Inside the Comfort Zone with Adam Kawalec

I interviewed Mark Staelgraeve who works as a Leadership and Agile Coach helping equip leaders to approach work and life with more verve & vitality. Our minds love labelling things and putting things into boxes … Why? The mind's primary directive is to protect, to keep us alive. and the sub directive of that is to predict … which helps to protect. If the mind can accurately predict danger or other forms of threats it can more efficiently carry out its prime directive; to protect us. Learn how you can have more fun, satisfaction and happiness in life when you resist the urge to apply a black-and-white thinking, categorising and judging. *** ⁠⁠Send Adam a voice message⁠⁠, leaving your feedback or sharing your biggest insight - and perhaps your message gets featured on one of the upcoming episodes → ⁠⁠https://pxl.to/send-voice-message⁠⁠ Send Adam an email at podcast@adamkawalec.com or chat with him on ⁠⁠WhatsApp⁠⁠📲⁠⁠https://pxl.to/chat-with-adam⁠⁠ If you're interested in chatting with Adam about stress, performance, change or life, and would like to perhaps be featured in his upcoming book, Inside the Comfort Zone, reach out at any of the above channels. *** Connect with Mark Staelgraeve,  Website: www.markstaelgraeve.com Email: mark@markstaelgraeve.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstaelgraeve/ *** https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/business-as-usual License code: XYFXBXJNWLDWGIHI https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/cluster License code: WAGLI0O500MPCUTJ https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/picture-frames License code: 51JGWLK3WSB6E6KW https://uppbeat.io/t/sensho/double-take License code: 43R3VQJRVPUIHJI8 https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/floating-islands License code: RJBRYXWVOJDUN6C7 https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sunkissed License code: 1FJZKHYDGLO8247B

You'll hear from other people sharing about their plans and views on retirement. A conversation that was inspired from Brian Clark's newsletter: Further. Adam is exploring a topic that some of us simply don't want to think too hard on ... You'll learn how to face the new stages of life and retirement making the subject less scary. *** ⁠Send Adam a voice message⁠, leaving your feedback or sharing your biggest insight - and perhaps your message gets featured on one of the upcoming episodes → ⁠https://pxl.to/send-voice-message⁠ Send Adam an email at podcast@adamkawalec.com or chat with him on ⁠WhatsApp⁠📲⁠https://pxl.to/chat-with-adam⁠ If you're interested in chatting with Adam about stress, performance, change or life, and would like to perhaps be featured in his upcoming book, Inside the Comfort Zone, reach out at any of the above channels. *** Footnotes: Sign up for Brain Clark's newsletter here: https://further.net/ *** https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/business-as-usual License code: XYFXBXJNWLDWGIHI https://uppbeat.io/t/jacob-taylor-armerding/musicland-reprise License code: DDRTOGT2XIXZZBRJ https://uppbeat.io/t/jacob-taylor-armerding/stellas-rose License code: YCHJI1SXEMO5AD8E https://uppbeat.io/t/jacob-taylor-armerding/the-retirement-of-major-edward-cummings License code: VSMS5RMEIYDQWHOS https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sunkissed License code: 1FJZKHYDGLO8247B

