Ep. 50 Oliver Burkeman: Are We Nearly There Yet?

What does success look like? Social media is full of success porn – if it’s not pictures of sports cars and well dressed male models accompanied by motivational texts, it’s self-styled personal growth gurus telling us we’re not hustling hard enough. All designed to make us feel inadequate. But it success really about the number of zeroes on your bank balance, your body fat percentage and an Instagram feed full of private jets and exotic holidays? Or is it something else? Is it about being comfortable with not striving, not pushing for bigger, faster and shinier every minute of the day. Maybe success is about finding peace with who we already are, where we already are, and what we’ve already got. Maybe it’s about acknowledging, as Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield says, that “I’m perfect already, with room for improvement.” In this episode of my podcast I chat with author and journalist Oliver Burkeman about the innate sense of dissatisfaction that humans seem to possess. We chat about our constant desire for something different than what we already have, how we know when we get “there” and even if there is a “there” at all. Oliver is the author of two books: The Antidote (Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking) and Help! How To Become Slightly Happier And Get A Bit More Done. His forthcoming book, Four Thousand Weeks, is out later this year. Useful links: www.oliverburkeman.com

Om Podcasten

Established 2017. Over a million downloads. Personal development from the inside out. Exploring how to be well, do well and live well, seeking out the secret sauce to happiness, contentment and a life of fulfilment. A gentle approach to growing into life, and letting it grow into us. “Filled with personal wisdoms and tokens of positive energy”.