was Scott's internal, turned external struggle with his sexuality as a gay man at a time when being out was a very different experience than it is now. Through it all, though, Scott continually found a way to turn back to love. And eventually, he made a choice that stuck, to live on his own t

Asking for honesty, but seeking validation? This tends to be the time of year where we look at making changes in everything from fitness and relationships and to careers, locations and beyond. And, the bigger the decision, the more we tend to look to others for advice.But, all too often, a request for honest input is really a veiled yearning for validation. We've already made up our mind, we just want permission, often to do the thing that'd keep us in a box of illusion and complacency. We’re so wrapped up in the quest for validation, we’ve forgotten that real change only happens when we stop seeking validation and start seeking the truth. That's what we're talking about in today's GLP Riff.Good Life Science: We know exercise is good for your heart, but can it actually "reverse" the damage done by years of inactivity? In our Good Life Science segment, we're diving into some fascinating new research on a very specific approach to exercise, and how it can reverse a specific and insidious type of damag

From darkness comes light. That's what we're told. But, it's not always the case.In today's moving conversation with Lea Waters, we explore how a childhood that held the darkness of abuse led to years of continued suffering, but eventually became a source of transformation and led to a life of profound light, beauty and strength.Waters is an Australian psychologist, the Founding Director of and professor of Positive Psychology at the Centre for Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne. She holds affiliate positions at Cambridge University’s Well-Being Institute and the University of Michigan’s Center for Positive Organizations and has published over 95 scientific articles and book chapters.Her first book, The Strength Switch: How The New Science of Strength-Based Parenting Can Help Your Child and Your Teen to Flourish, was recently included in UC Berkeley’s Greater Goods Magazine’s Top Books for 2017. Lea is the 2017-2019 President of the International Positive Psychology Associat

As we head into this new year, full of hope and resolutions, the most popular goal is to lose weight and get fit. Optimizing your health and getting fit is a key element of filling your Vitality Bucket. And, it often includes eating better, moving your body and, wait for it, shedding fat.But, here's the thing. Over the last decade, research has revealed that all fat is not created equal. What fat cells, while serving certain necessary roles, are the ones we tend to fear. The ones that make up nearly all the fat in our body, store energy, make us larger, and often lead to inflammation and contribute to an array of metabolic disease.Brown fat, though, does the exact opposite. It is like a caloric furnace, helps us get lean, better control glucose sensitivity and more. As babies, we have a ton of it. But, by the time we become grown-ups, there is very little left.What if there was a way to increase the brown fat in your body as a way to turn up the furnace, lose weight and get healthier? What if you co

Success is not just about knowing what to do. It's about doing it.Information, plans and goals will not get you where you want to go. Success is about something bigger.To succeed at anything worth doing, you must make key shifts in your environment, mindset and community that "turn on" the actions needed for game-changing results.I call this "Success Scaffolding." It applies to everything, from weight loss to business, and relationships to careers.In today's episode, instead of our traditional guest conversation, I'm sharing what I call the "7P Success Scaffolding™" framework.Every element, every step, nothing held back. Why? Because it is that time of year when millions commit to big, new, deeply-meaningful goals, only to walk away or fail by the time we hit February. Not because we don't want it badly enough. Not because we're not smart enough. But, because we do not have our Success Scaffolding in place.This is my New Year's offering. I shared it for the first time in 2017, and it feels like time for a ref

Don't make this year-end mistake...Everywhere you look, people are reflecting on the year, sharing what went right, what went wrong, what freaked them out and lit them up. Then, they're looking at the year ahead, setting goals, intentions and making commitments and resolutions about what they "want" to happen. Reflecting, learning and then setting intentions, and goals is a good thing.But there's one thing that's critically important to turning the page on another year that most people never do. It's a simple ritual we call "Closing the Books." And, the problem with skipping this step is that, if you don't do it, you never fully let go of this year and create the space to step into next year as unburdened by the past as you can possibly be. So, how do you Close the Books? That's what we're talking about in today's GLP Riff.Good Life Science: In our Good Life Science segment, we're diving into some fascinating new research on sleep, and how wearing glasses with amber lenses at night affects your ability t