So what do you buy for someone who’s travelled around the whole world as a singer and performer, who’s kind and generous husband can count some of Hollywood’s mega stars as his close and personal friends, and who’s got some of the most amazing friends and family one can imagine?? If you can’t tell already, I was freaking out for a moment. Feeling way too self-conscious for my own good. Luckily, throughout all the years of us working together and knowing each other, one thing was very clear when it came to what my friend had a particular fondness for … And then I started doubting myself again! “What if she doesn’t like them? What if it’s not enough? What would be enough? Maybe I should buy a second pair to make up for the difference?!” By falling victim to the social trap of wanting to get it perfect, of wanting to avoid making a mistake and picking the wrong item for a gift I was devaluing my original intention, and I was actively denying the value that I had to offer. If you’ve ever felt anxiety trying to pick the right gift or to make an impact and provide value somewhere then there’s a lesson here for you. *** Send Adam a voice message, leaving your feedback or sharing your biggest insight - and perhaps your message gets featured on one of the upcoming episodes → https://pxl.to/send-voice-message Send Adam an email at podcast@adamkawalec.com or chat with him on WhatsApp📲https://pxl.to/chat-with-adam If you're interested in chatting with Adam about stress, performance, change or life, and would like to perhaps be featured in his upcoming book, Inside the Comfort Zone, reach out at any of the above channels. *** Music and sound effects used in the episode, from Uppbeat.com (free for creatives): Artist: Soundroll Song: Business As Usual https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/business-as-usual License code: 3V1SGI9L5TKNCUZK Artist: David Bullard Song: Wanderlust https://uppbeat.io/t/david-bullard/wanderlust License code: 47MU59YJVBPXLYZW Artist: David Bullard Song: All Creatures https://uppbeat.io/t/david-bullard/all-creatures License code: F22KQP48U2XM6I6Z Artist: Prigida Song: Sunkissed https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sunkissed License code: UYSFRWRLFWJO6JZU

Being right is dangerous. Being right changes nothing. Being right means more of the same, and nothing new can come from that. Being wrong invites change. It can be the starting point of getting things right. It’s said that 50% of what we know today is wrong, judging from past experience. The only problem is, we don’t know which 50% we’re wrong about! Life, or really anything can’t be about being right. It can only be about getting it right. Whatever you do in life or otherwise, you want to dedicate your time to getting things right instead of wasting time trying to be right. You want to fail, and you want to learn from those failures. In fact, there are no failures. In truth that’s just a label. The only time you fail is when you fail to learn from your failure. It’s not failure, it’s only feedback and data. Life is a series of choices. What if life was less about being right, and more about getting it right, meaning being an active participant of life or like a scientist with an insatiable curiosity, where right or wrong was nothing more than arbitrary labels, serving no purpose on the journey of living your best life. *** Send Adam a voice message, leaving your feedback or sharing your biggest insight - and perhaps your message gets featured on one of the upcoming episodes → https://pxl.to/send-voice-message Send Adam an email at podcast@adamkawalec.com or chat with him on WhatsApp📲https://pxl.to/chat-with-adam If you're interested in chatting with Adam about stress, performance, change or life, and would like to perhaps be featured in his upcoming book, Inside the Comfort Zone, reach out at any of the above channels. *** Footnotes: Youtube Short by Kyle Cease, https://youtu.be/2sLg_QmEX0c *** Music and sound effects used in the episode, from Uppbeat.com (free for creatives): Artist: Soundroll Song: Business As Usual https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/business-as-usual License code: 3V1SGI9L5TKNCUZK Artist: The Lakes Song: Stargaze https://uppbeat.io/t/the-lakes/stargaze License code: EONYUC8WHQGP9JWG Artist: Allalo Song: Daylight https://uppbeat.io/t/allalo/daylight License code: PAGKQZYSFU3GO3MZ Artist:  The Lakes Song: Bluebird https://uppbeat.io/t/the-lakes/bluebird License code: MULINXXNSGSSDJ9W Artist: Prigida Song: Sunkissed https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sunkissed License code: UYSFRWRLFWJO6JZU

