The Quest4Life Podcast Dr. Ed Slover

For the past few months, I’ve been toying with the idea of sunsetting TQ4LP, but I haven’t been able to make a definitive decision. You see, when I started this podcast, I had no idea where it would go. I had no idea if anyone would be interested in what I had to say. I had no idea how transformative of an experience it would be for me. Well, as fate would have it, it’s changed my life. 

Throughout Seasons #1 & #2, I explored topics of personal interest simply because I wanted to dive deeper. TQ4LP gave me a convenient excuse to “geek out,” which not only taught me more about the topics but allowed me to integrate what I learned into my daily life, which was hugely beneficial.

For Season #3, I pivoted the show, as I wanted the content to me more intentional about helping people level-up their mindset to achieve peak performance in all areas of their life. I figured that, in some way, if I could help shorten the learning curve or given listeners a way to think differently about things or to give others more confidence, their lives would improve. After all, who wants to stay stuck? I know I don’t. No one does.

Unfortunately, far too many people are willing to stay stuck because they don’t have the tools necessary to get unstuck or they don’t have the confidence that anything they try will help or they are comfortable with what’s familiar because the familiar is certain. 

In any case, my hope was that helping others shift or reframe their mindset to make their lives better or, at least, parts of their lives better would be a noble pursuit. In some small way, TQ4LP was a service to others, a way to give away the knowledge, insights, and dare I say, wisdom that was given to me by so many remarkable people in my life. With that, I’ve arrived at a place where I know it’s time to sunset the show.

The Season #3 finale speaks to episodes that I found particularly helpful for me in my personal quest to level-up my mindset to achieve peak performance in my life. Enjoy!

THANK YOU for joining the conversation!

thequest4life.com

A labyrinth is a maze.

As with any complicated maze, it's challenging to find your way to the other side without getting lost or turned around.

In many cases, you end up right back where you started, which is what happens when you engage in negative self-talk or buy into the beliefs that limit your potential, which can have massive implications on your self-worth and overall perception of the world.

Depending on your background with religion, philosophy, or modern-day social media, you may advocate the perspective that "life is suffering" because most people either don't know how much they are suffering or don't know what it's like not to suffer.

There's a better way.

Step #1: You need to acknowledge that your brain IS NOT broken, but your mindset IS NOT okay.

Step #2: You must stop controlling things in the external environment trying to fix things within yourself.

Step #3: You need to accept that everything in life is neutral until you give it meaning.

Get more specifics by checking how to minimize or eliminate suffering so you can argue for and live up to your potential.

THANK YOU for joining the conversation!

thequest4life.com

There is no other way to state it: Distraction is a dream killer.

There are many reasons why distractions kill dreams. Some of us have self-limiting beliefs, some of us have emotional triggers that knock us off our game, and some of us are just lazy.

No matter the reason, distractions serve as an avoidance mechanism that allow us to avoid engaging in those things that evoke anxiety and stress. Distractions allow us to avoid dealing with problems and can often lead to self-sabotaging behaviors.

Fortunately, there are ways to minimize and/or eliminate distractions. These approaches do, however, require that we prioritize our dreams ahead of whatever convenient distractions exist.

Each of us only has one chance at this life and the biggest regrets people have as they approach the end of life are those things that they never attempted in the first place.

Distraction has no power without our participation.

THANK YOU for joining the conversation!

thequest4life.com

Think back on a time when you successfully navigated conflict with someone. What worked and why? Did you use that approach in future conflict with that person?

If so, you are keenly attuned to the power of precedent, which is an event or action that guides subsequent circumstances that are similar.

Now, think back on a time when you established precedent as a coping strategy to avoid pain or suffering. To what extent did that precedent add productive value to your life in the short- or long-term?

In either case, precedent that leads to favorable or unfavorable outcomes is a reactive way to live because we become prisoners of the moment, trying to tap into those things that provide some semblance of relief.

There’s a better way. 

The triumph of principle over precedent allows you to live an intentional life, a life that’s on purpose. You do this by honoring yourself, living a healthy life – physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually, facing your fears, and learning from your mistakes.

This episode explores 4 approaches you can employ to live a principled life, a life grounded in principles rather than living in a reactionary way, which is, ultimately, more gratifying, and more fulfilling.

THANK YOU for joining the conversation!

thequest4life.com

If you let what other people think about you affect how you show up in the world, LISTEN UP!

You're, like the rest of us, are constantly being judged. You're constantly being assessed and evaluated by others. The reason?

Judgment, assessment, and evaluation are part of the human condition because people are built to make cognitive adaptations, which are coping strategies deeply rooted in human behavior, such as detecting danger or making decisions that allow for reproduction, survival, and evolution.

Whether such judgments are right, wrong, or accurate isn't the point. The broader point is that all humans judge and their judgments are none of your business.

Each person's perspective or perception of you is theirs and any judgment they have of you is more of a reflection on them than you.

This episode explores 4 ways that can help you to stop worrying about what others think about you - it's none of your business anyway - so you can level-up your mindset and design healthier, happier relationships.

THANK YOU for joining the conversation!

thequest4life.com

Think back on the moment when you first learned how to ride a bike, climb a tree, or drive a car. Because you didn't know how to do any of these things, you approached the experience with awe and wonder. You were engaged in each adventure with rapt curiosity. Unfortunately, research informs that curiosity begins dwindling around age 5 and is replaced by preconceived notions and, later, past experiences, which leads to a life that's stale and routine toward approaching problems or situations.

Fortunately, there is an alternative. Shoshin, the Zen Buddhist word for "beginner's mind," allows us to look at every situation in which we find ourselves as if it's the first time we're seeing or experiencing it. It allows us to be open to possibilities and potentialities versus simply deferring to our preconceptions or our "expertise."

Check out the practical ways to cultivate A Beginner's Mind and begin applying them to your life today. THANK YOU for joining the conversation!

thequest4life.com