Welcome to "A Million Ways to Live," where each episode plunges you into a different approach to living a good life. Whether conventional or quirky, we're exploring them all—a million ways and counting!
Ever weighed the pros and cons between the get-rich-or-die-trying approach and off-the-grid living?
Have you considered becoming a practicing Stoic but found you can't ignore all the fun Hedonists are having?
Do you want to learn how to minimize regrets like Jeff Bezos, or go full YOLO — just for kicks?
We're exploring all of that – the conventional, the unique, and the downright weird.
From the American Dream to communal living, Eastern Philosophies to Western ones, modern gurus to ancient wisdom, and from married bliss to the single life, we're venturing deep into the the wild and lush variety in the forest of lifestyles.
Join the journey, embrace the exploration, and discover the paths less traveled.
There's a way for everyone; find yours here at "A Million Ways to Live." Or don't. After all, winging it has been a life strategy since the dawn of humanity. Who are we to judge?
The Deferred Life, Part 2: Deferred Happiness Syndrome
Deferred happiness is the idea that you can't be happy until you reach some goal or hit some milestone in your life.
It's common to see people defer happiness until they make more money, find a romantic partner, finish school, move to a new city, or a million other scenarios.
Today we talk about this idea often called Deferred Happiness Syndrome. We talk about why humans are prone to it, what type of people are MOST prone to it, and how to break the cycle of deferring happiness with some very practical strategies and techniques.
This is our second episode in a series called "The Deferred Life"
The first one covered the idea of deferring life until retirement to work in a job that makes you unhappy.
Here's a link to that episode:
The Deferred Life, part 1, Retirement
(https://www.buzzsprout.com/2233933/14927067-the-deferred-life-part-1-retirement)
Other Resources mentioned in this episode:
Happiful Article on Clive Gordon: https://happiful.com/could-you-be-experiencing-deferred-happiness-syndrome (https://happiful.com/could-you-be-experiencing-deferred-happiness-syndrome)
A Million Ways to Live was produced By Chris Egan
For more information, please visit AMWTL.com
22 Apr 2024
The Deferred Life, Part 1: Retirement
Deferring happiness until retirement ...
It is commonplace today for people to work their entire lives in jobs they hate, saving for a someday-retirement that may never come. People have come to accepted this way of deferring life — or deferring happiness — to be normal and even mandatory.
Entrepreneurship, FIRE (Financial independence Retire Early), minimalism, and many other movements that go against the traditional path have grown more popular as people seem to realize that the default “Work-save-retire” path may not be the best one for them. YOLO
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Playing With Fire (Link to documentary (https://www.playingwithfire.co/the-documentary))
The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd (Link to Book) (https://pathlesspath.com/)
A Million Ways to Live was produced By Chris Egan
For more information, please visit AMWTL.com
12 Oct 2023
Don't Die: Bryan Johnson's Quest to Live Forever
Is trying to live forever a good way to live your life?
That's the question we try to tackle today, but we take an indirect approach by looking at longevity through the lens of Bryan Johnson's Blueprint project.
Bryan Johnson is the founder of multiple companies including one that he sold to PayPal for $800million.
Today he focuses much of his time on his Blueprint project where he takes what many would consider an extreme approach to longevity — spending $2million per year on a team of doctors, testing, procedures, and countless measurements — acting as a human guinea pig in an effort to reduce his speed of aging, and ultimately, not die.
Do you want to live forever?
Could you live like Bryan Johnsons?
Listen in as we ask ourselves these very questions.
Bryan Johnson's Blueprint Protocol
(https://protocol.bryanjohnson.co/)
Listen to our last episode on Minimalism: a life philosophy or just an approach to decluttering (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2233933/13668769-minimalism-a-life-philosophy-or-just-an-approach-to-decluttering).
A Million Ways to Live was produced By Chris Egan
For more information, please visit AMWTL.com
27 Sept 2023
Minimalism: A Life Philosophy or Just an Approach to Decluttering?
This week we dive into minimalism.
We discuss some different definitions of minimalism, rules that aim to make becoming a minimalist easier, and some of the pitfalls people fall into.
The big question we end up tackling is: Can minimalism be a life philosophy or is it just good for decluttering?
