Optimal Living Daily - Archive 1 - Episodes 1-300 Only

Derek Sivers reads to you. Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100M in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22M, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference, with over 5 million views of his talks. Since 2011 he has published 34 books, including “Anything You Want” which shot to #1 on all of its Amazon categories. Episode 100: A Real Person A Lot Like You and It's About Being Not Having by Derek Sivers (Derek Narrates His Own Content For You). Derek's book can be found here: 

Chris J. Patti (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Appalachian State University, nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. As an ethnographic writer, his research highlights intimate, relational processes at the heart of human experience through listening to and richly representing stories of love, loss, and transformation. He has published several peer-reviewed articles and chapters on the theme of suffering and compassion. His other passions are rock climbing, longboard surfing, and intentionally doing nothing with his mindfulness mediation club Zen & the Art of Applied Communication. Find his group on Twitter:  You can email Chris at patticj (at) appstate (dot) edu. Episode 99: The Flip-Side of Love by Chris Patti of Appalachian State University (Help for Grief & Loss After the Death of a Loved One). Book mentioned in this episode:

J. Money of BudgetsAreSexy.com is a 6’1, hyperactive, rock a ‘hawk who loves drinking beer, blaring hip-hop, talking about money, and now playing with his two adorable baby boys. He also has a podcast: M.O.N.E.Y. He tracked his expenses for 3 months, made a budget, read some books, and stumbled into personal finance blogging and idea sharing, randomly turning BudgetsAreSexy.com into his full time “real job” a few short years later--14 million views later! Episode 98: Retiring Early Really Means Being Financially Free by J. Money of Budgets Are Sexy (Choose Your Own Future Right Now). The original post is located here:  and !

Ramit Sethi wants to use money to say YES. He knew there was a better way to live a rich life—if we could use psychology to focus on what actually works. Not just for personal finance, but all aspects of life: money, careers, relationships, business, fitness and more. Since then, he's been testing and sharing his findings with the world via I Will Teach You To Be Rich. He's also written a New York Times bestselling book, been profiled in a 6-page Fortune article and pictured next to Warren Buffett Forbes Magazine, and have been featured by a long list of media, including the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, NPR, Fox Business, PBS, CNBC and more. He also has tons of documented success stories—more than 20,000. Episode 97: Be Careful Who You Listen To by Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich (Psychology of Dealing with Critics & Criticism). The original post is located here:  and !

Steve Kamb of NerdFitness.com started exercising back in high school without really knowing what he was doing. Through high school and college, he made every training mistake known to man and got zero results. It wasn’t until he graduated college and learned the right way to train that he started to see positive changes. He's a nerd, but likes fitness… so why not combine the two and turn life into one giant video game? And thus, in the fall of 2009, NerdFitness.com was born! Episode 96: The 20-Second Beast Mode Berserker Challenge by Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness (Gaining Courage & Motivation Right Now). The original post is located here:  and !

Mary Jaksch is an authorized Zen master (Diamond Sangha lineage), psychotherapist, and author. She has two nationalities,--English and German--and lives in New Zealand. She's the mother of a grown-up son and lives happily ever after with her partner David. She's been awarded an MA in Religious Studies, holds a 4th Dan Blackbelt in karate, started professional life as a flautist and loves dancing Argentine tango in skimpy dresses. Episode 95: Why Meditation Improves Brain Power by Mary Jaksch of Good Life Zen (Reasons to Meditate & the Path to Awarness). The original post is located here: 

The Minimalists (Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus) write about living a meaningful life with less stuff for 4 million readers. As featured on: ABC, CBS, NBC, BBC, TODAY, NPR, TIME, Forbes, The Atlantic, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and National Post. They live in Missoula, Montana. Episode 094: Decluttering Mental Clutter by Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists (A Different Kind of Meditation Practice for the Mind). The original post is located here: 

Derek Sivers created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100M in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22M, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference, with over 5 million views of his talks. Since 2011 he has published 34 books, including “Anything You Want” which shot to #1 on all of its Amazon categories. Episode 93: Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Freedom by Derek Sivers (What If You Had Enough Money to Never Have to Work Again). The original post is located here: 

David Cain of Raptitude.com is a writer and entrepreneur living in Winnipeg, Canada. On a particular boring day at his office job in 2009, he started Raptitude. His interest has always been human society and the internal human experience, and Raptitude became his megaphone for his thoughts about those things. It found an audience rather quickly and it’s been central to his life ever since. In 2013, he left his day job to write full time. Episode 92: The Elegant Secret to Self Discipline by David Cain of Raptitude (Meditating on Your Past, Present, & Future Self). The original post is located here: 

Leo Babauta created Zen Habits, which is about finding simplicity and mindfulness in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness. Episode 91: Fiscal Fitness: Eliminate Debt with 10 Successful Diet Principles by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits (Paying Off Your Loans). The original post is located here: 

