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

"Rather than making perfection the goal, make improvement the goal."If your work environment and culture empty you out, it will make it near impossible to live a good life. Along the way, it'll make the business you're working for grind to a halt. And, if you happen to own that business, then you end up in a personal and professional world of hurt.So, what makes for a great work culture and environment?We point to companies like Google as a shining example of incredible performance based on a creative culture, a beautiful campus and innovative and engaging projects with plenty of time to do crazy things.But, what's really going on there? Turns out there's science behind it.Today's guest, Ron Friedman, is a genius in this realm. He has spent years of his career researching, coaching, and writing about the actual levers that aid in creating the best places to work.In our conversation, he breaks down the academic studies into layman's terms, cites fascinating examples from real companies who are changi

This episode is a Good Life Project "Riff."What's that? A short, punchy riff on one particular topic that matters to a life well lived. Generally no more than 5 to 10 minutes.As always, these won't replace our weekly in-depth conversations, but if you like them, we may produce more and add them in as supplements to the weekly conversations. So let us know if you want more over on Facebook or Twitter.This week's Good Life Riff is entitled - The Killer App is You. It's about the mistake we've all made when we try to make a mad grab at success by doing the wrong things and relying on delusion and illusion.Here's a quick excerpt:The best of the best, the people who are now and will in the future eat you for lunch, build themselves, through fierce effort and expert guidance, into unstoppable human engines of intelligence, creativity, intuition, compassion, service, expression and heart. Then, they build a culture that empowers the people they bring into their endeavors to do the same.They exalt self-knowledge, per

"Nothing about them without them."Sometimes you hear stories about the horrors of what people go through in other parts of the world and it just seems hopeless.Who are you to help change traditions and practices that have existed for centuries?And why would people listen to you as an outsider?These questions and challenges have not deterred today's guest from making an incredibly important impact in places like Africa and India.Jane Mosbacher Morris spent years working in the US Department of State, the McCain Institute, and with organizations around the world learning about the actual issues that surround practices like early childhood marriage and violence against women. And then she made an important discovery.No matter how much you give aid to a woman who is a survivor of these kinds of trauma, you can't give her freedom without helping her become economically independent.Jane founded a company to do just that last year, To The Market, and in our moving conversation, she explains how it helps women surviv

"Your activity needs to flow from your identity."It seems that A LOT of people struggle with the question, "What should I do with my life?"So I was really interested to have a conversation with today's guest, Jeff Goins, because that very question is at the heart of his new book, The Art of Work.Interestingly, he ended up re-writing entire book after realizing he had sanitized his own story of becoming a writer, and needed to find and share a deeper set of truths.In this conversation, we also talk about the idea of polymaths - multi-talented people - and what a "portfolio life" is.If you've ever wondered what your calling is (and if you have one), you'll find this episode with Jeff Goins very interesting.Some questions I ask:How do you define vocation?Is there just one purpose for each of us to accomplish in life?What is a "portfolio life"?Can you master multiple talents? Or just practice them?What do you think about leaving a legacy?Links we mention: BirdmanThe Art of WorkParker PalmerThe

Over the next few months, we'll be testing a few different show and segment ideas. Not to replace our current weekly in-depth interviews, but to potentially add to them.Yes, you heard right. There just might be more GLP to engage with on a regular basis, real soon.And, today's our first experiment, with a new show format we're calling 9Things™.What is it? A three-person roundtable, where each person shows up with three topics to jam on. And, the thing is, nobody knows what the other person's topics will be until they hit the conversation.My guests for the premier episode of the 9Things format are two good friends, Gabra Zackman and Erin Moon.As you can imagine, this leads to moments that range from seriously funny to seriously soulful and, well, seriously not-safe-for-work (headphones might be advised for this one, toward the later parts).We absolutely want your feedback on this new format and episode, so please share your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me @jonathanfields.As I mentioned, it's n

Everything you've been told about building and breaking habits may well be wrong. Or, at the very least, missing a critical middle step.In this week's episode, we bust myths and share how to do it right (hint, there are 4 different approaches and if you choose wrong, you will fail).Creating good habits is one of the master keys for living a good life. But, it's hard. Really hard. And, it turns out, the reason it's so hard may not be your fault. It may, in fact, be that you've been given misinformation.According to mega NYT bestselling author of The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin, in her new book, Better Than Before, there's been a missing piece in the habit puzzle, and she's got the answer.In this fast-paced, incredibly-revealing conversation, Rubin lays bare they myth of the one-method-for-all-people approach to habits. To create or change a habit, she offers, you first need to understand which of four key personality types you are. Then, tailor your approach to your specific personali

As busy, productive humans living in the 21st century, one of our most common responses to the question "How are you?" is "Fine. Busy."Especially if you're a New Yorker.And it's true. We are.But have you stopped to think about what you fill your time with that makes it slip through your fingers so quickly?Today's guest, journalist and author, Laura Vanderkam, analyzed peoples' time diaries recorded over 1001 days and came up with some startling discoveries. You may not be nearly as "at the will of life's demands" as you think you are.In our conversation, we start out exploring the truths of the writer's life, then dive right into the truth about time, how to really harness it, how we lie to ourselves about sleep and so much more. In, the end, we find more hope than anything else.How we spend our time, it turns out, is not a matter of fate, it's a matter of choice.Some questions I ask:When did you decide that being a writer was your thing?Are you okay with not having much time to write for yourself a

