John Williams, host of the Ideas Lab podcast, recently recorded a conversation at my home, where I feel most comfortable so could share most openly. Here’s his introduction: From the Ideas Lab page: Joshua Spodek – Leadership Step by Step I’m here in Greenwich village in New York City today and I’m here to meet Josh Spodek. Josh is a fascinating character. He was a former astrophysicist and then became[…] Keep reading →

People keep reacting to my diet with, “Wow, you’re so disciplined,” as if it takes willpower to eat as I do. You know what took willpower? When I always had a container of ice cream in my freezer and potato chips, pretzels, or both in my cupboard. Not eating them took mental work that distracted me from everything else. The longer I eat like this: the more I love vegetables[…] Keep reading →

I wrote before about how the longer I go without flying, the more people talking about flying sounds like they’re talking about heroin. They sound like they’re craving. They don’t care how much they’ll allow their life to fall apart to make it happen. They don’t care whom their habits hurt. They sound entitled, often whiny. My friend who works with addicts described the squalor they allow themselves to live[…] Keep reading →

I just got back from seeing (and hearing) my niece perform in her junior high school orchestra. On the back of the music program, a section described the value of learning music — not how great learning music was, but how music developed skills and prepared students for other things in life, like math. What happened to us as a culture that anyone feels compelled to justify learning music in[…] Keep reading →

When last we heard from Dov, about a year ago, he had limited driving his James Bond Jaguar, enjoyed the experience beyond expectation, and said he was considering getting rid of it. For a year I’ve wondered what came of his commitment. Many people “forget” or give up on commitments to bring mugs with them to cafés. What could I expect from a guy who aspired since childhood for a[…] Keep reading →

Burpees began eight-and-a-half years ago. Burpees begat other bodyweight exercises and stretches. Bodyweight exercises begat kettlebell exercises. Kettlebell exercises begat bigger shoulders, biceps, thighs, and calves. As I got more fit, I wondered how I wanted to look. At 47, I probably don’t have the testosterone to get jacked, which I think is the technical term for having unusually large muscles. But I never wanted huge muscles. I also don’t[…] Keep reading →

I posted a simple book page for Initiative: A Proven Method to Bring Your Passions to Life (and Work) where you can download a sneak preview of the book’s preface. Click to go to the page, scroll down to enter your email and download the sneak preview.