Sutterfaction

In each moment it is fascinating to observe just how many choices we are making. These choices shape our lives, our characters, our capacities. And, of course everything around us influences these choices. But, how many are really our own, and how many are merely the result of our schooling, the media, the TV shows and advertising we consume, even the area we happened to grow up in. And, how often are we easily influenced by a skillfully curated campaign by a big company, a political party, or an entire industry in order to confuse us and get us to align with their agenda - or fall in line with their agenda. We are bombarded by an abundance of well placed stories that aim to influence our choices in most moments. It can seem at times that we are walking in a real life video game. Every time we turn on our phones or TVs, even every time we walk down the street, trillion dollar industries are hunting for our attention. And, each with their very own agenda, bias and conflicts. Author and activist, Sutter, takes a bat to The Saturday Paper, Jordan Peterson, all-meat diets, Kim Kardashian, and social media influencers in this punchy and super important talk. He tells us to be careful who we listen to - and to be careful who our heroes are - in order to live freely and authentically. “We are conditioned by our ideas, the stories we read and hear, to think this is good and this bad - - the trick is knowing what will actually make us happier, freer and more fulfilled!”A must listen podcast episode!

How does one find meaning and purpose in life? Is it even a worthwhile pursuit as we navigate an unpredictable and uncertain world? Can meaning bring us more joy? Does purpose lead to freedom? Is freedom the key to happiness? Turn on the TV, open up your phone, walk down the street, and we are bombarded by an abundance of well placed stories that tell us that we need something more, better, different. Trillion dollar industries, political movements, entire systems are built on the idea that we always need to be moving forward, growing, bettering ourselves, and it is an ideology that has us sitting in record numbers of mental health, and facing climate catastrophe. What should one do? Keep forcing ahead, continuing to accumulate for a future that is more unpredictable than ever before?We need to be aware that life is impermanent and inconstant and that this moment will quickly end. Sitting stuck in some trivial thing from the past or miles ahead down the road, will only cause more suffering. We sit around worried about getting things that will make us happy, or to confirm that we are doing well to others, when we are surrounded by beauty each and every day. A beauty that is often missed in our haste. Sutter, author of Awake and keynote speaker, asks us if meaning and purpose really are the keys we must find in order to be free. He blends the wisdom from great philosophers, thinkers, writers, and doers with practical psychology, storytelling, and his own unique experiences to plant seeds for thought and discussion.

Sutter makes a case for ‘knowing yourself' as a powerful antidote for unnecessary suffering. He challenges us all to value authenticity as a way to experience true freedom and fulfillment, and help us to not fall prey to the dangers of the pleasure trap. When have you asked yourself, “Why am I doing this?” When have you ever stopped and really analyzed what you are doing? Too many people find themselves in a circle, an unhealthy circle, chasing after one thing until it is acquired, before immediately setting their sights on their next target. Sometimes we lose sight as to why we started chasing these things in the first place, and we continue to run and the circle just continues. Would you be moving in this kind of a circle if you knew what you wanted? When you don't start by deeply examining yourself, you could find yourself living a life of merely existing, until something comes along and makes you “happy.” This doesn't sound like a true, genuine happiness, but more like a “pleasure trap,” and pleasures are wilting moments that come and go. Like shopping, we buy something and we feel good, for a moment, and just as quickly as it arrives, it is gone. The same good feeling we get when posting on social media, we feel good, we get likes, but just as quickly it is gone. It's fickle. When we are always running, moving, striving, chasing more, better, different - we can't explore and examine what's really going on inside us. If we can't sit in our discomfort and ride out the waves, we learn nothing, and we miss out on so much life. In this sense, deep exploration starts by the opposite of how we think it does. It isn't when we are moving, traveling, seeking, and looking outward; it is when we stop and find stillness, solitude, quietude, and idleness. To find an authentic happiness that is truly ours and not the type of happiness that is dependent on external circumstances and conditions, we need to find these moments of quiet, and instead of running away from them, we need to embrace them. 17 minutes of thought-provoking and powerful philosophy, that is as engaging as it is relevant. Sutter finishes with practical tips to boost your wellbeing. A must listen episode for anyone who enjoys enjoying their life.

What gets us stuck in the pleasure trap, the circle of distraction and dissatisfaction? How do we explore life in a way that is enriching long-term? Is our modern, Instagram fuelled travel the best way to learn about who we are and what we want? Sutter dives into what it means to travel and explore authentically. He brings some great philosophers and thinkers on the journey with us to ensure we get the most out of our adventures. From Von Goethe we plunge boldly into the thick of life, William James ensures action is in the right place, and Carl Jung makes sure we actually understand and feel the unseen and unheard parts of who we are along the way. Sutter finishes with a simple practice to help create the conditions for your happiness to flourish. And a simple reminder of where the best adventures actually take place - offline.

