Evolving Balance

#20 - Are you thinking BIG enough?

Are you living up to your potential? Is this the highest and best use of your Time? Energy? Attention? Life? Are you thinking big enough?Show Notes and LinksOur discussion of InterstellarHow to Think Like Elon Musk and Jeff BezosMusic and Life - Alan WattsThe Magic of Thinking BigAre you living up to your potential?Is legacy a man thing?Requests for StartupsIs passion innate?Which problem do you want to work on?Dan PenaThe 2 key questions to discovering your passionA million seconds is 12 days. A billion seconds is 31 years.Can you change the world without technologyMake the one choice that makes 1,000 other choiceHow big is your emotional bank account?10x vs 10% thinkingChris gets a bellYou don’t have to think bigChris’s personal mottoAre you using you life energy as a laser or light bulb?

#19 - Meditation with James Whild

James Whild, Founder of Intervention Meditation, joins the podcast to discuss meditation.Show Notes and LinksJames Whild - Intervention MeditationJames’s unusual introduction to meditationMeditation for Self ImprovementThe Game - Neil StraussInstant Confidence - Paul McKennaMedication vs. MeditationHow to deal with StressHow Podcasts can help you come out of the closetMediation isn’t for everyoneHow to start a mediation practiceThe Power of NowAlternative forms of meditation: from yoga to float tanksWhy should you meditate?Meditation in SchoolsIs there a better word than meditation?Celebrities who meditateWhat is Meditation?Relax KidsHeadSpaceEXCLUSIVE! 10 min Guided Meditation from James

#18 - From Budgets to Books to Passion and Purpose

This week is another random show where we discuss a bunch of things from books we’re reading to new habits. It’s also a short one at around half an hour.Show Notes and LinksWhy the worst time to start a New Year’s resolution is at the start of a new yearThe magic of working when everyone else is asleepYou Need A Budget"Spend extravagantly on things you love and save on things you don’t" - NeilThe difference between habits and 30 day challengesChristopher Nolan Doesn’t Use E-mail (and Why This Matters to You)EssentialismThe One Thing"I’ll tell you something to be afraid of - being someone who wastes their potential. Be afraid of that. Everything else pales in comparison." - Alexander the GreatChris’s new simplified morning routine

#17 - Outsourcing with Matt Sandrini

In a very special episode we have our first guest, Matt Sandrini, to discuss the potential of outsourcing. What is it? Why your should use it. And How to get started.If you would like to be a guest - please apply online by clicking hereShow Notes and LinksAll about MattLazy Good - Matt’s blog on outsourcingWhat is outsourcing?How anyone can get started with outsourcingThe difference between an entrepreneur and a freelancerManeesh Sethi hires woman to slap him when he procrastinatesHow outsourcing clarifies your thoughts and communicationNeil’s 3rd biggest experience for growth after opening Float Beyond and pubertyThe importance of finding the right person, including Matt’s tipsThe Truth About Van Halen And Those Brown M&MsA small outsourcing experiment you can try todayA 5 step system you can follow to get the most out of outsourcingTrelloHow much outsourcing costsThe benefits of outsouringWhat to do with all that free timeMaking the highest and best use of your timeFinding pleasure in outsourcingThe future of outsourcingChoose YourselfOutsourcing in 2015Freelance platforms: 99Designs, ODesk, ElanceVirtual assistants: GetFriday, FancyHands

#16 - How to set goals you can finally achieve.

Following on from last weeks episode - reviewing the past year - this week we look forward and discuss goal setting. Should you set goal? How to set goals. And how to make sure you achieve your goals. Follow these tips to make 2015 your best year ever!Show Notes and LinksSmall talkNeil makes a confession5 days to your best year everWhy You Should Be Writing Down Your Goals"Cat: Where are you going? Alice: Which way should I go? Cat: That depends on where you are going. Alice: I don’t know. Cat: Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”SMART GoalsThe importance of closure before setting goals"Set goals not for the result but the man achieving them will make you become" - NeilThe importance of closure before setting goalsThe difference types of goals you can setChris’s 2014Chris’s 2015A Theme and Value for the yearEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of LessMusashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era"Do nothing of no value" - MusashiWhat time frame should you use for your goals?The value of clarityThe balance of being grateful and getting betterWill goals cause the downfall of the human race?Setting goals as an experimentHow many goals should you set?"You can do anything, but not everything" - David AllenThe key driver for successShut up! Announcing your plans makes you less motivated to accomplish them.How Goal Setting is like a muscle

#15 - 2014 A Year In Review

This week our hosts review 2014 through the lens of the framework. An invaluable experience that you need to try - regardless of the time of year.Show Notes and LinksCorporate vs. Personal ReviewsHow often should you review?The importance of keeping a personal portfolioChris Guillebeau’s Annual ReviewHow a framework helps create a balanced review Michael Hyatt blog postChris’s 2013 ReviewChris’s 2014 Looking ForwardDo annual reviews need to be at the end of the year?Neil’s tips and tricks3 min Video on Chris’s FrameworkHealthWealthRelationshipsHappinessMaintenanceHow the framework can help identify the root cause of your problemsDoes philosophy help with your day to day troubles?How not to make a million £££Money: Master the Game - Tony RobbinsIs running your own business the greatest thing you can do for your personal development?"Happiness can be bought with a bottle of wine" - Chris / Tim Ferriss"The biggest growth period, puberty aside, is…" - NeilThe 4-Hour Work Week - Tim Ferriss"Making others happy, makes me happy" - Neil

#14 - Analogue vs. Digital. Ready... Fight!!!

