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Encore LivingCollege Decision Month—But What About Your Midlife Plan? #150It’s April—aka College Decision Month. Your teen is making a huge life decision. But have you stopped to consider your own?Subscribe to Dr. Thor’s FREE Encore Living Insider newsletter here > Encore Living InsiderSign up for an Encore Roadmap Strategy Session with Dr. Thor here > Encore Roadmap SessionDr. Thor on Instagram @drthor.tvDr. Thor on TikTok @drthor.tvIf you're an empty nester (or soon-to-be), now is the perfect time to ask: What do I want next? This episode is about reclaiming your power to cho...2025-04-2217 minEncore LivingEmpty Nest Life: Why You Feel Lost (And Why That’s Totally Normal) #149Feel lost after the kids leave? You're not alone. Today I share one shift that can change your empty nest experience.Subscribe to Dr. Thor’s FREE Encore Living Insider newsletter here > Encore Living InsiderSign up for an Encore Roadmap Strategy Session with Dr. Thor here > Encore Roadmap SessionDr. Thor on Instagram @drthor.tvDr. Thor on TikTok @drthor.tvIn this heartfelt episode of Encore Living, Dr. Thor unpacks a feeling many people experience but rarely talk about — that disorienting sense of loss after your kids leave home...2025-04-1518 minEncore Living#087: The Power of Knowing Yourself: Build a Life Around Your Favorite ThingsHave you ever taken the time to make a list of your favorite things? In this episode, I encourage you to be more deliberate about your choices and make a list of things they actually like.Knowing yourself and what you like makes it easier to make choices based on your desires. I suggest taking 10-15 minutes of quiet time and ask yourself, "What do I like doing?" This would make a great journal prompt if you're a morning journaler.For me, I like sitting in my backyard in the springtime, watching sunsets over the...2023-03-2804 minEncore Living#086: The Power of Why: Understanding the Energy of GratitudeWhat is the missing ingredient to gratitude and how can we express it more deeply? In today's episode, I talk about the power of asking one simple question: Why?In yesterday's episode, I talked about the idea of being grateful wherever you happen to be. You can make a simple list of everything you are grateful for, no matter the size or value.Today, I talk about why it's important to not just focus on what we are grateful for, but also why we are grateful for it. I encourage you to pick...2023-03-2704 minEncore Living#085: Find Gratitude Everywhere: How to Appreciate Your SurroundingsWhat's the missing ingredient in gratitude? Everything! As in, focus on every-little-thing, not just the big things we usually think about.In this episode, I talk about the importance of expressing gratitude for the little things in life, as well as the benefits of creating a gratitude list. I suggest taking a few moments to look around your current environment and make a list of at least five things you are grateful for. By doing so, you can become more aware of the things that bring you joy and cultivate a greater sense...2023-03-2605 minEncore Living#084: The Power of a Mission Statement: Lessons from "Jerry Maguire" - Part 2When you write a mission statement and go after what you want, things always work out, right? Just like in the movies. Well...In today's episode, I look at the movie "Jerry Maguire," where the main character, Jerry Maguire, writes a bold vision for what he wants his life to be about.In yesterday's episode -- #083: -- I looked at the beginning of the movie, where Jerry crafted his vision statement. I unpack some key lines from that sequence, and look at how we can apply them to our own life and vision....2023-03-2508 minEncore Living#083: The Power of a Mission Statement: Lessons from "Jerry Maguire" - Part 1"Show me the money!!" -- that's probably the most famous line from the 1996 movie, "Jerry Maguire," starring Tom Cruise, Renee Zelweger and Cuba Gooding, Jr.But there are three other lines I quote in today's episode, as I talk about how to craft a meaningful mission statement.In the story, Jerry has a life epiphany that causes him to write his life's mission statement. In the course of describing it, and the excitement he feels, he uses three lines that I'll share in this episode:"What had I become?""It was the me I'd...2023-03-2407 minEncore Living#082: How to Spend $465,000 in 30 Days - Part 2If you received $1,000 today, $2,000 tomorrow, and an ever-increasing amount every day for the next 30 days, what would you spend it on?In this episode, Part 2 in my 2-part series, I share my experience playing The Prosperity Game. Yes, over the next 30 days, I'm going to imaginarily spend $465,000. Yesterday, in Part 1, I spoke about the mechanics of how to play this game, including:What you need to know to beginHow to track your spendingWhat types of things you could buyThe most important mindset aspect of playing this gameYou listen to that episode here.2023-03-2310 minEncore Living#081: How To Spend $465,000 in 30 Days - Part 1If you received $1,000 today, $2,000 tomorrow, and an ever-increasing amount every day for the next 30 days, what would you spend it on?In this episode, Part 1 of 2, I share my experience playing The Prosperity Game. Yes, over the next 30 days, I'm going to imaginarily spend $465,000. In this show, I talk about:What you need to know to beginHow to track your spendingWhat types of things you could buyThe most important mindset aspect of