Hello everyone and welcome again to the hack gym podcast thanks for tuning in this week.
So, this week you're going to hear me go through a process where I am incorporating many of the teachings that we've covered so far in this first season as I work to sort out a conundrum that I have been facing the last two weeks. I never envisioned at the start of this journey that I would do a podcast episode like this but for reasons that you will hear in a moment I hope it makes as much sense to you as it made sense to me to put on an episode like this.
My conundrum? Over the last few weeks my listenership has dropped precipitously. It's been concerning and I can't really explain why. Of course, it has caused me to ask a few very basic questions such as why have people lost interest? what am I not doing right to maintain an audience? What more can I do to spread the word about this podcast? And the big question I think anyone in this situation would ask is have I failed?
I know I have said many times that I'm happy to do this podcast even if it only helps one person and I know I have helped more than one person based on the feedback I've received and a very grateful to have been in a position where I could offer that assistance to people in need. But I must ask myself could I help people in a more efficient manner? Maybe a regular blog post would be more effective. Maybe a new social media presence where I put out daily mental tips and tricks would be better. Maybe I need to revamp the entire format of this podcast? Initially I intended on 12 episodes for this first season, but I find I'm asking myself here at episode 11, do I even bother with episode 12 or do I just say I gave it my best shot and now I'm done with this experiment?
So, I try to practice what I preach and I'm going to take many of the teachings that we have talked about through this first season and apply them to this question of whether I continue and even move into a second season or not.
Let's start with last week's episode that was the replay of the project premortem. Before I begin this whole podcast experiment, I conducted a pre-mortem and there were two particular points that are salient to where I'm at right now. One possible derailment point that I identified in that initial premortem was that I would have few to zero subscribers and that would kill the podcast. Another point that I had was that I would lose my interest or passion for this project and that would end the podcast.
Both of those items identified in the project premortem are in play at the moment.
This leads us to something I really did not dive into during that episode on the project premortems and that is what to do when in the middle of a project you discover one of those items identified in the pre-mortem actually becomes a reality? So, what we do is go back to our notes spot that item and identify it and then we look at the contingencies that we had originally written into that pre-mortem. My contingencies for the few to zero subscribers were as follows.
point one, keep going point 2, keep going point 3 refer, back to points 1 and 2. And contingency for was essentially a pep talk to myself where I reminded myself that I did this as a challenge to myself to simply see if I could get through an entire season could I be committed enough to research and write and record and edit and publish an episode per week for 12 weeks. I knew in that process that I would benefit regardless of how many listeners that I had. I would refresh some knowledge and skills I would gain new information which I could apply to my own personal health and fitness objectives I would become a better person than I was at the start of the experiment and that alone is enough reason to continue the project. So, before we go to deepen all of this there will be an episode 12. But I still have some things to sort through the lack of listeners is something I struggle not to take personally. I want this podcast to be successful I believe that I can help a lot of people with the information that I share, and I want to get it out to more people so that leads into point number two that I might lose my passion and drive for the project. Admittedly last week my decision to replay a prior episode was rationalized by the fact that it was a holiday here in the US and I did want some down time to enjoy with my family and to just have some personal relaxation but I was also discouraged I was just not feeling it and did not have the motivation to put all the effort and hours in that are required to create a new episode that week. It has been discouraging to see the listenership fall week after week and be left to ask myself what am I doing wrong? That question will certainly take the drive and passion out of you quickly. So, I did relax last weekend and it did give me time to reconfigure my attitude and refocus on why I began this podcast in the first place. My original contingencies for that point where I had lost passion and interest in the project were as follows.
Point number one it's okay to quit if you really believe that it is the right time to walk away from the experiment. Some experiments do need to be cut short because it becomes apparent that they just are not working out. Drug companies cancel their development projects constantly because their trials and experiments prove that it is ineffective or even harmful. Auto manufacturers canceled design ideas because they discover that they're not functionally enough that they're not aerodynamic enough or they create unanticipated safety hazards. Sometimes experiments need to be cut short so I did in my original contingencies give myself permission to stop short of the 12 episodes originally planned for season 1 if things truly were not working out. So, I took time last weekend to assess that and ask is this really not working out? And my answer to that was no, it is okay. Because again I'm really doing this project for myself for self-improvement for self-knowledge and the fact that a few people along the way have benefited that's just icing on the cake. Those are just bonus wins. I started to think back to my time in college where I would spend hours and hours writing a paper that only one other person would read, my professor. So even if I had only one other listener, which I've got to think my mom will not unsubscribe from me thank you Mom, love you, then it still worth continuing because it's my betterment that drives me to really do this project. My point being that our project premortem helps us identify what our true passions are what are true motivations are and why we are doing these projects in the first place because it is very typical that during the course of a project we might get a bit off track we might get a bit derailed and we might lose sight of that original motivation and the project pre-mortem if we have developed it properly and taken good notes can get us back on track and remind us of why we began in the first place what our original objectives were. It is easy for projects to begin to veer off in a direction that was not originally intended, and we need that premortem as a compass to keep us aligned in the proper direction. So, I did get caught up in looking at things from the wrong direction. Asking why don't people like me? Why don't people like my content? And I had to reset that perspective get back to what my original motivation was. So, there is a current real-world example of why a project premortem is important.
