It's all in the mindset
Listening to podcasts wasn't really my thing.
I wasn't open to changing my information grabbing comfort zones THAT radically.
But when I did listen to them, I could feel the rapport between host and guest and I love building rapport with people. It's part of my base personality - a harmoniser.
So why didn't they appeal to me?
Envy: seeing new podcasts released with all these conversations between interesting people about interesting stuff. I secretly wanted to do something harmonising. I could see that there was some quite interesting stuff going on and I wanted to be part of it. But I pushed the idea away.
Intimidation: I am actually overwhelmed by the sheer volume of podcasts. I love feeding on information, I thrive on it, but it's got to be of a manageable flow for my mid-life brain. Podcast listeners tend to be all or nothing and not much in between. Bimodal. There are people who listen every day and those who listen very infrequently, like a couple of times a month. Even less.
Fear: of being rejected by people I invited. Obviously.
So, my mindset wasn't in the right place to give podcasts a fair crack of the whip.
Having said that, and perhaps serendipitously, I'd been trying other podcast ideas out for Hey Sunday and had enjoyed the experience. So when the idea of actually hosting one of the things was suggested with musicians, I didn't see it as quite as outlandish an idea as I might have done three months earlier.
However, I needed to get over the fear - of contacting people, of people saying 'no', of people saying 'yes'.
So, it was with having several bells of shit scared out of me by my own mind (nothing added, nothing taken away), that I steeled myself.
I wanted my guests to be a diverse bunch of people who would give me a diverse set of views and approaches to their work and life. I wanted people that I respected, enjoyed listening to and that I thought embodied the experimental mindset.
I enjoyed preparing the list and the topics to cover. This is fun because it's not quite real. The real bit is actually sending that email to ask them….so another round of steeling myself for the expected rejection
Bam. Duh.
Most of those that I approached agreed straight away. I was always surprised when the answer was "yes". There's my limiting self-belief insolently waving at me, right there.
Did I enjoy it? Am I enjoying it? One of the best things I've ever done.
Learning number 1
Fuck fear.
Fuck limiting self belief.
I can do it. I did it. I am doing it.
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