Ever wonder how to kill a bad habit or start a good one? How to stop eating ice cream at 11 pm or smoking or procrastinating? How to exercise every day, without fail?Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of The Power of Habit, (https://amzn.to/3jhgYHS) Charles Duhigg, did too. But he went beyond wondering and spent a few years researching the science behind habits. What he discovered was pretty mind-blowing.Not only is there a huge amount of mythology and misinformation around these hidden routines, but the people who understand the real psychology of habit formation are using it not just to change their own behavior, but to "influence" the buying decisions of hundreds of millions of consumers. Including you.In this episode of Good Life Project, Duhigg reveals how one of the biggest retailers in the world, Target, uses habit analysis to figure out which customers are pregnant and leverages that information to cultivate new buying habits. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.He shares how

What if you could just spend all your time being creative?Making amazing things, and not worry about building your social media profiles, your relationships, platforms and all the other yadda, yadda, yadda that comes with being not just a creative person, but also an enterprise.Is that even possible any more? And, if so, what would it look like? That's what we're exploring in today's Good Life Project Riff.Good Life Science: In our Good Life Science segment, we're diving into some fascinating new research on an age-old myth, the notion that you can "feel the weather in your bones." More, specifically, does rainy weather make your joints aches or make old injuries more painful? In today's Good Life Science Update, we explore a new study that harnessed big data to arrive at a surprising answer. And, as always, for those who want to go to the source, here's a link to the full study.+--------------------------+Our Podcast Partners: ShipStation: Manage and ship your orders. FREE for 30 days, plus a bonus

Courtney Carver believes simplicity is the way back to love. But, her wake-up call was a diagnosis of MS.A mom, wife, and creative pro, Courtney Carver was building a living in the advertising industry, and a beautiful family. Then, in 2006, everything changed. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Carver went on a journey to figure out how to reclaim as much of life as she could and identify what made things better or worse.Stress, she discovered, made everything worse. So, she was determined to eliminate as much stress as possible for a happier, healthier life. Along the way, she made another discovery, the common thread in every "de-stressing" change she made from diet to debt was simplicity.So, she began to simplify every aspect of her life, and the change not just emotionally, but physically was remarkable. Simplicity was literally changing her body, her symptoms, her relationships and life. She began sharing her experiments on a blog, bemorewithless.com, that eventually took off

Good Life Riff: One of the most critical keys to success, in any endeavor, is knowing what to say yes or no to.The faster you can choose, the more time you can spend actually doing the things that matter, and walking away from the things that don't. In today's GLP Riff, we share a simple question that serves as a powerful decision-making tool designed to simplify your decisions, reduce "decision fatigue" and lead you more quickly to the things that matter most.Good Life Science: In our Good Life Science segment, we're diving into some fascinating new research on mindfulness.Yes, mindfulness. We know, there's been a lotta research on this topic. But this is different. The big challenge with mindfulness, when it comes to science, is that people are lumping a bunch of different practices under the umbrella of mindfulness, then making claims about what it can do. But, a new study finally dismantled the core elements of the practice (focused awareness and open monitoring) and showed how each does somethi

Known widely as The Iceman, Wim Hof, is a Dutch-born world record holder, adventurer, daredevil and researcher.While best known for his seemingly freakish ability to withstand extreme cold, and the many world records that've come along with that, even more significant is the work he has done blending extreme cold with breathing and mindset exercises to alter physiology and short-circuit responses thought impossible to control.Through his Wim Hof Method, Wim asserts that he can “turn his own thermostat up” and consciously activate his sympathetic nervous system. What makes his work even more unusual is that he's partnered with academic researchers in a quest to scientifically validate, measure and teach his techniques.In this week's episode, we dive into the early life experiences that turned Wim on to the transformational power of extreme cold and water. We explore his obsession with existential questions and Eastern philosophy at an early age, how that led to him being viewed as a bit of an outcast and

Good Life Riff: What if you could do a single activity that had the effect of optimizing your mind and body, deepening beautiful relationships with people you can't get enough of and allowing you to do work that filled you with a sense of purpose? That'd be pretty cool, right?We call this the Good Life Bucket "Trifecta," because, in one fell swoop, you fill all three Good Life Buckets: Vitality, Connection and Contribution (for more on the buckets, just download the intro to How to Live a Good Life. It's free here).The more you can seek out or create these opportunities, the better your life becomes. In today's riff, we're sharing a great example of a Good Life Bucket Trifecta (hint: it involves a whole lotta snow) and how you might explore integrating this concept into your quest to live a good life.Good Life Science: In our Good Life Science segment, we're diving into some fascinating new research on anti-aging, mushrooms, how they affect your health, fight aging and potentially even protect again

