Skipping Stones with Seth Roberts

A hard look at what choices in life are going to give us the most benefit.

39. The Joy Comes from the Effort 12/16/2024

39. The Joy Comes from the Effort It feels good to get a reward and to feel acknowledged, but rewards alone are poor payment for the work it often takes to receive them. If we cannot derive joy from the actual work, we are robbing ourselves. Influences: Andrew Huberman, Olympic Swimmers, Validation Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/34289830

38. We are All Just a Little Delusional 12/09/2024

38. We are All Just a Little Delusional Maybe it isn’t always a bad thing that we can be a little crazy at times. Straddling reality and fantasy is where people can make amazing things happen. Influences: Taylor Swift, Time Travel, and Malcolm Gladwell Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/34289770

37. People are like Onions 12/02/2024

37. People are like Onions The people we think we know usually have much more to them than we may ever realize. We like to hide behind walls that conceal who we are from others, but those same walls can become a prison. Influences: Shrek, Fortresses, and Friendship Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/34212920

36. Good Not Perfect 11/25/2024

36. Good Not Perfect It is better to do a good job than to strive to do a perfect job. Reaching for perfection is like flying too close to the sun. Influences: Icarus, Mother Teresa, and Pottery Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/34115196

35. Your Legacy is Now 11/18/2024

35. Your Legacy is Now Are our efforts to leave a mark on this planet in vain? Is it even possible to leave a lasting legacy? If we want to make a lasting impact on the world, where will our efforts make the biggest impact? Influences: Presidents of the United States, Industrial Tycoons, and Big Fancy Buildings Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/33520502

34. Let it Go 11/11/2024

34. Let it Go At what point does it become the right decision to let something go? Is there a person, belief, idea, dream or fear that we need to let go of? Sometimes, in order to hang on to these we stop ourselves from growing in a healthier way. Influences: Frozen, Weightlifting, and Pretzels Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/33520487

33. Journaling 11/04/2024

33. Journaling Journaling is possibly the best pathway we have to truly understand ourselves, as well as our own thoughts. It is so much more than simply recording the details of your day. Influences: Podcasting, Anxiety, and Depression Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/33491967

32. I Used to Dream of Giant Elephants 10/28/2024

32. I Used to Dream of Giant Elephants How do we want to be admired, and what things do we do in pursuit of that admiration? It is easy to rely on symbols and associations to promote our individuality and worth, but the best strategy has always been, and always will be, to actually be admirable, independent of those things. Influences: Elephants, Rap Music, Ambition Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/33491832

31. Unanchored People 10/21/2024

31. Unanchored People Standards, apathy, joy, happiness, freedom, religion, and nautical metaphors. What would we be willing to die for and why should we even bother caring about anything? Influences: Star Wars, Ukraine, Trees, Boat Anchors, and Unanchored People Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/33079292

30. Hollywood Tricks Us into Thinking Crazy People are Normal 10/14/2024

30. Hollywood Tricks Us into Thinking Crazy People are Normal How can a person stay connected to reality when they have no one around them but worshippers and opportunists? Are these the right people for us to be placing on pedestals? Influences: The “Me Too” Movement, Tabloids Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/33079237

29. You Pay Too Much for Your Whistle 10/07/2024

29. You Pay Too Much for Your Whistle What things do you spend your time and attention on that are not moving you closer to where you want to be? The cost is high when we fail to properly estimate the value of things in our lives. Influences: Benjamin Franklin Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/33079167

28. Trying to Give Up Status 09/30/2024

28. Trying to Give Up Status Are we trying to convince ourselves of our own importance by pursuing status? Is it even possible to give up status? Maybe, in the end, the only status that matters is that which is associated with having lived a good life. Influences: Hair Salons, Money, Jesus Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/33079097

27. The Importance of Hello 09/23/2024

27. The Importance of Hello Simple kindness begins with a hello. We take the simplest greeting for granted, but it exists because it has value. Consider giving a stranger the gift of acknowledging their existence. Influences: Small Towns, High School, and The South Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/33079042

26. Arguing 09/16/2024

26. Arguing Arguing is a performance, not a way to bring your someone to your side. Arguing, persuading, competition, 2-Year-Olds and more. What is the key to bringing a person to your side and to finally get someone to listen to what you have been saying?? Influences: A lifetime of fighting with people and a 2-year-old Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32482952

25. What is Enough 09/09/2024

25. What is Enough How much "stuff" do we actuall need in our lives? How much of what we want comes from what we see other people wanting, and what possessions are actually making us happy? It is worth evaluating what in our life is worth keeping. Influences: Robinson Crusoe, Keeping up with the Joneses, RVs, and Funerals Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32482927

24. Holding My Daughter 09/02/2024

24. Holding My Daughter All girls are princesses, even if they live in dirty old attics! Little girls deserve to be cherished deeply by their fathers, so when it is time for another man to enter their life as an adult, they know what it feels like to be cherished by a man. Influences: The Little Princess, My Daughter, Jesus, and Fathers Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32482877

23. Wherever You Go, There You Are 08/26/2024

23. Wherever You Go, There You Are Coming to recognize the truth about ourselves is a never-ending process. Whatever we may want to believe about a situation will never overrule what is actually true about it. It is easy for us to participate in self-deceiving behavior that will ultimately cost us more than if we can just accept the truth. Influences: Buckaroo Bonzai, Windows, and American Idol Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32482752