playing this gameTomorrow, in Part 2, I'll share some of my insights in playing this game for one week. I'll share some of...2023-03-2206 minEncore Living#080: Change The Energy, Change The Outcome: Getting What You Need"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do." Sound familiar? Maybe you've run into a customer service brick wall like this, where the representative says they can't help you any more. Oh sure, you could throw a tirade and end up on someone's TikTok (or worse, maybe you end up in jail.)Instead, manage the situation using a four-step process I talk about in this episode. The steps are:Express your understanding of the situationTell them you appreciate their efforts on your behalfExplain what your most important need isAsk what they CAN help you withI u...2023-03-2108 minEncore Living#079: Turn "What If I Don't Like It?" into "What If I Love It?"Are you someone who likes to try new things. To be honest, I don't. Generally, I like things I like, that I'm use to. Like lemon-flavored Lacroix sparkling water. But when I saw a new flavor at the store -- hibiscus flavor -- my first thought was: is that flower flavored water? That sounded terrible.I next wondered why I was feeling resistance about trying this new flavor. In this episode, I talk about how we often will say, "What if I don't like it?" as an excuse not to try new things...2023-03-2005 minEncore Living#078: Did Einstein Really Say This?Albert Einstein supposedly said "If I had to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem, and five minutes thinking about the solutions." It's an interesting quote that has become popular over the years, and it's easy to see why. It sounds smart. And Einstein invented the theory of relativity, so who's to argue with him?But did he really say that? In this episode, I share my findings on this question.I also explore the idea of how long you should spend brainstorming vs. doing.The idea behind t...2023-03-1906 minEncore Living#077: We Miss You, Staples "That Was Easy" ButtonRemember the "That Was Easy" button you could get at the Staples office supply store? You'd push this button and it way say one thing: "That was easy!" In this show, I bring back that button (including the sound effect) and ask: what could we accomplish if we thought it was easy.Too often, we overcomplicate things. We imagine something will be harder than it is. And so we delay action, or take none at all. After all, it'll be hard, right?But having a button that reminds us things can be easy...2023-03-1804 minEncore Living#076 How To Say "No" (and Actually Be Kind)In today's show, I talk about how to say no. Yesterday, we talked about saying yes, and I realized that saying no is equally important. Sometimes saying no is easy, but there are times when you need to think about the ramifications of your decision and how it might affect your relationships. Today, I want to discuss three things to keep in mind when saying no.First, decline with kindness. When someone asks you to be involved in a project or opportunity that isn't right for you, you can say something like, "Thank you for t...2023-03-1706 minEncore Living#075: How To Say "Yes" (and Actually Mean It)In this episode, I explore the idea of saying "yes" and really meaning it. I talk about how often we say "yes" without really thinking about it and how it can have negative consequences. It's natural that we want to be helpful and make things easy for others, so we tend to say "yes" automatically. However, it may be better to pause and think about it before responding.I encourage you to notice how you're feeling when asked a question and to consider if you are saying "yes" enthusiastically or if you're just...2023-03-1604 minEncore Living#074: Don't Limit Your Potential: Think "Off the Page" GreatToday, I'm going to ask if we're thinking too small. What if we could become "Off the Page" great.You're probably familiar with the idea of a graph where it has a vertical scale. And if you think about that vertical scale, you might be where you are right now relative to your goals, your ambitions, whatever you want to achieve, you might be near the bottom of that scale.But what if you're thinking too small? What if your potential isn't even contained on that page? What if you expanded the scale of what's...2023-03-1503 minEncore Living#073: Travel Tuesday: Create A Photo Album of Your HometownIn this episode, I introduce a new series on the show called Travel Tuesday, inspired by my book "Best Vacation Ever." With the spring break and summer travel season coming up, I share idea number 223 from my book, called "This is Where We're From."The idea is to create an album of 10 to 20 pictures of where you're from to enhance your travel experience. Often, when we travel, we meet new people and they want to know more about us, prompting us to show pictures of where we're from. However, many of us don't...2023-03-1405 minEncore Living#072: From Victim to Victor: The Power of Radical ResponsibilityIn this episode, I share the idea of radical responsibility. It's a mindset where we take responsibility for everything that happens in our life, even things we can't control.Adopting this mindset can be a game-changer because it shifts us from a victim mentality to one where we see ourselves as capable of taking action and finding solutions. It helps us to rewire our brains and train ourselves to look for solutions to the challenges we face instead of just complaining about them.To put this