If Then Podcast

This is the story of Caleb Natale--a video effects artist who built a massive following on the app Vine before having it all taken away when the app was discontinued in 2017. In the midst of tragedy, learn how he mitigated its effects and stayed afloat as an entrepreneur, building an even bigger following in the years after. 🎧AIRPODS MAX GIVEAWAY ENDS NOVEMBER 7🎧 To enter to win the Airpods Max with an "If Then Podcast" engraving, here's what to do: 1) Screenshot this podcast and share on your Instagram tagging @ifthenpodcast 2) Follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram 3) If we get to 200 shares by 11:59 PM November 6th, you have an opportunity to win the Airpods Max the following day! But don't forget, that each week, for those of you who share on Instagram, I also give away two 1 month Audible gift cards which include a FREE credit for an audiobook + 1 MONTH ACCESS to their Plus Catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com EMAIL: [email protected] CREDITS: Caleb Natale's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calebnatale/ Caleb Natale's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@calebnatale Caleb Natale's Website: https://www.nataleproductions.com Written and produced by Jordan Taylor: https://www.instagram.com/messy_jordan/

I always felt like I couldn't narrow down my focus to just one interest because I was scared of losing all of my potential in all my other interests. By picking just one, I was losing everything else, and I was poorer for it. This episode delves into the idea of the Backwards Law, and how, sometimes, you have to do the uninstictive backwards thing to get your desires. What if you had to actually narrow your focus to broaden your horizon? 🎧AIRPODS MAX GIVEAWAY ENDS NOVEMBER 7🎧 To enter to win the Airpods Max with an "If Then Podcast" engraving, here's what to do: 1) Screenshot this podcast and share on your Instagram tagging @ifthenpodcast 2) Follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram 3) If we get to 200 shares by November 6th, you have an opportunity to win the Airpods Max the following day! But don't forget, that each week, for those of you who share on Instagram, I also give away two 1 month Audible gift cards which include a FREE credit for an audiobook + 1 MONTH ACCESS to their Plus Catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com EMAIL: [email protected] CREDITS: Written and produced by Jordan Taylor: https://www.instagram.com/messy_jordan/ Josh Taylor as the Professor: https://www.joshtaylor.fyi Kristi Smith as student #1: https://www.instagram.com/kristi_denise26/ Samuel Smith as student #2: https://www.samuelsmithvoice.com Kristi and Samuel Smith's Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/groupdatespodcast/

A lot of us feel like we're wasting our lives when we constantly start and stop hobbies. When will we ever discover our calling after all? In this episode, I argue that following your interests, even if you quit tons of them over time, will eventually lead you to your ultimate calling through the patterned nature of learning and the interweaving connectivity of the universe. 🎧AIRPODS MAX GIVEAWAY🎧 To enter to win the Airpods Max with an "If Then Podcast" engraving, here's what to do: 1) Screenshot this podcast and share on your Instagram tagging @ifthenpodcast 2) Follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram 3) If we get to 200 shares by the end of Season 2, you have an opportunity to win the Airpods Max! But don't forget, that each week, for those of you who share on Instagram, I also give away two 1 month Audible gift cards which include a FREE credit for an audiobook + 1 MONTH ACCESS to their Plus Catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com EMAIL: [email protected] CREDITS: Written and produced by Jordan Taylor

What if boredom wasn't something to dread but was, rather, something to value? Boredom is your brain's built-in program to grow, to extend yourself, to let you know that your current trajectory is off track. It's encouraging you to push through the discomfort and write new neurological code. 🎧AIRPODS MAX GIVEAWAY🎧 To enter to win the Airpods Max with an "If Then Podcast" engraving, here's what to do: 1) Screenshot this podcast and share on your Instagram tagging @ifthenpodcast 2) Follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram 3) If we get to 200 shares by the end of Season 2, you have an opportunity to win the Airpods Max! But don't forget, that each week, for those of you who share on Instagram, I also give away two 1 month Audible gift cards which include a FREE credit for an audiobook + 1 MONTH ACCESS to their Plus Catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com EMAIL: [email protected] CREDITS: Written and produced by Jordan Taylor TRANSCRIPT: My name is Jordan Taylor, and welcome to the If Then podcast. Our brains our a conglomerate of if/then statements, like in computer code, and oftentimes new lines of code are hard to write in our mind when we're trying new things, for example if I want to play piano, then I need to read music. Sitting