Podcasts and thinking. Just being out there.
April 5, 2020

Podcasts – embracing being uncomfortable

The world is in an interesting place.

Normality has been disrupted and the true scale and impact of the challenges which we currently face as a result of COVID-19 is unknown. The last few weeks feel like a bit of a blur…

The big tech platforms have been called on to help with contact tracing and our location data, generated through devices and apps, will play a crucial role in helping to address the spread of the virus. Inspiring and uninspiring leadership has been shown by world leaders who have adopted different approaches, some having better results than others.

With a lot of uncertainty, I have been reflecting around what it means to be comfortable and whether the notion of being comfortable was merely an illusion that we ourselves had created because we had ignored what was going on around us in the greater global ecosystem.

Our short-term “comforts” had placed long term stability at risk. This crisis has placed various constraints on us and forced us as humanity to recognise our uncomfortable environments. We are now operating with restrictions and need to adapt. It’s a part of our evolution and the lessons we learn now will help us build a better future.

The globe is far more connected than we realised and to come through the negative effects of the virus, not only health related, but economic, social and emotional… we will need to work together. The virus after all has no concept of political or physical boundaries.

In summary, I think that we are always in a state of being uncomfortable and that we only fully recognise this when we are faced with uncertainty. Humans have adapted, evolved and grown as a result of being uncomfortable.

Here a few podcasts that have help me gain perspective over the last few weeks and have inspired me to continue learning so that I can continue adapting to change.

In considering what the future has in store and how to deal with the present, you may find this piece feature on the Farnam Street Blog an interesting read.

“Preserving Optionality: Preparing for the Unknown”

It encouraged me to think about the way we prepare ourselves for our journey through life and the lessons that we can learn from increasing our knowledge through reading broadly. At present we are over whelmed with content related to COVID-19 – news updates, productivity tips, blogs, stats, and much more. This piece was share with me by a mentor and friend, it’s worth a read “Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure”.

Stay safe, connect, share, reflect, and let’s learn from the current uncomfortable circumstances.

Ps. Please join our next TED Circles get together on the 15th of April 2020, full details here.