Buddhism and Taoism expert Mike Sturm joins the show to uncover how to develop a deep personal relationship with yourself – the Wabi-Sabi way. Mike Sturm has taught philosophy at college level for several years and researched Buddhism and Taoism extensively. He writes about self-improvement and productivity from the perspective of spirituality and first principles. In this reflective conversation, we focus in particular on ‘Wabi-Sabi’, an ancient Japanese philosophy that centres on appreciating​​ the beauty in imperfection and accepting the more natural cycle of life. Join us as we explore some of the key insights from his book The Wabi-sabi Way: Simple Principles to Bring Calm, Meaning & Authenticity to Your Daily Life. We discuss personal authenticity, reviewing habits, the power of validation and embracing imperfection – and Captain America.  Talking Points What is Wabi-sabi? The Western challenges with meditation and stillness The notion of time Ease vs. easy Where to get started with the Wabi-sabi mindset The practice of impermanence Simple steps to live the Wabi-sabi way Quote "Accepting where you’ve been is the only way of getting to where you want to go." Helpful Links ‘The Wabi-sabi Way’ by Mike Sturm Muse Headband “The Dexterous Butcher” by Chuang Tzu ‘The Seven Day Circle’ by Eviatar Zerubavel Episode 354: How To Decide with Annie Duke ‘How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices’ by Annie Duke Episode 243: The Art of Noticing with Rob Walker Episode 203: The Evolution of Getting Things Done with David Allen Episode 360: A World Without Email with Cal Newport Episode 286: Doing Project 333 with Courtney Carver Captain America video essay ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ by Alex Haley and Malcolm X Mike’s Medium Mike’s Twitter MikeSturm.net Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using – or you can do so on a variety of podcast platforms by clicking here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices