You are living through exciting and strange times. There are so many technological advances with AI, space travel, NFTs, and a rapidly changing culture with social media, it’s near impossible to just turn ‘off’. Let’s admit it, FOMO is real and it keeps a lot of people connected when they’re not even sure why they’re connected. When was the last time you unplugged and took on a challenge you weren’t sure you’d complete? How long has it been since you’ve sat with yourself in total silence or allowed yourself to just be bored out of your mind? Author and journalist, Michael Easter, joins me today to discuss his journey and share the lessons and insights he’s gained from spending a month in the Arctic surviving. Hunting his own food, carrying heavy loads, and sitting with absolute boredom are just part of his story. As you listen to his story, it is my hope you will consider ways you step out of your comfort zone. There is something very freeing about being able to shake things up and break your routines and habits to improve the quality of your life in unconventional ways. This episode is about facing discomfort and finding new ways to challenge yourself for the better.

Order Michael Easter’s new book, The Comfort Crisis - https://amzn.to/3ihebjB

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 | Introduction to Michael Easter
1:05 | The Comfort Crisis Explained
3:02 | Journey to the Arctic
5:03 | Recovering from Alcohol
7:40 | Outside the Comfort Zone
8:55 | Helicopter Parenting Losing Challenges
12:16 | Touching Controversial Topics
14:53 | Challenges Surviving the Arctic
20:11 | Problem Creep
28:05 | Need for Rite of Passage
35:12 | Metaphorical Lions for Passage
41:19 | Comfort Creep & Habits
44:22 | Breaking Routine to be Present
47:45 | Discomfort and Boredom
50:00 | Benefits of Boredom
57:12 | Daily Routine
1:02:11 | Rucking & Human Design
1:14:05 | Killing His 1st Caribou
1:17:16 | Life Cycle & Mortality
1:27:16 | “This Too Shall Pass”
1:30:31 | Want to Live Forever?
1:39:12 | Assigning Meaning to Life
1:42:20 | Rites of Passage Transformation
1:46:12 | Problem Creep Comparison
1:50:34 | Finding Gratitude

QUOTES:

“By never putting yourself in a position where you are uncomfortable, whether that is physically or mentally or with, what you think to be true? You're not gonna, you're not gonna learn anything about yourself.” [7:41]

“As humans face fewer and fewer problems in our lives, we don't actually experience fewer problems. We just redefine what a problem is.” [22:50]

“If we never put ourselves in the position of true challenge, then we don't really learn something about ourselves” [40:26]

“The idea of trying to do new things, learn new things that totally shake up a routine. It's interesting, because now all of a sudden, I can't predict the future, and I've got to learn some new stuff, and this is forcing you into presence and focus,” [45:18]

“When you're bored, your brain actually goes inward, starts to sort of ruminate it, you sort of have these different thoughts that are more inward focus” [50:21]

“We don't realize how freaking amazing daily life is. It is unbelievable all this shit that we take for granted in our life every single day. We become unsatisfied with it, we look for the problems.” [1:50:36]

“If you look for the things that are joyful, and good and wonderful, then you're gonna see that and that frame of reference will color how you approach change.” [1:53:36]

Follow Michael Easter:
Website: https://eastermichael.com/
Facebook:   / michael-easter-225875898170585  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_eas...