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This week we talk to Colin Beavan about being happy AND changing the world

Colin Beavan’s writing, speaking, consulting and activism have encouraged tens of thousands of people to examine their lives to discover what’s really important to them.

He is among the world’s best-known spokespeople on environmental issues, consumerism and human quality of life. He was called “one of the ten most influential men” by MSN, an “eco-illuminator” by Elle Magazine, a “best green ambassador” by Treehugger.com, and his blog was selected as one of the top 15 environmental blogs by Time Magazine.

Colin has appeared on The Colbert Report, Good Morning America, Nightline and countless other TV and radio shows.

Colin’s latest book is How to Be Alive: A Guide to the Kind of Happiness that Helps the World

In This Interview, Colin Beavan and I Discuss:

• The One You Feed parable
• The illusion that we are separate from this world
• How to give energy to what is true for you
• How to give less energy to what is not true for you
• His experience as “No Impact Man.”
• The martyr, victim, scoundrel, and hero
• The four psychological needs we need to satisfy to be happy
• Intrinsic vs Extrinsic goals
• The stories we tell ourselves about the world and our lives
• Analogical Thinking
• The ukelele approach
• The starfish story
• The question to ask yourself to change the world
• Social Interconnectedness
• Generalized Reciprocity
• The role of values based action

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This week we talk to Steven C Hayes about getting out of our minds and into our lives

Steven C Hayes is Nevada Foundation Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada. He is an author of over 35 books and over 500 scientific articles. He is considered one of the founders of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

In 1992 he was listed by the Institute for Scientific Information as the 30th “highest impact” psychologist in the world. His work has been recognized by several awards including the Exemplary Contributions to Basic Behavioral Research and Its Applications from Division 25 of APA, the Impact of Science on Application award from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

He is best known for his book Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

In This Interview, Steven C Hayes and I Discuss:

• The One You Feed parable
• His book, Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life
• That you know if your thoughts are good or bad by the fruits that they bear
• The ACT approach to therapy
• The difference between pain and suffering
• The importance of putting the human mind on a leash
• That suffering comes from when we mishandle the present moment, and we amplify certain thoughts and feelings
• The meaning of Cognitive Fusion: when we can look only from our thoughts and not at our thoughts
• The importance of and various types of contemplative practice
• Various diffusion techniques (listed in a free episode download!)
• The concept and practice of experiential avoidance
• The full impact of acting for “short term gains with long term pains”
• The idea of creating larger behavioral patterns
• The role of values based action

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This week we talk to Aaron Anastasi about not listening to the voices that hold us back

Aaron Anastasi is a Southern California native who graduated with a master’s degree from Princeton where he studied philosophy and psychology.

He’s also a serial entrepreneur with online businesses such as Superior Songwriting Method, Signing Success, and the internationally recognized, Superior Singing Method, an online singing lesson program that grosses seven-figures annually.

Having a love for adventure, he was a pro snowboarder in Vail, Colorado, scaled Glacier Lake mountains in Bolivia, and cut pathways through the jungles of Contagem, Brazil.

Along with being a Los Angeles based actor and filmmaker, Aaron is also a prominent success coach for clients in industry-leading roles, ranging from film directors to marine biologists to TEDx speakers. His new book, The Voice of Your Dreams,was recently released.

In This Interview, Aaron Anastasi and I Discuss:

• The One You Feed parable
• The limiting voices in our head
• The “You don’t have what it takes” voice
• Instead of asking “Do I have what it takes” ask “Do I have the capacity to find the resources I need to be successful”
• The fixed vs growth mindset, again
• How the limiting voices often appear as reality
• How inspiration and passion often arise while we are in action
• Waiting on inspiration is a mistake and a misunderstanding of how it works
• The importance of just getting started- the hardest part is right before we start
• Breaking things down to very small chunks to help us get started
• Recovering from pessimism
• The old Hemmingway trick- Finishing while you still have one idea left
• Making sure to write down our ideas
• Celebrating and appreciating small victories
• The spiritual discipline of celebrating
• Defining success as being on the path today
• Why do we resist what we know is good for us?
• Bouncing back from failure
• Keeping our gratitude and affirmations from getting stale
• Telling ourselves stories that are good for us

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This week we talk to Robert Sessions about becoming real

A native of South Dakota, Robert Sessions earned a B.A. from Drake University and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Michigan.  Before focusing on photography, for more than four decades he taught at Kirkwood Community College, Grinnell College, Luther College, and the University of Minnesota in Duluth.

As a photographer he works frequently with his wife, travel writer Lori Erickson. Together they produce Spiritual Travels, a website describing holy sites around the world, and Holy Rover, a blog hosted by Patheos, the world’s largest website on religion and spirituality. His photos also appear regularly in publications that include the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette and Group Tour Magazine. He is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers.

In addition, Sessions is the author of Becoming Real: Authenticity in an Age of Distractions and co-author of Working In America: A Humanities Reader.  He has also published several dozen articles on environmental philosophy, the philosophy of work, ethics, and the philosophy of technology.

He lives in Iowa City, Iowa.

In This Interview, Robert Sessions and I Discuss:

• The One You Feed parable
• His new book, Becoming Real: Authenticity in an Age of Distractions
• That authenticity is something fundamental that is at the heart of what we are all seeking
• How authenticity is impacted by variables found on the inside as well as in the world surrounding a person
• The three main distractions that get in the way of authenticity
• That work is a major context within which we discover ourselves
• How bad habits surrounding technology can get in the way of being our authentic selves
• That nature is a really important and powerful way to bring us back to our authentic selves
• How important the role of decision making is in living out our authentic selves
• That knowing yourself – knowing who you are – is crucial to making the right decisions in your life
• That happiness is unique in that it is something you can’t get if you pursue it directly.

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This week we talk to Rebecca Newberger Goldstein about the relevance of philosophy in today’s world

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is an American philosopher who is also a novelist and public intellectual. She is the author of ten books, many of which cross the divide between fiction and non-fiction. She holds a Ph.D. from Princeton.

Her latest book is called Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away, an exploration of the historical roots and contemporary relevance of philosophy. In the book Plato is brought to life in the 21st century and demonstrates the relevance of philosophy by arguing with contemporary figures such as a software engineer at Google headquarters, a right-wing talk show host, an affective neuroscientist, and others.

Goldstein is a MacArthur Fellow, has won the National Jewish Book Award, and numerous other honors. In September of 2015  she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama in a ceremony at the White House.

In This Interview, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein and I Discuss: