If you are a long time listener to the show, you know I’ve had some ups and downs as far as whether to keep it going or not. Somewhere around episodes in the 20s range, I set an ultimatum for listener contact, but then decided I was being childish and continued all the way through episode 68. Then I killed the show. I was tired, I was burned out (“burnt”, as we say in the south), and I decided it was time to end it. After all, I was developing a couple of other shows, too, and figured they might garner more listeners.
But then I spent a couple of months without the Road Noise Podcast and realized something I should have figured out earlier on: I just love doing it, whether or not 10 people listen, or 2000. I realized also, that the solution to the burn out was several things, but mainly that it was okay to take a break from it from time to time – a hiatus, if you will – and recharge my batteries. If you listen to past episodes, that’s a theme that is mentioned more than once, but I failed to take my own advice.
I also realized that I was over-complicating things. The original idea for the show was for it to be a life journal podcast; something to leave for my future generations, but for you to enjoy if you like being invited into other people’s real lives. Sadly, I fell into the trap so many content creators do and listened to others who said there was a certain way to do it to be taken seriously, which caused me to change the format from something I enjoyed and felt “honest”, to trying to be the counselor for everything my listeners were going through. I thought that would bring more listeners.
Now, I understand that to be true to the listener and myself, is to go back to the way I planned to do it all along. It may not be as inviting to someone looking for quick fixes to a certain problem or to those looking to learn more about starting a business, etc. However, the people it WILL entice are those who just need a friend to go on a road trip with; someone who is willing to do all the talking in order to let you just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride while getting to know a stranger. And it’s about building that relationship. I forgot that. I got frustrated when you didn’t write in and contribute to the conversation when that was supposed to be the idea all along.
You’re still invited to join in and I encourage it. But if you just want to listen and sit silently in the passenger seat beside me, you’re welcome to do so.
I’m going to tell you what’s going on with me and some things I’ve learned from those experiences that maybe you can parlay into your own world. That’s how we will, together, learn to live one mile at a time.
A couple of new segments in the show will be:
The Stuff To Do Review – No more only positive reviews because really, life isn’t all roses and there are things I want to warn you about. I just love you that much.
The Question For Discussion – A new question in every episode for you to ponder. You’re invite to contact me with your thoughts and I’ll discuss it on the show. There’s no deadline to answer. I’ll discuss them as they come in, so if you’re listening to an older episode, just reference the episode number when you send in your response.
The Stuff To Do Review:
There are two. One good, one bad, and they’re both movies.
La La Land. (Emma Stone / Ryan Gosling) The musical story of two people trying to live out their dreams in Hollywood, but running into real life – and each other – instead. I absolutely LOVED this film. It has become my number one favorite of all time and I’ve watched it in its entirety on several occasions. Watson and Gosling have amazing chemistry and you fall in love with them as they fall in love with each other.
The Circle. (Emma Watson / Tom Hanks) A young, brilliant woman finds herself employed by the biggest social media giant in the world. It seems to be a Eutopia at first, but soon, when the privacy line is crossed, events escalate into tragedy and eye opening discoveries. This could have been a fun film, but it was poorly written, plotted, and acted at times. The ending was the most anticlimactic I’ve ever experienced and left both me and my wife looking at each other confused and disappointed. Emma Watson was good, but her character was written in a very unlikable way. I was surprised Tom Hanks, with his cinematic background, agreed to do the film at all.
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