It's a familiar scene: You spend the morning making a detailed to-do list with every tiny task you need to get done, then you spend the rest of the day checking them off. You tally up all the  items on the list, only to realise you still weren't able to get everything done. The idea of a to-do list is a popular one, but it doesn't always guarantee your productivity. It's easy to organise the day into tasks on paper or digitally, but the real work involves actually doing the work of getting things done. A to-do list gives you the feeling of getting things done. It feels great to cross things off, or even adding stuff on the list … making you think that THIS will help you get it done … and you get to feel like a responsible, structured and productive individual. Through the years, handling my own personal productivity and supporting clients with theirs, I’ve discovered some techniques that work better than relying on to-do lists to get things done. A to-do list helps you DEFINE what you would like to get done or what to work on and towards. That’s as far as it goes in terms of being helpful. So by all means, keep a to-do list, just please don’t expect the list to be the answer to HOW to get things done. *** Send Adam a voice message, leaving your feedback or sharing your biggest insight - and perhaps your message gets featured on one of the upcoming episodes → https://pxl.to/send-voice-message Send Adam an email at podcast@adamkawalec.com or chat with him on WhatsApp📲 If you're interested in chatting with Adam about stress, performance, change or life, and would like to perhaps be featured in his upcoming book, Inside the Comfort Zone, reach out at any of the above channels. *** Footnotes: Study mentioned, http://blog.idonethis.com/how-to-master-the-art-of-to-do-lists *** Music and sound effects used in the episode, from Uppbeat.com (free for creatives): Artist: Soundroll Song: Business As Usual https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/business-as-usual License code: 3V1SGI9L5TKNCUZK Artist:Mood Maze Song: Trendsetter https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter License code: OVSAUTLS0A7HDW0B Artist: Trinity Song: Funk in the trunk https://uppbeat.io/t/trinity/funk-in-the-trunk License code: ZVMMS9AERAG2BAPC Artist: Prigida Song: Moonshine https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/moonshine License code: 51ZZ8I8BYHC8ADQJ Artist: Dan Phillipson Song: Making progress https://uppbeat.io/t/dan-phillipson/making-progress License code: 7LVTMYRS3CAGZSP6 Artist: Icosphere Song: Still dreaming https://uppbeat.io/t/icosphere/still-dreaming License code: TCKPG9OLNKQDBRFG Artist: Avbe Song: Espresso beans https://uppbeat.io/t/avbe/espresso-beans License code: 2Z9TLNDISYMSM9K6 Artist: Prigida Song: Sunkissed https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sunkissed License code: UYSFRWRLFWJO6JZU

A survey that was conducted by a branding consultancy in the UK involving 1500 people, showed that only one in three agreed strongly that they had a kind boss and a 25% considered their leader to be unkind. The respondents that said they had a kind boss were more likely to say that they would stay at their company for at least another year, and 96% of the respondents said that being kind at work was important to them. What is emerging is that when caring, being compassionate and kind in not only business but also in leadership, it brings positive results for their customers, their employees and for themselves as well. Hear from some powerful leaders in business about how kindness and compassion plays a role in the success of their businesses. *** Send Adam an email at podcast@adamkawalec.com or chat with him on WhatsApp📲 If you're interested in chatting with Adam about stress, performance, change or life, and would like to perhaps be featured in his upcoming book, Inside the Comfort Zone, reach out at any of the above channels. *** Footnotes: Indra Nooyi Says It’s Time for Leaders to Care, on the podcast ReThinking with Adam Grant References for studies mentioned: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20221124-does-kindness-get-in-the-way-of-success *** Music and sound effects used in the episode, from Uppbeat.com (free for creatives): Artist: Soundroll Song: Business As Usual: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/business-as-usual License code: 3V1SGI9L5TKNCUZK Artist: Tobias Voigt Song: A little spark https://uppbeat.io/t/tobias-voigt/a-little-spark License code: QAP1ZGSJ61BWXJ9D Artist: Simon Folwar Song: Countryside ride https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/countryside-ride License code: JAV2KFBBS1AD34LS Artist: Sky Toes Song: Light on the path https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/light-on-the-path License code: QDXPO2R9VK4PB78Q Artist: Prigida Song: Sunkissed https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sunkissed License code: UYSFRWRLFWJO6JZU