"Someone who is stressed out needs mental health as much as someone who has bipolar disorder."There are few subjects as delicate as mental disorders and the best way to treat them.I'm guessing most of us tend to avoid the topic in general, we're pretty ignorant about what is involved.Until it affects us or someone we're close to it.That's why I was so interested in learning from today's guest.Ross Szabo is living proof that living with a mental disorder, in his case bipolar, does not have to define or isolate you.Through extreme mood swings, substance-abuse, denial, secrecy and erratic, sometimes harmful behavior and thoughts (as well as see his brother go through the same), Ross eventually found his way back to a dynamic peace with bipolar, and devoted his life to becoming a national advocate for better mental health education.His story is powerful and raw and he shares an honest look into what it's like to "feel the tentacles" of your disorder creeping up on you.We discuss his process of working through sel

2015 Immersion Final Call – Only a handful of spots left! Join Jonathan, a team of gifted mentors and an intimate group of conscious co-conspirators for a once-a-year, 7-month accelerated personal and entrepreneurial growth experience beginning March 1st! Last call to apply (if the application is down, that means all spots are now filled) +++ “Maybe we’ve got it the […]The post Location Independence, Freedom and the Good Life with Natalie Sisson appeared first on Good LifeProject. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"When you take art, the thing you are actually learning to do is to see."Do you remember being a kid and loving to draw?But at some point early on you learned that your art wasn't good enough?So you stopped.What if you had learned a different story? That your art WAS good, that your ideas WERE valid, that your perspective WAS valued?Today's guest is a master of cultivating and allowing for creativity in the art world. Children's animated films to be exact.Ed Catmull is the founder of Pixar, the world-renowned animation studio that has transformed the film world by creating the standard for computer graphics.In his recent book, Creativity Inc., Ed discusses how creativity is cultivated, what is required, and his own journey from studying physics in college to founding Pixar (which he still heads today).Our conversation goes down many fascinating avenues, including the misconceptions we have about what art teaches us, the connection between artistic thinking and entrepreneurship, and his long-standing frie

Have you ever made a deal with God? I’m guessing that’s a yes. It’s pretty common to get to a place in your life where you want to something so much that you’re willing to give up anything in exchange for it. But what happens in this scenario typically? In the words of today’s guest, “Essentially […]The post Romance Novels, Sultry Voices, Pacts with God and the Good Life appeared first on Good LifeProject. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"PTSD is less of a brain event than an existential event."We've all heard of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but we may not realize that we probably all know someone who suffers from it.While it is typically associated with war and soldiers coming home after combat, trauma is a big part of civilian life.Today's guest has a fascinating perspective on this as he served for four years on active Marine duty, in the most peaceful of times, but then voluntarily went into war zones as a war reporter after his service.What he learned from his own experiences with PTSD, as well as his subsequent digging into the research and experiences around it, resulted in his new book, The Evil Hours.In our conversation, we cover all facets of trauma, David's experiences, and the underlying psychology behind the behaviors we are seeing more of in this country.He explains the fantasy soldiers create in their minds about coming home (and how difficult it is to reconcile reality with that once they are back), why Americans especially

"People who are not listened to need those who are listened to to fight like hell for them."How many times have you heard an inspiring story of incredible service and heart and then thought, "How does that even get started?"Probably a lot.Because the truth is, most of us would love to create an impactful, service-oriented mission in our lives, but we're overwhelmed with the sheer logistics, let alone cost.Danielle Butin was no different, except that she didn't let those obstacles deter her.After decades of a highly successful career in occupational therapy and geriatric care, she found herself at a personal and professional crisis.So she took a trip to Tanzania.And what she experienced there left a mark so deep on her heart, she couldn't ignore it. Even though she tried.In this conversation, we get to hear the raw, unfiltered truth about how Danielle had to do the work of "undoing" her professional habits and mindset in order to get her non-profit, Afya Foundation, going.She opens up about the toll it to

Chris Kresser is a leading voice in functional and integrative medicine and a New York Times bestselling author of The Paleo Cure. He maintains a wildly popular, research-driven website and a clinical practice in Berkeley, CA that has been largely closed to new clients for the last 3 years, because he just can't handle the demand.He's also a bit of a raging introvert, a total science nerd, research fanatic and a humble guy. Chris loves to go deep down the science rabbit hole. And he loves to be with, and make a real difference in the lives of the people he serves.Funny thing is, none of this was ever supposed to happen...CChris' entire career was triggered by an intractable illness caught in a small surfing village in Indonesia, during what was supposed to be a year-long surf safari.That led to a 10 year, brutal health odyssey, where he traveled the world to seek the help of more than 30 different doctors, tried every one-size-fits-all approach to diet, a mountain of meds, amassed what he now calls his supple