down and coding that particular if then statement could take years of dedication, but when we do sit down and create new then statements for a complicated if, it feels freaking amazing. This podcast is your weekly motivation, and mine, to get uncomfortable and write some neurological code. "Boredom is your imagination calling to you." — Sherry Turkle There was a storm that evening—outside and within. The wind blew the limbs, and the leaves came down like an autumn colored rain, and I sat inside, unprotected, from my own rain of thoughts and a cell phone. I was battered by stimuli in my electrical brain storm. A notification here. A suggested video there. An instagram like. An Elon tweet. Hmm… I wonder how many downloads my last episode got? I was in the thick of it like most evenings—until, outside, there was a strike. *lightning strike* *sound of breaker* And all went dark. All, that is, except my illuminated face now contrasted in the bright light of the screen. My eyes dilated. The screen froze. There was a glitch in my brain as my video stopped. "No no no, not again…hhhhhh…" Out in the country, you run on wifi. I pulled to refresh. *roulette wheel sound* "Come on come on." Nothing. And then another pull. *roulette wheel sound* Even though I knew what the outcome would be. *ding* "Error loading Tap to retry." And then it set in. My new reality as I pulled 3 more times out of desperation. How long would it be? Could it be all night? The storm is pretty bad this time. *thunder* And then it hit me. Withdrawals. I could feel my stress rise as my pattern was broken, as urges hit and I couldn't react, I just sat and stared at the Home screen swiping left and right through icons, another urge. Another sequence of apps opened and closed, their patterned order engrained in me, top left, then close, swipe, bottom right, then close. Opening and closing. Desperately searching for a fix, and the stress rose and kept rising, and another urge, and another, and then Sara came in, "Jordan, let's get that lantern from downstairs." "Yeah, okay. Can't you just get that yourself, Sara? You know where it is, right?" "Uh…yeah…I think I do. You just kind of have your tools down there and I thought you could help me maneuver around it so we don't get hurt in the dark." I looked up. And I saw. I finally saw it all. Myself. The darkness. Her flashlight across the room lighting her little corner I put her in. The black void between us. And the feeling. I can't think of anything else in my life that if it were taken away right now, I would experience withdrawal symptoms. See for some reason, I just don't struggle with common addictions like drinking, drugs, pornography, food. And, because of that, it's easy to internally criticize others when I hear of their addictions, like just stop watching porn--how hard is that? Even though, when I think about it, I'm not much different than them, and I can relate more than I'd like to admit. Much more. We all have some symptom in our lives we're trying to mask by different methods. Instead of dealing with the root cause, we temporarily medicate the symptom away. During a particularly stressful day, drinking a lot might make you feel carefree and happy in the short term, but the side effects are a terrible hangover, potential liver poisoning, disease, and an early death. You've successfully masked the initial symptom of stress, but with a laundry list of side effects--themselves symptoms that also need to be masked and medicated--the root cause of the initial ailment never truly understood or addressed, and if the addiction is tried to stop, it can lead to even worse side effects from withdrawal

Have you ever wished you could be present again the way a child is? In this episode, I dive into the power of being present and strategies you can use to get in the moment. 🎧AIRPODS MAX GIVEAWAY🎧 To enter to win the Airpods Max with an "If Then Podcast" engraving, here's what to do: 1) Screenshot this podcast and share on your Instagram tagging @ifthenpodcast 2) Follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram 3) If we get to 200 shares by the end of Season 2, you have an opportunity to win the Airpods Max! But don't forget, that each week, for those of you who share on Instagram, I also give away two 1 month Audible gift cards which include a FREE credit for an audiobook + 1 MONTH ACCESS to their Plus Catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com EMAIL: [email protected] CREDITS: Written and produced by Jordan Taylor The video I use to practice my focus: https://youtu.be/R5UHvRtvV1c TRANSCRIPT: My name is Jordan Taylor, and welcome to the If Then podcast. Our brains our a conglomerate of if/then statements, like in computer code, and oftentimes new lines of code are hard to write in our mind when we're trying new things, for example if I want to play piano, then I need to read music. Sitting down and coding that particular if then statement could take years of dedication, but when we do sit down and create new then statements for a complicated if, it feels freaking amazing. This podcast is your weekly motivation, and mine, to get