idea into practice, I suggest taking 10 to 15 minutes out...2023-03-1305 minEncore Living#071: Tim Ferriss' Fear-Setting Exercise: Like Seeing a Scary Movie TwiceIn today's episode, I'm going to talk about facing our fears and how it's similar to watching a scary movie for the second time. When we face something that scares us, it's like watching a movie for the first time. However, if we face it again, we know what to expect, and it becomes less scary. This idea can be applied to situations that we are afraid of in life, such as uncertainties about the future.Author and podcast Tim Ferriss talks about "fear setting," an exercise he uses to examine things he is afraid of doing...2023-03-1206 minEncore Living#070: Reframing Our Failures as Foreshadowing for Future SuccessIn this episode, I talk about the idea of reframing our perceived failures in life as foreshadowing for future success. I share a personal story about how I viewed not achieving the rank of Eagle Scout in my teenage years as a failure, one I regretted for years. I also talk about my career as a writer. I didn't have the success I wanted, but eventually realized that the skills and relationships I developed during that time were actually foreshadowing my future success in other areas. I explore how we can apply the c...2023-03-1105 minEncore Living#069: Removing Imaginary Speed Bumps: Clearing the Path to Your GoalsIn this episode, I talk about how our own limiting beliefs and negative self-talk can act as imaginary speed bumps that slow us down on the road to our goals. I discuss the example of a street painting experiment in London, where simulated speed bumps were painted to slow down traffic without actually installing physical speed bumps. The drivers slowed down mostly out of curiosity and uncertainty, not knowing what lay ahead.Looking at this, it's worth asking if we are creating imaginary speed bumps in our own lives, such as doubting our abilities, fearing j...2023-03-1005 minEncore Living#068: How To Find Million Dollar IdeasIn today's episode, I talk about million dollar ideas. Do we have enough million dollar ideas? I think not, and the reason for this is that it's hard to know what an idea is worth until you see it come to fruition.I've personally experienced the idea-to-success journey when I was a writer, working on screenplays on speculation, hoping to sell them in a bidding war. If a screenplay sold for a million dollars, it was considered a huge success. That was an example of how an idea could become worth a million dollars.2023-03-0906 minEncore Living#067: Write Your Life Story Like It's a TV Show's Season FinaleIn this episode, I invite you to think of your life as a TV show, where you are the writer and executive producer. Drawing from the practices of TV showrunners, we can approach our lives with a bigger picture perspective, mapping out the broad arcs of where we want to go and what we want to achieve.Take popular TV shows like "The Last of Us" and "Succession." In those shows, the characters go on a journey and evolve over the course of a season. The show may ultimately come to an end when the story has...2023-03-0806 minEncore Living#066: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 6I am concluding my multi-part series on how I got and gave a TEDx talk. Today, in part six, I talk about my how I prepared on the day of the event, including my mindset and visualization approach to giving the talk.I share my own personal approach to preparing for the day of the talk, including:How many times I practiced the speech before the day of the eventThe different ways I rehearsed itThe value of constant repetitionWhy having stories can help with memorizationHow the day-of differed from the month leading up to the talkThe m...2023-03-0713 minEncore Living#065: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 5I'm continuing my multi-part series on how I got and gave a TEDx talk. In this episode, part five, I talk about my own process of researching, applying for, and ultimately landing a TEDx talk. For me, the first step was to search for a good fit by going to the main TED site and looking for events that were in the timeframe I wanted to give a talk.Once I had a list of potential events, I researched each one to see if they were a good fit for my idea. I used a...2023-03-0611 minEncore Living#064: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 4This is the fourth episode of my multi-part series on getting and giving in a TEDx talk. I share my personal experience of preparing for a TEDx talk.In previous episodes, I covered what a TED talk is, how to craft an idea, and the process of getting from applying to giving the talk on stage.Today, I'll talk about how much work goes into preparing for a TEDx talk. Let me tell you, it's a lot of work. I had dozens of drafts, notebooks, and printed-out drafts. I kept a notebook filled...2023-03-0508 minEncore Living#063: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 3In this episode of "Every Day A New Thought," I share my personal experience of giving a TEDx talk at TEDx Anchorage 2023.In case you missed them, I recommend checking out the first two episodes of this series. This episode will focus on the logistics of giving a TEDx talk, specifically the time frame for the talk itself and the preparation process.First things first, a TEDx talk can be no more than 18 minutes, which is a firm requirement if you want your talk to be posted on the TED site and their YouTube