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Transcript

Hope Always Wins · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit Daily RiderLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Every period in history seems like the worst period for the people who are going through it.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the past couple of years have certainly been challenging on a lot of levels, and it probably feels like the worst time of their lives for some people.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: One look at your social media feed or any news channel will tell you that people are upset and hurting.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's natural to feel angry and frustrated when there's so much division and our normal sense of life has been sort of disrupted.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: And why not?
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's what everybody else is doing.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody else seems to be feeling angry and upset, and they kind of feel like fighting all the time.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: And when you're surrounded by that kind of negative energy, it's really easy to let yourself slip into a cynical attitude about life.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: But what is that exactly?
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: What is a cynic?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we hear this word cynical or cynic tossed around, but what is it exactly?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, a cynic is a person who assumes the worst about everybody.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: A cynic believes that everybody else acts out of self-interest, and any appearance of good behavior or generosity is just a ploy for somebody to get what they want.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's what they believe.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Lots of entertainment is based on this notion of human behavior.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: For example, the most popular sitcom of all time, Seinfeld, of course, was based on a pessimistic view of human nature.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, the mantra of Seinfeld as a show was that no characters would ever grow or learn anything.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I love Seinfeld, and it's it's a lot of fun to watch, it's a very funny show, but it's got to stay in the realm of entertainment because that pessimistic view of life doesn't really work in real life.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: You can't be a positive influence in somebody's life if you only believe the worst about people.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: The great author F.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Scott Fitzgerald said, the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's true.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: This is a dark time in history where we have a few more crises than usual, but I want to encourage you to not give in to the negative attitudes of everybody around you.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: This period that we're in right now might seem a little bit hopeless.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: It might seem frustrated or it might make you a bit angry.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: But as writers and creators, we have to be part of the solution.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: We cannot be part of the problem.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: The pessimists and the cynics might have their moment right now, but in the end, the cynics and the pessimists are not the ones who change the world.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Hope always wins every time.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Here's today's question: Would you describe yourself as a person of hope or as a cynic?
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: And why?
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: Just something to think about and to ponder.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, before I wrap up this episode, I want to take a moment to give our Saturday shout out.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you listen to last Saturday's episode, you know that this is a new thing that I'm doing.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's really important to acknowledge first-time authors and writing podcasters who are kind of in the beginning steps of their journey.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now, there are a lot of people out there who are doing great podcasts and they're doing great great writing and they're doing all kinds of great things and they have a large audience and they've been doing it for a long time.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's really, really important for us to acknowledge the people who are sort of in the beginning steps of whatever it is that they're doing that's writing related.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now, you may have somebody who maybe they've been an editor for a long time, but they have a newer writing podcast, or they're kind of in those first stages.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I got to say it's really easy to quit when you're in those beginning stages, and you probably know what that feels like too.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: We've all been in the beginning steps of something where it's a little bit harder.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: We're just trying to kind of get established and we're trying to get our feet wet and learn some basics of whatever it is that we're doing.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: We've all been there.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I feel like it's important to give a shout out to friends of mine who are doing some cool things and who are in the earlier stages of either their writing podcast or they're in the early stages of their career as an author.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, with that said, that was a really long intro to this section, by the way.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: With that said, I want to give a Saturday shout-out to my good friend Heidi Dusek, who has written the book called Beyond Normal: A Field Guide to Embrace Adventure, Explore the Wilderness, and Design an Extraordinary Life with Kids.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the book description.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: With big trips and everyday joys, a life of adventure awaits you.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you enjoy traveling or staying close to home, you'll love this book.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Soak up everyday adventures, exploring new places, trying new experiences, finding fun and everything, and making play more prevalent than screens.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that's part of the book description that you'll find on Amazon.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: There's a link in the show notes, by the way, to this book.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: I encourage you to check it out.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Heidi did a phenomenal job writing this book.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is her first book, and I anticipate more books from her in the future.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: No pressure, Heidi.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: But it's really, really good.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have kids who sometimes are stuck to their screens, uh, I've got an 18-year-old and I can relate to that.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you've got kids who are stuck to their screens more than they should be, you really need to check out this book.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great book for every parent.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And you know what?
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you don't have kids or you're single, this is still a great book because even though the book is really for parents, there's a lot of great ideas in here.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to be inspired no matter who you are, what age you are, or what stage of life you're in.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure and grab that.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's called Beyond Normal by Heidi Doosex.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: So check it out.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: There's a link in the show notes.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks for listening to this episode, and I will see you next time.