Inner Monkey

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Inner Monkey is about my journey to understand how I can best coexist with my inner monkey, so I can live the life I want to live. I’m Daniel Lam, and I hope my sharing my experience will be helpful in some way.

Daniel Lam

  • Oct 21, 2020 LATEST EPISODE
  • monthly NEW EPISODES
  • 7m AVG DURATION
  • 24 EPISODES


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Latest episodes from Inner Monkey

Don't Let Anxiety Trap You

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2020 9:49


You always have a choice. It's your life to live. Support the podcast and become a Patreon. Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Creating Motivation to Work at Home

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2020 9:34


Getting out of the zero-sum mindset. Don't think of it as choosing between work and play.   Support the podcast and become a Patreon. Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Getting Back Up (After Falling Down)

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2020 5:53


We make it harder than it needs to be.   Support the podcast and become a Patreon. Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Forgive Your Inner Monkey

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2020 6:47


Stop beating yourself up when you don't live up to expectations.   Support the podcast and become a Patreon. Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Becoming Ok with Uncertainty

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2020 11:36


Uncertainty is a scary thing. Especially when being an adult often means learning to "suck it up" and "deal with it". But where are the instructions on how to do that? Thank you for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Life Isn't a Competition

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2020 6:51


The success of others highlights how much of a failure I am. Sometimes I wonder why I even both working so hard when I can never seem to catch up. Thank you Evan for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Stop Running Away From Life

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2020 7:10


When life smacks me around, I want to run away. And when various aspects of my life gang up to bully me, I want to hide. When I feel overwhelmed by life, I need to find a way to turn it around instead of making it worse by ignoring everything. Thank you Dylan for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Getting Myself to Do the Dishes

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2020 8:23


I never want to do the dishes, so they just pile up and make my living space feel cluttered and gross. It's a simple task that I acknowledge I should do, yet I avoid it. I need to understand why I resist such a simple chore so I can get myself to do it. Inner Monkey Shirts at Cotton Bureau Thank you John for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

How To Follow Through

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2020 6:32


Setting goals and resolutions are easy. They take no real effort. Following through is where I fall down. It's so easy to put stuff off, to fall into traps I've set for myself. It's only by following through that I can do what it takes to achieve my goals.   Thank you Phil for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Using Deadlines to Stop Procrastination

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2019 6:46


Procrastination can also be the result of simple laziness. Sometimes I just don't want to do something even though it's for my own good. I'm not afraid of it or trying to avoid it, I just don't care enough right now to do anything about. Deadlines can provide the motivation to overcome laziness but I need to be careful not to introduce so much pressure that I feel anxious about the deadline and procrastinate just to avoid it.   Thank you Urspo for supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon! Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Deadlines Amplify Procrastination

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2019 7:08


We all know procrastination is bad, but we do it anyway. Procrastination is the symptom of a deeper issue, it's the avoidance of anxiety. Deadlines create anxiety and we react to anxiety by procrastinating. In order to stop procrastinating, we need treat address the cause and not the symptom.   Thank you Aruna! For supporting Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Start Your Mornings Right

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2019 8:03


We can't avoid mornings. They're a part of literally every day life. And by making our mornings better, we can make a big impact on the quality of our lives.   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Regret Isn't Useful

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2019 7:40


Getting lost in regret can leave me paralyzed and unable to do anything. Learning from the past is important, but I can't get lost in it, or it'll only distract me from the present and building the life I want to live.   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Reward Yourself for Working Hard

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2019 6:24


No one wants to do boring, tedious stuff, like practice. But if I want to achieve certain things, I need to find a way to get over this.   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Self-Control Doesn't Work

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2019 6:40


Self-Control presumes I have full control over my decisions. I don't, otherwise I wouldn't need to actively control myself. So what if I try a different approach. What if stop trusting myself to make the right decisions and try to prevent myself from making wrong decisions instead?   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Daydreams Discourage Achievement

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2019 6:59


It's hard to work towards big dreams, because they're so intimidating. I struggle to get started because the road ahead is long and daunting. The more I dream the worse this becomes. If I want to achieve my dreams, I need to stop thinking about them and focus on the present.   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Finding Confidence

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2019 8:25


Confidence is hard to find, not because it's hiding, but because I don't know where to look. Confidence is believing in yourself, but that's hard to do when I never feel like I'm good enough and this is the problem. I can't accept who I am, because I'm too busy wishing I was something more.   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Bad Expectations Destroy Motivation

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2019 6:54


It's tempting to focus on jump-starting motivation, but it's even more important to look at how to maintain it and keep it from slipping away. One of the ways motivation slips away, is through unexpected hiccups that derail our plans. While, it's convenient to pretend they're unexpected, often, we choose to blind ourselves to the obvious. Why do we do this? And how can we keep our eyes focused on what's truly ahead?   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Bite-sized Goals Promote Success

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2019 8:46


Goals are important. The more important it is, the bigger and more daunting it tends to be. But the more daunting, the more likely I am to find an excuse not to complete it. This ends with never achieving what really matters. Breaking down big scary goals into small bite-sized ones ends this vicious circle and allows me to make the progress I want.   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Making Big Scary Decisions

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2019 6:56


Some decisions are terrifying to make, especially when they will have a big impact on my future. But if I can't face these decisions head on, I'll never be able to move forward.   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Overwhelmed by Life Goals

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2019 6:14


I can't seem to do all the things I want. I feel overwhelmed and helpless when faced with the metaphorical mountain of goals I have yet to achieve. But if I can make it more manageable, maybe I can feel better about myself.   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

I'm Not a Failure

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2019 5:22


I feel like a failure because I know I'm not "successful". I like to think I know what success is, but do I really? By trying to define what it means to "be successful", I realized that it's an unattainable goal that is causing more harm than good.   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Stop Wasting Time

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2019 6:08


I wish I was more productive. I try, but I find it so hard to avoid things like TV and video games which soak up most of my time. I need to stop wasting my time.   Support Inner Monkey on Patreon Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

Stop Fighting Yourself

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2019 5:34


When I fight with myself or struggle with self-control, I'm really fighting with my inner monkey and struggling to control him.   Support the podcast and become a Patreon. Artwork by Knut J Håland Music by Chris Haugen

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