Keith McArthur's Blog, page 13

Luminita D. Saviuc: Give These Things Up To Be Happy

Luminita D. Saviuc talks about the 15 things we need to give up to be happy in episode 4 of the My Instruction Manual Podcast. I also chat with Joelle Anderson, our regular mindfulness contributor and talk about one magical day I spent at the ballpark with my special needs son Bryson.

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Episode 4 Show Notes

We often think about happiness as something that will happen when we reach a goal. But what if happiness isn’t about things we achieve but things we need to give up? I talk to Luminita D. Saviuc about 15 things we should give up to be happy. I also chat with Joelle Anderson, our regular mindfulness contributor and talk about one magical day I spent at the ballpark with my special needs son Bryson.

[00:00] Welcome and Intro
[00:59] Featured Interview with Luminita D. Saviuc

Luminita D. Saviuc is creator of PurposeFairy.com and author of 15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy: An Inspiring Guide to Discovering Effortless Joy. The book was based on her blog post 15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy. Here’s my review of the book.

When she was 10 years old, her father literally set her on fire [2:05]
What is happiness? The true essence of who we are. [6:21]
Luminita talks about some of the things we need to give up to be happy including the past and fear [6:55]
Here’s the whole list:

Give up the past
Give up your fears
Give up your limiting beliefs
Give up your excuses
Give up your resistance to change
Give up blaming
Give up complaining
Give up the luxury of criticism
Give up living your life according to other people’s expectations
Give up your self defeating self-talk
Give up control
Give up the need to always be right
Give up the need to impress others
Give up labels
Give up attachment

What’s wrong with complaining? [10:12]
What it was like to suddenly have a post go viral [10:46]
Luminita talks about going through her own personal dark night of the soul after gaining fame [12:10]

[15:05] Luminita D. Saviuc’s Instruction Manual

1. What are the habits you maintain every day to stay happy and healthy?

Start day with prayer
Write in journal
Workout
Meditate

2. What personal development book do you recommend for listeners?

Power vs Force by David R. Hawkins. “You will learn so much and it will change you forever.”

3. Favorite inspiration quote

“I am worthy. I am enough.”

4. What’s your one guilty pleasure?

Travel. “I love to see beauty, capture it and get high on it.”

5. None of us live for ever. When your time comes, how do you want to be remembered?

Through the love that i had for myself, for humanity, and for the whole world

Where can people connect with Luminita? [20:40]

Blog: purposefairy.com
Facebook: /purposefairy
Instragram: /purposefairy
Email: contact@purposefairy.com

[21:33] Chat with regular mindfulness contributor Joelle Anderson

Where to find Joelle:

Kernelofwisdom.com
YouTube.com/KernelofWisdom1

[27:10] Baseball and belonging

This story was based on a blog post I first published in 2015 and updated recently on My instruction Manual. See the post here.

Music is used by permission of the composer Julie Maxwell. She also provides a more limited license under Creative Commons.

Title: “Mars Landscape: Sun Set”
Author “Julie Maxwell”
Source: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Julie_Maxwells_Piano_Music/
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/
Website: http://www.juliemaxwell.com
Bandcamp: https://juliemaxwellspianomusic.bandcamp.com/

[31:42] Closing Words

Feedback & Connect

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Email: keith@myinstructionmanual.com
Keith on Twitter: @KeithMcArthur
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Published on November 06, 2017 04:05

The Big Secret to Happiness with Dr. Robert Puff

Dr. Robert Puff lets me in on the big secret to happiness in episode 3 of the My Instruction Manual Podcast. I also chat with Sarah Warsi about when to give up on our dreams and get to know our nutrition contributor Michelle Jaelin.

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Episode 3 Show Notes
[0:00] Welcome and introduction
[0:52] Featured interview with Robert Puff

Robert Puff is a clinical psychologist and creator of Happiness Podcast, the world’s most popular health podcast. He is author of 17 books including Finding our Happiness Flow.

Describes himself as an honest seeker. [1:45]
When he was just 14 years old, Robert Puff left his Iowa home with $70, a wind jacket and a Bible, to go on a journey of self-discovery. [3:03]
We all have a set point for happiness [5:53]
Robert Puff on meditation, which he says is the “number one thing we can do to improve our lives.” [12:08]
Robert Puff on the big secret to Happiness [15:37]

[17:06] Robert Puff’s instruction manual.

1. What are the good habits you follow every day to make sure you stay happy and healthy?

“I meditate, I do yoga and exercise, I eat well and I stay in the present moment.”

2. What personal development book would you recommend for our listeners?

The Way to Love: The Last Meditations of Anthony de Mello. “It really touches on all the things about what makes life work at a very deep level but in very simple terms.”

