Finding and Aligning Your Core Values with Jeff Sandquist – SASM 093
Have you ever invited someone to wander in your front door, have a good sit, and then chat about whatever the heck you feel like?
That's how my pal and this episode's groovy guest, Jeff Sandquist, met me (and he loves to tell you about it).
Jeff has been intentionally wandering his way through life for a bit and the journey has been like a roller coaster ride with no exit. Actually, our conversation is just as wild a ride … with the occasion detour to talk about what separates us, binds us, and blinds us.
You'll hear us get really real about half way through our conversation – to the point that we may have to both change our middle names to Frank.
In-between, we discussed why knowing that life is fragile is both a curse and a blessing, how to uncover your core values and live in alignment with them, when SMART goals are actually dumb, and why not all those who wander are lost.
There may even be a triumphant return of the “How Crazy Is Joel” segment and some talk about 1990s era wrestlers as well. But don't let your brain wander while listening because this episode is groovy from top to bottom.
Here are some choice snippets to whet your appetite for a wide-ranging and free-wheeling chat:
“I can’t rely on others' feedback to determine if I'm going to continue to do something or not … Instead, ask yourself: do you find value in what you're doing and does it align with what's most important in your life?” – Jeff Sandquist
And …
“When you want someone to do something for you, ask yourself first: are you doing the same thing for others that you're asking for?” – Jeff Sandquist
Another …
“There's so much we can learn from each other without being told what to do.” – Jeff Sandquist
Buckle up, saddle up, or otherwise get yourself up for this lively and seriously frank chat!
You're about to Learn ...
- How to uncover your core values and live in alignment with them.
- Why relying on external validation is such a dangerous trap.
- How tasting life's brittleness is both a curse and a blessing.
- What to do when the world ignores the good you're putting into it.
- Why getting your mid-life crisis out of the way early is great.
- One powerful overarching theme that Jeff and I share.
- If we can settle the tension between being a minimalist and multipotentialite.
- Jeff's unique decision process to let go of what's holding him back.
- Why you don’t want to tell certain people, “Everything in moderation!”
- What happens when we eat food with no brakes.
- Why “not all those who wander are lost.”
- How to help people share their stories in their (and your) own way.
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Resources and Items Mentioned in This Episode
Websites
- Intentionally Wandering
- SimpleREV
Resources
- Intentionally Wandering Podcast
- World Domination Summit
Books
- One Word that Will Change Your Life
- It Starts with Food
- Better Than Before
- The Happiness Project
- Everything That Remains
Podcast Episodes
- Jeff interviews Joel on the Intentionally Wandering podcast
Podcasts
Videos
Blog Posts
- Escape Plan or Experience Experiment?
- No Reception: Why I Don’t Want Free Cable
- Chris Brogan: My 3 Words for 2016
Where to Find Jeff on Social Media
Direct Download for This Episode
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Timestamps and Topics
- [06:10] Jeff's seeds of awesomeness
- [12:52] The origins and impact of Intentionally Wandering
- [21:58] How Jeff decides it's time for something to go
- [26:07] What Jeff is going all-in on right now
- [27:55] Why SASM 081 bonded me and Jeff in a special way
- [32:15] Showing up over and over when it seems the world doesn't care
- [37:54] A totally random “How Crazy Is Joel” segment
- [39:18] Back to what it means to show up when the world doesn't care
- [41:01] Intentionally wandering about bacon, wrestling, and road trips
- [43:54] Why Jeff asks “why” in his Intentionally Wandering podcast
- [45:47] A quick recap of where Jeff's been and where he's going
Extra Gratitude and Special Mentions
Here's an extra dose of love to Angelika in Germany who wrote me a note recently and said this:
“I have enjoyed your podcast for over a year now and, having listened to every episode, I am a big fan. Thank you for the time and effort you put into your work, for your open mind and empathetic approach towards a lot of different people, for helping others find their tribe, your generosity, and for sticking to your values when you deliver fun-tastic interviews!”
Angelika, you and what you shared are tree-mend-us!
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Thanks again for your time and attention! And if you have someone or something you’d like me to cover on an upcoming show, tell us in the comments below.
Hey, Joel (and Jeff)!
Thank you for this episode. It gave me a lot to think about; even remarks that were probably “throw-away” to you (like your comment, Joel, about how important it was to you to be open to new people in your life) were thought-provoking to me. And I really appreciated hearing the two of you talk about the struggles you feel with the way people respond, or don’t respond, publicly to your work.
Both the type of work I do and the type of work I want to do require a certain level of expertise in social media. I hate the pressure associated with this – the need to be “popular” and to be constantly active in this realm, and I hate the way I feel about what I perceive as a lack of success. You reminded me of the need to just focus on what matters to me and not concern myself so much with these things. Yes, social media is a necessary part of what matters to me, but it’s good to focus on the things that I’m passionate about and not so much on how successful I am. Thanks.
Hey Kate!
Sharing your struggle and giving further voice to an all-too-common challenge of “Why doesn’t the world care about me?!” is a gift to everyone who reads your comment. So thank you.
Jeff and I have had many private conversations about thousands of people downloading our podcast episodes and then … [crickets]. Should we care? Do we really need external validation or direct acknowledgment that what we’re doing and why we’re doing it is having an impact?
Sometimes I think: If a positive dent is made in the universe and no one is there to hear it, does it still count? I now believe each positive dent matters even if we don’t know where, when, and how it happens. As you might imagine, though, I’m grateful for your note and encouraged at your own direction. Let’s keeping kicking booty and keep smiling that we’re fortunate enough for the chance to kick booty in the first place!
Hey Jeff and Joel,
Can you please explain us why this is the first team podcast of you two? It is very great in a good giving tree kind of sense. By the way, Joel, I always suspected you to be left handed – like me.
Multipotentialite and simplicity is a great topic. My thoughts on that. Simplicity gives me space to do different things. At first because I consume less and my thoughts are more and more my own. But then because a simpler way of life helps me to accept the seasons and helps to leave old – maybe good – things behind and not always carrying with me.
I’ve wanted to have Jeff on SASM for a while, Felix. But with my publishing schedule (still once every other week, sadly), it takes me a while to get around to coordinating a chat with all the amazing people I want to highlight. I’m sure Jeff will be flattered that we teamed up on SASM because we had already recorded a conversation on his own podcast.