uncomfortable and write some neurological code. "If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present." - Lao Tzu *The sound of kids running* It took all summer, but we had finally turned the yard to dust. It billowed from our steps and a football thrown, a car hood slammed with an incomplete end zone pass to the driveway. A dent was made, or was that already there? Dad would make the final call on that later. We huddled up. Neighbor against neighbor in a daily summer skirmish and there were no screens or beeps or past or future. There were just smiles and eyes and movement. And us, and the dust. The ball launched again, this time short and complete with a juke and shimmy and a two hand touch. Soon, the sun was quenched, and with it, our thirst as we downed water on the front porch watching the sunset. And we sat. We just sat and watched and talked and were together—in the moment. And we had no idea how valuable it was. When I was a kid, there was only one thing—the moment. I had no past I could remember and my future was too far away to envision. I was there. Just right there with no distractions, just a sponge and a football soaking in every second and waiting, just waiting for the opportunity to squeeze out and apply its lessons, and then soak again. And then squeeze until the waters grew me, and then I found myself older with new kids on the field of life, bulky Past and weighty Future and with them, complex thoughts and distractions that thickened like a fog on the field as they blitzed and rushed me with the snap of the ball. And then the game was sealed with a mid-game substitution from flip phone to smart. More foggy distractions, and I didn't stand a chance. I was blitzed so fast, sacked so hard, and injured and then the game ended and those summers did too. "The moment" I knew so well, faded and was gone. *music* Have you ever just stopped and tried to be in the moment and not think? Like, really, just tried to think of nothing and just be present, with no external or internal stimuli affecting you— just solely focused on the now like a child? If you try this, you'll notice something. Thoughts come to the front of your brain like waves on the beach. "I need to take out the trash, did I pay that bill, I wonder what she's thinking of me, who's that texting me?" You'll see them come and then watch them dissipate as you observe them and choose not to engage as you continue to just sit and empty your mind again and then new ones emerge and dissipate from the psychological sand. And then new ones. You're not thinking about them, you're just observing them roll in and pull away. Roll in and away. It's very weird. When you start to look at your thoughts objectively in this manner, you'll notice that they don't actually seem like they're a part of you. They're outside of you somehow. And you have a choice with each of them as you try to just be present and in the moment. I started playing with this once I realized I had let my thoughts spiral out of control last summer. An unfortunate string of events exasperated by a phone addiction and the COVID response that brought a bought of insomnia that I had never experienced before. A new fear around something that had come so effortlessly my entire life: the basic human need for sleep. I'm still trying to understand the cause precisely, but I know one thing for sure. I was anywhere b

Have you ever wanted to master something quickly? In this episode, I discuss 3 secrets that will ensure you level up in the video game of life--faster than you can imagine, but I'll warn you, you're going to have to get really uncomfortable. 🎧AIRPODS MAX GIVEAWAY🎧 To enter to win the Airpods Max with an "If Then Podcast" engraving, here's what to do: 1) Screenshot this podcast and share on your Instagram tagging @ifthenpodcast 2) Follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram 3) If we get to 200 shares by the end of Season 2, you have an opportunity to win the Airpods Max! But don't forget, that each week, for those of you who share on Instagram, I also give away two 1 month Audible gift cards which include a FREE credit for an audiobook + 1 MONTH ACCESS to their Plus Catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com EMAIL: [email protected] CREDITS: Written and produced by Jordan Taylor Some racing sounds from NorCalCycling: https://www.youtube.com/c/NorCalCycling Some racing sounds from NationsNumber1Beast: https://www.youtube.com/user/nationsnumber1beast TRANSCRIPT: My name is Jordan Taylor, and welcome to the If Then Podcast. Our brains our a conglomerate of if/then statements, like in computer code, and oftentimes new lines of code are hard to write in our mind when we're trying new things, for example if I want to play piano, then I need to read music. Sitting down and coding that particular if then statement could take years of dedication, but when we do sit down and create new then statements for a complicated if, it feels freaking amazing. This podcast is your weekly motivation, and mine, to get uncomfortable and write some neurological code. "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." - T.S. Eliot *The sound of riding a bike* When I got home from getting my driver's license that summer, the very first thing I did was ride my bike—a dysfunctional, red mountain bike, a hand-me-down from my brother, with no breaks. I zigged and zagged to slow myself on the descent, scraping my soles on pavement as the stop sign approached. The convection oven wind stuck the beads of sweat to my skin as the air hung its humidity like a weighty, damp towel over me—and I came to a stop. My heart pounded from the previous uphill beating. A common neighborhood hill—an Everest to me. Last week, though, I could barely make it up the climb. Dang, now I'm practically flying. College was on my mind that day, like most days at 18. Decisions started to pile. Where should I go? Should I go at all? Maybe there's a collegiate bike racing team around, is that even a thing? All I knew was that in the confusing racket of it all, somehow that noisy, squeaking bike, gave me quietude. A car passed. I pedaled home with legs aching from the 5 mile, 100% effort. I couldn't possibly go harder. Months later, my dad bought me my own road bike as I got more interested in the idea of racing and even found a college team to apply for. I had been riding every single day for the past month and was getting really serious about it—even getting faster on my timed course I had created around my neighborhood. I was practicing for a race series that I had just heard about in Nashville. Turns out, the last race of the year was actually on Wednesday. Here was my opportunity to prove to myself that all the hard effort I had put in had paid off. Because I had pushed myself so hard the past few months every day, I had the sneaking suspicion that my first race was going to be a complete blow out. Wednesday came, and with it, the gun. And we were off. A 20 minute beginner Criterium, or Crit, a short looping course. I was put in the lowest tiered race—the one for who I found out were called Category 5 riders due to my inexperience, but I wasn't so sure that I belonged with the Cat 5s. Maybe I was inexperienced in racing, sure, but strength-wise? We'd find out soon enough. And we did. Quicker than I thought. In the very first lap, I was riding solo—not off the front, however, but off the back. I couldn't keep up with the other riders even for a single lap. By the end of what seemed like an hour, I had almost been lapped 3 times by the group. I was destroyed, physically, but surprisingly, mentally, I was quite the opposite. I was inspired. I crossed the line through clenched teeth, minutes behind the rest. Gasping for breath, I had one thought: "I will win this next year." I had a long way to go, and I had to get there as fast as possible—especially if I wanted to get on that college team. My clock started… now. In that urgent period of my life, I happened upon 3 highly effective methods to quickly code complex programs into my brain—massively leveling up my character in the video game of life. These 3 coding methods can universally be used in any venture, not just sports. By implementing these, I improved so fast that the next year, I was the one dictating races, winn

I've struggled with Impostor Syndrome for nearly my entire life, but what if my brain is actually conjuring up this emotion as a tool for some twisted end? 🎧AIRPODS MAX GIVEAWAY🎧 To enter to win the Airpods Max with an "If Then Podcast" engraving, here's what to do: 1) Screenshot this podcast and share on your Instagram tagging @ifthenpodcast 2) Follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram 3) If we get to 200 shares by the end of Season 2, you have an opportunity to win the Airpods Max! But don't forget, that each week, for those of you who share on Instagram, I also give away two 1 month Audible gift cards which include a FREE credit for an audiobook + 1 MONTH ACCESS to their Plus Catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com EMAIL: [email protected] CREDITS: Written and produced by Jordan Taylor "The Courage to Be Disliked": https://www.amazon.com/The-Courage-to-Be-Disliked-audiobook/dp/B07BRPW98K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2U3CSDJV643CC&keywords=the+courage+to+be+disliked&qid=1662934625&sprefix=the+courage+to+be+disliked%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-1 "Commentary: Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Imposter Syndrome: A Systematic Review": https://www.mentalhealthjournal.org/articles/commentary-prevalence-predictors-and-treatment-of-imposter-syndrome-a-systematic-review.html TRANSCRIPT: My name is Jordan Taylor, and welcome to the If Then podcast. Our brains our a conglomerate of if/then statements, like in computer code, and oftentimes new lines of code are hard to write in our mind when we're trying new things, for example if I want to play piano, then I need to read music. Sitting down and coding that particular if then statement could take years of dedication, but when we do sit down and create new then statements for a complicated if, it feels freaking amazing. This podcast is your weekly motivation, and mine, to get uncomfortable and