3. What’s your favorite personal mantra or inspirational quote?

“All is well”

4. What’s your one guilty pleasure?

Chocolate. “That is my nemesis”

5. Nobody lives forever. When your time comes, how do you want to be remembered?

As someone who loved well. Loved self, family and everyone.

[21:05] Where can people find you?

Happinesspodcast.org

[22:16] Interview with Sarah Warsi: When Should We Give Up On Our Dreams?

I chat with Sarah about her recent blog post: Reflect, Reminisce But Don’t Regret, in which she writes:

I always find myself wondering, what if? What if I had made a different choice back then? What if I had been more assertive and tried harder to make a career in broadcast tv? What if I had been less afraid to really go for something I had felt pretty strongly about at the time?

Find more of Sarah:

SarahWarsi.com
Twitter: @sarah_warsi
Facebook: /SarahWarsiBlogger
LinkedIn: /SarahWarsi5

[29:45] Regular Nutrition Contributor Michelle Jaelin

I get to know Michelle, who will be our regular contributor on nutrition. Michelle has degrees in both fine arts and nutrition, so I’m curious to find out how she bridges the two in her work.

Find more of Michelle [34:30]

Twitter: @nutritionartist
Instagram: /nutritionartist
Facebook: /nutritionartistRD

[34:56] Closing words
Feedback & Connect

Subscribe to My Instruction Manual on Apple Podcasts or on Android
Email: keith@myinstructionmanual.com
Keith on Twitter: @KeithMcArthur
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Published on October 30, 2017 10:12

Change Your Life Through Love with Kurek Ashley

When five of your friends die in an accident that nearly kills you too, you could respond by destroying your own life or making it better. Kurek Ashley did both. The author of How Would Love Respond speaks with host Keith McArthur in episode 2 of the My Instruction Manual podcast.

Please subscribe and listen and let me know what you think!

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Episode 2 Show Notes

Kurek Ashley has been homeless; he’s been suicidal; he’s been a cocaine addict. He’s also been a Hollywood actor. And for nearly three decades, he’s coached athletes, actors and CEOs, helping thousands of people to improve their lives. Kurek is the author of How Would Love Respond? Imagine if You Were Given a Gift So Powerful that You Knew You Had to Share it With the World. He speaks with host Keith McArthur in episode 2. We also meet fitness contributor Kathleen Trotter.

[0:00] Welcome and intro
[0:50] Featured interview with Ashley Kurek
[24:08] Kurek Ashley’s Instruction Manual

1. What are the habits you maintain to stay happy and healthy?

2. What personal development book do you recommend for listeners?

3. Favorite inspiration quote?

The Winners Creed by Napoleon Hill and Kurek Ashley:

I know that I have the ability to achieve my definite purpose in life; therefore, I demand of myself persistent, continuous action towards its attainment, and I here and promise to render such action. I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built upon truth and justice; therefore, I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it effects. I am succeeding by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use and the cooperation of other people. I induce others to serve me because of my willingness to serve others. I eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, Selfishness, cynicism anger and fear by having true love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude towards can never bring me success. I cause others to believe in me, because I believe in them and in myself. This is my creed, my quest. To never stop striving for the top, to always keep moving forward, to always be the very best I can be. I am the power. I am the magic. I can not be stopped. I am a winner. I promise to always be true to myself, because I am the creator and master of my universe, and am responsible for making a positive difference in the world and to the quality of life in it. I live in constant and never-ending improvement.

4. What’s your one guilty pleasure?

Organic coffee

5. None of us live for ever. When your time comes, how do you want to be remembered?

Where can people connect Kurek? [30:42]

KurekAshley.com with free 10-day program “Get Out of Your Bad Mood”

[32:01] Chat with regular fitness contributor Kathleen Trotter

Where to find Kathleen [35:18]

KatheenTrotter.com
Instagram: KathleenTrotterFitness
Twitter: KTrotterFitness
Facebook: KathleenTrotter

[38:40] Closing words
Feedback & Connect

Subscribe to My Instruction Manual on Apple Podcasts or on Android
Email: keith@myinstructionmanual.com
Keith on Twitter: @KeithMcArthur
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Published on October 30, 2017 08:21

Pivot Your Life and Career with Jenny Blake

The first episode of the My Instruction Manual podcast is live! It features an interview with Jenny Blake, author of Pivot: The Only Move that Matters is Your Next One. Please subscribe, listen and let me know what you think!

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Episode 1 Show Notes

People are changing jobs every four or five years. Jenny Blake, the author of Pivot, joins the first episode of My Instruction Manual to talk about navigating a career change. Jenny also shares a ton of wisdom and inspiration for living a better life. I also get to know Joelle Anderson, our regular contributor on mindfulness. And I share a personal story about the recent death of my 24-year-old cousin Alex, and what we can all learn from his life and death.

[0:00] Welcome and intro
[1:21] Featured interview with Jenny Blake

Jenny Blake is author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters is Your Next One and host of the Pivot Podcast.