Traci Ruble is a San Francisco based psychotherapist, clinic director and the founder of Sidewalk Talk, a community listening initiative that is exploding into a global movement.Starting out in the fast-paced San Francisco technology world, Ruble was rising up the ranks quickly, making a fantastic living and also pushing herself to a breaking point. Then, a death in her family sent Traci on a quest that led her out of tech, immersed her in travel, surfing and eventually therapy. These experiences unlocked an entirely new, deeply open and aware part of her, and also led her into therapy as a new career path.After years of education and building a flourishing practice and clinic, yet another profound moment of awakening led her to want to "take her chair out onto the street" and create a listening movement for so many people in pain who needed to be seen and heard, but didn't have the ability to be clients in a practice.What began as a makeshift band of therapists hitting the street to listen to anyone (for fre

Good Life Riff: We've all heard a lot about gratitude, how it's a powerful reset for the mind. Especially at a time of year when many of us find ourselves swept into a whirlwind of stress and social strife.So, today, we're talking about a bit of a different gratitude intervention called the "gratitude visit," which has been researched and proven of have an astonishingly powerful and lasting impact on your state of mind and wellbeing.This moving gratitude experience has the added benefit of filling both your Vitality Bucket (by enhancing your state of mind) and also your Connection Bucket (by deepening your relationship with another person).Good Life Science: And, in our Good Life Science segment, we're diving into some fascinating new research on, well, nuts and your brain. We've all heard that nuts have lots of health benefits, from disease prevention to inflammation reduction and more.But, some cool new research show that eating certain nuts actually generates different brainwaves, which raises the pos

This week, we're bringing you Tim Ferriss like you've never heard him.Ferris has been a man on a mission, driven to deconstruct mastery and excellence, then share what he's learned. It began with his own relentless experimentation and documentation, which yielded #1 New York Times bestsellers The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Chef.In more recent years, though, this yearning has led him to sit down with hundreds of elite-performers, from a vast array of domains, on a quest to reveal what made them them. These conversations are shared weekly on Tim's award-winning podcast, The Tim Ferris Show. We recorded a Good Life Project conversation with Tim earlier this year, which you can listen to here.In today's conversation, we go in a very different direction. Tim actually lost a number of people this year, turned 40 and found himself in a deeply contemplative and emotional space, thinking about who he is, how he wants to create the next 40 years of his life and what matters. Thi

Good Life Riff: Ahhhhh, family! With many people heading into that time of year when gathering with family becomes a "thing," we figured it was a great time to invite our old friend, everyone's cousin and New York Times bestselling author, A.J. Jacobs, to share a very special guest riff about what family really is...and isn't. He's spent the last few years deep-diving into the topic and has come up with some fascinating and fun discoveries, which he shares in his new book, It's All Relative.Good Life Science: Ever notice that the older we get, the more we tend to forget stuff? Turns out, the hippocampus - a part of our brain heavily involved in memory - starts to shrink in our middle years, taking memories with it. In our Good Life Science segment today, we're diving into some fascinating new research on how one very specific type of exercise affects can not only stop the shrinkage, but even reverse this process. And, as always, for those want to go to the source, here's a link to the full

On one level, Mari Andrew never meant to have the life she's now living. On another, it was her destiny.Mari is a writer, illustrator and solo travel enthusiast currently living in New York. She began posting an illustration a day on Instagram in 2015 as a way to share her lens on life and connect with people. In a few short years, her following exploded to more 600,000 people.What's so fascinating is why. These daily posts aren't created by the stroke of a fine artist's brush or trained letterer's steady hand. Instead, she offers simple stick figures and line-drawings. The power in her daily dispatches lies not in the technique, but in the simplicity of expression, the emotion, the honesty and relatability her work conveys.Andrew doesn't share her "shiny, happy, made-for-social-media life," but rather invites you into her meandering and beautifully real mind, flush with everything from grief, heartbreak and career confusion to spiritual journeying, illness, love, friendship, and the pursuit of the perfe