Uncommon Sense: the This is True Podcast

Humans might be a little special, but we're not as far above other animals than what we want to believe. And the implications of that are profound.

The title is an unofficial motto of an organization my wife and I joined. They say this because of coming advances in medicine in the next several years. This episode is my first report on what I learned. (14-1/2 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast91

An astonishing example of Uncommon Sense in a rescue, with some practical advice that could save your life. https://go.thisistrue.com/podcast90

“Doctor knows best,” the saying went. While delivered as reassurance, its real meaning was much more sinister, as I’ll explain. This is the story of the final nail in that idiom’s coffin because really, it was a lie all along. The crazy thing is, that didn’t happen all that long ago. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast89

“Success came because I never saw obstacles” — an Uncommon Sense approach to life, let alone business. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast88

My Reaction So Far. It was quite the surprise to get the shot 2 days before Christmas.

Now that the coronavirus vaccine is rolling out, there are several important things to watch out for, which may take a little Uncommon Sense to fully get past the scare-mongers.

What makes a business work in the sense of the triple win: employees and customers being happy, and the owners making a decent return, or better! This is about a guy who applied Uncommon Sense, and figured it out. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast85

A lot of us are pooped — wrung out, over capacity. This episode doesn’t just talk about why, but how to build your resilience to the stressors of this crazy year that’s not over yet. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast84

The United States is divided like never before, but it’s too easy to point at Donald Trump, or even to the 'right' or the 'left': there is fault all around. By applying the Uncommon Sense and without being partisan, let’s explore what both sides can learn. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast83

Relying on willpower for change is a recipe for failure. A psychologist who has studied willpower says there’s a much, much, better, and easier, way. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast82

There’s a technique that can keep you calm, or even alive in an emergency, that’s so easy to learn you’re already doing most of it right now. You’ll be amazed at what it can get you through when you learn the rest of it, and I’ll tell you how. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast81

The title of this episode — The Eight Secrets to a (Fairly) Fulfilled Life — isn’t mine, as I’ll explain, but it’s the distillation of one man’s writing, and this is going to summarize his summary. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast80

The fear of failure is central to most of our lives. We worry about failing in business ventures, in personal relationships, and in our dreams. But what happens when you apply Uncommon Sense instead and embrace failure? Because that’s actually the key to success, and I’ll tell you how. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast79

What if there was a way to use your mind to reduce stress, increase emotional health, boost your attention span, help preserve your brain as you age, even help control pain? There is a way, and it’s actually easy to do. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast78

Want a happier, more-fulfilled, and less-stressed life? Here are seven things to stop doing immediately — and what to do instead — that are pretty easy to do right away. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast77

Having vague, preconceived, and uninformed notions and, worse, acting upon them, isn’t just the opposite of Uncommon Sense, it can actually cause harm. How do you avoid that trap? Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast76

A profound bit of advice isn’t necessarily usable just for the situation it’s created for. In fact, that may be what makes it profound, because sometimes you end up with a nice tool for leveraging your Uncommon Sense. This episode offers a great example of that. Show Page: https://go.thisistrue.com/podcast75

Previous episodes have pointed out that children can indeed have Uncommon Sense. So much so, they can truly contribute to society. So this week, I’ll tell you about Nora Keegan. She’s 14, and has been doing something extraordinary for five years now. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast74

The medical profession is starting to realize that it’s been missing a very important element of patient care. It’s likely that you’ll be very surprised to hear what it is, but then when you think about it, it’ll make total sense — and you’ll be mad that you didn’t get it. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast73

073: Sure, it’s cool to hear stories of famous (and completely obscure) people who exhibit Uncommon Sense. But there’s one other thing you need to know about every one of them: they’re definitely not perfect, and that’s important to know because neither are you. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast72

Humans mostly pay attention to the short term. If we can lift our eyes and look much farther out, not only does that benefit us personally, but business leaders that truly have Uncommon Sense sometimes take it to the extreme, and their results, actual and still in the works, can be absolutely mind-blowing. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast71

Company owners aren’t just employers: sometimes they’re mentors who can change lives. My buddy Doc recently told me about his old boss, and his story illustrates what I mean very clearly. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast70

When you really look into something that’s “obvious” and “common sense,” sometimes you’ll find that ...the “experts” are wrong! This is the story of a man who was pretty sure the industry experts were wrong about something, and boy did it take him a lot of effort to turn that industry around. But he did, because his Uncommon Sense beat their common sense. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast69

Everyone says they want to “go back” to “normal” rather than have the constant uncertainty of the pandemic. But what “normal” do we want to “go back” to? It’s time to think about a new normal — what do we want to go to as this craziness ramps down? (11-1/4 minutes) Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast68

An American company that makes masks and other PPE chose NOT to ramp up production to help with the COVID pandemic. That sounds like a decision to be criticized, but it’s actually an example of Uncommon Sense. This episode explores why (14 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast67