write some neurological code. "The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler." —Albert Einstein Before I announced my podcast to everyone this May, I sat in a dark room, alone. (snap sound that echos out. Narration stops.) (a ceiling fan eases in) The fan was on. Too high actually, but I was in the middle of something, and I didn't even notice my bare feet chilling on the hardwood floor from wind blasts as I sat on the couch. My brain was occupied with one of the most unique things a human can do. Something we've all done. Something that seems a little self-important and stupid, but… it's actually maybe the most important thing. I had my phone, and I was typing, deleting, typing, deleting. I hadn't used this app in years, and that was exactly why I was on it that night for that task. It was the perfect place for what I was doing. (iPhone typing sound) I was on Twitter. But I wasn't tweeting. I was busy, in an inconspicuous place, defining myself. A place that was public, yet very hidden. A safe place: my bio. "YouTuber. Hobbyist. Podcaster." "YouTuber. Podcast host. Hobbyist." I was trying to make myself believe something I didn't feel like even though I was really proud of the first two episodes that I had created but hadn't posted yet. I knew I had a legitimate podcast, but that didn't matter. See, I might have a podcast and therefore, by definition, be a podcaster, but every single other podcaster felt more authentic than me. I had the same suit and tie as them, we're all at the same party, but it's just a costume on me while it's real on everyone else. I was an imposter. So I deleted the bio, turned off the fan, and slunk to bed. According to the article "Commentary: Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Imposter Syndrome: A Systematic Review" "Imposter syndrome is a condition that describes high-achieving individuals who, despite their objective successes, fail to internalize their accomplishments and have persistent self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud or imposter. Individuals struggling with imposter syndrome do not attribute their performance to their actual competence, instead ascribe their successes to external factors such as luck or help from others while considering setbacks as evidence of their professional inadequacy." I thought this feeling might go away as I released the first season of the If Then Podcast, acting super confident in each episode, even giving prizes away to those who shared. But it never went away. In fact, I'm still feeling it. Even right now, as I speak to you. I almost didn't continue season 2 of this podcast for this reason, even though the podcast release went better than I could have imagined, reaching #25 for Education and getting 100s and 100s of shares online, all thanks to you. But as the success rolled in, I just felt lucky, like I had nothing to do with it. I was an inadequate, untalented onlooker to success that I could only attribute to luck. I was just there as the shar

For the Season 1 Finale, I wrote my own if then statements in real time by conducting my first interview ever. I sat down with Jude Smith to learn how he accumulated his 157K Instagram following for his music after years of pursuing other interests. Jude writes, records, produces, performs, and promotes all of his own music alone. How did he learn to do it, and what can he teach us about writing our own if then statements? Jude Smith's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jude_smith |Airpods Giveaway Details| Because we hit 100 shares on Instagram for the podcast in May, I'm giving away AirPods to one lucky person who shared this month! Follow https://www.instagram.com/ifthenpodcast to find out who the winner is on Tuesday, May 31st. Website: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com Email: [email protected]

In this episode, I go into detail about how I overcome burnout in my creative endeavors. I call it the 2:2 Method, inspired by Kobe Bryant's insane work ethic. GIVEAWAY DETAILS: If you want to share the podcast, I've been giving away 2 free 1 month Audible gift cards every week this May. This isn't sponsored by Audible, but because I know most everyone has done their free trial already, I wanted a way for you to get another free audiobook. This is a gift card that will still work even if you already have an account! You'll get a free credit for an audiobook of your choice + 1 month access to their Plus catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. All you have to do to enter to win is take a screenshot of this podcast and share it on your Instagram while tagging the account @ifthenpodcast in the post or story. And, also, be sure to follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram to find out if you're the winner each week. If we get 100 shares by the end of the month, each of you will be entered to win a pair of AirPods. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com CREDITS: Kobe Bryant Ted Talk: https://youtu.be/9_tYXFbgjZk?t=841 (14:03-15:16) Dr. Benjamin Hardy's book "Personality Isn't Permanent": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08157LXPY?