We can get in the habit of churning through the days without ever giving things any real thought. We get stuck in a routine of monotony and forget all the amazing things we have every single day that we are grateful for. In this short 5 minute talk, in collaboration with 5 minutes for me, Sutter gives us 3 very simple and practical skills to enjoy our lives more. He blends philosophy and unique ideas to provoke thought and offer light encouragement to shift habits and play in the uncertainty of life - without it weighing you down. Explore How Am I? writing meditation, gratitude, slowing down, writing, connection, the pleasure trap, eating meditation and creating ways to enjoy each and every moment of your day. “I've failed many (many) times, but I've learnt that it is not about always being perfect or always being happy, but maybe it is more about having a full life. And with a full, engaged, and interesting life it is inevitable that we will suffer - what's more important is having the skills and tools to still enjoy life when we do….So in this talk I'm going to share 3 skills from my unique wellbeing book meets journal Awake, that can allow you to still enjoy life and grow, even amidst the uncertainty, chaos and fickleness of life.” Sutter

We have seen so many incredible advancements in technology in recent times and we seem to have an abundance of choice like never before, but is it these advancements that were meant to make the world an easier place to live that are actually causing a widespread dissatisfaction with life?In this episode Sutter looks at the emergence of pseudo-vulnerability, and how social media platforms, influencers, and mental health ambassadors are adding to the mental health crisis we are living in. Sutter looks at mental health awareness and stigma, while questioning whether our new found openness is a good thing and actually helpful for our younger generations? With mental health's rising awareness we are seeing more and more people talk about their mental health experiences on more and more mediums. We now see Instagram, Facebook, youtube and even LinkedIn as platforms of choice for people to deliver overt displays of emotion to thousands and thousands of people - the majority of whom are strangers. But, is social media the most appropriate forum for this expression? And, more importantly, is it the most helpful for the person who is struggling, and the most helpful for the people watching? 19 minutes of thought-provoking content that raises important questions about what is the best way to look after our friends and family. Sutter finishes with tools and insights (something he says is missing from our mental health advocates' social media stories) on how to live creatively, freely, and meaningfully.

Sutter diagnoses the traits and habits of the unhappy, and provides a rich toolkit of ideas, philosophies, and research to transform our boredom, loneliness and dissatisfaction into joy, freedom, and fulfillment. So we can enjoy our lives, while we are alive. No doubt over the last 2 years as the world has undergone dramatic changes, you've experienced some gloom and tough times. A type of fatigue and dissatisfaction with life that is difficult to shake. But, despite all of life's challenges, some people seem to flow with it a little better. The weight on their shoulders seems lighter, while others' loads seem unbearably heavy, even if their circumstances and difficulties pale in comparison. So, why are some holocaust survivors in better moods than the rich CEO? Why do we have friends who are rich, but super miserable and just really quite boring and disengaged? While others are alive, interested and a joy to be around in spite of having few of the so-called perks of success?

Author, activist and social entrepreneur Evan Sutter is at it again with another controversial and highly thought-provoking talk. He tackles our consumer culture and its work in creating lacklustre human beings that just think like everyone else, who lead lives of quiet desperation, choosing things over experiences and TV over friendship. He calls for 3 radical changes in order to cultivate good lives worth living, ones that enrich our lives and the ones of those around us. He analyses how our addiction to working so much has left us addicted to shopping, and led us to a self-centred world that doesn't care much about anything but ourselves. He calls for real activism, and proposes some simple actions, to actually enjoy our lives before we're dead.

Sutter dissects how our addiction to fast fixes and a modern world that cultivates distracted minds has left a gaping hole in how we receive wisdom and knowledge. He makes a case for how a shift is desperately needed to save our youth and our planet, and how our wise elders (and all of us) can play a key role in making that shift a reality. But, he also questions whether there are in fact wise elders still around, and whether the fast paced modern world has destroyed their perceived value. Is their diminishing presence a result of a world where it is congratulatory to say someone looks younger than they are, so our elders are in hiding because now they have no social value? Is it a by-product of a dying community? Is it our “growth at all costs” system that has left our elders tired, rundown and lacking vigour. Is it a result of the social media world? A lack of focus on our inner worlds? Or just a lack of focus? Is it a result of authors and poets being replaced by influencers and reality TV stars in the pecking order of people we admire? Whatever it is, this talk will provoke discussion and thought, and hopefully action. It will provide ideas on how to meet halfway and forge much needed change on a planet that so desperately needs it. An important call to action jam-packed into 14 minutes.

