In this episode, I talk about my trip to Great Barrier Island, about 95km from Auckland, visiting friends who ditched their corporate lives in their late 50s for a simpler existence. No TV, no news, no social media, and definitely no traffic noise – just the natural world around us.
Walking along the coast on day two, I found myself sitting on rocks, watching the tide move seaweed around beneath the surface. It got me thinking about how rare these quiet moments are in our everyday lives.
Let's be honest – we fill our days with constant noise. We rush from bed to work, meeting to meeting, then flop on the couch for TV while scrolling through our phones. And maybe there's a reason for all this busyness – we're uncomfortable with what might bubble up if we actually slow down.
During my "off-the-grid" time, I found an injured Oyster-catcher bird. That small moment of helping this lovely little creature became very meaningful. As I watched it recover, something clicked: I was able to enjoy this moment because I took the time to be available for whatever came along.
The takeaway? When we turn down the volume on life's distractions, we create space for the stuff that really matters to surface naturally.
Any thoughts or questions? Send me a text!
Thanks for listening! See you again soon.
Rob
and you’ll get new episodes directly to your inbox. Plus the odd article and recommendation for living a life that matters, and growing wiser along the way.
Please help me grow the show by sharing this with your friends and colleagues. You’ll go to bed tonight feeling good about fostering wisdom and clarity in the world!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Law & Order: Criminal Justice System - Season 1 & Season 2
Season Two Out Now! Law & Order: Criminal Justice System tells the real stories behind the landmark cases that have shaped how the most dangerous and influential criminals in America are prosecuted. In its second season, the series tackles the threat of terrorism in the United States. From the rise of extremist political groups in the 60s to domestic lone wolves in the modern day, we explore how organizations like the FBI and Joint Terrorism Take Force have evolved to fight back against a multitude of terrorist threats.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com