Citizens of the World: A Stoic Podcast for Curious Travelers - You’ll Never Have This Day Again. Make it Matter.

Episode Date: July 27, 2019

Summer’s in the air…at least in my part of the world, and so I’m sharing a mini-episode on my deep summer thoughts.    Summer has always been my favorite season. It meant no school. Swimming. No cold weather. My birthday. Vacations. Barbecues. Now as an adult, I also appreciate the joy that I see in other people at this time of year. People are happier. They’re out and about doing communal activities like open air cinema or hanging out at an outdoor bar or cafe. They are going places. They are living life. I wish that we could maintain this vibrancy all year.    As I’m recording this, we’re heading into August, which is kind of like the ‘Sunday Night Blues’ month of the calendar year. September is right around the corner. Back to the real world. For a lot of people, this means heading to work and heading home.   But what if it wasn’t like that? What if we keep living our best lives all year long? This doesn’t have to mean  globetrotting nonstop or packing our days full of activities.    What if we prioritized simple pleasures and stopped wasting time stewing in anger, regretting things we can’t change, canceling plans with people we care about, and — this big one — not going after what we really want in life, because we’ll get to it someday, right?    What if we remembered to have fun and actually prioritized and planned for this.   What would your days look like if you woke up feeling in your bones that you will never have this day again?    If you’re a regular listener of the Postcard Academy, it would mean the world to me if you could take a moment to rate and/or review the show in Apple Podcasts. This helps other potential listeners know if the show is worth listening to :)   I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Did you know I host another show called Podcasting Step by Step? Check it out if you’ve been wanting to start a podcast. Every week, I break down ‘how to podcast’ with a little loving motivation to give you the skills and confidence you need to finally launch that show of your dreams.   Ready to travel? Get your free guide to cheap airfare.   Thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.   This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via audibletrial.com/postcard   This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculaDo you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Hello and welcome to the Postcard Academy. I'm your host Sarah Micatel, and today I am sharing a mini episode of my deep summer thoughts. Summer is in the air, at least in my part of the world, and this has always been my favorite season. Summer meant no school, swimming, no cold weather, my birthday, vacations, barbecues. Now as an adult, I also appreciate the joy that I see in other people at this time of year. People are happier. They are out and about doing communal activities like open-air cinema or hanging out at an outdoor bar or a cafe or simply just going to a beach or a park. I mean, can you beat those things? They are out there going places and living a life and I wish that we could maintain this vibrancy all year long.

As I'm recording this, we're heading into August, which is kind of like the Sunday night blues month of the calendar year. September is right around the corner, back to the real world. For a lot of people, this means heading to work and then heading home. But what if it wasn't like that? What if we could keep living our best lives all year long? And this doesn't have to mean globetrotting non-stop or packing our days full of activities. but what if we remembered to prioritize simple pleasures and stopped wasting time, stuing in anger, regretting things that we can't change, canceling plans with people that we actually

care about, and this big one not going after what we really want, because we'll get to it someday, right? What if we remembered to have fun and actually prioritized and planned for this in life? What would your day look like if you want to be? woke up feeling in your bones that you will never have this day again. How would you treat people? How would you treat yourself? At a certain point in my life, the thought of doing something like going to the movies by myself sounded insane. But why? Are we worried strangers might think we don't have any friends? Why do we care what they think? I mean, we do care usually, but why? Do we think they are doubting our self-worth, that they are feeling sorry for us? Some people might feel sorry for

a solo traveler eating alone, and they might also feel sorry for that couple that's glued to their phones, not talking to each other, and for the mom who's screaming at her four children who are running around. But most people who we think are worrying about us or judging us, they're not paying any attention to us at all. We are creating all of this drama in our heads. There is a quote that is falsely attributed to Winston Churchill, but I love it, so I'm going to share it with you. When you're 20, you care what everyone thinks. When you're 40, you stop caring what everyone thinks. And when you're 60, you realize that no one was ever thinking about you in the first place.

Our lives are going to be over soon, sooner than you think, maybe even tomorrow. Do we want to spend our final days hiding because someone we don't know might not? like the sound of our voice on a podcast, I hear that one a lot. Or what would people say if I left this comfortable job to go work at a cafe in Mexico? They would think I was crazy. Or I really want to date this person, but I am afraid of what people will say because of X, Y, Z. Other people don't have a vote on how we live our lives. And we can't live for them because the adage is true. Our biggest regrets in life are not going after what might have been. A number of years ago, a woman named Bonnie Ware nursed patients in the final weeks of their

lives. In that brief time she had with them, she really connected with them on a very powerful level. I mean, facing death is obviously a very complicated and emotional transition. And Bonnie talked to her patients about their biggest regrets and what they would, they would do over if they could, and she published their responses in an article and then later a book called Regrets of the Dying. Here are the five most common regrets. I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. I wish I hadn't worked so hard. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

I wish that I had let myself be happier. Bonnie ends her article by saying, Life is a choice. It is your life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly, choose happiness. Did this give you chills? Happiness is a choice.

You can choose to be brave. Changing how you act changes who you are. Do something this week that scares you. a little, let yourself be happy, call a friend, express your feelings, stop working so hard and none of it is going to matter in the end anyway. Be true to yourself and don't worry about what other people expect. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free conversation sheet sheet with simple formulas that you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you're in a meeting or just talking with friends. Download it

at sarah micotel.com slash blank no more.