Steve Pavlina is widely recognized as one of the most successful personal development bloggers on the Internet, with his work attracting more than 100 million visits to his website, StevePavlina.com. He has written more than 1300 articles and recorded many audio programs on a broad range of self-help topics, including productivity, relationships, and spirituality. Steve has been quoted as an expert by the New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, the Los Angeles Daily News, Self Magazine, The Guardian, and countless other publications. He's also a frequent guest on popular podcasts and radio shows. Episode 90: Career & Commitment by Steve Pavlina (Personal Career Development & Finding Your Dream Job for Life Fulfillment). The original post is located here: 

Steve Kamb of NerdFitness started exercising back in high school without really knowing what he was doing. Through high school and college, he made every training mistake known to man and got zero results. It wasn’t until he graduated college and learned the right way to train that he started to see positive changes. He's a nerd, but likes fitness… so why not combine the two and turn life into one giant video game? And thus, in the fall of 2009, NerdFitness.com was born! Episode 89: Real-Life Role Playing: What Is Your Profession by Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness (A Fun Form of Motivation for Exercise). The original post is located here:  and !

Mary Jaksch is an authorized Zen master (Diamond Sangha lineage), psychotherapist, and author. She has two nationalities,--English and German--and lives in New Zealand. She's the mother of a grown-up son and lives happily ever after with her partner David. She's been awarded an MA in Religious Studies, holds a 4th Dan Blackbelt in karate, started professional life as a flautist and loves dancing Argentine tango in skimpy dresses. Episode 88: Want to Establish a Good Habit? Use This Secret Mental Force by Mary Jaksch of Good Life Zen (Resolve, Not Motivation). The original post is located here: 

A professional author and international speaker, Colin co-founded a publishing company, and travels full-time, moving to a new country every four months or so--that country determined by the votes of his readers! He also blogs. Colin's a minimalist in that he owns very few things and is careful in how he consumes. He tends to buy less, but invest in quality when he does, and trends toward the same in relationships, business endeavors, and just about everything else. He's left-handed, blue-eyed, scary good at Tetris, and can’t cook worth a damn. Episode 87: Minimalism, Doritos, & Heidi Klum by Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle (A Personal Story About Becoming a Minimalist). The original post is located here: 

Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek Sivers created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100M in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22M, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference, with over 5 million views of his talks. Since 2011 he has published 34 books, including “Anything You Want” which shot to #1 on all of its Amazon categories. Optimal Living Daily: Reading you the best content on personal development, productivity, and minimalism. Episode 86: Are You Future-Focused or Present-Focused? The Marshmallow Experiment by Derek Sivers (Related to Myers-Briggs). The original post is located here:

Leo Babauta created Zen Habits, which is about finding simplicity and mindfulness in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness. Optimal Living Daily: Reading you the best content on personal development, productivity, and minimalism. Episode 85: How to Deal With Your Family's Bad Habits by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits (Annoyance in Relationships, Dating, & Marriage). The original post is located here: 

Cait Flanders started Blonde on a Budget to document her debt repayment journey. After paying it off, she adopted a minimalist lifestyle, tossed 75% of her stuff, and is currently doing a two-year shopping ban. She shares stories and lessons learned every week. Optimal Living Daily: Reading you the best content on personal development, productivity, and minimalism. Episode 84: What a Year of Being Debt-Free Has Taught Me by Cait Flanders of Blonde On A Budget (Lessons Learned After Debt). The original post is located here: 

Optimal Living Daily: Reading you the best content on personal development, productivity, and minimalism. Episode 83: Understanding Others by Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists (Tolerance, Respect, Appreciation). Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus write about living a meaningful life with less stuff for 4 million readers. As featured on: ABC, CBS, NBC, BBC, TODAY, NPR, TIME, Forbes, The Atlantic, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and National Post. They live in Missoula, Montana. The original post is located here: 

Steve Kamb (Nerd Fitness) started exercising back in high school without really knowing what he was doing. Through high school and college, he made every training mistake known to man and got zero results. It wasn’t until he graduated college and learned the right way to train that he started to see positive changes. He's a nerd, but likes fitness… so why not combine the two and turn life into one giant video game? And thus, in the fall of 2009, NerdFitness.com was born! Episode 82: Why I Work Out by Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness (Motivation to Perform & Exercise: Self-Love & Happy or Happier Lives). The original post is located here: and !

Optimal Living Daily: Reading you the best content on personal development, productivity, and minimalism. Episode 81: Why I Don't Want Stuff by Derek Sivers (Don't Give Me Gifts for my Birthday or Christmas: Self Help Post for Minimalists). Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek Sivers created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100M in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22M, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference, with over 5 million views of his talks. Since 2011 he has published 34 books, including “Anything You Want” which shot to #1 on all of its Amazon categories. The original posts are located here: