Beach Walk 758 – In Honor of Bode’s Gold

I created this episode in July 2006, talking about the wonder that is Bode Miller and how he goes for the spirit of skiing perhaps more than the medals. Today he won a gold medal, and I think it’s worth re-visiting. You’ll likely be able to see the changes we have made at Beach Walks over the past four years! Here is the original episode Beach Walk 146.

My hero du jour is Bode Miller, the so-called “bad boy” of downhill skiiing. I really dislike those kinds of labels, especially in cases like this where I believe he is a true ground-breaker. He offers up a very different way to live a life, one that is not invested in the results of what you do. He is one of the most competent skiers on the planet yet he is not invested in winning. He could ski in private, and choose not to be in competition, but part of the deep pleasure he has is giving the spectators an inspirational experience — and more often than not that distinctly includes not winning the race.

What if competition were not just about winning, which means only one person or team gets to be happy with the result? What if it were also about seeing how you perform under pressure? What if were also about being able to go places and do things that are not otherwise available? What if it were about the process and not the result? When it is, there is no way to lose.

Try this on today: Don’t get invested in the results of what you do. At it’s core, it is a radical thought.

You can read more and watch the CBS video here.

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Beach Walk 702 – Brain Economics

I discovered the McKinsey, the consulting firm, now releases some of their white papers as podcasts. I like the somewhat formal, research-driven, unemotional yet yet not cold-hearted or partisan perspectives. The one on Hidden Flaws in Strategy I found insightful, as it included several practical examples of how we become vulnerable to the emotional filters that can be applied to decision making. How true that what we own, often appears to be more valuable to us, than it is to others. “Like new” does not equal “used.” Things like this are not a problem once we realize the underlying and built-in biases we have.

Hawaiian Word:
Hoʻopaʻewa: to distort

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