Our beliefs leave an indelible mark on how we interact with others and our environment. Even when those beliefs aren't conscious.
Beliefs about quality of life are a whole other can of worms. Who gets to decide the relative quality of a life? Or what lives are worth living? And how do our beliefs about quality of life and worthiness impact the way interact with others and the way we treat ourselves?
In this episode, I reflect on how my beliefs about quality of life were influenced by my favorite Star Trek character, Data. I discuss technoableism, narratives of overcoming, and the unnecessary self-judgment we can put ourselves through on the path to becoming like everyone else.
Footnotes:
If you're a sci-fi nerd like me, check out my limited podcast,
Strange New Work, wherever you listen to podcasts!
All new episodes of What Works are available in written essay form at whatworks.fyi
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If you’re questioning your relationship to work but finding it difficult to make lasting changes, I’d love to help.
I’m committed to helping you confront and deconstruct big assumptions that compete with your good intentions. And that’s exactly what we’re doing in my new 8-week cohort-based course,
Rethink Work.
We’ll examine the beliefs, stories, and systems that keep us hustling—even when it hurts—so you can make changes that last and create a more sustainable approach to work.
- (00:00) - My Nemesis
- (00:13) - Introduction
- (03:44) - Rethinking Beliefs That Impact Quality of Life
- (05:21) - Star Trek: Nemesis
- (09:45) - Human-Shaped Hole
- (10:36) - Technoableism
- (15:07) - Narratives of Overcoming
- (17:40) - Bad-Difference versus Mere-Difference
- (19:48) - You're invited to Rethink Work
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What is What Works?
Work is central to the human experience. It helps us shape our identities, care for those we love, and contribute to our communities. Work can be a source of power and a catalyst for change. Unfortunately, that's not how most of us experience work—even those who work for themselves. Our labor and creative spirit are used to enrich others and maintain the status quo. It's time for an intervention. What Works is a show about rethinking work, business, and leadership for the 21st-century economy. Host Tara McMullin covers money, management, culture, media, philosophy, and more to figure out what's working (and what's not) today. Tara offers a distinctly interdisciplinary approach to deep-dive analysis of how we work and how work shapes us.