22. Being an Observer 08/19/2024

22. Being an Observer Sometimes, we need to step outside of ourselves. Inspiration seems to prefer to find us instead of us finding inspiration. Our ability to think is an incredible gift, yet it also has the ability to keep us in endless negative loops. Learning to not think is key to learning to think better. Influences: Eckhart Tolle, Long Walks, and Nature Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32482722

21. Getting Old 08/12/2024

21. Getting Old There is no escaping time yet we allow ourselves to worry over it anyways. Mortality, youth, old age, wasted time, milestones, funerals, and ghosts! Why do we let ourselves worry so much over getting old? Influences: Flowers, My Birthday, and Athletes Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32482657

20. We Can’t Do It Alone 08/06/2024

20. We Can’t Do It Alone We need to let ourselves rely on others sometimes. Our successes in life depend on so many more people than ourselves. No one is as independent as they think. We stand on the shoulders of giants. Influences: Alone (TV Series), Vulnerability, Jordan Peterson, and Friendship Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32454372

19. Historical Context 08/06/2024

19. Historical Context The more we know about the past the easier it is to understand the present. The way we see the world is as if we were looking through a dirty window that represents the culture and time we live in. Getting to read primary source literature from a different time period is an opportunity to see the world through someone else’s window. Influences: Polybius, Windows, Textbooks, China, and Christianity Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32454357

18. We Choose Our Identity Until We Find Out Who We Are 08/06/2024

18. We Choose Our Identity Until We Find Out Who We Are Figuring out who we are is a process of trying on different versions of ourselves. We go through life trying to figure out who we are by trying on versions of ourselves. Sometimes those identities we adopt don’t end up fitting very well, so we can benefit from an openness to shed what isn’t going to get us where we want to be. Influences: Pirates of the Caribbean, High School, and The Middle East Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32454342

17. Rain Will Make the Flowers Grow 08/06/2024

17. Rain Will Make the Flowers Grow Good things are often preceded by bad things. An even greater tragedy than having bad things happen to us would be to never have bad things happen to us. If there is nothing for us to overcome in life, then arguably we are not that different from a rock. We would just exist… with no passion and no purpose. Influences: Les Misérables, Brandon Mull, The Hero’s Journey, and Gone With the Wind Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32454317

16. If Your Favorite Hero Stood in Your Shoes 08/06/2024

16. If Your Favorite Hero Stood in Your Shoes What would you do differently today if your body was inhabited by the spirit of your hero? How would we approach our life differently if Superman inhabited our body or some other hero? Are there things we would stop doing or things we would start doing? Influences: Superman, The Lord of the Rings, WWJD, Pop Music, and the Reformation Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32454287

15. People are Not Absolutes 08/06/2024

15. People are Not Absolutes Are people so simple that they can truly be summed up in one word? When we are mad at a person, it is hard to see anything other than their worst qualities, but nobody is just one set of behaviors. Being able to see a person as more than just one set of traits can set you free from the toll of hatred and naivete. Influences: Star Wars, College, and Shrek Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32454162

14. A Lesson I Learned from Filipinos 08/06/2024

14. A Lesson I Learned from Filipinos A lesson about giving. The things in our lives are less important than we may think. Learning to give things up for the sake of others is a path to a higher level of joy. If we can learn to be happy without the stuff in our life, we have freed ourselves from chains we didn’t even know were there. Influences: The Philippines, MP3 Players, Little Children and Video Games Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32454152

13. How Not Why 08/06/2024

13. How Not Why What questions will get us more bang for our buck when we are frustrated? When we struggle with a problem, sometimes we need to ask better questions. Often, why questions are asked more as a futile petition to the universe than a sincere attempt to seek further knowledge. How questions help us to stay in a more technical mindset that sets our mind up to seek answers that may actually benefit us. Influences: The Why Game, Telepathy, Words Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32454117

12. The Heart and the Head Should be Friends 08/06/2024

12. The Heart and the Head Should be Friends How can we manage our internal conflicts? There seem to be two forces inside of us, one emotional and the other logical. What do we do when our emotions tell us one thing and our logical mind tells us another, and how can we reconcile the two? Influences: Lawsuits, My Daughter, and Children Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32454092

11. Love Your Past Self 08/06/2024

11. Love Your Past Self Do you hate the version of you that did things you're embarrased by? Most of us will not tolerate it when someone else is berating us, yet we give the inner critic in our own minds a free pass. It is hard to move past mistakes when we will not forgive ourselves and move on from it. Influences: Childhood Photographs, The Inner Critic, and My Son Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32454077

10. What Would I Want to Hear if I was a Soldier Fighting for a Lost Cause? 08/06/2024

10. What Would I Want to Hear if I was a Soldier Fighting for a Lost Cause? What would it take for you to willingly fight in a battle you expected to die in? If you were a soldier being told to fight a battle you knew you would lose, what would you have to hear in order to have a willingness to walk to your death anyways. Influences: Napoleon, Veterans, Russia, Dragons, and Spartans Website: Email: /episode/index/show/c9fb1a96-060f-4205-a66f-93d80531563c/id/32453992

Skipping Stones with Seth Roberts

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