For several years I've been interviewing women like myself who packed up everything to start a new adventure in another part of the world. One of the core values that I talk about is that we will never have this day again -- make it matter. It's my softer way of saying 'If you died tomorrow, would you be satisfied with how you lived this day?' I knew I didn't invent this way of thinking but I didn't realize that Stoics have been talking about this for thousands of years until I learned about the greatest philosopher king, Marcus Aurelius, who ruled until 180 A.D. He said, “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” (Greg Hays translation). Marcus wrote down many words of wisdom, and I want to share his story today because he's an ideal example of how we can all live a good life, no matter what obstacles come our way. I'm joined again by Stoic expert Donald Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, which explains the Stoic philosophy via Marcus' fascinating story. It's my favorite book on Stoicism! Get the audiobook for free if you're new to Audible by signing up for a trial ataudibletrial.com/postcard Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who areyou? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there? Visitsarahmikutel.comto learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life. Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sarah-mikutel/message
Even though I haven't lived in the U.S. for 10 years, I've been in Italy and England for most of this time, I still pay close attention to my home country. At the time of this recording, it's 2020. The U.S. just ended the most contentious and vitriolic political campaign season I've seen in my lifetime. I see the divisiveness and bitter partisanship. People are becoming more tribal. Canceling out opposing views. At the same time people seem desperate for connection and to be part of something greater than themselves. And then I look around and see what they're gravitating toward. If they're not religious, it seems social media and YouTube are sucking them into extremist groups, gangs, and conspiracy theories. I wondered what it would it look like if we could offer them a peaceful, compassionate, hopeful alternative idea to believe in. Then I realized this idea already exists in Stoicism, a 2,300-year old philosophy that essentially says: Live your values. Don’t worry about things that are beyond your control. Be a person of good character who looks out for other people. It's a practical philosophy on how to live a good life and will be one of the primary ideas I'll discuss on this show. Because like the Enneagram, Stoicism gives us the tools we need to increase our self awareness, be more present, and to respond to life in a mindful way and not out of emotion or habit. Consider this episode Stoicism 101. I couldn't think of a better person to talk to about this than Donald Robertson, a Stoic expert and a cognitive behavioral therapist. He's written my favorite books on modern Stoicism, including Stoicism and the Art of Happiness and How to Think Like a Roman Emperor. AND, he's an expat/world wanderer: a Scotsman who moved in Canada but has been appropriately hanging out in Athens for a good part of this year. Enjoy the show! Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there? Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life. Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sarah-mikutel/message
[UPDATE: I've since changed the name of my newest podcast to LIVE Without Borders, merging it with my original travel and wellbeing podcast. The purpose: Freedom is about more than getting on a plane. It’s about becoming the most heroic version of yourself. I want to help you live your best life without literal or self-imposed borders.] Why hello there. The holiday season has just about come to an end, but I hope you are still finding time to relax this weekend. If you’re looking for something to listen to, I wanted to let you know about my new personal transformation podcast, Part of Something Greater, a show for peacefully ambitious people who are ready for more peace, happiness, and connection in their life. I’ll be talking a lot about raising self awareness through Stoicism and the Enneagram and while all 9 types can benefit from this show, I think it will be especially helpful for you, and you are who I had in mind when I created it. I’m sharing one of the first few episode...
What do you do when someone takes advantage of you or tells YOU how YOU'RE feeling? You might want to cozy up in bed with a pillow on your head. But advocating for yourself and tackling the problem head on will make you feel better. You deserve to be your biggest advocate :) Xo Sarah sarahmikutel.com postcardacademy.co @sarahmikutel --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sarah-mikutel/message
Are you treating yourself as well as you treat your best friend? The next time you find yourself holding back when you want to ask for help, consider how you'd respond if a friend asked the same of you. Xo Sarah sarahmikutel.com postcardacademy.co @sarahmikutel --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sarah-mikutel/message
Do you feel like you matter? When I first learned about the Enneagram, I resonated with almost everything there was to say about 9s, except the idea that we think we're not important, that we don't matter. "That doesn't resonate with me. Of course I matter," I thought. But this weekend I've been reflecting on how I've actually lived my life and had some real moments of clarity that might help you, too. Xo Sarah Mikutel sarahmikutel.com postcardacademy.co @sarahmikutel --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sarah-mikutel/message
Last year around this time, I went to the beach with my mom. She was flipping through Real Simple magazine, which is our favorite beach read, and one of the articles posed this question: “What book has had the greatest impact on your life?” I immediately knew that the book that changed my life the most was Mindset by Carol Dweck, who is a psychologist, Stamford professor, and one of the world's leading researchers on motivation. You heard me reference this book in the last episode. Mindset is all about the power of believing that we can improve and the foundation of this book is that we all have either a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. People with a growth mindset love to learn. They’re up for a challenge and know they’ll get better at something the more they work at it. They like to stretch themselves and experience new things and are open to feedback. People with a fixed mindset think they’re born with certain abilities. They don’t want to try new things because they worr...
Are you having a hard time getting things done? Maybe you’re a daydreamer. Maybe something is going on with your family. Maybe you’re devastated at the state of the world. Maybe you’re happy and hopeful and jumping around from thing to thing because you’re so excited. Maybe you have ADHD like today’s guest. I’m speaking with my friend Emily Prokop, podcast editor, host of the Story Behind, and co-host of the Hate to Weight podcast. Emily and I have a lot in common, including being recovering research-obsessed perfectionists. That doesn’t mean we’re natural planners. We definitely fall in the daydreamer category. That doesn’t mean we don’t have big goals we want to accomplish. Lack of focus doesn’t mean lack of ambition or lack of interest. Today, Emily and I are sharing our favorite routines and resources to make your day more peacefully productive. We recorded this a few months ago, but the tools and tips we share are timeless. Enjoy. More about your host, Sarah Mikutel ...
Are you overthinking something right now and can’t seem to move forward? I have a simple yet very powerful mindset mantra that will get you moving in the right direction: "Let Future You take care of it." Whoah! So simple yet such a powerful mindset shift. I heard this idea from one of my online business mentors, Elizabeth Goddard. Here's what she means by 'let future you take care of it': Have faith that Future You will have the experience and the context to make the right decisions. So often we tie ourselves in knots about whether we should try this or that. Should I start a podcast? Should I move to Paris? But Present You can't know the answers because you don't have the experience of trying yet. The job of Present You is to try, experiment, and play. To take action on something now and let Future You decide if it's working, if you love it, or if you want to try something else. Future You has more information and, therefore, more answers. Yes, Present You will help out Future Yo...
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been walking around coastal England and marveling at how nature just keeps going. The tulips here are so red and lush and full of life. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, the waves keep crashing as they always do. They don’t pause when there's a pandemic or when there's any other type of crisis in the world. We can learn from them. www.sarahmikutel.com postcardacademy.co --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sarah-mikutel/message