Look into into the must-have skills of a master mason—beyond the basics. This episode unveils the transformative power of an expansive vocabulary and adept social skills, potentially coloring your world with opportunities and deepening your connection with others. Tune in to upgrade your life's toolkit!

Key Points
• Honest self-analysis is key.
• Expand your vocabulary for growth.
• Interpersonal skills are essential.
• Understand others for better communication.
• Social skills are crucial for success.

Best Quotes
00:50 - 01:05
• "Adding vocabulary is probably the single greatest thing you can do to increase the available sort of opportunities to think about things that you've maybe not have never thought about before."

01:42 - 01:57
• "Social skills are really tough because you are now not only dealing with your own mind, which in and of itself on a good day, is a hard tiger to wrestle, but you are now dealing with the minds of others."

02:59 - 03:13
• "Understanding who they are and where they are in their sort of developmental journey and kind of their background and their history and, and maybe their idiosyncrasies is going to be a, a skill that was worth its weight in gold."

03:21 - 03:27
• "You're not gonna be able to go off and live on an island by yourself at some point, you're gonna need a skillset you don't have."

03:32 - 03:41
• "You're gonna need help even, even if you are sort of a maximally agent person, if you have the most capacity."

04:12 - 04:18
• "The development of that second skill set, the social skill is going to be absolutely crucial in your journey forward."

Creators & Guests

• Brian Mattocks - Host

• Edward T. Clifford, III

Summary
Discover the Mason's path to personal agency! This episode dives into mastering autonomy and upskilling, with a focus on emotional intelligence and honest self-analysis. Become the Jedi of interpersonal growth as we unpick the fabric of what makes a Master Mason truly masterful. Ready to level up your life?

Key Points
• What is personal agency?
• Learning skills boosts agency.
• Honest self-analysis is key.
• Emotional intelligence is paramount.
• Skills interconnect and overlap.

Best Quotes
00:05 - 00:17
• "And what that really means is it's the ability to act in the environment that you're in with as sort of a maximal amount of autonomy and capability."

00:43 - 00:54
• "So when you put on that apron, you're looking to identify what your, your opportunities are for growth and development of agency."

01:02 - 01:11
• "So we wanna learn as many skills as we reasonably can, as master masons to essentially increase our capability as workmen."

03:12 - 03:24
• "The first level of emotional intelligence is right up there as well. And that means, you know, being able to understand how you're feeling, being able to understand how others are feeling."

03:36 - 03:45
• "So those two are probably the best starting point. So if you're stuck in trying to figure out how to develop personal agency, start there."

Creators & Guests

• Brian Mattocks - Host

• Edward T. Clifford, III

Summary
Dive into an honest chat about finding patience, setting realistic goals, and embracing life's journey. This episode unpacks the struggle for progress and celebrates the incremental wins, from gym triumphs to personal growth. Learn how evaluating your path and redefining success can bring joy and direction to your daily endeavors.

Key Points
• Patience as a vital virtue
• Success in the small steps
• Indicators of being on track
• Importance of self-compassion

Best Quotes
00:01 - 00:06
• "Like many of you, I am not always the most planful person in the world."

00:48 - 00:53
• "And what does that look like? And then if, if I'm not progressing the way I want, what are my blockers?"

01:11 - 01:22
• "Freemasonry has a lot to say about this. It it, you know, we talk a lot about patience, as you, you'll hear it out in the, in the world, that patience is a virtue."

03:06 - 03:13
• "And the real achievement isn't the number of times we lift weights or the amount of time when the treadmill, the real achievement is getting to the gym."

03:26 - 03:33
• "And it's having incremental progress towards our goals. Because every time we get there, that's a win."

Creators & Guests

• Brian Mattocks - Host

• Edward T. Clifford, III

Summary
Dive into the pitfalls of 'giving work' versus 'genuinely helping' others. This episode unpacks how taking charge of your tasks can foster healthier relationships, avoid suffering, and eliminate the need for external validation. Tune in for a critical take on support, superiority complexes, and self-reflection for personal growth.

Key Points
• Teaching vs. giving solutions
• Damaging relationships by imposition
• The drive for external validation
• Mindful help is compassionate
• Own your tasks, respect theirs

Best Quotes
00:15 - 00:27
• "The idea here conceptually, that you can teach somebody how to fend for themselves, and that's gonna be a whole lot more productive than continuing to give them the answer to their problems."

00:50 - N/A
• "The moment you find in your travels that you say words like you should or why doesn't, why don't you, or why doesn't he, or why don't they, or why doesn't she? When you're doing any of that stuff, you are trying to give other people work."

02:14 - 02:22
• "That is a form of seeking external validation. It's a form of trying to prove that you were awesome all along."

02:31 - 02:34
• "The best kind of help and support is genuine help and support."

03:04 - 03:08
• "You can't take it from them and you can't give it to them. That's their work and it's their business."