This week our hosts debate the medium of the message. In particular the unseen impact moving to a digital world may be having on your brain, productivity,health, and happiness. Does reading a real book change your experience compared to an e-book? Does writing ideas down on paper change the way you think compared to typing? Listen to find out…Show Notes and LinksTime Travel and British WeatherInstall this free app nowHis Dark MaterialsAre you part of the last analogue generation?"That’s Interesting" - Chris and Neil, every showHave we evolved for digital media?Being effective vs. efficientHow Chris writes every day"Focus on what actually works for you. Not what you think should work for you" - NeilChris’s fascination with minimalismPhysical Space vs. Mental SpaceThe advantages and disadvantages of digital and physicalBullet JournalHow Book can trigger memories"I’ve only every kept about 5 books" - ChrisThe Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and RememberThe importance of craft„ enjoyment and slowing downOh dear - Vinyl vs. CDThe pleasure of getting your hands dirty and seeing the result of your work

#13 - Stopping Things

Do you find yourself Is it easier Whilst a lot of this episode focus’s on the easy example of stopping sugar - try to think about it on a deeper level and let us know how you apply it.Show Notes and LinksListener feedbackHow to rate or review a podcast on your iPhone or iPadTwo Ways to Improve at Anything in your LifeTo Make Big Gains, Avoid Tiny LossesIs it better to stop something 100% or follow the 80/20 approach?Chris’s Pill BoxHow Will You Measure Your Life? - Clayton ChristensenChris insults one of Neil’s clients…"Are you hungry or do you want to change your emotional state?" - NeilChris and Neil’s Bad Habits"Is information more like heroin or food?" - NeilDoes multitasking work?Are you really focused or secretly multitasking?Chris on Binary ThinkingCan you stop a habit or do you need to replace it?The Power Of Habit"I’m anti authority by default… So when I become my own boss - I rebel against myself" - ChrisCan you re-frame your weaknesses to your advantage?Are mental habits more important than physical habits?Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai EraRamit Sethi on Invisible ScriptsPhooWhich of the things we talk about here will still be part of our lives in 2016?Neil’s Christmas NewsletterSeasons - Nathan BarryWhen do you need to stop focusing on the things you don’t like and find things that you do like?"Maybe what we ought to be doing is spending less time searching for the next thing, And spend more time sitting with this one and doing it right" - Seth Godin

#12 - Our Place in Space

As a rare change our hosts discuss current affairs and in particular Christopher Nolan’s latest ‘movie’ (if you can call it that - Neil) Interstellar. This is not so much a review but a discussion around the bigger themes the movie invokes. The Meaning Of Life… Love… Evolution… And our place in the universe. Spoiler Alert - don’t listen to this if you have not seen the movie. Even if you never intend to!Show Notes and LinksIntersellarChris’s top trick for avoiding spoilersThe Grand Budapest HotelManchester IMAXPrimer - the most difficult movie Neil has ever watched"It’s not a movie" - NeilNeil after swimming in Mt Cook’s Glacier Lake26 Pictures Will Make You Re-Evaluate Your Entire ExistenceThe Magic of Thinking BigFantastic Interview with Elon Musk"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars." - Norman Vincent Peale"It never goes away… It just becomes easier" - A wise manChris’s Weekly NewsletterNeil deGrasse Tyson Praises Science of ‘Interstellar’ in Twitter ReviewThe Exacting, Expansive Mind of Christopher NolanChristopher Nolan doesn’t have an email addressTwo Aliens talk about humansHow to rate or review a podcast on your iPhone or iPadBehind the ScenesThe difference between Tim Ferriss and Joe Rogan

#11 - A Random Show

Another experiment - this time a free flowing with no topic show. The first that we’ve done since Episode 1. Lots on interesting tangents for your enjoyment.Show Notes and Links"I don’t believe in cardio" - ChrisCouch to 5kDiscover how just how old Chris is!How our physical health affects our mental healthPrime Your Brain for a Permanent Performance GainDo new habits increase your baseline performance?Neil realises he might not live forever"We are rotting meat bodies" - NeilHow functional exercise can save your lifeApply to be a guest on the podcastThe power of accountability (for one of our hosts anyway)Agile Results Productivity"I’m better at not doing things than doing things" - ChrisChris hijacks the podcast to promote his political campaign to run for MPHow to leave a review