Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/226

“Do things your afraid of, just to realize that nothing bad actually happens.” - Till Gross

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Getting out of your comfort zone is one of the most important skills you can master in your life, if you want to learn how to do more, be more, achieve, and have more happiness in your life, and today’s episode is all about how to do just that!

Till Gross is here talking about the ways that we try has hard as we possibly can to avoid rejection, when in reality, even when you are rejected, nothing bad happens! Life continues as usually, and it really doesn’t even hurt that bad!

In order to get beyond our fear we need to continually do the things that we fear the most in order to ingrain in our minds that our fear is in fact not justified! Nothing too painful happens, and we are none the worse, even if we end up getting rejected!

Till is also talking about the specific exercises that we can do to make sure that we are continually getting out of our comfort zone. Learn what they are on this episode of the James Swanwick Show!

“It’s not all about not fearing or feeling pain, but about not letting any of that hold you back.” - Till Gross

(click to tweet)

Key Takeaways:

• Fear of rejection is instilled deep inside of you because of our evolutionary history, even though there are not the same kind of real world consequences to rejection that there used to be
• Because of fear of pain, most people don’t walk up to people and talk to them, so most of us don’t realize that the pain isn’t even there
• As you continue to put yourself in those situations over and over again, you realize that there is no real pain
• It’s not all about not fearing or feeling pain, but about not letting any of that hold you back
• Do things your afraid of, just to realize that nothing bad actually happens
• Comfort zone challenge are all about making fun of yourself, not other people
• Often the struggle to succeed is what brings the most happiness and brings meaning in your life

Resources:

ComfortZoneCrusher.com

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/226

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/225

If there is one single thing that separates those who are able to progress in life, and meet with eventual success, it is certainly the ability to be consistent. More than anything, this is the difference from those who get to where they want to be and those who don’t.

Without consistency, it is nearly impossible to actually get anything done! You will find yourself continually starting new activities, trying to instill new habits,  but none of it will ever lead to success and improvement in your life.

Therefore, if you can be consistent, you can accomplish almost anything! This episode digs into the importance of consistency in life, and practical ways to ensure that consistency is a part of your life. Learn how to create success through consistency on this episode of the James Swanwick Show!

Key Takeaways:

• Consistency is what separates those who succeed and progress from those you don’t
• Consistency is one of the things that you can learn and apply to every area of life to see better progress in it
• If you don’t want to do something, try counting down “3, 2, 1, GO” and jump up and do it!
• People overestimate what they can do in a day, but underestimate what they can do in a year
• Be consistent in your efforts to keep up with friends, old and new, staying in contact with them regularly
• Ask yourself what you can be consistent about in your life

Resources:

47DayHabitHacker.com

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/225

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/224

On the days when I read a book, I read a full book every day. This means that I go through books and learn more much faster than most people, who often struggle to read a book a week! Think about the endless possibilities after you have developed the ability to read one book every day! You will be far smarter, and will have essentially downloaded the wisdom of the smartest people into your brain! You can’t put a price on that.

But the key is to master the fine art of strategically attacking each book with the goal in mind of assimilating as much knowledge as possible in the shortest amount of time possible. In order to accomplish this, I usually read the back of the book first, followed by a wikipedia page about it. Then I will read through the table of contents to get a better feel for content and understand the structure, after which I will start the process of carefully skimming. I go into a lot more detail in this episode.

Most people get too caught up on the idea of reading and internally pronouncing every single word in the books that they read, when in reality this is a huge waste of time if the goal is to assimilate as much knowledge as possible in as short a time as possible. My method accomplishes this goal, and it is how I manage to read a book a day. Learn how in this episode!

Key Takeaways:

• Most people think that reading a book a day is impossible, because they feel it is necessary to read every single word, rather than focusing on what they learn
• People look down on skim reading, when sometimes it is all that is necessary to assimilate all the contents of the book, and gain all the benefit of reading
• Reading non-fiction, all you need to do is learn whatever you can, however you can
• Underline things you can return to in the future, to reinforce something you’ve learned
• Schedule the time to read a book. Put it on the calendar to commit to making it happen!
• It’s hard to quantify the value of reading a book a day. It puts you way ahead of most people!

James’ Process to Read a Book a Day:

1. Read the back of the book first to understand what the book is about
2. Go to contents and read the name of the chapters to understand the layout and basic content
3. Go to wikipedia and get an even better understanding of the content and thesis of the book
4. When you do read the contents, let your eyes scan over the words, rather than pronouncing every word in your head. It takes practices, but you can learn to comprehend everything using this technique
5. Take away everything you can learn, as fast as you can, so you can put it to practice in your own life, and don’t waste more time than you have to reading it!

Resources:

Blog Post: How to Read a Book a Day

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/224

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/224

On the days when I read a book, I read a full book every day. This means that I go through books and learn more much faster than most people, who often struggle to read a book a week! Think about the endless possibilities after you have developed the ability to read one book every day! You will be far smarter, and will have essentially downloaded the wisdom of the smartest people into your brain! You can’t put a price on that.