Some of the stories told in Uncommon Sense are wonderful, but we can’t always relate to the person in the sense we can’t necessarily emulate them: we’re not all well-connected technology geeks, born at the right point in history, or whatever. But here’s a couple of stories about regular people who got past whatever fears they have of the coronavirus, and stepped up to make a difference that anyone can do — if they apply a little Uncommon Sense. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast66

The rise of COVID-19 is exceeded only by the fear it engenders. Yet Uncommon Sense tells us that fear is getting in the way of what we should be focusing on, not just in the face of the pandemic but always. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast65

Colorado, having seen constant partisan manipulations of redistricting in the past — Gerrymandering — actually did something about it, and they did something radical in the process: they exercised Uncommon Sense (18-1/2 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast64

Having Uncommon Sense often means going against what “everyone” says is the right way to do something. Being a contrarian can absolutely be the correct way to succeed. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast63

062: After This is True stories on religion, it’s fairly typical for a reader or two to complain. This time the complaint was, ‘Why should I have to develop a sense of humor’ (about his religion)? This episode is my response to that question: it of course comes down to …a matter of Uncommon Sense (19-1/4 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast62

061: James Flanagan followed his gut, and the domino effect that followed is so amazing, you’ll find it hard to believe that one guy’s efforts are probably a part of your life every day — even though he’s been dead for several years. (12-1/2 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast61

060: Uncommon Sense in Kids — How to Help Your Kids be Millionaires ...when YOU aren't rich (15-3/4 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast60

A wild story of several civilians who rescued a piece of history — a little-known account from the sidelines in the race to the moon. (21-1/2 minutes) Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast59

There are millions of web sites, but if the owner dies it’s shut down, and all of its knowledge can be lost forever. Someone is trying to do something about that, and much more (14-1/2 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast58

What is innovation, really? And more importantly, how do you get it, especially if you’re a creative type and maybe don’t think of yourself as brave? The answer may surprise you (10-1/4 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast57

What if you have a business idea, but you’re not sure if you want to take the risk to pursue it: should you quit your day job? Well, there’s an alternative to quitting your job: getting your employer to back your innovative idea (10-1/2 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast56

Why isn’t there more Uncommon Sense? Because the default for humans is to resist change. Uncommon Sense requires your mind to be open to new ideas, to be convinced that “the way we’ve always done it” might not be the best way. Yet humans resist change even when sick and dying, and the change might save their lives. Don’t believe me? Then you haven’t heard this story (12-3/4 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast55

Digging into the idea that the smartphone was invented in 1953. The back story is even more impressive: it nicely demonstrates that you don’t need a college education to have Uncommon Sense (11 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast54

Sometimes people are forced into thinking up solutions because of an emergency. But when they practice Uncommon Sense, they can leverage their thinking into, once in awhile, saving millions of lives. This is the story of a married couple who did just that (11 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast53

Can you quit a bad habit with willpower? Allen Carr thought that was the hard way, but he had an 'Easy Way' and saved perhaps millions of lives by quitting his day job to help teach others how. (14-1/2 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast52

The Uncommon Sense behind vodka made from 'thin air' and water (10-1/2 minutes). Show Page: https://go.thisistrue.com/podcast51

One person with Uncommon Sense can have a profound effect on the world. Wait until you hear the story of Doug Engelbart: he’s the visionary behind many of the technologies you use most every day (13-3/4 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast50

Here’s another tool in what I call the Thinking Toolbox: a way to learn how to think better, unlike most of the people in This is True’s stories. Or, if you’re already an accomplished thinker, a way to help others learn how to think better because trust me: most people need the help. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast49

We’ve been hearing about “diversity” in the workplace for years now, but many companies are doing something so radically different on the diversity front, it’s very surprising for a lot of people. Yet what it really comes down to is Uncommon Sense. https://thisistrue.com/podcast48

How does a man use his years of experience working for IBM as they introduced computers to business, leverage that experience to invent a worldwide phenomenon that you have used many, many times? He uses Uncommon Sense. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast47

It’s a conundrum in the business world, but this idea really is about living in general. And that is, how can businesses encourage their employees to be more productive, healthier, and provide better customer service? University researchers applied some Uncommon Sense to this age-old question, and came to some surprising conclusions. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast46

Being in the right place at the right time helps, but it often takes Uncommon Sense to step back to consider the big picture. This is the story of how someone did that — and leveraged his luck to help millions (13 minutes). Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast45

Do you want to know what TRUE is really about? Then listen to this one if you can — don’t read the transcript. You’ll hear the true passion behind one of my written rants, because now it’s literally in my voice. If you don’t have a podcast player, you can stream it from the Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast44

Warren Buffett says the biggest impact on his massive success was one particular class he took. But it wasn’t part of his college or graduate school education. I’ll tell you what it is, for free. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast43

Uncommon Sense facilitates some pretty out-of-the-box thinking that not only improves the thinker’s life, but sometimes improves or even saves countless other lives. Doug Lindsay’s story pushed the envelope pretty far — there really is no limit to Uncommon Sense, as you’re about to hear for yourself. Show Page: https://thisistrue.com/podcast42