For the Low Cost of Free.99
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1,930 minutes or 32.17 hours or 1.34 days or 115,800 seconds. Reasonably, what are some things you would do for this amount of time?
Let’s shorten this timeline to be what is something you would reasonably do for this amount of time in a month? Maybe go to the gym? Time spent driving to work? Or time spent listening to podcasts? During the past month, I did just that and listened to 1,930 minutes of podcasts and ranked my top three. Each month, I will rank my top three podcasts based on a variety of things from the length of the podcast to the content all the way to the host.
Podcasts are a valuable asset. An asset that offers a wealth of knowledge for free, or Free.99 as I like to say. Little to no cost for the consumer and all this information on a wide variety of topics at our fingertips. You want to learn about the human body and recovery after a workout? Then, the Huberman Lab is right for you. You want to hear from some of the best endurance athletes in the world and what makes them tick? Rich Roll podcast should quench that thirst. You get the point. Podcasts are a beautiful way to grow our knowledge and expand our learnings. Oftentimes, many of these podcasts are free on YouTube or included in the cost of your music subscription.
To begin, let’s take a look at the top three in March and what made them so valuable.
IDEA GENERATION - Scooter Braun
“The only action that is wrong is inaction.”
New Year’s resolutions were always interesting to me. I have never done them and probably never will. We turn the page on the new year and think new year, new me. When in reality, the question should be why did we wait so long to bring up the change we always wanted. It is very rare that we decide on New Year’s Day what we want our resolution to be. Rather, this is the building of many months, weeks, or days of change we have long yearned for. That new workout habit? Yeah, that can wait until New Year’s. That new diet that includes no sweets? Yeah, I am starting that on January 1st. Or how about only one glass of wine a week? Sounds like a good thing to start on the first day of the year.
It is really a disservice to ourselves to do this, we become further ingrained in our bad “habits” or bad “lifestyle choices”. We push it off for weeks to months at a time. We think when the clock strikes midnight on a new year, all will change and we will become a new person. When in reality, we are just becoming further entrenched in our habit as we just compound more days on top of each other with no action that brings about change. This is not to say this won’t happen but why wait, start today. There is only one way to find out if we can truly change and that is through action. We will never regret taking action, we will only regret inaction. In fact, the only action that is wrong is inaction.
“Success and failure live right next door to each other.”
So many times, we hear stories in sports where an athlete was so close to quitting but maintained through the adversity and shortly after, their breakthrough came. Take Taylor Heincke who was preparing for his final exams at Old Dominion University and out of a job as a quarterback. He went back to school to finish his degree as his career to continue as a quarterback looked bleak.
As he was preparing for his final exams, he got a call from the Washington Commanders to play quarterback. Then that Sunday, he was thrusted into the lineup and went 12-19 for 137 yards and a TD. Success was right there but failure was lurking as well. He hadn’t played football since 2019 and in December of 2020, his chance came. He is still in the NFL today and plays for the Atlanta Falcons. At a time when it seemed his career may be over and it was time to finish his degree, his career was really just beginning. Success and failure are really right next door to each other.
High Performance Podcast - James Clear
“Take whatever habit you are trying to build and scale it down to something that takes two minutes or less to do.”
Sometimes, people want advice on how to develop a habit of going to the gym. Don’t create some sophisticated lifting split that over complicates the process to start. Rather, just show up to the gym. Just walk through the front door. It is extremely hard to show up to the gym and then not do anything. Break the habit down. Simplify. Don’t over complicate and slowly build over time. “The heaviest weight at the gym is the front door.”
“Once you know what the ingredients are, start making your own recipes.”
Introjection. The unconscious adoption of attitude or belief of others.
We can learn so much from those we look up to and eventually, we try to emulate those we admire. We practice introjection at such a young age without even knowing it. I loved Kevin Durant as a kid and I would work to try and mimic his game. A step back three or a fadeaway jumper, I wanted to be like Kevin Durant.
We should never lose sight of those we admire, those we aspire to be like. Channel your younger self and study those you are drawn towards and study those you wish to be like. Understand the ingredients that make them whole, that make them who they are. Once you have some of those ingredients, begin to make your own recipes with those ingredients as you work to become the person you always wanted.
The Danny Miranda Podcast - Billy Oppenheimer
“The work is the win.”
Mat Fraser is one of the most decorated CrossFit athletes of all time. He won the CrossFit games five times. He spoke fondly of the time it took to build to win. The work it took to become one of the most decorated CrossFit athletes of all-time. The work to get there was the win. Success was simply a byproduct of getting to chase his passion every single day.
“The dividing line between success and failure is the ability to sit with boredom.”
Often, to get to success, we must first just launch into the void. The journey to success includes stops that aren't sexy, aren't always fun, and oftentimes, are lonely. Times will get boring. Times will get dull but it is our ability to work through these times that determines our success.