Work Life Play With Aaron Mchugh

  You are more powerful than you believe. You are more influential than you think. Invest a dollar, an hour, an ounce of emotional energy in yourself. You will never loose. Markets are volatile.  You are steady. Money is fleeting.  You are constant. Risk equals reward and sometimes just a good story.

I had this nutty idea of asking Kristen Howerton if she would be willing to do a podcast interview while riding in a Surrey with the Fringe on Top (picture a four-wheeled carriage with each person peddling) on the Newport Beach, CA boardwalk. She said, That sounds fun. Boom. Game On.  In this episode, we got real...I mean really real. We covered a big range of topics as we bounced through conversations about... the pressure of perfectionism, the pretty veneer of social media, social justice, realistic expectations about life and parenting, vulnerability, the political election, LGBT community and religion, white priveledge, Multi-racial families, adoption and being a big-deal blogger.  

It is a fine line between choosing humility or humiliation.  I use this phrase "Eating Humble Pie" when I feel the tension of choice between humility and humiliation. I use this phrase when I find myself walking the fine line between experiencing shame and feeling humbled. I recorded this podcast after walking out of Crossfit class with my tail narrowly tucked between my legs. I got worked. Everyone in the class was ahead of me. I expect the Crossfit fenatics to beat me. I even expect some of the hundred pound women to kick my xxx. Unexpectedly, even the new skinny guy left me in the dust.

  Tribes of Belonging Your tribe of belonging is where you are at home. You know where you fit. You’re part of the tribe and everyone in the tribe knows you belong. You’re comfortable, safe and you can predict what will happen next within the tribe. You’re even apart of defining the rules and system of your tribe of belonging. An easy example is your family. Your hometown, your fraternity or serority, your school, your place of worship and likely your Tribes of Visitation Tribes Translator Required

Everyone should be part Mercenaries and equal parts Missionaries. I learned this idea from Mike Rowe the TV show host of Dirty Jobs. He riffed on this idea on a Fast Company video post and shared why he believes that everyone should be both. I unpack this idea of contrast between these two profiles. 

I have a confession to make. I get hung up with self-induced pressure of perfection. I have a vision of what things can become. As a result, I can easily get stuck in the muddy mire of perfect. I make things harder than they need to be. My wife reminds me of how I make things an “event” that don’t need to be. For as many cool things I create and author, there are twice as many projects that I get stuck on. I get hung up adhering to imagined rules that I’ve made impossibly more difficult than things need to be.

I discovered Kevin Butler's art in a Herschel Supply Co. magazine in a surf shop in Laguna Beach, CA. The Journal Issue 2, was intoxicatingly stacked from cover to cover with images of surf, land, sea, play, beauty and art. Kevin's RAD Cars with RAD Surfboards drawings were featured as Herschel's new beach line. I've been dragging around this journal for two years. I caught up with Kevin here on Work Life Play and got the download on how his art has so much soul.

It seems like there are only two choices, Option 1 (the way I've always done it) re Option 2 (the way I don't want to do it). However, I've discovered another option I never knew existed. We've learned to call this unforeseen possibility option "The Third Way". 

Podcast Highlights: The high’s and low’s of working side-by-side with Steve Jobs for twelve years. Discover the power of defeating complexity with simplicity. Watch the 1998 TV ads for the iMac with Jeff Goldblum. Why is simplicity so difficult to get right? Hear the story about the creation of the first Apple Store and naming the Genius Bar. Watch Steve Job’s commencement speech at Stanford “You cannot connect the dots going forward”.

I called my friend Gill at 10 am this morning. “Gill I’m calling you back. What’s up?” “We’re going to climb Pikes Peak today. You should join us Aaron.” Pause; remind myself that the lists of excuses for saying “No” are not that important or urgent or necessary. “YES. I’ll be there in an hour”. Movies are extremely helpful in telling parable stories through the lives of someone else. The two movies that reframed my beliefs about risking saying “YES” more often are The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Yes Man. These are must see films if you think you might be prone to using the words like, No Ahhh, I really need to…. Well it’s been a long time since I…. You know my (person) really was expecting me to… Keep me in mind for next time…. Give me a heads up next time and I’ll be able to plan better.