Now let's go back to episode 2 burn the ships but we talk about silent and Loud commitments. I made some very loud commitments in the very beginning of this podcast I announced on been Eastwood's B1 mindset podcast that I was going to launch this thing and then I blasted it across my social media I talked about it with friends and family I put it out there that I was going to do a 12- episode first season. I would feel foolish and embarrassed if I did not follow through with those loud commitments. they do paint us into a corner. it can create pressure and it could even feel rather uncomfortable for sure, as it should, growth doesn't happen within our comfort zones, but we can often question ourselves as to what we were thinking when we made those loud commitments. We could try to negotiate with ourselves and find ways out of those loud commitments. Come up with excuses or rationalizations. Sometimes there might legitimately be a valid reason to back out of one of those loud commitments when there are extreme circumstance changes when there are dramatic events in our lives that interrupt our progress maybe it would be acceptable to back out of those loud commitments. I'm not facing any of those things though currently it's just a personal, minor crisis that got me mentally off track for a short period of time. I can't justify backing out of that commitment, so I am sticking to it. Additionally, there are all the silent commitments that were made surrounding the loud commitment of the podcast. All the time invested in research, writing editing recording and publishing each prior episode. Financial investments in podcast hosting and sponsored ads and SEO optimization and recording equipment. I certainly am well aware of the sunk cost fallacy in economics, so don't call me out on that but sometimes those sunk costs are still motivating in a positive way. And again, I didn't start this with the intention of making money therefore those suck costs really are irrelevant. My point being is that I encourage you to make loud and Silent commitments because they do help us remain on track toward our objectives. How many of you have found yourselves in the midst of a diet plan and regardless of whether it's working for you or not you still catch yourself negotiating with yourself about cheating on that plan or even ending it all together right? Or you're talking yourself out of your planned workout, or some other commitment that you've made. The more loud and Silent commitments we make around a goal the harder it will be for us to negotiate a way out of it with ourselves. Protect those plans and objectives that you make for yourself especially the ones that are really big and scary the lofty goals the really ambitious things, they need lots of support through multiple loud and silent commitments.
Let's not look at episode 5, deliberate practice makes perfect. I really believe I've improved quite a bit at this podcast game. My writing I think has become better I've definitely become more efficient and I'm able to crank out a weekly episode and much less time than it took me through the first couples of episodes. From a technical perspective I believe that the quality of my recordings has improved. I believe I've improved the sound and editing and found ways to reduce distractions and poor audio impressions during each episode. That deliberate practice has taught me a lot and granted me some new skills that I have been able to transfer over to my full-time job as well as help some friends and family with some recording struggles they were having through different projects. Once you really get rolling on that process of deliberate practice it creates habits and new passions and interests that you'll likely want to continue pursuing even after your objective is achieved. Also remember with deliberate practice you can see improvements and results in a very short period of time extensive time inputs like the 10,000 hour rule we talked about are not required prior to improvements being observed.
How about episode 10 where we talked about chatter. I've definitely been experiencing a lot of that over the last couple of weeks. Constant mental distractions, many moments where I caught myself just spiraling downward into unproductive self-criticism and doubt. As discussed in that episode negative self-talk can actually be a good thing sometimes, we need to give ourselves a kick in the butt and admit to ourselves where we are failing, but it will meet the definition of negative self-talk. We say to ourselves that wasn't the smart thing to do that was not the right thing to say why did you do something that foolish. But that type of negative self-talk can often be what we need to move forward make improvements and change our behaviors. Chatter is the unproductive, only damaging, mental abuse we inflict on ourselves, which can really hold us back, hold us down and prevent us from progressing if we allow it to. In episode 10 we talked about several different ways to address chatter how to end it and control it. A method of controlling chatter I did not discuss in that episode is "increased exposure to Green spaces" there is exhaustive research proving the positive impact that being out in nature can have on our mental well-being. So I simply changed my running route in the mornings over the last 2 weeks instead of sticking on the concrete and running through my neighborhood as I usually would, I transitioned to where the majority of my run has been on dirt trails out through a wooded zone near my home. Getting 30 minutes daily of more green space exposure absolutely helped me and I know that it will help others who are experiencing those negative chatter episodes give it a try it will help. Simultaneously it may assist you with an additional coping mechanism that Ethan cross talks about in his book chatter which is "experience awe". Well running around a pond through the woods earlier this week I caught a glimpse of a prairie falcon circling in the air. I kept my eye on him as I ran around the pond and sure enough, he swooped down to the pond snagged a fish and landed on the trail just behind me to enjoy his meal. I was able to pause and just see nature in action for a few moments. For me that is experiencing awe. However you experience awe, go out and create those moments to fight against the chatter you are struggling with. Go to a museum, head to a national park, read up on a new scientific breakthrough, find and do something that enables you to experience awe.
