PODCAST · education
Life by Design
by Otoabasi Bassey
Learning and sharing ideas for more intentional living and self improvement. Motivational vibes. ❤️⚡️
Episodes
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S02E06 - On Control & Relaxed Productivity
It can be easy to resign ourselves to fate, to allow ourselves to be conditioned into learned helplessness, waiting for a saviour to come to our aid. Or to succumb to insurmountable odds. But the truth is, more often than not, we have more control than we think. There is always room to make a…
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S02E05 - You Have More Control Than You Think
There is a lot you can’t control sure enough. You can’t control completely what other people do? You can’t control the weather, you can’t control the economy. You can’t even control the things that happen to you. So, when things go awry, or things are a little difficult, it is easy to blame...
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S02E04 - The Craftsman's Mentality & Keeping the Goal in front of You
Having the crasftsman's mentality means approaching your life with an eye to excellence. It demands a true passion for what you do and a commitment to doing it as great as you can. It is an intrinsic drive to be the best you can be, and it is invaluable in the path to getting what you want. I…
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S02E03 - The Craftsman's Mentality
The craftsman’s mentality is that of love, exacting standards and insatiable drive. The craftsman loves what she does and will go to great lengths to do it the very best she can. Good enough isn’t good enough. It must be absolutely incredible. Consider the mentality of the craftsman as a…
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S02E02 - The Art of Letting Bad Things Happen & Learning to Suffer II
First Ramble Show after a while away. Here I talk about the Art of Letting Bad things, the inevitable tradeoffs that come with life. If you are pushing and focusing on your One Thing, other also important things are going to fall through the cracks sometimes. And when bad things happen, when...
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S02E01 - The Art of Letting Bad Things Happen
When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. – Henry Ford There are many true facts about life, but there is one that is particularly uncomfortable to look at and deal with – bad things happen. Sometimes they happen as...
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S01E44 - The Wonders of Airplane Mode & Why What Brought You Here Won't Take You There
The greatest thing you could probably do for your productivity and quality of output is to put your phone on Airplane Mode. Being able to shut off from the world and streams of distraction and focus completely on a task for an extended period of time is an underrated superpower in this day and…
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S01E43 - Airplane Mode, The Greatest Productivity Hack
There is a feature of the iPhone (and most other phones I would imagine, I’m hopelessly lost to the Apple hype train) that is irrefutably the best feature of the phone. It is not the above average camera (Samsung kicks its ass in my opinion), it’s not the design and how sleek it looks, it’s not…
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S01E42 - Working the System & The Dark Side of Success
There are two ways of going after a goal. You could try to brute force it, or you could build systems around it. One relies on your willpower and stamina. The other conditions you naturally over time. Approaching goals with a systems mindset allows you to leverage the incredible power of compound...
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S01E41 - Making the System Work for You
The power of a goal is readily compelling. It is the shining beacon that calls out to us, it is the big thing we want to achieve. And so usually we set it and then we hack away at it every day, or whenever we remember, trying things, failing, learning and trying again until we finally get there....
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S01E40 - Getting the BHAG, Surviving the Wilderness & Raising Your Success Ceiling
There's a bunch in this one. Happy to back after a month's break. I break down the idea of goal setting a la the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) and smaller checkpoint goals. I give a bit of an update to my break and ideas I toyed with during my hiatus, settling on and expanding on something…
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S01E39 - How to Get The BHAG
Once you have figured out who you are, what you want, considered the cost and decided to jump it, it’s time to let the rubber hit the road. It’s time to get practical. It’s time to set some goals. Goals set the target, they move the dream from being just a wish to becoming a mission. We all tend…
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S01E38 - Cultivating Burning Desire and Avoiding Overwork
One big thing that stops us from getting what we want is inertia. it takes burning desire to blast through those blockages and doggedly chase after what you want, not matter the cost. I discuss how to cultivate it. I also talk about work and the negative returns curve. The idea that there is a...
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S01E37 - Cultivating Burning Desire
You have to want what you want so bad, that everything falls away. You have to crave it so much that you will do WHATEVER IT TAKES. It is that fire in your belly that will keep you going long after your mind is tired, and your body is drained. It is that thing that would provide you with a second...
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S01E36 - Counting the Cost and Cultivating the Mind of an Artist
To get what you want, you have to know what you want. Then you have to know what it will cost to get it, and if you are willing and able to pay that price. It is easy to drift into wishful hopeful thinking without making concrete plans. But hope is not a strategy, and no one is coming to save…
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S01E35 - Counting the Cost (1+1=2)
So far, I have talked about knowing what you want, and how you need to know yourself first so that all you seek comes from a deep authentic sense of self. Once you have figured all of that out, you have to figure out what it would take to get what you want. This step is what separates dreams and...
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S01E34 - Knowing What You Want & Supercharging Productivity
To get what you want, you have to know what you want. And that isn't always easy. Sometimes you must peel back layers of familial or societal conditioning to get to the core of your truth, your essence. Authentic desire comes from a connection with our innermost selves. A desire that is forged…
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S01E33 - Do You Even Know What You Want?
