RIT Professional Development Podcast

You probably know many others who, when they’re on their way to work, look rather gloomy or stressed. Not a good way to be. And others look bored or lacking any real motivation. You may even be feeling a bit flat about work yourself. In this podcast, we look at how to reframe your work so it feels better and funnily enough, ends up contributing greater value as a result. Work is a central part of our lives. Let’s make it worthwhile! Kind Regards Rob

If you’re looking for love second time around, or have found it and want to make sure it works out, then this episode is specifically for you. In it, I open up my own situation (having been married previously for 29 years) and describe what it was like, and more importantly, conscious ways that my new partner and I have committed to, in order to develop a healthy relationship and in the end, really make it work. (In fact, I think all couples should listen to this too! Listen and you’ll see why.) FREE DOWNLOAD Get your FREE copy of a one page PDF Just Keep Holding Hands. I wrote from the perspective of a husband to his wife, but it’s message is applicable for all of us.. Kind regards  

Photo by Chastagner Thierry on Unsplash They say growing old is a bugger. If the emerging aches and pains I'm experience are anything to go by, they're probably right! But the real tragedy, and one we can easily do something about, is that when people get old - and the children are gone, and work has finished, and their joints creak and groan - loneliness can set in. And as Mother Teresa once said, loneliness is the worst thing in the world. In this episode, Rob Bialostocki lays down a challenge to do something about this epidemic. One that merely requires us to notice and take a moment. One that really matters to those on the receiving end. And if nothing else, we should consider it because one day, that will be you.

Midlife is a great opportunity, but certainly not the only one, to invest your time and energy into work or endeavours that don’t just earn a buck, but make a real difference too. But, far too many of us find ourselves saying, “I’m just so busy!” I have a feeling that that isn’t a very good excuse anymore. And you might too when you listen to today’s podcast with guest Dr Michelle Kelly, someone who has achieved a lot in her life as a top scientist, but still finds room to help others in her community that need a helping hand. Listen out for the story (near the end) of what she did while out shopping recently. Very inspiring. This episode was videoed in Michelle’s home and you can see that full video on YouTube if your wish.

Photo by Chip Vincent, Unsplash Life is good, right? But I bet it hasn't quite gone to plan. And why is that? Is it a failure of planning? Being unrealistic? Not having plan B? In today's podcast, Rob offers five principles he has learned from a life that hasn't gone to plan - his! Lessons that can help you to see the past in a different light, and find strategies for having less stress in the years ahead.

Photo by Chip Vincent on Unsplash Don’t get me wrong - life is good, but it hasn’t quite turned out as I was planning back when I was thirty. Like you, some of my hopes and dreams have failed to materialise, while other things have turned up in my life uninvited - but guests nonetheless. We must find ways to make room for them - even rearrange the furniture around them, if need be. In this episode, we explore five principles that are worth remembering when it comes to living and shaping our lives from hereon. Ones that won’t make the job easier, but will help allay concerns. If you know anyone who might benefit from this message, please share it with them. Regards Rob PS Haven’t joined the community yet? You can sign up for updates here.

Photo by Kevin Curtis on Unsplash Everyone wants good friends - even those of us who are introverts and don’t mind time on our own. Because of the pace and sheer breadth of responsibilities in our 30’s and 40’s we can easily wake up in our 50’s and realise….we have few really good friends. It can get kinda lonely. Or the friendships we have are not as nurturing or fulfilling as we’d like. Yikes! What can we do? In this podcast, I offer some perspectives on friendships and some ideas on how to find new ones in midlife. Let me know what you think (by leaving a comment below) or share your own experiences by dropping me an email to rob@alifethatmatters.com Cheers Rob PS Have you shared this podcast with anyone else you know yet? If not, please do! It helps to build the community and spread the love.

We’re all so busy in our modern everyday lives that we seldom hear the quiet voices or notice the beautiful encounters we can have if we only paid attention. I believe that there is much to be gained by slowing down and taking time out. When Tess and I did this just recently on Great Barrier Island, we had a beautiful, unexpected encounter we wouldn’t otherwise have had.   QuestionWhat have you encountered when you’ve taken time out to let things go quiet? Leave a comment below.  

As we progress through life, how can we ensure we keep fresh, keep learning, keep growing? And why should we? In this episode, I talk with Kavi Arasu, a facilitator and philosopher from Mumbai, India, about what it means to live a life that matters and how you can get fresh perspectives on life so you continue to grow through your lifetime. We discuss how to hear the music through all the noise of modern life, how conversation is an important medium for figuring out what matters, and the importance of asking good questions. Note that the quality of the interview itself is poor due to technical constraints at the time of the interview. But it’s worth perservering! Enjoy! Rob

Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash We mid-lifers can easily become creatures of habit. You know, same job, same house, same friends, same commitments. The danger of that being your pattern for the second half of life is that you could slowly becoming inflexible, living in a gradually contracting world, and possibly ending up a grumpy old man or woman. Too many do, whether they’re trapped there by their own fears, or by trying to keep safe from all of life’s hurts and difficulties. To have a better life you have to extend your boundaries. You have to work against the almost natural tendency to wither. In todays’ episode, I talk about and challenge you to deliberately expand your boundaries - your life’s tent - so you can experience new things, better things, awesome things. It requires effort, and you’ll have to say no to many things, but the pay-off is amazing. Let me know how you’re expanding your tent. Love to hear it. Cheers Rob

Photo: razflections I’ll never forget the face of the very old man, lying there on the cot, emaciated, in the room at Mother Teresa’s Calcutta home for the destitute and dying. His life was nearly over. He had no light in his eyes. What could I do? In this episode I share one way of making a difference in the world, in this case to serve the very poor so they can die with some dignity. And I suggest that these kinds of deeds are easy to do, even right there in your neighbourhood, and they really matter. If you’ve made attempts to make a difference, why not share a comment below? Others might get some inspiration from your story too. Cheers Rob

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash Do you wonder sometimes whether you’re doing what you really should be doing? Whether you’ve fully come into your own? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? But is it a good question? Underneath it is the implication that success feels different to what you’re experiencing. That you haven’t made it, or that there’s some other experience you ought to be having. In this episode, I reveal some of my own thoughts and feelings of inadequacy, and the three ways I can look at them from hereon. But more importantly, some advice on how we can view our lives so we feel much more satisfied. My favourite quotes: “Life is more like a smorgasbord. You take what you want, as long as you don’t spit on what you don’t want.” “There isn’t anywhere you have to get to.” With you all the way Rob. Drop me a line to rob@robbialostocki.com

Ever feel like you’ve been trying really hard to make things work, but somehow success stills eludes you? It might be changes you want to make in your life, a new venture you’re trying to start, or even where you’ve got to in life at this stage versus what you thought it would be like. I’ve had my fair share of issues, challenges and downright mistakes I’ve made too. And I want to share how I’m looking at my life currently, and a key decision I had to make recently if I was ever going to stay sane. As usual, I hope you find both encouragement and suggestions for your own life. Your friend Rob.  

If you’ve got children, no doubt you’ll have moments when you wondered whether you did okay as a parent. That’s quite natural - for two reasons: We love them regardless, and it never works out the way we had imagined it would! Or, is that just me?! In this episode, I share my own questions and thoughts about parenting, dealing with the unexpected curve-balls that come, and how one must come to terms with the fact that you’re just not in control. And nor should you be. And, for the record, I think I did okay. The best I could, anyway. Rob

If you have this little voice within you saying, “You know, this isn’t really working, is it?” or, “This is just not you. Why are you persisting wth this?” then you’re not alone. Doubt is good, it’s a healthy aspect of making decisions. The trouble is, sometimes we don’t listen carefully enough to the right things, and at other times we listen too much to the wrong things. In today’s podcast, I share my own recent dealings with the voice within - what it’s saying, why I’m struggling a bit with it, and how I’m trying to work with it to break through into new areas in life and work. Stay with me! As usual, I share some ideas on how you can deal with your voice-in-the-mind too. Cheers Rob

To live the kind of life you really want, one that matters to you, you need to change things up a little and that of course involves making some new decisions. But what if the options in front of you all seem pretty good? Or, what if you’re just not sure? What if it all goes wrong, or doesn’t work out? In this episode, we look at some approaches you can use to help you make the sort of decisions that are in front of you as wisely, but with as little fear, as possible. Hope to helps. Your friend Rob

Today’s modern lifestyle makes it hard for us to live a life of simplicity, clarity and peace. Let alone trying to focus on what’s most important in life and work. It seems there are monsters out to get us at every turn. And many people don’t even know they’re there. Today, I go monster-hunting. I will find, identify and expose these five things that are so ubiquitous and yet can be so damaging at the same time. Get your monster x-ray glasses on.

We spend our lives - that is to say, we use our time and energy - on doing things, buying things, and trying things. It takes all our energy to do it, and sometimes we do these things without perhaps being fully conscious of our choices. Sort of, living on auto-pilot. What if you get to the end of your life, and you knew it was so, and realised that what you spent your time and energy on was not that important after all. What a terrible feeling that would be! Listen to this reading of short prose from one of America’s leading ethicists on What Will Matter. (And, by inference, what will not.) Maybe, just maybe, we can minimise any regrets we might end up with. Your friend Rob Download a free PDF copy of the reading.

Welcome to the Living a Life That Matters podcast. Even for introverts, like me, it’s important to have a life with open, healthy connections with others. From your family to friends, your colleagues and out in the community. The better those relationships, the better life is for all of us. In this episode, I explore some ideas on how we can make our lives matter more to others we’re involved or rub shoulders with. In a way, it’s about giving and receiving love and respect, trying not to judge, and refusing to keep grudges regardless of what’s happened. I should know: my mother abandoned me when I was two years old.

Life is not fair. Well, not at times anyway. It just is. I’ve had my fair share of challenges - some are like curve-balls I wasn’t expecting, others have been like speed humps, and the odd one like a brick wall! Know the feeling? In this episode I offer 8 strategies you can use to accept, manage and respond to the changes and challenges life throws at you. They come from my own experiences of dealing with the death of family & friends, loss of wealth, divorce, feeling like I had lost the plot, navigating breast cancer, experiencing depression and all sorts of other things. May you be encouraged. Rob Download a free PDF of the 8 Strategies for reference.