Deweerdo Podcast

In this episode, I share ideas about a quality mindset--what has worked for me, and what I forsee working in the future. I hope you enjoy! Leave me a message or ask a question in the Q&A!!! I am happy to help!!! Cheers, Jeff --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/deweerdo/message

I'm back baybeeeeee! This episode is about Colin O'Brady's book "The Impossible First", and what I was able to draw from it's message. Speaking of books...MY book Bourbon Body Restoration is available on Amazon, Apple iTunes, and Audible, and signed copies are available from my website Deweerdo.com Thank you for your support!!! Cheers, Jeff

I WROTE A BOOK.

New podcast episodes dropping every Thursday morning at 5:00am EST. Tell somebody!! I hope you all enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

The great military advisor Sun Tzu teaches that it is with wisdom that we win battles. In his 2500 year old text, “The Art of War”, he states, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Believe it, or not, we fight internal battles every day, and wisdom can help us to achieve our own victory. Yet, many of us do not know what our enemy looks like. I was teaching my son this lesson the other day, and he asked me, “What does your enemy look like?”. I told him that my enemy was anyone holding a gun to my head. Sounds harsh. But it isn't. You see, many of us do not realize that human nature exists all around us. The cashier that was rude to us when we were checking out at the store is not our enemy. That person is simply losing an internal battle that we can typically only worsen. Other than offering a smile and kind salutations, we are at a loss. The unfortunate side-effect of not knowing our enemy, is that we too lose many a battle by failing to confront wisdom. Wisdom is the hard-gained attribute that we achieve by discovering our own individual nature, contending with it, and finding inner peace. Then, and only then, can we sort out a way to push out the enemy within. Later to find that the enemy only exists in your mind. Soul-crushing defeat is what exists outside the borders of this conundrum. So you'd best get to work on figuring our your bullshit, and sorting out the effects of human nature on the modern mind. It is so easy to get caught up in a situation where you have not discovered your own individual nature, and you lack the ability to sort out who is and is not your enemy. To fall back on the advice of Sun Tzu, you are setting yourself up for an ideological battle, where you will fail every time; as have so many who have come before you. So, a good question would be, “Where does one begin in the journey to understanding our true selves and finding the wisdom to act in a proper manner?”. The answer lies in the ability to forgive yourself of your past transgressions and move forward in a proper direction; one that eventually lends the ability to consult wisdom, in any circumstance. Things change. We must allow growth to occur. This is imperative. The Greek statesman and General, Pericles, gave this advice to his men before engaging in battle with the Peloponnesians—”I know the passion that leads people into war does not last when they're actually engaged in it; people change their minds with circumstances. But I see I must still give nearly the same advice as I gave before; and I insist that if you agree to this as common policy you support it even if things go badly for us—otherwise you've no right to boast of your intelligence if all goes well, since events can turn out as stupidly as people's intentions, and that is why we usually blame chance when things don't turn out as expected.” Intent means something. Yet, wisdom will dictate that we must be ever willing to change our plans (or what our intended outcome was) as the circumstances around us change. This flexibility is gained by the individual who knows that this is a possibility at the onset of the battle; and hence, has other plans. There is an idea in economics called “The law of unintended consequences”, which, simply defined is the misunderstood effects that occur when a complex system is governed with simple system. Our lives are quite complex, especially to us! And it will not be by a simple system that we achieve the ability to know ourselves. So, my advice is this—stop wallowing in the mistakes of the past, and start getting to know yourself.

New podcast episodes dropping every Thursday morning at 5:00am EST. Tell a friend. I hope you all enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

A note to current and future comedians It all started when I got out of the Army in 2017. For the past decade, I had moved across the world and never stayed in one place longer than three years. I always wanted to be a stand-up comedian. So many people throughout my life have told me that I am the funniest person they have ever met, that I always crack them up, and/or that I should be a stand-up comic. So I decided to pursue this dream, the second that I got out of the Army. In December of 2016, while on terminal leave from the military, I decided to do my first open mic. I had no clue what I was doing, but I just went with it. I showed up to Hyenas Comedy Club in Dallas, an hour before they opened. The military had taught me to, at least, not be late. So, I signed up first on the list! I was excited and nervous, but I went through with it anyways. While waiting for the official list to come out (signing up first doesn't mean that you will be first in the lineup), I met a guy whose name escapes me at the moment, Keyshawn, I believe. The guy must have been an Angel, because he helped me so much and I have never seen him since. Shout out to that dude! We talked about his career as a stand-up and how he'd been to LA to perform. It was all quite fascinating to me. So, I bought us a couple beers and waited. Finally, the list came out—I was second to last. I had to wait until 1:45 am before I could go up. No sweat. More time to focus on this joke; one joke that was supposed to last me the whole three minutes on stage. It didn't. But I did do very well. I started out by commenting on how fucking bright the lights were. Wow! For a guy who has done so much training in the darkest of nights, trying to stay hidden, this was new. I told the audience about how I'd just come back from living in Europe, and how much better of drivers Europeans are compared to Americans. Which, as of this writing sounds kind of lame, but I got all fired up about it, and the audience (maybe it was pure pity) seemed to like it. I walked off stage and that was that. It wouldn't be until another 10 months before I would get back on stage, because I was trying to find out how to fit in the civilian world. Way tougher than you could imagine. Fast forward a year later and I had been a stand-up comedian for an entire year. And in that year, I had hit 90% of the open mic stages in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Things were going well. I began working for Hyenas as a door/floor guy and eventually started running headliners out to the radio station on Friday mornings. I got to hang out with Emo Phillips and gave him his first ride in a Corvette! Kid Reid, from Kid ‘n Play! And a few others. My favorite was hanging with Billy D. Washington! The guy is a truly awesome person! It was nice to feel like I was coming up.

One of my favorite times in the Netherlands came when I was looking for a tractor tire to flip and hit with a sledgehammer, for workouts. I sometimes enjoy behaving like a gorilla. I figured that tire companies were looking for ways to get rid of these things, and that I would be helping them by taking it off of their hands, free of charge. However, after a few seconds talking to a worker at a tire shop turned that idea on its head. Apparently, even significantly used tires are worth a boatload of cash. When a farmer needs to get his tractor back in operation, he will spend whatever is necessary, as the lack of work will simply lead to a more expensive problem. I talked to the manager of the shop and he asked me what I was willing to pay, to which I replied nothing; I was broke. He then asked me why I needed the tire, and I told him that it was for working out. That I would be flipping it in my driveway. He pointed at a tire that I'd been eyeballing and said (without regard to emotion––I love the Dutch!), “you can't flip that tire”. I replied that I could absolutely flip it, and the challenge was on! He said, “If you flip that tire, right now, I'll give it to you for free.” I said, “Line that shit up!”, and he said, “What?”, and I said “Never mind, I'll do it.” I set the tire up and squatted down, getting my hands perfectly in position. “Ready?”, I asked. He nodded. I then proceeded to flip the shit out of that tire! It even did an extra revolution in the air, I'd flipped it so hard. He immediately blurted out, “Big penis?”, and I said, “Yup.” I digress. In life––If you feel like nobody is listening to you then work hard. You will be able to speak about your passion. When you speak with passion, people can't wait to hear what you have to say next. When you speak poison, people can't wait for you to shut the f*** up.

Look, we all have our hang-ups. I could go on and on about mine. But I choose not to. In my search for peace and happiness, I have stumbled upon many patterns that you could easily duplicate in order to find what is pure and good. My childhood was complicated—to say the least. Luckily for you, I hate talking, writing or even thinking about that shit. You're welcome. What I will say is that I had to think on my own and find sources of inspiration that kept me going over the years. One thing leads to another, and wham! I'm writing it down to share with the world. I like to think that my life really began when I joined the Army, in the fall of 2007. I owned nothing but a backpack and whatever its contents were at the time—damn sure wasn't filled with Rolex watches and diamonds. I left Dallas, Texas on a greyhound bus headed to the airport. We were told that there was one rule, “no alcohol” and we broke that rule inside of a half hour. All of us had different destinations to begin Basic Training but there was one other guy who was flying to South Carolina with me. We were headed to Fort Jackson, or “Relaxin' Jackson” as it was unofficially known. I remember getting ‘smoked', or forced to do a lot of push-ups, on day one for not knowing the Army song. I didn't even know the Army had a damn song. Luckily, he didn't ask, “Does the Army have a song?”, because I likely would've said, “negative Drill Sergeant!”. More push-ups for me. Once you get the rhythm of Basic, time just flies by. Before you know it, you've graduated. One of the funniest things that I remember from the early days of my service, is that the rumor mill is real. And it sucks. I stayed nervous for my entire first year in the Army. Yet, every time, the rumor turned out to be false (or misleading) and away the stress goes until the next round of juicy military gossip. This became the same song and dance for a decade, moving across country and intercontinentally, that I had faith that if I just worked at it, I would eventually figure it out. Now this is not to say that I am a savant or even good at all the things that come with a military move—new house, new city, new rules, new bosses. It simply means that if I can make abrupt life changes, and handle it well, then so can you.