The first step in getting what you want is knowing yourself. The next step is perhaps even more critical, as you would imagine. It is knowing WHAT you want in the first place. Sounds simple enough, but it really isn’t. Desire is a very tricky thing. Sometimes we have to peel back layers of...
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S01E32 - Becoming Yourself & Turning Pro
To get what you want, you have to know what you want. To know what you want, you have to know yourself. In a world that bombards us with messages and agendas every waking minute of everyday. It is important to take time to connect with yourself and with the still small voice within. If you…
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S01E31 - How to Become Who You Are
A huge amount of our problems arise from being disconnected with ourselves. We get too busy acting, too busy chasing something – a goal, an object, a person, a relationship. We seek completion or to find some sort of fulfillment in all these things. And yet, the one thing we usually need the most...
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S01E30 - Learning to Suffer and Upgrading your Environment
Truth is, if we want to be truly happy and fulfilled, we have to learn to deal with suffering and learn how to do it properly. Not suffering needlessly or suffering fools, but enduring what we must, and doing what needs to be done, pressing towards the storm and emerging stronger for it. I also...
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S01E29 - Want to be Happy and Successful? Learn How to Suffer
“Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” – Scott Peck True happiness is born from the pursuit of purpose. When we are driven by a goal,...
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S01E28 - On failure being better than doing nothing and why you should be where you are
We usually try to avoid failure. But avoiding failure means doing what we already know works, or worse still doing nothing. And even though it might feel we gain nothing and lose nothing by doing nothing, we still lose because time doesn't stand still. I talk about embracing failure as part of…
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S01E27 - Success is Better Than Failure, but Failure is Better Than Doing Nothing
For some reason, we think that in doing nothing, we gain nothing and we lose nothing. The fearing of losing trumps any anticipation of winning. And this fear keeps us from starting businesses, from ending or starting new relationships, from taking chances. But if you stand still, you lose still....
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S01E26 - Monetizing Art & How to Approach Self Help
Monetization is on probably more minds than it has ever been. With every other person being a YouTuber, Podcaster, or Influencer of some kind. Who ever you are and what ever you do, you probably wonder how to make money off it. How can you make money off your art or your passion? There are many...
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S01E25 - How to Actually Make Money off Your He(art)
The thing about being creative types, philosophers and bohemians in a largely capitalistic world is that we are continually faced with the tension of expressing our art, our soul, our spiritual gift to the world while somehow finding a way to survive. Monetization (making money from our art) or...
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S01E24 - Transcending Success Porn & Turning Shit to Sugar
Our digital spheres are cluttered with success porn, everyone trying to look better than they are or claim the hustle aesthetic. What remains after all that fades away? What actually brings us success? It's probably not all that instagram posting about "Rise n Grind". More likely, it's the work…
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S01E23 - The Thing About Success Porn
We are surrounded by success porn. From Facebook to Snapchat to Instagram, the digital sphere is littered with quote cards spouting off generic success platitudes and motivation. You know the ones, the images of the suave guy in the impeccable suit and nice watch. Or the flawlessly shot Instagram...
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S01E22 - Unplugging, Mental Health & Effective Problem Solving
Hustle and hard work are very important, but not at the expense of our health, mental or otherwise. In this episode, I talk about the need to rest, to take a step back. Unplugging from time to time helps us recharge. Also how can we keep our mental health right in these insane times, and how can…
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S01E21 - Sometimes You Gotta Unplug to Recharge
Hard work and hustle are important. You do have to push hard. Like Bruce Mau’s incomplete manifesto for growth says – Stay up late. Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you’re separated from the rest of the world. But you also need to unplug. You...
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S01E20_Embracing Change & How to Pursue Goals that are Out of Your League
In the pursuit of your goals, you have to allow the journey to change you. To someone stronger, more resilient, more capable of creating the conditions you desire. Change is how you get there. Sometimes these goals are far beyond our present reach, or blocked off with seemingly insurmountable...
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S01E19 - Allow the Journey to Change You
You get what you are. Your life, your situation is a reflection of your abilities, your actions, your initiatives, your ideas and your execution within the overall mesh of everyone else’s actions. If you want a new experience or success, you are going to have to do different things, uncomfortable...
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S01E18_Why Direction is More Important Than Position, and How to Raise Your Vibration
The direction in which you are moving is more important than where you are right now, or even where you are trying to go. You have to focus on the process and make sure you are moving in the right direction, and let time take care of the rest. In light of that, when you falter and have a bad go…
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S01E17 - Where You Are Going is More Important Than Where You Are
The road to success is not a straight path; it is never always smooth sailing. The quest to manifest your vision will be filled with ups and downs. There will be mountains and valleys. You will get lost in the bushes and have to double back. You will face intimidating obstacles. But no matter…
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S01E16 - Letting Go & Levelling Up
You can't fix today's problems with yesterday's thinking. If you want to move forward, often you have to let go of the old and embrace the new. And if you really wanted to level up, to break through to a new state of affairs, there are a few principles that would get you there - exposing yourself...