But the key is to master the fine art of strategically attacking each book with the goal in mind of assimilating as much knowledge as possible in the shortest amount of time possible. In order to accomplish this, I usually read the back of the book first, followed by a wikipedia page about it. Then I will read through the table of contents to get a better feel for content and understand the structure, after which I will start the process of carefully skimming. I go into a lot more detail in this episode.

Most people get too caught up on the idea of reading and internally pronouncing every single word in the books that they read, when in reality this is a huge waste of time if the goal is to assimilate as much knowledge as possible in as short a time as possible. My method accomplishes this goal, and it is how I manage to read a book a day. Learn how in this episode!

Key Takeaways:

• Most people think that reading a book a day is impossible, because they feel it is necessary to read every single word, rather than focusing on what they learn
• People look down on skim reading, when sometimes it is all that is necessary to assimilate all the contents of the book, and gain all the benefit of reading
• Reading non-fiction, all you need to do is learn whatever you can, however you can
• Underline things you can return to in the future, to reinforce something you’ve learned
• Schedule the time to read a book. Put it on the calendar to commit to making it happen!
• It’s hard to quantify the value of reading a book a day. It puts you way ahead of most people!

James’ Process to Read a Book a Day:

1. Read the back of the book first to understand what the book is about
2. Go to contents and read the name of the chapters to understand the layout and basic content
3. Go to wikipedia and get an even better understanding of the content and thesis of the book
4. When you do read the contents, let your eyes scan over the words, rather than pronouncing every word in your head. It takes practices, but you can learn to comprehend everything using this technique
5. Take away everything you can learn, as fast as you can, so you can put it to practice in your own life, and don’t waste more time than you have to reading it!

Resources:

Blog Post: How to Read a Book a Day

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/224

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/223

“The acorn doesn’t go out and try to improve and achieve the oak, it already has it inside itself.” - Derek Rydall

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If you’re listening to this podcast, you’re probably at least a little bit interested in self-improvement, and I am as well. But are there instances and situations where self-improvement, and even more the mindset that usually comes with self-improvement work, is bad for us, and actually causing more suffering than it is helping?

Today’s guest is Derek Rydall, and he is speaking with me about the various ways that self-improvement work can cause us to focus on the wrong thing. As he says, the acorn does not need to go out and try to improve itself into a tree. It just needs to be in the right environment, and it will naturally transform into the mighty oak that it was meant to become.

The key, then, is to make sure that all of the aspects of the environment are correct in order to allow yourself to grow into what you already have inside you. By focusing too much on improvement, productivity, or other things, you may in fact be hurting your own personal growth, and missing what is really important! Learn more on this episode of the James Swanwick Show!

“Often when people are focusing on ‘productivity,’ it is a way of avoiding something deeper.” - Derek Rydall

(click to tweet)

Key Takeaways:

• Sometimes self improvement just helps you see where you lack, and doesn’t help you create a solution
• The acorn doesn’t go out and try to improve and achieve the oak, it already has it inside it
• There’s a perfect pattern within the soil of our soul
• You can’t improve on who you are. What you can do is create the right conditions so that what is already there can emerge
• Self development is the process of cultivating the conditions inside and out that will produce the potential that is inside you
• Too often people who get obsessed with self improvement end up manipulating what is around them to look different, when fundamentally they are the same
• The way most people think about productivity is getting a lot done. But there is a difference between business, or purposefully focusing on doing what you are designed to produce
• People who are successful are rarely driven by a need to be productive
• Often when people are focusing on ‘productivity,’ it is a way of avoiding something deeper
• Your condition does not determine your destiny, your character does

Resources:

DerekRydall.com

MyEmergenceBook.com

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/223

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/222

“You can make more friends in one month being interested in other people than in a year trying to make them interested in you.” - James Swanwick

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Everyone knows that person who seems like they’re friends with everyone. Everywhere the go, they know people, they’re always saying hi to old friends and greeting people. Everyone wants to be that person. Not only do them appear very popular and well-connected, they also have much more opportunities that come their way, both business and personal, because of their many connections.

But how do you become that person?

That is what this episode is all about. At a party recently I recorded this episode where I walk around and ask a variety of people what it takes to make new friends, keep old ones, and create a life full of deep, meaningful friendships.

This episode is their answers. There is a huge variety of good advice inside, and if you carefully put these pieces of advice into practice and turn them into habits, you’ll see your friends multiplying, your network expanding, you will find more opportunities coming to you, and your quality of life will rise. All through making new friends. Learn how on this episode of the James Swanwick Show!