In 1991 when the danger of the comfort zone was popularised in the book: Danger in the Comfort Zone, management consultant and author Judith Bardwick talked about how, the comfort zone is a behavioral state within which a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, providing a steady level of performance, without a sense of risk. And later, Brené Brown described it as "Where our uncertainty, scarcity and vulnerability are minimized—where we believe we'll have access to enough love, food, talent, time, admiration. Where we feel we have some control." And Merriam-Webster defines the comfort zone as, “the level at which one functions with ease and familiarity”. I don’t know about you, but an anxiety-neutral condition, where scarcity and vulnerability are minimized, and where we have plenty of food, time, love, admiration and even a sense of control, where a steady level of performance is provided, sounds rather fantastic to me! How in the world did this state of being become a problem? How did it become something to consistently leave and at times be ashamed of being in? Why would we ever want to leave it at all?! *** Send Adam an email at podcast@adamkawalec.com or chat with him on WhatsApp📲 If you're interested in chatting with Adam about stress, performance, change or life, and would like to perhaps be featured in his upcoming book, Inside the Comfort Zone, reach out at any of the above channels. *** Music and sound effects used in the episode, from Uppbeat.com (free for creatives): Artist: Soundroll Song: Business As Usual: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/business-as-usual License code: 3V1SGI9L5TKNCUZK Artist: Albert Behar Song: Priceless Moments https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/priceless-moments License code: UTR4EG4CBPBPS2VP Artist: Hartzmann Song: The Heartbeat Of The Universe https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/the-heartbeat-of-the-universe License code: VEXCBCFJOBCXQLON Artist: Danijel Zambo Song: Fairytales https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/fairytales License code: NC7EOFCVGFNW84IC Artist: Prigida Song: Sunkissed https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/sunkissed License code: UYSFRWRLFWJO6JZU

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. - Lord Acton When people rise to power they often gain respect and are given the runway to get into a place of power by having honourable traits - that's how they gain the respect to begin with. Once they're in power feeling powerful, having all the dopamine going through their brains they start believing they can do anything, they adopt different behaviours and traits. But new research is showing that perhaps it's not power that corrupts, but rather people who corrupt.

I am on a mission to end suffering. It's been my sole focus for about 10 years now. The other day I came across an article talking about a powerful concept being adopted around the world in order to end homelessness - which to many is a suffering. The concept is really so simple and based on ideas that have been around for a long time ... and is very closely related to being in the comfort zone. Article mentioned in the episode: https://pxl.to/c7p8rz

Giving feedback and/or advice might not always be the best thing to do, despite good intentions ...

Merriam Webster defines a cult as both the "great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work". There are both destructive cults as well as healthy cults. And I am inviting you to embrace personal development that is RIGHT for you.

Let's talk about abundance.

Manifestation is a popular idea among the personal development community, and I've often had a hard time with its practical application. Listen into this episode as I share my ramblings about the topic and what I personally have seen work better ...

This is a personal story about how my time as a struggling student in school later developed the skills that would help me work on what mattered to me the most. It's a conversation about finding passion and trust.

You've most likely heard the importance of meditation and the power of mindfulness in the personal development space, or from spiritual teachings. What I want everyone to understand about this is that meditation or mindfulness isn't yet another thing to DO, but rather a whole new way of BEING ... And that makes all the difference. Learn how by joining the conversation!

"What does your dream life or perfect day look like?" If you know, you know. And if you don't, the question can trigger anxiety and stress. In my experience, living even just one day in integrity, in alignment with my core values feels like a lifetime of fulfillment and completion. And when you get to have 365 days a year living in alignment, life starts to feel pretty good. Join the conversation and learn how your core values help build your dream life.

I am a recovering over-achiever, and have always struggled with wanting too much too soon. I was often told that I needed to have patience, and that advice used to drive me insane! Join the conversation and learn how patience is overrated and what to do instead when you are working towards your goals and dreams. Again, I am joined by guest co-host Andrea Endres.

In this episode we're talking about how the whole idea of growing inside your comfort zone is possible, and why the message of outside your comfort zone simply might not serve you any longer. We're joined by Andrea Endres as a guest co-host for this episode.