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S01E15 - Let Go
You are who you are now because of the decisions and actions you made. If you want to become a different person, a better person perhaps, you are going to need to make new decisions and take new actions. You have to let go of the old to grab the new. Check out more stuff: Website:...
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S01E14 - Why You Must Protect Your Creative Space & How To Have a Super Productive Work Session
If we want to succeed and live with intent, we must be able to go deep on the things that will make the most impact. This week I expand on the notion of protecting your creative space to ensure that you are moving forward on the things that are important to you. I also share some tips on how to...
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S01E13 - Protecting Your Creative Space
I believe there is nothing more important than being creative (after food, shelter, etc.), and being creative for you. But the business of life can be very distracting. In between all the chores, the jobs, the social obligations and the daily hum of life, it is incredibly easy to lose yourself…
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S01E12 - Sharing Some Time Management Tips for Creatives & Principles for Getting Things Done
This week I talk about one of my experiences with getting a big project that was important to me but not quite urgent all the way across the finish line. I also share ideas on how to manage our time and be more productive and effective as creatives and entrepreneurs. Check out more stuff…
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S01E11 - How to Get (Important) Things Done Pt.1
Do you struggle with making progress on the things that are important to you but not necessarily urgent. You know, those things that would actually move you forward? I know the feeling very well. But in 2017, my business site went live after years of having nothing on my domain. It was the...
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S01E10 - What It Means to Live by Design & The 6 Levels of Creative Thought
This week I expand on the concept of Life by Design, explaining what it means to me and where the idea came from. I also explore an idea I heard recently from the Make Art, Not Content Podcast about the 6 levels of Creative Thought and how we can use it to make sure we are bringing the…
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S01E09 - Life as a Design Problem
I find the idea of approaching life as a design problem fascinating. Because, with the tools implicit in the design process (which anyone can learn really), one can effectively tackle any problem regardless of how insurmountable it seems. In this blogpost recording, I explore the concept of...
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S01E08 - Life by Design
Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself thinking about ‘life by design’ – the idea that you can intentionally design the kind of life you want to live. Not a new concept at all, it’s the core idea of personal development. But I’m wondering what happens when you apply design techniques and...
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S01E07 - On Failure, and Why You Should Always Be Creating
This week I talk about why failure is actually a prerequisite for success, and how embracing it allows us to grow and improve. I also talk about my recent blogpost on why creating constantly exposes us to new ideas, and increases the chances of life changing happy accidents. Check out more stuff:...
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S01E06 - You Pay For Success With Failure
You need failure. How else are you going to learn? Embrace failure as a key part of the process. Failure is how you get feedback. Failure forces change. In this blogpost recording, I explore why failure is the path we must take to get to success. Check out more stuff: Website: otoabasibassey.com...
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S01E05 - Updating My Thoughts on Self Reliance & Expanding on What It Means to Build Your Stack
In 2016, I blogged about Self Reliance, and I still stand by most of it, but I believe some of those ideas should be further contextualised. This week I have written about the importance of building your stack - a collection of strategies, a portfolio of skills, a body of work, as opposed to...
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S01E04 - Self Reliance
It's a cold truth, but things will go wrong, and people despite their best intentions will sometimes fail you. When the chips are down? Can you rely on yourself and rise to the occasion? In this recording of a blogpost from 2016, I explore the idea of self reliance, and why we should take radical...
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S01E03 - Exploring the Nuances Between Good and Great, and How to Rekindle Your Passion
In this free-flow ramble, I explore the ideas I blogged about - not letting good stand in the way of great, and how to rekindle your inner fire when you are uninspired. Check out more stuff: Website: otoabasibassey.com Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/Oto_BaseX Instagram…
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S01E02 - Don’t Let Good Get in The Way of Great
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. There are many things that are good, but only a few that are truly important, and truly great. Many times, what stops us short of greatness and our full potential is not failure or doing the wrong things. It’s giving too much time and energy to…
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S01E01 - Welcome to the Show...Again.
Second time's the charm. Or is the third? Anyway, welcome back to the Life by Design Podcast. I am looking forward to being consistent with this show moving forward. Season 1 begins now and will run for about 24 weeks, and we'll take it from there. Check out more stuff: Website…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Learning and sharing ideas for more intentional living and self improvement. Motivational vibes. ❤️⚡️
HOSTED BY
Otoabasi Bassey
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Life by Design have?
Life by Design currently has 54 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Life by Design about?
Learning and sharing ideas for more intentional living and self improvement. Motivational vibes. ❤️⚡️
How often does Life by Design release new episodes?
Life by Design has 54 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Life by Design?
You can listen to Life by Design on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Life by Design?
Life by Design is created and hosted by Otoabasi Bassey.
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