Of course, through the last few weeks as I've been contemplating what my next steps will be with the podcast, I have been continuing to work out and train. in particular I've been very focused on my rehabilitation following surgery and I have really sunk myself into my rehabilitation process in hopes of speeding up that timeline. Thankfully I can report that it has worked. I've made a lot of progress in the last few weeks. I still have a ways to go but definitely I am further ahead than anyone on my surgical and rehabilitation team ever would have thought. The diversion created by focusing on my rehabilitation instead of the podcast gave me the chance to step away and view this podcast situation from an outside perspective. To take a distant view. I also sought input from people I trust and respect. Certainly, steps that we all can employ when we find ourselves struggling with any type of decision or action plan. By stepping away and focusing elsewhere for a period of time I created a small Fresh Start point to come back to the podcast renewed. We discussed in episode 8 the power of Fresh starts as taught by Katie milkman. We can create those Fresh Start points for ourselves anytime we want, anytime we need them. Don't forget that and don't underestimate the benefit those Fresh Start points can bring. They can be refresh start points as well.
So, there you have it. A pretty open, honest conversation of where I've been mentally the last few weeks in terms of this podcast. How I've tried to practice what I preach and apply various behavioral theories to find Solutions seek inner peace and decide what my next steps should be. There will be an episode 12 but I'm not going to guarantee that it will come out next week. I want the final episode of season 1 to be one of the best and at the moment I am recording this I have not yet selected what the topic of discussion will be so I may need to allow myself a little more time to write and research and prepare that final episode so I am going to give myself the permission to delay the final episode by a week or two. Is that procrastination no I don't believe that it is back to what we discussed in episode 7, procrastination versus optimization I believe that decision is definitely optimization to ensure the highest quality episode that I can put out to wrap up season 1. And if I remove some of the pressure to crank out that final episode in a short timeline then I reduce the risk of choking as we talked about in episode 6. I think one last point I'm trying to make here is that I really do believe in the things that I share in these podcast episodes I know that these theories can help you have to go out and apply them though you have to consciously put them to work for you just listening to the podcast and having awareness of the existence of these behavioral theories and strategies is not enough you cannot improve through osmosis. It requires action it requires the application of these teachings. Ultimately what I've tried to do here through this episode is show you how I've taken a real world problem that has presented me with various challenges and how I applied these different principles to reach a resolution. Social media is full of all of these posts especially in the fitness realm that contain a motivating quote with a message essentially saying "keep going" "just hold on" or "have faith" unfortunately that's usually not enough. You have to work for it you have to exert energy you have to put in time you have to sacrifice something lesser to gain something greater. Hanging on and having faith usually does not yield the results you are seeking or at least it's not going to yield those results anytime soon. I'm sure all of you listening right now are facing some challenges so go back through the prior 10 episodes and identify what teachings you think can be applied to remedy your situation and then get to work with those tools. Not just in your health and fitness expand it beyond that I began this podcast with the intent of applying these theories specifically to health and fitness and I've done that in every episode, but my point here is that along the way I've been trying to also teach you how to use these mechanisms to better your entire life. Every aspect of it.
That's it for this week's episode thank you for listening thank you for your support I appreciate all of the messages I've received throughout this first season I appreciate those who have shared my podcast and promoted it in their own way thank you thank you thank you. Please give me feedback on this episode if you think I'm totally off base and this was totally not the appropriate way to go, let me know. I can handle the negative criticism I need negative feedback if I'm going to make improvement. We don't usually get better if all we hear is positive feedback. Let me know if you also like things positive feedback is motivating of course and encouraging as well.
Take all these lessons and apply them towards your health and fitness goals as you see fit and reach out to me if you want to talk about some specific hurdles that you are struggling to get over and I would be happy to talk about plans and strategies that might benefit you.
Make the most of this upcoming week and go crush your workouts.