Zen Habits Podcast
Leo Babauta
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Hosted by Leo Babauta, the Zen Habits Podcast explores the power of ritual in support of your greatest purpose, taking on meaningful work, and creating more impact through daily action.
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S1 Ep07 - The Zen of Being
There's a layer underneath doing and thinking that most people have very little awareness of, and so they can't do much about it if they're stuck.
In this episode, Leo looks at the ways of being, and how it's probably the most important thing when it comes to changing our lives.Topics Covered
* Leo's reflection on the of podcasting process, and how he’s learning
* The collaborative effort behind the podcast, including the music composed by members of the Fearless Mastery program, contributions from Leo's son, Justin, and Amanda's work behind the scenes
* Ways of being as a critical layer of our actions and decisions
* The layers of doing, thinking, and being, and how they influence our behaviors
* The importance of recognizing and working with the layer of being to address resistance, fear, and other emotions that hinder progress
* Expansive ways of being such as joy, love, curiosity, and compassion
* How to practice working with the layer of being: noticing, sitting with it, and choosing a more desired way of being
* The Zen of being, emphasizing the practice of being present and relaxed in the moment
* Updates on Leo's writing project, a book about his grandmother, and his next purpose project involving Zen sewing
Connect with Leo
Zen Habits
Youtube channel
X (Twitter)
Instagram
Zen Habits Facebook Group
Tiktok channel
Email leo@zenhabits.netResources
The Fearless Living AcademyCredits
Intro music composition: Salem Beladonna & Robrecht Dumarey
Editor: Justin Cruz
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Sep 20, 2023
S1 Ep06 - Accountability & Getting Back on Track
We can create an empowered relationship to accountability, to create greater leadership in our lives.
In this episode, Leo looks at how to create accountability that's effective, and shares examples of how he's used it in his life.Topics Covered
* How we have different relationships to accountability, ranging from disempowered to empowered
* Coercing oneself to be disciplined can lead to issues when one falls off track
* Accountability is simply accounting for whether a task was completed or not, without judgment
* Accountability can be used to celebrate progress and learn from successes, as well as to get curious about failures
* Accountability helps individuals take responsibility for their actions and make changes
* Leo’s experience with a 33-day fitness challenge and how accountability affects his motivation
* Suggestions for implementing accountability: find someone to be accountable to, set a consistent reporting schedule, and commit to specific, measurable actions
* Dealing with discouragement and getting back on track involves reaching out for support, choosing to recommit, and starting small
* The importance of forgiving oneself, letting go of negative emotions, and being compassionate to encourage progress
Connect with Leo
Zen Habits
Youtube channel
X (Twitter)
Instagram
Zen Habits Facebook Group
Tiktok channel
Email leo@zenhabits.netResources
The Fearless Living AcademyCredits
Intro music composition: Salem Beladonna & Robrecht Dumarey
Editor: Justin Cruz
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Sep 13, 2023
S1 Ep05 - Creating an Empowered Experience
In everything we do, we can feel lit up and feel meaning ... or we can feel a sense of obligation, victimhood, discouragement. The difference is how we're relating to what we're doing — in an empowered or disempowered way.
In this episode, Leo looks at how to create a new, empowered relationship to your purpose project.Topics Covered
* The concept of empowered versus disempowered relationships with one's projects and work
* Empowered relationships involve feeling excited, lit up, and capable, while disempowered relationships are marked by fear, resistance, and self-doubt
* How to examine their disempowered feelings and identify fears such as being judged, inadequate, or embarrassed
* Examples of empowering contexts, including play, service, leadership, art, love, compassion, wonder, adventure, and curiosity, to help shift the relationship with one's projects
* How to choose an empowering context and practice it consistently
* The need for continuous practice and self-compassion when transitioning from a disempowered to an empowered relationship
* How Leo is applying an empowered relationship to his project — working on his grandmother's book
Connect with Leo
Zen Habits
Youtube channel
X (Twitter)
Instagram
Zen Habits Facebook Group
Tiktok channel
Email leo@zenhabits.netResources
The Fearless Living AcademyCredits
Intro music composition: Salem Beladonna & Robrecht Dumarey
Editor: Justin Cruz
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Sep 6, 2023
S1 Ep04 - Focus Sessions & Working with Resistance
Let's talk about how to take your purpose project and turn it into action with focus sessions ... and how to work with the resistance that comes up.