Life gets the best of you sometimes. I am the product of my desire to live the fast life. Slow and clunky has never been my style. Yet, in chasing the fast life, sometimes we lose sight of what got us there to begin with. Luckily, I have honed the ability to look at my life from the outside and consider where I have come from. This provides me perspective, and I value this skill. I am just one man, yet I have accomplished much. I never achieved much notoriety; therefore I have never attained wealth. One of the best questions that I have researched for decades, is, “Is wealth even worth it”. We live in such times whereas a person who is not wealthy, has not made it. Yet, the truth is that money is fickle. Even those who have tons of it, know people doing better than them. Its about how we assess ourselves. What we value. This leads us down a path that con only go one of two ways: either we accept ourselves as is and force a smile, or we change. Some people think that change is difficult, and this is only from a lack of ambition. Changing your life can be as simple as having a better outlook on life. By changing your perspective, you unlock the code that has been passed down for centuries—life is what you make it. So, whenever you find yourself down and out, know that you can simply cut that shit out and dust yourself off. In these moments, I like to lift weights, because there is no bullshitting yourself in the gym—either you can or you cannot. But this could also transform into a myriad of self-bettering tasks like reading, writing, or meditating. Regardless of which you choose to pull yourself through a slump, just start doing. Do something. Anything to get out of the “poor me” headspace. Just remember: Life is what you make it. Cheers!

Weerd Reviews Bonus!!! In this episode, I have fun with some of the ideas in the play 'Medea', by Euripides (First performed in 431 BC). I couldn't help myself!!! I hope you enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

This is the second episode of Weerd Reviews, where I will review books--generally in the field of humanities. This is one of the most classic philosophy books by Plato, called 'The Republic'. I hope you all enjoy!!! Email me with any questions or comments at Deweerdo@mail.com Cheers, Jeff

I am starting a new segment called Weerd Reviews, where I will review books--generally in the field of humanities. This one was on a fantastic book by George Orwell called 'The Road to Wigan Pier'. I hope you all enjoy!!! Email me with any questions or comments at Deweerdo@mail.com Cheers, Jeff

In this episode I talk about criticizing art and its use in understanding human existence. As it is stated in Chapter 2 of Guerin's handbook, I see the value in appreciating literary texts as art. This allows us, not to criticize, but more to analyze their meaning and how that meaning pertains to our life--our existence. Just for clarity: I see criticism as a useless folly, an attempt to elevate ourselves beyond the art that we did not create. If a person finds usefulness in criticism, they are trying to lazily assume that the particular art is of no use to them. This makes sense on a human level, because some works of art do not pertain to life as you now know it. But, that does not mean that it is useless to all. For instance, how a person could dismiss the bible (a literary work of art), is beyond my comprehension. The same would be applied to so many other great works of art. I digress. The similarity between the first three books of the bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh, that is most striking to me, is the language of commandment. There is no opinion to be found, yet simply immediate direction that is to be assumed by the admirer. This direct language is good. It is valuable. On a personal level, I understand that many texts come to a person at the wrong time. When you read a book is extremely important. Are you old enough (intellectually advanced enough) to comprehend the art and contextualize it with others that you have read? If not, come back to it at a later date. If so, drive on. Socrates said that we should not teach dialectic (convincing speech) to those younger than 35! And scientists have known that the pre-frontal cortex (the part of the brain that governs reason) of a human does not reach maturity until roughly the same time. These are clues to the maturity, or rather the ability to understand the value in a work of art. If you are wondering, before this age, it is imperative for the young mind to gather as much information as they can, and avoid criticism at all costs--because criticism and intellectual immaturity do not mix well. They only put out poor, and misleading, information into the zeitgeist; which is an atrocity. This makes the historical period, that we are currently experiencing, weaker. Bad move. As we well know in the Army, "Don't be that guy". Instead, seek enrichment so that you can spread it to others. Be the change that you want to see in the world. Just my two cents.