channel...2023-03-0408 minEncore Living#062: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 2I'm sharing my experience on crafting my TEDx Talk in a six-part series. Today's episode is part two, so if you haven't listened to part one, go back and check it out.To create a TEDx talk, you need to distill your idea down into an easily recognizable phrase. For example, "Most people think X about a topic. But really, Y is true." This framework works because it frames your idea in a new and intriguing way, which draws the audience in. My talk, "Embrace Chaos on Vacation," falls into this category, as it challenges the idea...2023-03-0306 minEncore Living#061: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 1Ever wondered what goes into getting and giving a TEDx talk? In this episode, I begin a multi-part behind-the-scenes series on my own experience of giving a TEDx talk. Today, I start by talking about what TED and TEDx talks are and the differences between them. I discuss the key elements of a TEDx talk, which is an idea worth sharing, and what that means for the speaker. I also highlight the importance of having passion for the idea being presented and the necessity of making it easy to share. Throughout the series, I...2023-03-0208 minEncore Living#060: Embracing Imperfection: What I've Learned from "Every Day A New Thought"In this episode, I share my thoughts on the things I don't like about the show. This is the 60th episode, and as I reflect on beginning my third month of the podcast (Woo hoo!) I talk about the discouragement I felt when I realized that I couldn't do everything I wanted to do with my show. From disliking the opening to the limited marketing time I had, I reveals the many misgivings I had about the process.Despite all of this, I continued on anyway and today, I share the lessons I learned in t...2023-03-0106 minEncore Living#059: Breaking Free From Invisible Fences: How to Make Your Limiting Beliefs VisibleHave you heard of invisible fences? They're used to keep dogs within a certain area without having a physical fence. Thinking about this recently, I wondered if it's possible we might have invisible fences in our own lives? What if there are beliefs that we hold onto so tightly that they create a barrier between us and what we truly desire?In this episode, I talk about how we might have invisible fences in our lives and how they can prevent us from achieving our goals. I encourage you to think about something th...2023-02-2804 minEncore Living#058: Encouraging Lunchbox Notes: The Power of Words to Lift You UpIn today's show, I talk about the power of giving lunchbox notes. Do you remember when you were a kid and you would open up your lunchbox and find a little handwritten note inside from your mom or dad? It was always something encouraging like "you're the best" or "we believe in you". Didn't it just make your day to get one of those?Well, as adults, we don't often get those kinds of notes anymore. But recently, my daughter gave me a note as I was leaving for a TEDx talk in An...2023-02-2703 minEncore Living#057: Overcoming Nervousness: How I Reframed My TEDx Talk ExperienceIn today's episode, I want to share with you my recent experience giving a TEDx talk in Anchorage, Alaska. I was the first speaker of the day and I had to deliver my talk in front of 100 people. I have to admit, I was pretty nervous about it. But there's one thing I did to overcame that nervousness and deliver a talk that I was proud of.If you're ever in a situation where you have to perform or give a presentation, this mindset shift could be the key to overcoming your nerves and delivering your best...2023-02-2605 minEncore Living#056: What To Do When You Lose Your Cell PhoneYou could live without your cell phone, right? I mean if you really HAD to?In today's episode, I recount a recent mishap that almost derailed my trip to Anchorage, Alaska. On the way to the airport, I discovered my cell phone was potentially missing. Worry set in as I considered the worst-case scenario and the huge inconveniences of traveling without it. Could I live without my cell phone for five days?Rather than completely give into panic, I began to problem solve how I could adapt to to this challenge, if I had to. Thi...2023-02-2508 minEncore Living#055: The Past in Our Present: How Our Thoughts Keep Us StuckIn this episode, I explore the surprising percentage of thoughts we have each day that are focused on the past. According to research, the average person thinks upwards of 60,000 thoughts a day, and 90% of those thoughts are about the past.As I delve into the math behind these statistics, I come to the realization that we spend about 54 seconds of every minute thinking about the past. But instead of letting ourselves get stuck in repetitive thoughts, I suggest setting aside 10 minutes a day to focus on new thoughts and ideas.During this time, w...2023-02-2405 minEncore Living#054: Did Teddy Roosevelt REALLY Say This Famous Quote?In today's episode, we'll be exploring a quote that you've probably seen a million times on social media memes, "Do what you can, with what you have where you are." This quote is often attributed to Teddy Roosevelt, but did he really say it? We'll take a closer look at the source and find out.We'll also dive into the meaning of this quote and how it applies to our lives. It's easy for us to believe that we'd be successful if only we had something more, but Roosevelt's quote reminds us to a...2023-02-2304 min