Questions To Consider
Two Things I Have Learned From Two Years Of Listening To Podcasts
I have learned many lessons from podcasts.
Podcasts have given me deep insight into the inner workings of disciplines that fascinate me. Brand Building, Strategy, Design, Wellness, Self Understanding.
The people that I listen to could not be more diverse. This morning I was listening to lance armstrong interview a Talent Manager Shep Gordon… last week I was listening to Kara Swisher interview ashton kutcher. But, apart from their outward appearance being much different there is one uncanny similarity that I have found listening to these people.
What is similar is the quality of their questions. It is a strange feeling because at least once a podcast episode I find myself saying “Ah!” and when I ask myself why it is because of the quality of the underlying question that this person asked themselves in order to get to that perspective or to that clarity of thought.
Well, thats not so interesting. Many people who have any type of intelligence use questions to catalyze their thinking.
The more interesting part is the similarity in the type of questions that these people are asking themselves.
Tiny & Huge
Tiny questions are well — tiny. They are seemingly innocuous questions that seem trivial. But, when explored to their depth, asked and explored consistently — they have astounding results.
I hear a lot of these types of questions on the Tim Ferriss Podcast from disproportionally formidable individuals who are so grand because of their ability to do little things very well consistently and use the 8th wonder of the world. Compound interest.
A great example is the Seth Godin episode where he says “to create something great (or extremely huge) start small- ask yourself what is the smallest possible footprint that I can get away with?”
Huge questions are well — huge, ridiculous and frankly weird.
I also hear a lot of these types of questions on all of the podcasts that I listen to, questions that have made me press pause and think “wait a minute, what?”. These questions I believe, at least for me serve the purpose of breaking the mold, completely shifting the paradigm.
My favorite example is also from the Tim Ferriss Podcast when Peter Thiel asks “What would you do if you had to accomplish your 10 year goals in the next 6 month”
Stagnation & Status Quo
In my life, the “resistance” as Steven Pressfield would describe it, comes in two forms.
The first is in the form of Stagnation. The ever so daunting art of the start. The second is doing things that to me don’t seem that original.
The key insight from listening to these podcasts with these impressive people is that they are able to keep moving forward through obstacles because of the tiny questions and they are able to do things differently, challenge the status quo by asking themselves the huge questions. The confluence of tiny & huge questions seemingly creates an auspicious force propelled through momentum of the small and originality of the large.