What is a Pivot? [3:12]
How important is career happiness? [12:54]
Why it’s most important to look after ourselves when we feel like we don’t have time for self-care. [16:39]
Why some people have trouble asking for help. [18:03]
The first steps to get started on a career Pivot. [22:01]

[23:14] Jenny Blake’s Instruction Manual

1. What are the habits you maintain to stay happy and healthy?

Get enough sleep.
Read 1-2 hours each morning.
Meditating each morning.
Exercise at the end of the day.
Try not to check email first thing or after the work day ends.

2. What personal development book do you recommend for listeners?

Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck “a close cousin and inspiration to Pivot”
Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav “inspired Oprah back in 1987”
Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver “I love the book”
Loving What Is by Byron Katie “a true game-changer for flipping stressful thoughts around.”

3. Favorite inspiration quote:

“What you can plan is too small for you to live.” — David Whyte

4. What’s your one guilty pleasure?

“Right now I’m a sugar binge again which I know is not good.”

5. None of us live for ever. When your time comes, how do you want to be remembered?

“Kind. Warm. Giving. For people to just think warmly of me and that I really inspired them in some way or helped them or was generous with them in mind and spirit.”

Where can people connect Jenny? [27:16]

Pivotmethod.com Pivotmethod.com/toolkit – free tools and templates
Pivotmethod.com/coaching – team of Pivot coaches
Pivotmethod.com/momentum – private community full of side-hustlers and solopreneurs
Pivotmethod.com/podcast

[28:28] Keith on what people can expect from the podcast

Launching with 3 episodes. New podcast every Monday morning
Podcast themes: Happiness, Health, How to be Better Organized, more productive, have better relationships, how to identify and achieve dreams
I’d love your feedback and would love to include on Podcast. Please e-mail me at keith@myinstructionmanual.com or on Twitter
Listen to the very end of podcast to find out how to get a free copy of one of my books from FanReads

[29:42 ] Chat with regular mindfulness contributor Joelle Anderson

What is mindfulness? [30:09]

Paraphrasing Jon Kabat-Zin: “Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment, moment to moment, on purpose and non-judgmentally.”

Mindfulness meditation can re-wire our brains [32:28]
Where to find Joelle [35:18]

Kernelofwisdom.com
YouTube.com/KernelofWisdom1

[35:52] My Promise to Alex

See the original blog post here.
Quote from Jaylene’s speech:

I want everyone to make a promise to Alex today. One you must keep. In all you do, be grateful, confident and happy. Never let anything hold you back from being who you are. Embrace every minute and every day. And most importantly, love hard and be there for each other.

Music is used by permission of the composer Julie Maxwell. She also provides a more limited license under Creative Commons.

Title “Wasteland Dusting“
Author “Julie Maxwell”
Source: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Julie_Maxwells_Piano_Music/
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/
Website: http://www.juliemaxwell.com
bandcamp: https://juliemaxwellspianomusic.bandcamp.com/

[39:02] Closing words
Feedback & Connect

Subscribe to My Instruction Manual on Apple Podcasts or on Android
Email: keith@myinstructionmanual.com
Keith on Twitter: @KeithMcArthur
Join our Facebook page

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Published on October 30, 2017 06:45

My Instruction Manual Podcast Preview

It’s official! My podcast premieres Monday, October 30. You can listen to the My Instruction Manual Podcast Preview now by signing up for the feed in Apple Podcasts or Stitcher and lots of other great podcast providers!

I’ve also included the audio here:

I’m launching Monday with three full episodes crammed with stories, ideas, and conversations with some of the biggest names in personal development and self improvement.

We’ll be hearing from regular contributors: Michelle Jaelin on nutrition, Joelle Anderson on mindfulness and Kathleen Trotter on fitness.

I’ll also be sharing some of the great interviews I’ve been recording. Over the next few weeks, I’ll present my conversations with:

Jenny Blake, author of Pivot: The Only Move that Matters Is Your Next One and host of the Pivot Podcast.
Luminita D. Saviuc, creator of one of the most viral self help posts of all time and author of 15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy: An Inspiring Guide to Discovering Effortless Joy .
Robert Puff (AKA Dr. Puff), the host of the world’s number one health podcast.
Kurek Ashley, author of How Would Love Respond? Imagine of You Were Given a Gift So Powerful That You Knew You Had to Share It With the World .
Dr. Greg Wells, author of The Ripple Effect: Sleep Better, Eat Better, Move Better, Think Better and host of The Be Better Podcast.
And many more!

Be sure to subscribe now so the episodes land in your podcast player as soon as they’re live! I’ve included links to subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. You can also scroll down and listen to the preview episode now!

I would love to hear what you think!

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Published on October 25, 2017 05:40

The Transformational Power of Traumatic Events

I’m fascinated at how tragedy can be positive force for change, how traumatic events can lead people to live their lives to the fullest.