(Generated by Podcast Show Notes at podcastshownotes.ai)

Creators & Guests

• Brian Mattocks - Host

• Edward T. Clifford, III

Summary
Dive into discovering your life's work beyond a career, from health to personal growth. Decipher the un-outsourceable tasks of self-care, tackle the quest of anger management, and seek universal truths in this insightful episode aimed at enhancing the productive human experience.

Key Points
• You can't outsource personal work.
• Lots of things feel like "the work" but aren't
• Work your own stone, and understand what that really is

Best Quotes
00:56 - 01:05
• "You can't outsource or give someone else the work of lifting the weights at the gym or running the time on the treadmill."

04:51 - 04:57
• "You have to figure out the sort of underpinning why to and what to material that needs to be developed."

05:45 - 05:52
• "Be mindful as well that you are not gonna be able to give work to others and correspondingly don't take on other people's work."

Creators & Guests

• Brian Mattocks - Host

• Edward T. Clifford, III

Summary
In this insightful episode, we delve into maneuvering tough discussions, aligning intentions, and staying focused amidst confrontation. Discover the art of productive dialogue, whether in your lodge or daily life, and learn to let the 'noise' fade while pursuing your mission. Tune in for practical advice on fostering harmony and advancing collective goals.

Key Points
• Identifying behavior root causes
• Align objectives to facilitate talks
• Turn abrasive interactions positive
• Utilizing tactics for complex discussions
• Embrace discomfort for effective dialogue

Best Quotes
00:11 - 00:21
• "So there will be people in your life, I'm sure, I don't need to tell you, that will behave in ways that seem really, really counterintuitive."

01:34 - 01:47
• "There are obvious reasons for most people, they're seeking, you know, some sort of deference or superiority complex or some sort of approval or, or validation or whatever those sort of needs might be."

02:00 - 02:15
• "But when it comes to the bigger order stuff, where it's like, you know, we're at cross purposes, we don't have an aligned objective, then, you know, the work that you would wanna do should be spent on aligning to mission."

03:54 - 04:00
• "Asking questions like, you just said something, what was the intent? What are you driving to? What are you trying to get to?"

04:08 - 04:18
• "Don't be afraid to reiterate your understanding of their point. Say, listen, I, I'm not sure I understand this, but I, what I think I heard was X or Y or Z."

04:48 - 04:55
• "Your worry is to get that alignment and then move from a tactical, you know, perspective through the steps you're gonna need to execute your vision."

Thanks to our monthly supporters

• Edward T. Clifford, III

• Brian Mattocks - Host

Summary
Dive into self-motivation & tackle life's distractions head-on in this episode. Learn why self-derailment is your biggest foe & how to go beyond fair-weather productivity. It's not just a talk; it's a call to action to do your work with Zen insights. Get ready to be your own weather-maker!

Key Points
• Everyone has unique work to pursue.
• Excuses are "avoidance with extra steps."
• Your mood shouldn't dictate your tasks.
• Externalizing problems is unproductive.
• "I breathe, the I is extra." - Zen Mind Beginner's Mind

Best Quotes
00:23 - 00:37
• "All of that is noise. In the same way, you won't let the weather control how you approach the day beyond, you know, basic preparation stuff."

00:51 - 00:58
• "You have work to do, there is work to be done, and the only person who can do your work is you."

01:03 - 01:20
• "So avoidance of it by externalizing your problems onto others or by finding the raft of a thousand possible excuses is just avoidance with extra steps."

01:21 - 01:28
• "So you have work to do, go do it. That is kind of the beginning and the end of the story."

Creators & Guests

• Brian Mattocks - Host

• Edward T. Clifford, III

Summary
Dive deep into the art of understanding behaviors in our latest episode! Learn when it's useful to ask 'why' and how unraveling the root causes can lead to meaningful change, all while navigating life's one-off situations. Tune in for insights on self-reflection and proactive problem-solving!

Key Points
• Understand when to seek 'why'
• Ditch the 'why' for one-offs
• Spot patterns for long-term change
• Reflect to resolve personal issues
• Masonic symbols as self-help tools

Best Quotes
00:02 - 00:11
• "One of the things that's gonna happen as you start doing the work is you're going to want to find out in a lot of cases why certain things happen."

01:40 - 02:06
• "When it really makes sense to start looking at the why and the causes and reasons behind your behaviors or just as importantly the behavior of others, it's important when the symptoms of suffering that come with their behavior or your behavior start to repeat themselves in a way that is either self-destructive for you or destructive for them."

02:46 - 02:49
• "I overeat when I am anxious, this is the problem I have."

03:36 - 03:54
• "And then apply the, the process of root cause judiciously so you're not perpetually looking for causes for things that are all one-off situations or that are repeatedly something that's easier to triage just by preventing the issue entirely."

Creators & Guests

• Brian Mattocks - Host

• Edward T. Clifford, III