Some of the resources we used for research or talk about in this episode include:
The Minimalists (https://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/) article: What is Minimalism
The Minimalists Podcast (https://www.theminimalists.com/podcast/)
Minimal-ish (https://www.desiraeendres.com/minimalish) Podcast
Clutterbug Podcast (https://clutterbug.me/podcast)
All the Hacks Podcast (https://www.allthehacks.com/)
Joshua Becker article (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/apply-minimalism/): 15 Places(Other than Posessions) to Apply Minimalist Principles
Marie Kondo (https://konmari.com/)
The Dark Side of Minimalism: "Decluttering Ruined My Life" (https://youtu.be/y3tqdVnJPrQ?si=70I1052S75tFQ2vL)
Thanks for listening. We appreciate it!
Please leave us a review and let us know how you enjoyed the show.
A Million Ways to Live was produced By Chris Egan
For more information, please visit AMWTL.com
20 Sept 2023
A Guide to the Good Life: How to be a Stoic
Today on AMWTL, we discuss the book A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine.
The book is written as a practical guide for anyone who wants to becoming a practicing Stoic and we use it as a lens through which we look at Stoicism and assess it's worthiness as a guiding philosophy of life ... because we're totally qualified to make that call.
We also talk a little about the history of Stoicism, its origin in Greece and the decline of the philosophy after the death of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor who is often considered the last charismatic practitioner of Stoicism.
And so much more!
Listen in and let us know if you think Stoicism is a good way to live ... or not.
A Million Ways to Live was produced By Chris Egan
For more information, please visit AMWTL.com
12 Sept 2023
The American Dream: Alive, Dead, or Just Taking a Nap?
This week, we're navigating the twists and turns of the American Dream. Is it still the gold standard for success or just a nostalgic notion from the past?
We'll discuss a little history, some real challenges, genuine success stories, and everything in between.
A Million Ways to Live is a show that explores the endless different approaches to living a good life.
In this episode we mention James Truslow Adams' book The Epic of America. Find out more about him HERE (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Truslow_Adams)
We discuss the World Economic Forum's 2020 Social Mobility Report which can be found HERE (https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-social-mobility-index-2020-why-economies-benefit-from-fixing-inequality/).
We mention George Carlin's famous American Dream bit. Find out more about Carlin HERE (https://georgecarlin.com/)
We also mention Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu (https://impacttheory.com/episodes/), a great podcast.
Please take a minute to review this podcast and let us know what you think.
Thanks for listening.
A Million Ways to Live was produced By Chris Egan
For more information, please visit AMWTL.com
4 Sept 2023
Get a Guru: Jim Carrey and the Quest for the Cosmic Chuckle
"Get a Guru" is a recurring themed episode on the A Million Ways to Live podcast.
On today's show, we dive deep into the fascinating world of Jim Carrey, a comedic genius whose journey has been anything but superficial.
From his early days, Carrey's willingness to experiment with philosophical and spiritual ideas set him apart. But did you ever notice the profound philosophical themes subtly woven into many of his blockbuster hits?
From 'The Truman Show' to 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', Carrey's roles often grapple with questions of identity, reality, and the human experience. And it doesn't stop at the silver screen.
Today, Carrey is vocal about his own spiritual and philosophical beliefs, offering insights that might just make you chuckle and ponder in equal measure.
Join us as we explore the unexpected depths of this comedic icon, revealing the man behind the laughter and his quest for the cosmic chuckle.
A Million Ways to Live was produced By Chris Egan
For more information, please visit AMWTL.com
4 Sept 2023
Choose Your Own Adventure: Nihilism as Life's Ultimate Freedom
Today we're talking about Nihilism as one way to live.
Ever feel like life's rulebook is a cosmic joke that nobody let you in on? Welcome to the club. In this episode, we're diving headfirst into the void and guess what? It's liberating.
We're talking nihilism, the philosophy that dares to ask, 'What if nothing really matters and that's actually awesome?'
Forget destiny, toss out that moral compass, and let's get real about the freedom of a life without cosmic strings attached. Whether you're deep into existentialist ideas or just dipping your toes into the abyss, this episode, a beginners perspective on the ultimate philosophical freedom ride, will prove to be useful.
Tune in and find out why sometimes, nothing really is something.
A Million Ways to Live was produced By Chris Egan
For more information, please visit AMWTL.com
3 Sept 2023
Discussing "How to Live" the unusual book by Derek Sivers
How to Live: 27 Conflicting Answers and One Weird Conclusion is a book by Derek Sivers, a writer, musician, founder of CD Baby, and former circus performer.
In this inaugural AMWTL episode, we discuss Derek's book, how it is an homage to the book "Sum: Forty Tails from the Afterlives" by David Eagleman, how its impractical advice can still be useful, and how this show is at least somewhat inspired by Derek's book... so meta.
A Million Ways to Live was produced By Chris Egan
For more information, please visit AMWTL.com
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