In this episode, I talk about Existentialism and how it can benefit anyone. I hope y'all enjoy!!! Cheers, Jeff P.s. If you would like to be featured on an episode, send me an email at Deweerdo@mail.com!

In this episode, my buddy Zach Rippey came out to my new house in Michigan and we talked religion, God, the mind and soul and much more. I hope you guys enjoy this episode!!! Cheers, Jeff

Here's a quick morning note to get you off to the right start! I hope you all enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I talk with of my best friends and an 82nd Airborne brother, Jimbo. Give it a listen and share some laughs with us. I hope you all enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

Here are my thoughts on how to achieve a Utopian Society, if one were to exist. I also somehow snuck in some tips on how to change your oil. Hope y'all enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I share some of my views on society and how we can become better as individuals. Let's push the needle forward and help each other to find out true selves - in peace. Let me know your thoughts at Deweerdo@mail.com! Cheers, Jeff

Here is a Hot Second from Episode 21!

In this episode, I talk about Quality and my political views. I also make a special announcement in this episode! Thank you for your support!!! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I talk about some of my philosophies on life and how to use utility (utilitarianism) as a tool for success! I really enjoyed this episode and I hope you all do too!!! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I sit down with my buddy Zach Rippey!! We talked about religion, philosophy and his new podcast called "I Like Birds" which can be found at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-like-birds/id1511661774 I hope you all enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I talk about what diets have worked for me over the last decade. DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor. Nor do I play one on the podcast. Consult a medical professional for any medical needs. I hope y'all enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I talk about beer, soccer and capitalism (kinda). I hope you all enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode I sit down with Zach Rippey and Zachariah Simmons!! Two amazing guys with tremendous ambition! P.S. we were a touch boozy. P.S.S. anything I said is at least half bullshit. I hope you all enjoy!!! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I sit down with one of my best friends Jorge Cortez!!! Check it out and I really hope you all enjoy!! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I had a great conversation with Shahyan Jahani!! Check it out and I hope it provides you some laughs and some ideas!! Enjoy!!! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I discuss strategies for finding your way. At least, this is how I did it. I hope y'all enjoy!!! Cheers, Jeff

Zach and I sit down and talk about books. And life. I share my method for reading that I found through Tim Ferriss. Hope y'all enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

This was a super fun, silly and interesting conversation with Tony Casillas and Parker Slavens! Their podcast, the Before & After Podcast can be found at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-before-and-after-podcast/id1480750694 I hope y'all enjoy!!! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I had the pleasure to talk to Billy D. Washington!!! Billy is an amazing comic!!! You can find his latest special, "The Washington Posts" (https://800pgr.lnk.to/BillyDFA). We had the most amazing conversation!!! I really hope you all enjoy!!! Cheers, Jeff

Zach Rippey and I sit down and discuss Comedy and its current/future status, also I tell my jail stories...and Zach smashed a dudes head through a wall one time on Thanksgiving. Hope y'all enjoy!!! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I talk about how to combat fear, and ramble for a few minutes about my beef with France. I hope y'all like it! Cheers, Jeff

In this episode, I talk about my daily routine and how it could even save you money! Also, I share a story about a pair of stolen shoes, and how they helped me to change my life. I hope you all enjoy! Cheers, Jeff

I talk to my good buddy who is a fellow comedian, fitness junkie and certified lunge master Shahyan Jahani!!! Cheers, I hope you all enjoy! -Jeff

Whisky Talk: Talking about the documentary "Examined Life" and the Just War Theory. With whisky.

I sat down with one of my best friends, and we talk life, Coronavirus, Fitness and how to get started living the good life!!! Cheers, I hope you all enjoy! -Jeff

Today I reflect on another birthday, and talk health/fitness and man stuff. Enjoy! Email me! Deweerdo@mail.com

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Let's chat!!! Send me questions on any social media platform or directly to my email at Deweerdo@mail.com