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Reader Challenge #2: Rake Your Leaves



It's that time of year again. If you're like me, the trees in your yard have gone past that pretty orange stage and leaves have fallen on the ground. Time to pull out your rake!

So, this challenge might seem pretty obvious, but there's a little more to it. Obviously, you're getting your yard clean. (And if you're married like me, a happy wife = a happy life!) If you don't have a yard with mature trees, I'm sure you have a relative or friend that has a yard that needs raked, and I'm sure they'd appreciate you raking it for them!

There's a two-fold reason I suggest this challenge to you all.

First, it's a tangible thing you can step back and appreciate when it's done. A lot of us work jobs with seemingly intangible things, and it's rare that we get to step back and appreciate the fruits of our labor. With raking your yard, you can literally take a before and after picture, and there's just something satisfying about seeing the results of that work.

Second, it's a mundane task that quiets the mind, in a sense. If your yard is like mine, it'll take you several hours finish the entire thing. This is the perfect time to put on some sort of educational podcast. I encourage podcasting all the time, but the reality is that most of the time, we're not all that attentive because we're busy doing other things. Multitasking and podcasting don't go all that well hand-in-hand unless you're doing a mundane task like running or mowing the lawn.

But hey, you can run any time, and we're past that "mowing the lawn" season. Let's pull out that rake!

Anyway, if you're new to podcasting and don't know what to pick, allow me to give you some very specific podcast episodes you might want to check out. Even though I'm an avid listener in general of other podcasts like The Adam Carolla Show, I purposefully chose several that you'll stand to learn something from by the end of it. (You should be able to search for each episode using these exact words in any native podcast app, including Apple's own default Podcast app.)

1. You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes - Rob Bell: Ah, the podcast that got me into podcasting. I've shared in a previous post that while I don't agree with a good chunk of Rob Bell's theology, I appreciate that he is willing to open a dialogue about the hard questions the main church as a whole doesn't want to answer. This is an excellent conversation between Bell and Pete Holmes, who is a comedian but interestingly enough has a history with the church. I found it refreshing and had me interested in podcasting ever since!

2. You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes - Adam Carolla: Where the episode with Rob Bell introduced me to podcasting as a whole, this episode (re)introduced me to none other than the Ace Man himself, Adam Carolla. It's a light hearted, hilarious conversation that gives Carolla's background and serves as an excellent introduction to who he is.

(Side note: Ironically, I don't listen to anything else with Pete Holmes, ever. I just couldn't get into any other episode aside from these two listed here.)

3. The Tim Ferriss Show - #138: How Seth Godin Manages His Life -- Rules Principles, and Obsessions: It's no secret: I love Seth Godin. His books are great, his blogs are great, and his interviews are always great. This podcast episode with Tim Ferriss is no exception. Godin provides great insights in this episode, and you'll find this two hour episode flies by quickly.

4. The Tim Ferriss Show - #112: The Nasty Icon of Retail, Sophia Amoruso: As you're aware, I recently wrote a review about Sophia's book, #GIRLBOSS, and loved it. This podcast episode complements that book quite well. Sophia is real and authentic, and that authenticity carries through in this podcast. It's a great listen and definitely worth my recommendation to you all.

5. The Tim Ferriss Show - #166: How Creatives Should Negotiate: This is an interesting episode of The Tim Ferriss Show in the fact that it strays from the main episodes from having any involvement with Ferriss himself. Instead, this podcast episode is focused on none other than the great Ramit Sethi, founder of "I Will Teach You To Be Rich". While the podcast is entitled "How Creatives Should Negotiate", Sethi himself suggests it should rather be called "How to Negotiate like an Indian." I find that hilarious because, as a person who regularly works with Indian folks, his description is spot on. And that is not an insult at all! I wish I could be as brash as some of my Indian friends. Anyway, I love Ramit and am happy to recommend this podcast to anybody.

 I hope you find these recommendations helpful. At the point when you finish raking and podcasting, I assure you you'll have a sense of accomplishment
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