Kourosh Dini's Blog, page 4

Achieving your Goals – A Podcast Discussion with Carl Pullein

It’s about that time of year where New Year’s Resolutions tend to fizzle out. Carl inviting me on to discuss the nature of our goals and how we can starting guiding them into a reality. As is the nature of our discussions, we wander into some pretty territory such as quitting smoking, parallels to music, and more.

Check out ​the Your Time, Your Way podcast episode here​ .

This is the third in a trilogy of discussions. Check out episodes ​one​ and ​two​ here.

Thank you Carl for having me on again!...

Strength in Work and Play

I see my adversary.

Others have failed. I have been called.

Tightly wound, intricate, enmeshed crystalline structures create a wedge.

I am determined.

But, can I break through? Is this an impossible task?

How much can I leverage of myself? My core being?

Who will I be if I cannot succeed?

Would I even be of use? To my wife? My kids? Myself?

But if I can?

Then tonight, we dine on pickles with our sandwiches…

Something as simple as opening a jar can make us question our strength, not just phy...

How about less focus?

I need to do this. But what about that? Oops, almost forgot the other thing.

Echoing throughout the Internet, ironically embedded in one distraction after the next, I hear the recommendation:

“Focus!”

In business, “niche down”. In mastery, “sacrifice.” In writing, “choose a topic.”

Remove this

Remove that

Work the muscle

Trim the fat

It seems obvious. Focus invests attention for growth.

Yes, if you want to become a doctor, you need to pay great time and attention to large amounts of information ...

Vitamin Nothing

Eyes closed, thoughts wander by, an idea connects…

Whether returning from vacation, waking from a nap, or riding a single deep breath’s trailing exhale — energy flows, tensions release tensions, and ideas form from what seemed to be nothing.

Doing nothing can of course be a good thing. While it may even be a trope by now, I wonder, what is nothing?

There are practical parallels to nothing.

A closet, for example, when overfilled makes getting to things difficult. What we can get to is either wrin...

Harmony in Chaos – A Lesson from the Violent Femmes

“I need structure!”

 

“I need freedom!”

 

“I need a completely elusive, yet perfect blend of both!”

The Musical Metaphor: Lessons from the Violent Femmes

Driving the streets of Chicago, enjoying the city lights, the radio sounds off with an amazing live rendition of the Violent Femmes’ *Add it Up!*.

I’ve been a huge fan of theirs since high school, so what could I do but turn it up?

As with so many of their tunes, I could sing along years after hearing it last without forgetting a single word. ...

Performance, a Podcast, and Neurodivergence

Ah, the performance.

That most strenuous and binding of work types, in which we stand in front of an audience. Not solely the realm of sing, dance, and play, we may just as well speak in somber tones, serious, clear, and hopefully steadfast in our convictions of the world and ourselves.

And then we record it.

C’est le podcast.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Neff from @divergentconversations, on their podcast, Divergent Conversations.

Listen to the podca...

Neurodivergent Conversations – a Podcast Discussion

I had the chance to sit down with Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Neff from @divergentconversations, on their podcast, Divergent Conversations, where they highlight the raw, authentic, lived experiences of the neurodivergent community, amplify the voices of neurodivergent advocates and individuals, and offer clinical guidance and support.

Listen to the Episode here or here on Apple Podcast

For ADHDers who feel overwhelmed by the challenges of maintaining focus and managing anxiety around a flood of...

The Tension of the Incomplete

“I’m in the flow. I can’t leave now…”

At work, at play, …

… at any time other than when something is complete, it is incomplete.

Obvious.

But, what is not obvious are its tensions.

The Pull of the Incomplete

The incomplete pulls every moment, a wave we ride as we reflect on current experience, sense some direction, and sail forward.

We can study the tension, such as with what has been termed the “Zeigarnik Effect“, essentially referring to open tasks occupying our short-term memory until done.

E...

When Forcing Focus Fails: Embracing the Wandering Mind

*Plunking away at the piano keys, nothing seems to come about. The music is awful. The piece goes nowhere.*

“What if I just stink?”

Sometimes, showing up is the hardest part. Other times, though, when we’ve “successfully” arrived at our work, nothing seems to happen.

Worry, boredom, and exhaustion build as every body part finds a way to bounce, twitch, and fidget. The desire is there, but actions don’t seem to follow.

All that seems left is the fight to keep ourselves in place until… something h...

A Powerful Fantasy – [A Weekly Wind Down Newsletter]

I once heard that buying a book was a purchase of two things:

The book itselfThe fantasy of having time to read it

Knowing this should be enough to alter behavior, right?

Nope. My library grows.

The world of productivity can be a delusional one. We hold on to the hope that we can do everything while ignoring the clear indications that we cannot.

Adding things to inboxes, creating absurdly long lists, storing notes in infinite digital storage, and more all ignore time and working memory.

Time ...