In this episode, Leo looks at how to set up effective focus sessions, and how to embrace the resistance and fear that inevitably comes with meaningful work.Topics Covered
* The importance of "focus sessions" for our purpose projects
* How to set up effective focus sessions & accountability
* The most common obstacles that block us during focus sessions
* How “passive resistance” works
* How to embrace the unknown and fear that comes with meaningful work
* The importance of not trying to eliminate fear, but working with it
Connect with Leo
Zen Habits
Youtube channel
X (Twitter)
Instagram
Zen Habits Facebook Group
Tiktok channel
Email leo@zenhabits.netResources
The Fearless Living AcademyCredits
Intro music composition: Salem Beladonna & Robrecht Dumarey
Editor: Justin Cruz
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Aug 30, 2023
S1 Ep03 - Creating Commitment & Structure for Purpose Work
Take the inspiration & possibility we discussed in the last episode ... and merge it with commitment and structure to create an even more powerful approach.
In this episode, Leo looks at how we can choose into structure & commitment from an inspired place.Topics Covered
* The importance of commitment and structure in pursuing meaningful projects
* The tendency to procrastinate and delay important tasks when lacking commitment and structure
* Commitment: setting clear goals and being unwavering in pursuing them
* Various forms of structure — including setting specific timeframes, identifying when, where, and how the work will be done, and establishing consequences or accountability measures
* Why you should write down your commitments and share them with others
* The importance of practicing commitment and devotion in pursuing meaningful work
Connect with Leo
Zen Habits
Youtube channel
X (Twitter)
Instagram
Zen Habits Facebook Group
Tiktok channel
Email leo@zenhabits.netResources
The Fearless Living AcademyCredits
Intro music composition: Salem Beladonna & Robrecht Dumarey
Editor: Justin Cruz
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Aug 23, 2023
S1 Ep02 - Creating Inspiration & Possibility with Our Projects
Taking on a meaningful project where you're facing resistance ... do you just force yourself because you feel like you should, or because you want to be disciplined?
This works in the short term, but not the long term. We will give up eventually, and feel like we failed.
In this episode, Leo looks at how to work from a more inspired place.Topics Covered
* The common approach of forcing oneself to work on a project without feeling motivated
* Moving from coercion to inspiration for long-term meaningful projects
* The importance of generating internal inspiration rather than relying solely on external sources
* Finding your deeper reasons and inspiration for the project
* How to keep your vision and possibility front and center to combat resistance
* Continuing to feel inspired and connected to the project's purpose
* Practicing this process daily, even if it feels challenging at first
Connect with Leo
Zen Habits
Youtube channel
X (Twitter)
Instagram
Zen Habits Facebook Group
Tiktok channel
Email leo@zenhabits.netResources
The Fearless Living AcademyCredits
Intro music composition: Salem Beladonna & Robrecht Dumarey
Editor: Justin Cruz
playlist_add
Aug 19, 2023
S1 Bonus Interview: Kaira Jewel Lingo, of Thich Nhat Hanh's Monastery, on Uncertainty
Kaira Jewel Lingo was a nun in Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village monastery for 15 years, a leader in his mindfulness retreats and programs, helped edit some of his bestselling books. Then she decided to leave monastic life, and go into the uncertainty of what to do next. She wrote a beautiful book called, "We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption."Topics covered:
* Kaira Jewel’s passions for building communities and spaces for self-discovery, along with eco-dharma — exploring how spirituality can address environmental crises
* The benefits of holding meditation retreats outdoors, emphasizing nature's role in healing and its ability to absorb human emotions and experiences
* Embarking on a new path without knowing what comes next — and sitting with uncertainty
* How to work with moments of doubt and discomfort during transition, and learning to trust the process and not rush into decisions
* The possibility and freedom that comes with not knowing
* How to stay calm and mindful in a stressful situation, using mindfulness practices to stay grounded and nourished in your busy life
Links:
* Kaira Jewel's website
* Her book: We Were Made for These Times
Connect with Leo
Zen Habits
Youtube channel
X (Twitter)
Instagram
Zen Habits Facebook Group
Tiktok channel
Email leo@zenhabits.netResources
The Fearless Living AcademyCredits
Intro music composition: Salem Beladonna & Robrecht Dumarey
Editor: Justin Cruz
playlist_add
Aug 16, 2023
S1 Ep01 - How to Choose a Project, and the Power of Choosing
How do we choose what to focus on?