Think differently Business travel does not have to be a drag. Remove resignation from your list of excuses. You can fulfill your work obligations and HAVE A GOOD TIME ALSO. Come prepared adventure clothes running/walking/hiking shoes Petzl headlamp -my favorite Tikkina (cheap, light, easy) light jacket (check out Patagonia's Houdini) Gear every Road Warrior should carry

Unfortunately, I experience anxiety. I used to resent the feelings of anxiousness, worry and discomfort. I can't say, I like feeling anxious. However, I've learned to embrace anxiety as a necessary, although sometimes irrational, indicator of perceptions, beliefs and risk. I've learned is that anxiety is always trying to alert me. Like the Tsunami warning sirens broadcasting the early warning detection of pending harm, anxiety is trying to educate us about a perceived threat. As I mature, I am learning to embrace the feeling of anxiety as a early warning detection system. 

Your Good Amount of Weird [Episode #64] Everybody is weird in a good way. Your weird is your superpower. Embrace your weird. Love your weird. Foster your weird. Practice being weird. A friend of ours told me a story about her son coming home from school sharing his acrostic (the thing you make where each letter in your name has a word associated with it). His name had a “G” in it and after wrestling with the perfect word to describe himself by only selecting words that start with a “G” he told his mom he wrote A good amount of weird. Amen brother. I've only recently embraced the belief that my weird is rare and good. I’m not talking about the kind of weird that means you collect toenail clippings from when you were in the third grade. I’m talking about the kind of weird that makes you have powers like a super hero.

My wife Leith McHugh was interviewed last week on Rob Bell’s Robcast Episode 99 | Leith McHugh on Rebooting Your Life. You will want to listen to this powerful interview. I put together a summary of the nine key areas that were part of our Life Reboot. In this podcast, I walk through each of these key Reboot categories and how to evaluate your own need for a Life Reboot.

This podcast was recorded while backpacking the Colorado Trail at 10,000 feet on Kenosha Pass. I captured a few ideas, a few trail sounds and invite you into our three day 28 mile adventure.  All the Roots Grow Deeper When It's Dry  

You don’t need a destination. You don’t need a lot of money. You don’t need to spend a lot of time planning. You just need to stuff your kids in the car, point in a direction and start driving. Our modern life is too full. Life is too full of responsibilities, objectives, targets, metrics, schedules, measurement, technology, and pressure. A road trip without a detailed itinerary can help you experience more rest, play, adventure and connection with the people you love. It's almost summer. This podcast will help you get started on your summer road trip with your kids.  

Podcast highlights: Don't quit your day job. It can fund your dreams. Figure out what type of entrepreneur you want to become How to structure your life in order to have money or time to invest in your dream gig Take the 10% Entrepreneur Quiz to see if you have what it takes. Click here to start.  

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both.” James Michener

Podcast Highlights with Ben Lecomte: From Tokyo to San Francisco in the name of sustainability -The LONGEST Swim Why would Ben swim across the Pacific Ocean What will he think about while he swims eight hours a day, every day for six months? How long did it take for Ben to swim the Atlantic Ocean ten years ago? What are the biggest challenges he will face to finish? How the lessons Ben learns in the ocean change how he lives on land Follow Ben's progress on Twitter Follow The Longest Swim on Instagram Follow The Longest Swim on Facebook  

  I picked John up in my 1974 VW Joy Bus and we found a semi-quiet trailhead to park and do the interview in my bus. Friends, I want you to go see this one night movie event in nationwide theaters on Thursday, May 19th. John Eldredge and his sons have made an adventure film that I'm stoked about you experiencing. It's titled, A Story Worth Living (CLICK HERE to view the Trailer). Ransomed Heart has secured theaters across the country to view this film, so you can be assured that there is a theater near you (CLICK HERE to find a theater near you).