“If you want to make new friends, start by being genuinely helpful to people.” - James Swanwick

(click to tweet)

Key Takeaways:

• It’s essential that you are genuine in all of your interactions
• If you are trying to impress people, people will notice and it will turn them off to you
• If you’re going to a new city, associate with people who have friends, and make their friends your friends
• Be willing to constantly put yourself out there to find friends
• If you want to make friends, always go to where the people are
• When a conversation is one-sided, and the other person is zoned out while you’re talking, you don’t want to be friends. So be very careful not to do that yourself!
• Make the effort to put energy out there and support people as much as you can
• If you feel obligated to do something, give yourself permission not to do it
• If you want to go to parties, you have to host parties as well. You can’t always be the guest
• You can make more friends in one month being interested in other people than in a year trying to make them interested in you
• Be genuinely helpful to people

Resources:

People Skills Reboot

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/222

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/221

Bees are in trouble. What does that mean for you? Did you know that bees actually pollinate 1 out of every 3 bites you take?? That means that without them, a very large portion of the foodline starts to fall apart! In fact, they are responsible for so much that no one really knows exactly what the result of bees’ extinction would be be, but it would definitely be disastrous.

It really is time to start taking note, and responsibility for our environment, and that is what I’m discussing with Maryam Henein on this episode. Maryam directed Vanishing of the Bees, a documentary available on Netflix, Hulu and elsewhere, all about what is going on with bees and what that means for humanity.

But we get into a lot more than that on this episode. So take notes if you want to learn how to eat healthier, be more conscious about the environment, and live a better life, and the James Swanwick Show!

Key Takeaways

• Honey bees pollinate 1 in every 3 bites that we eat. Without the pollination, a huge amount of the food supply would go away
• Bees are leaving and dying at an alarming rate
• All beekeepers, all around the world, are reaching the same conclusions about bees
• The quality of the soil is essential to how healthy the plants are that we eat
• Be careful and critical about the marketing around healthy eating. A lot of it is just clever marketing, and not healthier. Research!
• There is an awakening happening, in terms of eating healthy and taking care of the world. And paying careful attention to the bees needs to be part of that
• It’s very unfair that you have to pay extra for organic food. You have to pay extra to not be poisoned
• Understand that your skin is your biggest organ, so never put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat because of the ingredients

Resources:

HoneyColony.com

VanishingBees.com

3rd Rock Sunscreen

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/221

Get your question answered by James on the Podcast! Click here.

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/221

Bees are in trouble. What does that mean for you? Did you know that bees actually pollinate 1 out of every 3 bites you take?? That means that without them, a very large portion of the foodline starts to fall apart! In fact, they are responsible for so much that no one really knows exactly what the result of bees’ extinction would be be, but it would definitely be disastrous.

It really is time to start taking note, and responsibility for our environment, and that is what I’m discussing with Maryam Henein on this episode. Maryam directed Vanishing of the Bees, a documentary available on Netflix, Hulu and elsewhere, all about what is going on with bees and what that means for humanity.

But we get into a lot more than that on this episode. So take notes if you want to learn how to eat healthier, be more conscious about the environment, and live a better life, and the James Swanwick Show!

Key Takeaways

• Honey bees pollinate 1 in every 3 bites that we eat. Without the pollination, a huge amount of the food supply would go away
• Bees are leaving and dying at an alarming rate
• All beekeepers, all around the world, are reaching the same conclusions about bees
• The quality of the soil is essential to how healthy the plants are that we eat
• Be careful and critical about the marketing around healthy eating. A lot of it is just clever marketing, and not healthier. Research!
• There is an awakening happening, in terms of eating healthy and taking care of the world. And paying careful attention to the bees needs to be part of that
• It’s very unfair that you have to pay extra for organic food. You have to pay extra to not be poisoned
• Understand that your skin is your biggest organ, so never put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat because of the ingredients

Resources:

HoneyColony.com

VanishingBees.com

3rd Rock Sunscreen

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/221

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/220

I get asked a lot about the tools I use to stay productive, work with my team, and keep on top of both my personal and business life. This episode is going to be a quick run through of the apps that I have found the most useful to getting things done.

It’s important to use the right tools. I’ve gone through a lot of tools to come up with the ones that I am recommending today. They work well, are stable, and fulfill a very important role for me. Try some of them out, see what you think, and let me know how it goes! Enjoy the show.

Apps Mentioned:

Blinkist

InstaCart

Post Mates

Task Rabbit

ToDoist

WhatsApp

Fandango

GoDaddy

Skurt

Lighting Science

Award Wallet

Calm

Headspace

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/220

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/219

When it comes to having a productive day, the night before is absolutely essential! There are specific steps that you can take to ensure that the following day is going to be productive, and that you are going to get done what you need to do!

Today I’m walking you through my own personal nightly process to make sure that I wake up knowing exactly what needs to be done, and with the passion and commitment to follow it through! It really is a system, and on this episode I am giving you my system to make sure you have a successful day.

So listen up and take notes! Try implementing these tips before you go to bed tonight, and see what the following morning feels like! Enjoy!

Key Takeaways:

• Use Swannies for a couple hours before bed every night
• Plan for tomorrow today
• Find the ONE thing you MUST do tomorrow, the night before
• Besides that, make a list
• Keep quotes and other things that will keep you motivated next to your workspace
• Prepare your gym bag the day before, if you plan to workout first thing in the morning, so that you have less barrier to actually working out

Resources:

SwanwickSleep.com

JamesSwanwick.com/67Steps

30DayNoAlcoholChallenge.com

Show Notes: JamesSwanwick.com/219