It's sooo wonderful to be back from our holiday season hiatus!And, do I have a powerhouse conversation to share with you today...By the time she got out of high-school, Terri Cole described her liver as being "pickled" by mass amounts of black-out inducing alcohol.But it would be a few more years until a brief conversation at an AA meeting would send her reeling, and become the catalyst for her to stop drinking and start down a radically different path.Sober and focused, she'd soon build a career as a super-agent and confidant to the world's biggest super-models, but the nature of the business and the potential it had to destroy her clients led her to take a giant step further.She went back to school to become a therapist, then returned to the very same celebs whose careers she'd been making, to help them understand how to better embrace a more balanced, sane and holistic approach to a career all too often defined by excess and extremes.Over the last 20 years, she's built a powerhouse practice and reputation

I'm rarely stunned. But this was one of those times...Lewis Howes is a radiant, towering hulk of a human being. Driven, energized, magnetic and successful. I've known Lewis for a number of years now and consider him a good friend.When he came to me earlier this year to share a dark, incredibly-painful secret from his childhood, I was floored. Did not see it coming. He'd been living with the pain and deep trauma of sexual abuse for decades. At the hands of another man, though he was just a boy.When he told me, a few months after, that he wanted to "go public" in an effort to help others who'd been through the same thing, I was hesitant.I didn't know how people might take it, or mis-attribute any unfounded motivations. But he was determined to make it happen and asking me to help guide the conversation. I knew how important it would be to create a "safe container," so I said yes.The conversation that unfolded was incredibly raw, real, vulnerable and powerful on so many levels. He recently shared it with his com

This week’s episode is a replay of a powerful conversation I had with famed author and grounded theory researcher Brene Brown (http://brenebrown.com/).Brene and I met a few years back while speaking at a conference together. We clicked immediately, grabbed lunch and laughed a lot. I asked her to come share a bit of her journey with our community. The conversation that unfolded left me changed.Brene’s fascination with what she calls wholehearted living eventually led her to explore how we dance with shame and vulnerability. She wrote about this in her blockbuster book, Daring Greatly (http://brenebrown.com/books/). I asked her to join me on Good Life Project in October 2012 and the conversation that unfolded moved us both to tears as various points. Brene was so beautifully real, raw, candid and wise.A few gems -"Being courageous is more important to me, as a value, than succeeding.""I have no intake at all of any feedback or criticism from anyone who's not in the arena."We also talked about gratitude and the

We spend a lot of time thinking about the legacy we're building. What is the thing that threads everything you've done together? What is the mark you're leaving on the world, both in the career or work you do and the way you live your life?These are big questions. And they're what we're exploring in this week's episode with Jocelyn Glei.From the time she was a kid, Jocelyn had been drawn to writing, publishing and entrepreneurship. In high school, she launched her first "zine," printed on copiers at her dad's office. Her interest in language deepened through college, and upon graduating she moved through a series of ventures that kept putting her in charge of bigger and bigger editorial teams and budgets. Then, in 2009, Glei hooked with Behance founder, Scott Belsky, to head up now legendary creative mega-site and the annual conference for creative pros, 99U.Along the way, she's also curated a powerful three-book series, the latest of which, Make Your Mark, releases this week, boasting extraordinary essa

Fueling your body for optimal health, performance and vitality is an important part of living a good life. Question is, how?I don’t know about you, but it’s more than a bit maddening trying to keep up with the latest nutrition advice.High-fat, low-fat, paleo, vegan, gluten-free, grass-fed donuts, who knows what’s next. Despite the onslaught, though, one ingredient seems to be emerging as a a potential nutritional black hole across nearly all the pundits, regardless of the approach. It's something that’s claimed to be more addictive than drugs, devastating to health and perfectly legal. In fact, according to today's guest, the average person eats about their body weight in this ingredient every year.So, who is that guest and what are we talking about?Leading voice in nutrition, wellness and weight loss, and bestselling author of The Virgin Diet and her newest book, The Sugar Impact Diet, JJ Virgin.That potential nutritional sinkhole she's talking about is a little thing called sugar, in all its forms, even the

There’s this myth about being a grown-up, especially, being a parent, that it’s a time where the play ends and the serious work begins. That laughter and surprise and curiosity and spontaneity, very often the things that got you where you are, need to cede to more responsible behavior.But, what if the exact opposite was true?What if the real secret to a life well lived, was to never let them go. Better yet, to build your waking hours around them? That's what we’re talking about on today’s episodeMy guest today is Tina Roth Eisenberg. Over the last 9 years, she’s founded:Swiss-Miss.com: A design-turned-lifestyle blogCreativeMornings: A breakfast conference for creative pros now hosted in more than 100 countries every monthTattly: An artist-driven temporary tattoo companyStudiomates: A flourishing co-working space in Brooklyn, andTeuxDeux: A task-management appAll while raising a family and even documenting her son's epic 2-year old meltdowns at ItsHardBeingTwo.com. And it all seems to come from