Over the past few years, I’ve experienced multiple traumatic events.

First, my second son was born with a rare genetic condition which makes it hard for him to walk and talk. As a parent, this was devastating.

A few years later, I lost my dad to cancer.

And then a year ago, I learned that my kidneys were failing. But I got a second chance at life when my little sister donated one of her kidneys to me.

This generous gift made me want to live my life to the fullest. And now I want to help others live better lives too.

The good news is you don’t need to wait for a life-changing event to change your life. You can learn from what others have gone through.

I’m reading two books now which tell stories of people who decided to make it their life’s work to help others after going through traumatic events.

On Fire by John O’Leary

John O’Leary was just nine-years old when he accidentally exploded a gas canister that resulted in second degree burns on nearly every inch of his body. Doctors thought it would be impossible for him to survive, but somehow he did.

In his book On Fire, O’Leary recounts this story and talks about how this incident shaped the rest of his life. As an adult, he spends his days helping others change their lives through public speaking.

How Would Love Respond by Kurek Ashley

In How Would Love Respond, former Hollywood actor Kurek Ashley writes about working as a stuntman for the movie Delta Force 2. He got $400 in danger pay each time he went up in a helicopter while filming in the Philippines.

He made dozens of trips in the chopper over a few weeks of filming. Then one time he was told to stay on the ground because he wasn’t needed in the shot. The helicopter went up without him, and then crashed into a valley, killing five colleagues including one of his best friends.

The trauma made him a suicidal cocaine addict, but he came out the other side stronger. Now he works in Australia leading sessions to help other people to change their lives for the better.

I chatted with Kurek last night for an interview for the soon-to-be-launched My Instruction Manual podcast. He’s a great storyteller and you won’t want to miss our chat.

The first episodes of the podcast are going live in the next few days.

Please sign up for my mailing list to be the first to know when the show goes live and to get some behind-the-scenes info about the podcast and other things I’m working on. As a thank you, for signing up, I’ll also send you my Ten-Step Happiness Checklist.

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Published on October 23, 2017 07:20

10 Amazing Quotes About Planning

Today, I share 10 of my favorite quotes about planning.

The older I get, the more I understand that success is a delicate balance between taking time to plan and just moving forward and getting shit done. Spend too much time planning and you’ll never reach your goals. But if you jump in without taking time to plan and you’re just as likely to fail.

So here are some of my favorite quotes about planning and the link between making plans and success.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” — Benjamin Franklin

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” — Abraham Lincoln

Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” — Gloria Steinem

“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” — Yogi Berra

“In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike.” Alexander Hamilton.

“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” — Alan Saunders

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The more time you spend contemplating what you should have done… you lose time valuable time planning what you can and will do.” — Lil Wayne

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes, but no plans.” — Peter F. Drucker

Which are your favorite quotes about planning? Do you have any favorite quotes about making plans that I missed? Scroll down and leave them in the comments below.

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Published on October 14, 2017 05:10

Today, I’m Grateful for Food

It’s my six-month kidneyversary and today I’m grateful for food.

On April 11, 2017, my little sister gave me a second chance at life when she donated one of her kidneys to me. So on the eleventh of each month, I remember to be grateful for everything I have. Today I’m especially grateful for food.

This past weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada. It’s similar to the American holiday, without all the trappings of colonialism.

We Canadians did, however, borrow the traditional American meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

I’m not a big fan of pumpkin pie, but I do love me some mashed potatoes and gravy.

Last year, I couldn’t eat any. I had stage-four kidney disease and my kidneys could no longer remove toxins from my body. I was overdosing on nutrients that are usually good for you, and had to avoid foods with potassium.

The list of restricted foods was a who’s who of foods that are supposed to be good for you, including avocados, whole grains, legumes and spinach. And it turned out that potato, in all its glorious forms — friend, baked and mashed — was about the worst thing I could have.

So when I gorged on mashed potatoes and gravy this Thanksgiving, I was especially grateful for this healthy new kidney that gets the toxins out of my blood.

Food is something worth being grateful for.

My friend Miranda says she tried writing a gratitude journal but found she was mostly grateful for food. One day, the only item on her list was shawarma.

The World Health Organization reported last month that after declining for over a decade, hunger is on the rise again, driven by war and climate change. More than 10 per cent of the world’s population — a whopping 815-million people — are malnourished or starving. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly the population of the entire European Union plus the United States.

So today I’m grateful for food.

I’m grateful that I was born in a country of privilege, where I’ve never had to feel hungry.

I’m grateful that I can choose fresh healthy, foods.

And I’m grateful that once in a while, I can choose mashed potatoes and gravy.

What about you? What are you grateful for today?

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Published on October 11, 2017 06:44

Today, I’m grateful for food