The amazing work done by businesses around the world is limited if no one knows about them and it doesn’t affect how we spend our time and money, and vice versa, our great choices every day are limited if others choices aren’t great - and aren’t great on a much larger scale. Sutter takes us on his own personal journey to creating his startup, and delivers insightful and unique tips to boost our happiness and change our world. Dive inside to see how we can generate more happiness to live really good lives. See how each of our businesses can also generate happiness each and every day to transform communities and our planet. A comprehensive exploration into how you can improve your life and make the world a happier place at the same time.

I’ve found the key is being present in whatever you’re doing. Otherwise we may just always be somewhere else, wanting something else. We may be having great sex and thinking about what we’re eating for dinner after. That’s an unhealthy habit to cultivate, one that zaps our zest and energy for life and living. I think aliveness doesn't start on the edge of a cliff or on some exciting adventure, and maybe it isn't always activity and action, but could be just as much found in the silence, the discomfort, and our boredom. The trick is actually being there for it. It’s this presence that can allow us to break free from the shackles of our own never-ending thoughts and rollercoaster of stories. A wandering mind, one over which we have little control, will probably not foster much happiness. Maybe this is why we learn mindfulness and meditation - so we can be good gardeners as Thich Nhat Hanh says. So we can develop the capacity to see which seeds we need to sow, water or shine light on. Stopping to learn how to cultivate what’s important and learning not to shine light on the things we don’t want to grow. Leaving the bad seeds of anger, fear, anxiety, craving, and cultivating only our good qualities.

7 years ago when Sutter was a lost, over-entertained, safety-seeking 20 something, staying in a Hut in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village, he stumbled upon a book called Happiness by Matthieu Ricard, and his views on happiness being a skill, one in which we can actually develop. Ricard wrote “One is not born wise; one becomes it,” and Sutter wondered if we become happy the same way we become wise. In this talk Sutter shares how he stumbled upon Happiness in the hut, and then dived deeper into why he wasn’t happier, and if and how he could be. This talk was recorded Live at Happiness and Its Causes 2020. Sutter speaks about his new book The Awake Journal, the Four Foundations for Happiness - Exploration - Know Yourself - Meaning - Presence - and shares many practical skills to boost our happiness. Sutter blends the wisdom of many great thinkers including Epictetus, Aristotle, Thich Nhat Hanh, The Dalai Lama and William James with his own unique experiences and anecdotes.

Sutter asks the big question: is being hopeful and positive the best way to live a life? He sets out to answer it in his own unique style and engaging commentary, cleverly picking apart his own experiences and the wisdom of great thinkers like Thich Nhat Hanh and Daniel Gottlieb, to create an antidote for fear and anxiety. Is there a better way than being hopeful? Can we change our stories? Is optimism preventing us from living a good life? Should we bother dreaming about something better? Is hopelessness that bad? Sutter dissects these ideas in a fun and thought provoking way, making his listeners contemplate if there is a better way to create joy in their own lives. Sutter finishes with a guided meditation and practice.

Happiness is overused, over defined, over commercialized and productized, and thus it has lost its power and impact. But, Sutter uses the wisdom of philosophers to reimagine our view of happiness and how it can make our lives better. Gone is the boring, generic and mundane happiness, instead it is robust, gritty and cool. Sutter dissects the many, many ideas about happiness that have flooded our lives and creates clarity and, most importantly, a way to implement it into our lives to truly rejoice in it. Thought provoking, smart and engaging, Sutter does a stellar job in bringing together vast ideas into a compelling and concise case for living happier. The talk includes a guided meditation, tips to implement, and a bonus practice at the end.

Sutter explores the adventures that lie within each of us as we navigate what to many is a closed off, COVID affected, planet. He sells us on a new vision for an extraordinary type of travel, one in which we don't have to wait for the borders to open. Using the wisdom from Pinker, Epictetus, Von Goethe, Proust and his own adventures and experiences in 60+ countries, Sutter cleanly and concisely shows us that there is clarity, peace and joy to be found, even in the most unpredictable of worlds. 20 minutes of engaging discussion that is sure to provoke thought and discussion (and maybe a little controversy). Sutter follows up with a guided meditation.

In this episode Sutter compassionately tackles the concept of entropy, the falling apart of things, and the inevitability of suffering. Using powerful insights from great thinkers like Thich Nhat Hanh, Carl Jung, John O'Donohue and Bernie Siegel to highlight how we can all use the absurdity of life (Camus) to bring peace, joy and fulfillment to our lives. Sutter dissects his own recent experiences and tragedies to formulate a strong case for softening our egos and preconceived ideas and builds a foundation for shifting perspectives, for resets, and for creativity and playfulness. Raw and accessible, Sutter packs a lot of unique ideas into a short and highly engaging talk. He follows the talk up with a short guided meditation.