What is a Good Life?

What is a Good Life? #75 - Knowing Your Worth with Michael Bungay Stanier

Jun 18, 2024

Michael Bungay Stanier, author and founder of Box of Crayons, discusses self-worth and personal growth. He explores the nuances of vulnerability in relationships and highlights the importance of humility while recognizing our strengths. Michael shares his vision of spreading positivity and empowering others, reflecting on the inevitability of wrestling with self-worth. He emphasizes living authentically amid societal pressures and the balance between embracing life's dualities for a richer existence.

54:37

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Episode guests

Michael Bungay-Stanier

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Quick takeaways

Empowering individuals to embrace bold choices and face challenges fosters personal growth and embodies the essence of the 'possibility virus'.

Acknowledging setbacks as valuable learning experiences promotes resilience, humility, and an understanding of our inherent worth as individuals.

Deep dives

The Pursuit of the 'Possibility Virus'

A central theme highlighted is the aspiration to infect over a billion people with the 'possibility virus'. This concept reflects a deep commitment to empowering individuals by encouraging them to make bold choices and embrace their potential. It emphasizes the belief that true growth comes from stepping outside comfort zones and facing challenges, rather than merely seeking success or recognition. This perspective aims to foster a mindset that values growth through experiences, even if those experiences involve risk and potential failure.

Intro

3min

Wrestling with Worth: A Journey of Self-Discovery

22min

The Paradox of Existence: Extraordinary vs. Ordinary

5min

Balancing Big Picture Contemplation with Daily Life

2min

Journey Towards Emotional Awareness and Integration

3min

Embracing the Full Spectrum of Life Experiences

2min

Authenticity Amid Competition

18min

On the 75th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael is best known for his book The Coaching Habit, which has sold over a million copies. His most recent book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, shows how to create psychological safety by building the Best Possible Relationship with key people at work. He founded Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that has trained hundreds of thousands of managers to be more coach-like. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and recently won the coaching award from Thinkers50.

In this insightful conversation, Michael shares the origin and meaning of his big goal of infecting a billion people with the possibility virus and the significance of feeling deeply defeated by ever greater things. He notes the importance of sharing the spotlight with others, maintaining humility while knowing what we are good at, and amplifying that. Throughout this conversation, he highlights the inherent value and worth of us all as human beings and his desire to embolden people by making them more aware of this truth.

If you sense you are playing it too safe or are fearful of what potential failure may say about you or your value as a person, this conversation will offer perspectives, experiences, and anecdotes that may liberate you to live more of the life you are yearning for and that is much more possible than you think.

Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.

For further content and information check out the following:

Michael's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbungaystanier/

Michael's website: https://www.mbs.works/
The Coaching Habit: https://www.mbs.works/coaching-habit-book/#buy
How to Work with (almost) Anyone: https://www.mbs.works/how-to-work-with-almost-anyone-book/

- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.

Running Order:

03:02 Wrestling with angels

08:41 Infecting a billion people with the possibility virus

12:07 Allowing others to take the spot light

15:42 Humility in success and our strengths

18:45 You’re awesome and you’re doing great

23:17 An awareness of the bigger picture and paradox

31:22 Engaging with emotions and men’s work

34:37 Having a healthy relationship with failure

38:07 Reflections on authenticity and amplifying your difference

47:37 The gift of feeling worthy

51:37 What is a good life for Michael?

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