Life

We're all works in progress. All trying to figure shit out. All trying to do our best. Imagine if we could get better with age. The good news is, we can.

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Life’s not fair and that’s just fine. Normal, even. Expecting life to ‘be fair’ is a recipe for disappointment.

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I wasn't born with great potential. Not gifted physically, athletically, intellectually, creatively or academically. If I was ever to succeed, I would need to figure out how to optimise what I had to work with, and overcome my innate mediocrity.

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Being obsessed with comfort, convenience and instant gratification is (ironically) a recipe for discomfort, inconvenience and failure (sooner or later).

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In this episode, I talk about impact our thinking can have on our physiology.

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You can probably guess what this episode is about.

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We're all weirdos. And totally normal. Just depends on what room we're in.

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One day soon. Some people have been waiting for the magical 'right time' for decades, all the while knowing it's not really a 'timing' issue.

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So many grown-ups behaving like children, seeking attention, approval and accolades from other insecure grown-ups doing a version of the same.

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In truth, he didn't have a plan; just an idea of how things would 'turn out' in his life.

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We all have lightbulb moments. Prompts. Insights. Awakenings. The import thing is what we do with them.

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Progressive overload is a concept that works not only in the gym, but also in life.

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Some people are allergic to being wrong. It’s a psychological, emotional and social condition that can be exhausting and annoying for anyone in their orbit.

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This is a chat about trying to understanding the reality of others, in order to foster meaningful and powerful conversations, connections and outcomes.

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This episode is me thinking out loud about the propensity many of us have (me included) to sabotage our own health with poor choices, behaviours and habits (around food).

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Some people love the idea of success but not the real-world reality of the work required to create it. They want the destination without the journey. The reward without the effort.

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This episode is me thinking out loud about what I learned being in the middle of 50,000 hours of coaching conversing, negotiating, listening, motivating and problem solving.

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Yesterday I had a profound moment in the car and recorded this import episode into my phone (hands free). The audio quality is rubbish but I think the core message is good. Enjoy

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I’m often asked about my training protocol, here it is.

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As a rule, it’s not lack of intelligence, talent, genetic potential, time or resources.

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The lessons, insights, revelations and gifts that came with my teenage journey through obesity and out the other side.

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What's your life telling you? What are your results saying? What's working and what's not? Are you a conscious driver (of your life) or are you an unconscious passenger? For most of my adult years, my life has been an ongoing experiment.

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Comfort is nice. Fun. Desirable. And as marketers know, much easier to sell than discomfort. But what’s the cost of living a life in pursuit of comfort?

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Your attention is a valuable commodity. 
It's not an infinite resource and it's the thing all businesses, brands, marketers, influencers and scammers are vying for. If it has your attention, it has you.

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For better or worse, people are always influencing, impacting and intersecting with our lives.

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If it's toxic, it's not a friendship; it's an unhealthy relationship you should extricate yourself from.

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Hi Team. I’ve decided to spend a week (7 episodes) unpacking some of my whiteboard posts from IG. Each day I’ll read two or three whiteboards and then share my thoughts. Enjoy. 

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Hi Team. I’ve decided to spend a week (7 episodes) unpacking some of my whiteboard posts from IG. Each day I’ll read two or three whiteboards and then share my thoughts. Enjoy. 

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Hi Team. I’ve decided to spend a week (7 episodes) unpacking some of my whiteboard posts from IG. Each day I’ll read two or three whiteboards and then share my thoughts. Enjoy. 

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Hi Team. I’ve decided to spend a week (7 episodes) unpacking some of my whiteboard posts from IG. Each day I’ll read two or three whiteboards and then share my thoughts. Enjoy. 

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Hi Team. I’ve decided to spend a week (7 episodes) unpacking some of my whiteboard posts from IG. Each day I’ll read two or three whiteboards and then share my thoughts. Enjoy. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi Team. I’ve decided to spend a week (7 episodes) unpacking some of my whiteboard posts from IG. Each day I’ll read two or three whiteboards and then share my thoughts. Enjoy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi Team. I’ve decided to spend a week (7 episodes) unpacking some of my whiteboard posts from IG. Each day I’ll read two or three whiteboards and then share my thoughts. Enjoy.

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There's a big emotional and psychological gap between (1) worrying about (stressing, panicking, overthinking) whether or not people like you and (2) being curious about how others experience you in social and professional contexts.

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I've spent much of my life getting better at things I once sucked at. I did this in order to explore my potential, optimise my health, build a business, be a good student, create a life that aligned with my goals, values and purpose and in general terms, succeed.

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If you're like me, you're a handful. In fact, you are the biggest project you'll ever have. Yes, there'll be a constant stream of peaks and troughs, breakdowns and breakthroughs, laughter and tears but in the middle of it all is you. The author of your own story. So, rather than 'managing life’, maybe your ever-present challenge is to manage 'you' (mind, body, emotions, choices, relationships, energy, money, resources, opportunities) in the middle of that life?

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If you've been 'almost’ getting in shape for too long, listen to this.