We can get caught up in indecision and overthinking things, and decision-making can be really difficult.
In this season, Leo asks you to play along and focus on a project where you'll work with fear and resistance. But how do you choose a project?
We'll take a look not only at how to choose a project, but how to choose anything. And how choosing from the heart (or gut) can be a powerful thing.Topics Covered
* The project Leo has chosen to work on in this season: his grandmother's book
* Some ideas for projects you might choose for this season
* How to deal with having multiple things you want to do — and how we get caught up in choosing the wrong thing
* How we are choosing nothing when we don't choose
* The consequence of choosing multiple things at once, instead of one thing
* The consequence of choosing one thing, but then doing it because you should
* The real power of choosing something, devoting yourself and pouring your full heart into something
* The distinction between choosing & deciding
* The practice of choosing from the heart
* Calming your fears
* Learning to let your heart have what it wants, and what happens when we do that
Connect with Leo
Zen Habits
Youtube channel
X (Twitter)
Instagram
Zen Habits Facebook Group
Tiktok channel
Email leo@zenhabits.netResources
The Fearless Living AcademyCredits
Intro music composition: Salem Beladonna & Robrecht Dumarey
Editor: Justin Cruz
playlist_add
Aug 9, 2023
S1Ep0: Introducing Season 1 - Fear + Wonder
What meaningful work do you want to do in the world?
So many of us want to live our purpose. We have valuable gifts to offer. But fear and resistance keep us from taking action.
And Season One of this podcast is about moving through the discomfort and finally tackling that important project you’ve been putting off.
So, how can you play along and truly be a part of The Zen Habits Podcast?
On this inaugural episode of the podcast, I describe how the meaning behind the title ‘Zen Habits’ has deepened since I started the blog of the same name 17 years ago.
I explain why the first season of the podcast is focused on doing hard things that are meaningful to you and challenge you to play along by choosing a project to do as you listen over the next four months.
Listen in for insight on how to get involved in the Zen Habits Podcast and learn how this show can support you in pursuing meaningful work—even when it scares you.Topics Covered
• How the meaning behind Zen Habits has deepened since I started the blog 17 years ago
• Why the first season of the podcast is focused on doing hard things that are meaningful to you
• Some of the topics we’ll cover in Season One of the Zen Habits Podcast
• Why I’m asking you to choose a project to do over the course of the next 4 months
• How listeners can get involved by submitting questions, sharing your stories or participating in live coaching on the podcast
• Sharing the podcast with others who want to do their own purposeful work in the world
• The meaningful work I’m taking on as my project over the next 4 monthsConnect with Leo
Zen Habits
Youtube channel
X (Twitter)
Instagram
Zen Habits Facebook Group
Tiktok channel
Email leo@zenhabits.netResources
The Fearless Living AcademyCredits
Intro music composition: Salem Beladonna & Robrecht Dumarey
Editor: Justin Cruz
playlist_add
Aug 4, 2023
Zen Habits Podcast Trailer
Hosted by Leo Babauta, the Zen Habits Podcast explores the power of ritual in support of your greatest purpose, taking on meaningful work, and creating more impact through daily action.Connect with Leo
Zen Habits
Youtube channel
X (Twitter)
Instagram
Zen Habits Facebook Group
Tiktok channel
Email leo@zenhabits.netResources
The Fearless Living AcademyCredits
Intro music composition: Salem Beladonna & Robrecht Dumarey
Editor: Justin Cruz
playlist_add