#111: Have Humans Become Too Soft? - The Comfort Crisis Author Michael Easter (Sandlot Jax & GORUCK Games 2023 Series)

Have humans become too soft? Has our constant innovation and ingenuity created a society that chooses comfort over the hard work needed to grow to become our best selves?  In this episode, Michael Easter joins Fran Racioppi live from the 2023 Sandlot Jax and GORUCK Games to discuss the perils of the The Comfort Crisis, Michael's groundbreaking book that confronts one of society's most pressing challenges head-on. 

Wearing his 2% hat, Michael shares how we can enhance our mental and physical strength 2% at a time to make small incremental changes that will compound over time without requiring a complex formula of restrictions and activities. Fran and Michael break down the importance of doing hard things, focusing on solving the root causes of our need for comfort and why we have to love the process of discomfort to grow. 

Fran also presses Michael on the state of journalism today, the negative impact of internet click bait and how Michael’s focus on normalcy and accuracy is bringing sanity back to journalism today. 

Learn more about Michael Easter on the web or follow him on social media. 

Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Highlights:

• 0:00 Welcome to The Jedburgh Podcast 
• 1:38 Have we become soft as a society and losing to cavemen?
• 3:22 Why we need to do hard things
• 6:40 You have to love the process for long term gains
• 9:20 How to build effectiveness by focusing on solving the problem
• 11:20 Adding 2% to our performance through fitness and not overcomplicating nutrition
• 15:24 How internet click bait has negatively affected journalism 
• 19:25 Michael’s Three Daily Foundations to Success

Quotes: 

• “For millions of years doing the next easiest, most comfortable thing; that served us.” (1:51) 
• “Our ancestors, they exercised about 14x more than us.” (2:46)
• “The innovations that tend to take off, they tend to make our lives easier.” (4:21)
• “It’s almost like inactivity is poison.” (5:41)
• “You have to embrace short-term comfort to get a long-term gain.” (5:52)
• “100% of those people, they knew that taking the stairs would give them a long-term benefit.” (11:31)
• “We overcomplicate the shit out of nutrition.” (12:57)
• “Trying to restore some sanity, and normalcy, and accuracy to journalism is kind of my charge.” (19:06)

Michael Easter’s Three Daily Foundations to Success

• Write first thing in the morning
• Be active
• Laugh with people

This episode is brought to you by Jersey Mike’s, Compass Workforce Solutions and GORUCK.