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This is a question people rarely ask themselves, when it comes to their big ‘life-shaping’ beliefs. It’s too scary. And uncomfortable. Especially when they have a long history with that belief. 
Especially when their identity is intertwined with that belief. When you believe you’re absolutely right about something, then you also believe that everyone in the world who doesn’t agree with you, is automatically wrong.

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Is there really a best diet? Or exercise program? Lifestyle? Job? Relationship model? For who? The masses? Or for you? Your challenge is not to find 'the' best approach, strategy or program, but rather, yours’.

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Sometimes the things we need to do, are not the things we want to do. And sometimes, discomfort, uncertainty, inconvenience and pressure are exactly what we need to develop strength, competence, adaptability, skill and resilience.

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Are you derailing yourself? Shooting yourself in the metaphoric foot? Getting in your own way by doing dumb shit that doesn't align with your values, goals or purpose? Make poor choices? Wasting precious time, talent and energy? Obsessing about things you can't change? Over-thinking the bejeebus out of everything? Fucking up your body with toxic crap? If this sounds like you, tune in. 

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Being reliable is an interpersonal super power. If you are reliable, people are more likely trust you, value you, have confidence in you and say good things about you. In many ways, reliability is the glue that keeps relationships (of all kinds), strong.

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'Self-help' has become a mis-used (but widely accepted) term for programs, products; services, workshops, books and even podcasts, selling (literally or metaphorically) ideas, concepts, techniques and tools but the 'actual helping of the self' (maybe we should call it 'self-helping') lives in the application, the action, the work, the effort, the sweat and the courage; the doing not just the knowing. Process not product.

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This is a chat about trying to understand our own mind and the way we create our own subjective reality via our thoughts, stories and beliefs.

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This is a chat about trying to understand our own mind and the way we create our own subjective reality via our thoughts, stories and beliefs.

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What are the potential benefits of doing something that's 'Un-you'? Something away from your safety net, security blanket and typical operating system? This is a chat about that.

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Your energy is not an infinite resource. It is precious. Don't waste it on bullshit.

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There's been a lot of failure on my way to success. There still is. F*ck up. Get up. Repeat.

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So many people give up. So many people bullsh*t themselves about how hard they’re working. Lots of excuses, f*ck all commitment, discipline or effort. Don’t be one of them.

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There's the thing that happens and then there's the way we respond to it. Sometimes we need to hit the metaphoric pause button. No immediate action. No reaction. No decision. Just feel the emotion, wait for our intellect and reason to kick in, take a breath and move forward from there.

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Imagine living in a body that's functionally ‘younger' than its chronological age. A fifty-five year-old doing life in a body that's the physiological equivalent of a typical forty year-old. Ageing is inevitable but the way we age, is optional.

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Your energy is not an infinite resource. We humans have an amazing ability to waste copious mounts of energy on sh*t we can't control; essentially allowing our minds to be hijacked by obsession, fear and over-thinking things we can't change or undo.

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Who said life needs to be fair? Is 'life' a conscious entity that 'cares' (or doesn't care) about your personal welfare, mental health or bank balance? Nope. Life is mayhem. And joy. Chaos. And calm. Peaks. And troughs. And in the middle of it all, is you; the author of your own story.

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How do we take that 'theoretical something' in our head (idea, intention, goal, dream, aspiration) and turn it into a ‘real-world something' that we can see, touch, experience and enjoy?

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How do we take that 'theoretical something' in our head (idea, intention, goal, dream, aspiration) and turn it into a ‘real-world something' that we can see, touch, experience and enjoy?

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Off the back of yesterday's 'why you should strength train' conversation, this chat is the 'how' instalment. I share some simple insights, strategies and ideas to help you optimise your time, energy and genetics. Enjoy.

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Did you know that consistent strength training can significantly improve your cognitive function? Who knew? Well, among a bunch of other great benefits, it can. This is the show where I essentially do a sale's pitch for lifting heavy things. It's still one of the most under-utilised interventions for improving overall health, despite overwhelming evidence. Enjoy. 

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Some people are sleepwalking their way through life. Stuck in a version of Groundhog Day, treading water in unfulfilling, unrewarding, unejoyable and uninspired lives that they didn't choose or design. Unconsciously handing over the steering wheel of their lives to people, situations, events and forces that don't care about (or are oblivious to) them and their dreams and desires. Saying things like “this wasn't my plan", when in fact they never really had a plan; just an idea of how things would (hopefully) 'turn out'.

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In this episode, I talk about creating opportunities (rather than waiting for them), going where you grow and people who can drag you up.

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In this episode, I talk about staying productive even when we lack motivation, creating an accountability system and the importance of building habits aligned to our goals and purpose.

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Today I talk about the ‘need’ to be right, having a purpose bigger than ourselves and people-pleasing.

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Today I talk about biofeedback, our relationship with food, the quality of our questions and different realities.

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Today I talk about learning to unlearn, delaying gratification, why clarity is important and understanding the personal reality of others.

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The next few eps of LIFE is me sharing some brief get-yet-shit-together micro workshops.

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Being able to physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and professionally adapt in a world of uncertainty, is a super-power.