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_5MPBJTFKHZNGA9C128YG TRANSCRIPT: My name is Jordan Taylor, and welcome to the If Then Podcast. Our brains our a conglomerate of if/then statements, like in computer code, and oftentimes new lines of code are hard to write in our mind when we're trying new things, for example if I want to play basketball, then I need to learn to shoot. Sitting down and coding that particular if then statement could take years of dedication, but when we do sit down and create new then statements for a complicated if, it feels freaking amazing. This podcast is your weekly motivation, and mine, to get uncomfortable and write some neurological code. "It's easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time, then it is to hold to them 98% of the time." — Clayton Christensen When I was thinking of creating a podcast, I had no time. It was everything I could do to keep up with everything else in my life already: 2 Youtube channels, house renovations, a free range chicken farm, friends and family. Everything was already falling apart as it was, and adding another full time obsession I would inevitably burnout on was, in a sick way, hilarious. How could I write even MORE if then statements in a day when my brain was already burning up from the complicated programs I was currently running. But I felt like I had a good idea for a podcast, and I just had to try to balance everything. I had to find a way. See, even though I always felt busy, like I was working all the time, I never felt like I worked enough, cause I was eternally behind, and so I never felt I deserved to take a true break. The weird thing though and honestly the problem, was that I was taking breaks, lots of them—hundreds of micro breaks a day with every app opened, every notification clicked, oh that's a funny reel, ehh…what's this next one? Time just kept ticking, and projects just kept piling on and on. Now I would get everything done……. mostly, I mean I was playing the Dope Game from episode 2 after all, so I was getting pretty good at focusing doing projects at random times, but I had no structure to my work life and so I would inevitably be on my phone when I knew I should probably be working *notification sound* Oh, by the way I got the Wordle in 3 today, I wonder how people on Twitter faired. I needed to plan my day somehow with the reality that I'm a human being in the 21st century and I'm going to look at my phone 3 hours per day one way or the other. Months ago, during one of these micro breaks, a video popped up. It was of Kobe Bryant giving a TED Talk in Shanghai, talking about his absurd work schedule. He sucked the air out of the room when he said the insane: {Kobe Bryant clip https://youtu.be/9_tYXFbgjZk?t=841 14:03-15:16} Quote "So if your job is to try to be the best basketball player you can be, to do that you have to practice, you have to train, right? You want to train as much as you can, as often as you can. So if you get up at 10 in the morning. Train at 11. 12? Say 12? Train at 12. Train for 2 hours—12 to 2. You have to let your body recover, so you eat, recover, whatever. You get back out. You start training at 6. Train from 6 to 8, right? And now you go home; you shower; you eat dinner; you go to bed; you wake up; you do it again, right? Those are two sessions. Now imagine you wake up at 3:00 you train at 4:00. So 4 to 6. Come home. Breakfast, relax, da da da. Now you're back at it again. 9 to 11. right? Relax and now you're back at it again 2 to 4. Now you're back at it again. 7 to 9. Look how much more training I have done by simply starting at 4? So it makes sense to get up and start your day early because you can get more work in." Unquote I felt I already woke up pretty early, betwee

My whole life, I've struggled with sprinting through and, inevitably, killing my newly found passions, instead of slowing down and embracing the long, slow journey of learning. This episode tells, in story, how the fast, obsessed method of passion-based learning will fry your brain's computer every time. Maybe there's a better strategy to long-term success. This is Part 2 to Episode 1 of the If Then Podcast. Listen to Episode 1 first: https://youtu.be/ryv8BHh_MIc GIVEAWAY DETAILS: If you want to share the podcast, I've been giving away 2 free 1 month Audible gift cards every week this May. This isn't sponsored by Audible, but because I know most everyone has done their free trial already, I wanted a way for you to get another free audiobook. This is a gift card that will still work even if you already have an account! You'll get a free credit for an audiobook of your choice + 1 month access to their Plus catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. All you have to do to enter to win is take a screenshot of this podcast and share it on your Instagram while tagging the account @ifthenpodcast in the post or story. And, also, be sure to follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram to find out if you're the winner each week. If we get 100 shares by the end of the month, each of you will be entered to win a pair of AirPods. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com CREDITS: Jordan Taylor as the traveler. Matt D'Avella's YouTube video about the journey to the South Pole: https://youtu.be/xY0tJAkukWc?t=375 Transcript: Just a heads up, this is kind of a part 2 to episode 1, so listen to that first if you haven't already. Link in the show notes. My name is Jordan Taylor, and welcome to the If Then Podcast. Our brains our a conglomerate of if/then statements, like in computer code, and oftentimes new lines of code are hard to write in our mind when we're trying new things, for example if I want to play piano, then I need to read music. Sitting down and coding that particular if then statement could take years of dedication, but when we do sit down and create new then statements for a complicated if, it feels freaking amazing. This podcast is your weekly motivation, and mine, to get uncomfortable and write some neurological code. "It's not about having the right opportunities. It's about handling the opportunities right." — Mark Hunter After episode 1 of If Then, we all started to walk. We all embarked on our own personal journeys to find the ocean, with no understanding of where it was or which way to go, but realizing the importance of just choosing a direction, without having any frame of reference, and just moving. Logically, in so doing, we'll ALWAYS eventually hit the ocean, no matter which way we turn. Maybe initially we were a mile from the beach without knowing, and started walking in the opposite direction, all the way through the middle east and asia, only hitting the East China Sea years later. But who cares, I argued in episode 1? At least we got there. We'll always get there if we just start walking. Well, what I realized this week on my journey, is that that's not the full story. There's more to this dangerous adventure than I led on. See on my own personal route to the ocean, I realized that I had a serious, serious problem—a problem that left me withered, injured, cracked… and I was worried it might get even worse. ——— "Alright, do I have everything. Water, backpack, Phone. Check, check, check." *Phone beeps signifying video recording* "Alright, Day 1 of my journey to the ocean. I'm not sure which way to go, but that's not the point. I'm just gonna start walking, and I'll have to find it. That's the beauty. So I'll pick this way. Here we go." *Phone beeps again. Recording stops. Phone keyboard typing* "Post…toooo Instagram. And the journey beeegins." ——— The day I started was a beautiful day, conditions pristine. A mindset recharged. After all, I listened to the first episode of If Then, and I mean it was pretty good. I even gave it a 5 star review AND shared about it on Instagram to maybe win those AirPods at the end of May. I heard listeners already won free audiobooks. That would be cool too. That first day, I walked 35 miles. I wanted to get to the ocean as fast as possible, so I pushed as hard as possible. And I was amazed with how much a new mindset could push me to do something so noteworthy. Something I'd never in my wildest dreams imagine I could do. Well over a marathon in one day. This new mindset I carried with me, it was somethin' special. ——— *Crickets* *Phone record beep* "35 miles in one day. Anything is possible. If I can do it, you can too! Get out there and crush those miles." *Phone beep* "Aaaand post." "Alright, set up camp." *Wood drop* *Fire strike* *Groans* "My feet are sore…" ——— The next day I woke up, and it was surprisingly scorching for that time of year. And I was even more sore than I thought I'd be after a good nights sleep. I reflected on how I had just wal

I've struggled with phone addiction for years now and finally came up with a way to stop the addiction every time within a few minutes. The fun part about it is that it's a game I play with myself. Listen to the episode to learn how to play "The Dope Game" too. GIVEAWAY DETAILS: If you want to share the podcast, I've been giving away 2 free 1 month Audible gift cards every week this May. This isn't sponsored by Audible, but because I know most everyone has done their free trial already, I wanted a way for you to get another free audiobook. This is a gift card that will still work even if you already have an account! You'll get a free credit for an audiobook of your choice + 1 month access to their Plus catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. All you have to do to enter to win is take a screenshot of this podcast and share it on your Instagram while tagging the account @ifthenpodcast in the post or story. And, also, be sure to follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram to find out if you're the winner each week. If we get 100 shares by the end of the month, each of you will be entered to win a pair of AirPods. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com CREDITS: Samuel Smith as the realtor: https://www.samuelsmithvoice.com Sara Taylor as herself: https://www.instagram.com/life_as_saylor/ Transcript: My name is Jordan Taylor, and welcome to the If then podcast. Our brains our a conglomerate of if/then statements, like in computer code, and oftentimes new lines of code are hard to write in our mind when we're trying new things. For example, if I want to play piano, then I need to read music. Sitting down and coding that particular if then statement could take years of dedication, but when we do sit down and create new then statements for a complicated if, it feels freaking amazing. This podcast is your weekly motivation, and mine, to get uncomfortable and write some neurological code. "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."—Robert Collier When I got married and immediately bought my first house, I knew nothing. Realtor: "Congratulations kids, here's the keys." Jordan: "Thank you sir." Realtor: [Walks to car and gets in] "Oh and don't forget to change the locks." [Drives off] Jordan: "Oh right…Alright, Sara, so…should we go to Home Depot or something to get those?" See I lived with my parents up until then, and I'm ashamed to say just how little I knew. I saved a lot of money that route which helped me out in the long run, but at the cost of not knowing some basic things. Jordan: "What time is it?" Sara: "Uh... 6:00PM" Jordan: "You've gotta be kidding me. 4 hours?? Why is this taking so long?" How do you pay an electric bill, or set up your water? Sara: "What's that man doing out front?" Jordan: "I'm not sure. Is that the water meter, dude? Like the meter reader or whatever?" Sara: "It looks like it. He's opening the water meter. Why don't you go talk to him?" Jordan: "Ehhh…alright. Sir? SIR?? Hey, what?….sir??? I don't know, I think he was just reading it." Sara: "Jordan, the water's off." Jordan: "Are you serious? We just bought this place today" [BUZZ] "....and there goes the electricity." Before you ask, yes, that was a true story. Other things like, what supplies do you need in your house at all times? What insurance should I get? How do I fix a leaky faucet, replace an entire toilet? This was one of the more frustrating times of my life. All at once, tons of if then statements needed to be formed, and fast. Very fast. My home didn't just depend on it, but my self-image and mental state. I struggled with feelings of inadequacy. I felt like a loser. In a way, I kind of was. Here I was mid-20s, struggling to pay a water bill. To this day, it's hard to admit that. Every single day was a day filled with ifs and no thens. Things that should take 10 minutes took me hours of writing and deleting buggy code in my mind before I got to anything even remotely workable—the code not clean, but hey, at least it ran. For now. Kind of. I'd worry about the rest later. At some point, scrolling the internet was just easier. After all, that was something that was already hardwired in my brain. It gave me immense temporary comfort, but there was a cost. We were living in only one room of our 2,000 square foot house. We were essentially living in a small apartment with unfinished projects piled up in each room of our fixer upper. Sara: "Jordan the faucet's been leaking for weeks now." Jordan: "I know, I'm gonna do it now, ok?" Getting up off the couch, I knew that that probe was a four hour if/then trudge. It felt nearly impossible to force myself off my computer to do. I was working off of a cedar chest in the living room that my wife's grandfather made. A make-ship desk for the time being—it had been too much time though. It felt like an ultra-marathon through the desert to get from that chest to that bathroom, stepping over piles of half-done things, to pick up the tools I didn't

"Do you want to know who you are? Don't Ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you." —Thomas Jefferson This quote inspired me to launch the If Then Podcast. For years I've thought about a podcast, but I never had the bravery to start the long process of figuring it all out. What's an RSS feed anyway? I didn't know either, but now I do. It's been a long 3 months of learning and building, but now I finally have something to show for it--even if it's not perfect. GIVEAWAY DETAILS: If you want to share the podcast, I'm going to give away 2 free 1 month Audible gift cards every week this May. This isn't sponsored by Audible, but because I know most everyone has done their free trial already, I wanted a way for you to get another free audiobook. This is a gift card that will still work even if you already have an account! You'll get a free credit for an audiobook of your choice + 1 month access to their Plus catalog which includes thousands of audiobooks with no credits needed. All you have to do to enter to win is take a screenshot of this podcast and share it on your Instagram while tagging the account @ifthenpodcast in the post or story. And, also, be sure to follow @ifthenpodcast on Instagram to find out if you're the winner each week. If we get 100 shares by the end of the month, each of you will be entered to win a pair of AirPods. WEBSITE: https://www.ifthenpodcast.com Credits: Abbie Goulet as friend on phone: https://www.abbiegoulet.com

If you somehow find this before the official release date, the first full episode of the If Then Podcast releases on May 2, 2022.