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If someone finds the word 'elbow' offensive and you use that word in conversation (1) they will be offended (2) they will consider you to be 'offensive' (3) the other ten people in the conversation won't be offended and (4) this sh*t is confusing AF (which to some people... is offensive).

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Every week, a few people tell me (in one way or another) that I'm a f**kwit who isn't worth listening to. Or reading. Sometimes they're right. And while it doesn't feel great (obviously), I appreciate these people because they keep me grounded, make me think, challenge me to grow, build my resilience and help me stay a little insecure.

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You might be amazed at the number of people I've spoken with who found themselves in a crap situation as a result of their personal choices and then say something like... "I have no idea how I got here." You are and I are decision-making machines. Our choices determine our actions, our actions impact our outcomes, our outcomes shape our reality, and our reality is where we live.

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Not surprisingly, this brief episode is my thoughts about success (lol).

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I asked ChatGPT to write me something inspirational, that I might share with you. Literally ten seconds later, I had a 700 word 'script'. This is that (and a little running commentary). *Warning: this episode definitely won’t change your life.

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We talk about it all the time but what does high-performance actually mean away from the elite athletes, famous actors, Nobel Prize winners,
Astronauts, billionaires and musical superstars? How can you and I (assuming you're none of the above list) become high-performers in our own right?

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Who and how would you be if you grew up in a different environment, with different people, upbringing, programming, schooling, influences and experiences?

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Today’s instalment of LIFE is something I wrote a few years ago but it’s still relevant. It’s about you.

craigharper.net

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We all have faith in something (or things) but what does that mean exactly? What is faith? Well, it's not knowledge. Believing in something is not the same as knowing something. Many people confuse their faith with absolute knowledge but interestingly, having absolute knowledge about something eradicates the need for faith (in that thing).

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If you need a few simple, creative and effective ideas to get your metabolic wheels turning, tune the-fuck in.

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I think most humans have a void. An internal void. This is me thinking out loud, about that.

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It's so easy to overlook and under-appreciate the gifts we have in our world. To look past the ninety-nine great things and obsess about the one not-so-great.
Sometimes we need to find an attitude of gratitude.

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I saw these words over the front door of a business on the way home from the eye doctor. You won't be surprised to learn that they sent my mind down a cognitive and philosophical rabbit hole.

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When it comes to building our best life, how much of that 'building' should be strategic, process-driven and cerebral, and how much should be freestyle, intuitive and instinctive?

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In simple terms, Theory of Mind (ToM) refers to the ability you and I have to understand how other people think, and why they think the way they do. Not to agree or disagree, just to understand.

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Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) explores the relationship between what's happening in the mind and how it impacts the body. Psychology and physiology.

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The title says it all.

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For better or worse, you are always creating outcomes. Consciously or not. Intentionally or not. With your fitness, health, career, relationships, finances, projects, lifestyle, specific goals and lots more. So, what are your results saying?

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Your attention is a valuable commodity. Whatever has your attention has you.

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There's the stuff we know and there's the stuff we believe. Evidence-based knowledge and faith-based belief. Problems can arise when we confuse the two.

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When it comes to living your best life on Planet You, what are your self-designated personal rules for optimal living?

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If part (or all) of your job/role is to inspire, lead, educate, inform, coach, manage and/or create connection with humans, and you don't have storytelling and humour in your interpersonal toolkit, you're missing out.

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People have been telling me for decades that I work too much. Here's what I think about what they think.

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There are hundreds of variables and factors which influence the likelihood of someone succeeding (or failing) and creating lasting change (or not). But there's one key reason why so many people don't achieve what they set out to.

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There are hundreds of variables and factors which influence the likelihood of someone succeeding (or failing) and creating lasting change (or not). But there's one key reason why so many people don't achieve what they set out to.

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This two-parter is me banging on about the intersection of our internal and external worlds. Physical and non-physical. Seen and unseen. I don't often say this, but I think many of you will find this message helpful, relevant and maybe even, life-changing.

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This two-parter is me banging on about the intersection of our internal and external worlds. Physical and non-physical. Seen and unseen. I don't often say this, but I think many of you will find this message helpful, relevant and maybe even, life-changing.

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This morning I had a conversation with 102 year-old Dr. Gladys McGarey and I totally loved it. That got me to thinking about the power and potential of conversations.

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There's organic, spontaneous, freestyle, heart-led, instinctive, intuitive and creative you (and me).. and then there's strategic, logical, left-brain, process-driven, box-ticking, goal-setting, analytical you (and me). Is there some kind of organic-strategic formula or ratio that we need to know?

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Sometimes the thing you want isn't really the thing you need. Sometimes you get 'there' (your goal destination) only to realise... "hey, this ain't it."

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Sometimes, all we want is the thing we don't have any more. The thing we didn't appreciate, when we had it. It's amazing how much our perspective can shift when something we take for granted, is taken away from us (or could be taken away).

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In this two-part conversation, I share some powerful questions (designed to improve self-awareness) that I've been asking myself and others, for years.

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In this two-part conversation, I share some powerful questions (designed to improve self-awareness) that I've been asking myself and others, for years.

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Why on earth would I suggest that? Am I being literal or metaphoric? Have a listen.

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