The Great Out Loud

This week I wanted to find out what it's like to live at sea and sail around the world. So I sought out Mark of ourlifeatsea.com/ to find out. Mark is from Australia and is currently living a life at sea. Check out his website for more stories about his adventures at sea. 

If you’d like to comment or give feedback, feel free to visit The Great Out Loud facebook page or tweet at me @maclainchristie.

The music on the show today is “Whispering Through by Asura, “Be careful I’ve stood on it too” by Bitbasic, “Grief and Sleep” by Ghosts, and “Blackroad” by Tyrannic Toy.

  Here is Episode #2 of The Great Out Loud. Look at that progress! Thanks for tuning in today and I hope you learned something new. Feel free to share your thoughts and give feedback here, on the Facebook Page, or tweet at me @maclainchristie.

  Visit RocPK to find out more about the Rochester parkour gym. Parkour is a relatively young movement, but you might be able to find a parkour community in a city near you. If not, you can always do parkour on your own within your environment. Just remember to pay attention to your body and really learn to move.

  The music featured on the show today was:

"Ego Grinding" by Megatroid

"Lips" by Plurabelle

"In the Streets" by Jazz at Mladost

"Belview" by C Scott

"RSPN" by Blank Kytt

All are available at The Free Music Archive

This is the first episode of The Great Out Loud. Woo! Thanks for swinging by to have a listen. The music today is "The Time to Run (Finale)" by Dexter Britain.

[Look at this beautiful art. If you make beautiful art, you could have it featured here. Just get in touch.]

Our guest is Greg Palis, and he is a lucid dreamer. Lucid dreams are quite different from the normal dreams you might wake up from some mornings and forget.

In lucid dreams, the dreamer has a level of conscious control over the outcomes within the dream. A lucid dreamer has the power to create and manipulate anything they want in the dream. The dreamer can defeat dragons, fly through the universe, or fullfil any desires and fantasies imaginable. 

Some are born with the innate ability to dream lucidly, but most, including you, can learn to dream lucidly. 

The first step to lucid dreaming is being able to become aware of when you are actually dreaming. There are a number of tricks to this, such as using dream signs and performing reality checks.

[Your art could be featured here for a future episode. Talk to me!]

A dream sign is something that you look for in the dream to signal that it is in fact a dream. Think of the film Inception and the top that would never stop spinning if it was spun while in a dream. The top is an example of a dream sign, something that only happens or exists within the dream world. If you find or witness your dream sign, then that's the cue that you're dreaming.

A reality check is something you perform on yourself during the day when you're awake. Reality checks include things like pinching yourself or pressing your tongue against your front teeth. If you perform these reality checks during the day, you will likely start to perform them when you're dreaming, and if they don't check out in your dream (your tongue goes through your teeth or your pinch doesn't hurt), then you know you're dreaming. 

While experiencing a lucid dream, one often finds the need to stabilize the balance between being too lucid and not being lucid enough. If you become too lucid, you risk waking up. If you are not lucid enough, you risk blurring the dream and falling into a normal non-lucid dream. Through the duration of your dream, you will need to play this balancing act to stay at the sweet spot of awareness. As you practice and get better, this balance will get easier and more natural to manage. To keep you balanced, you can try rubbing your hands together, spinning in circles, and shouting "increase stability!"

[Your art could be featured here. Get in touch!]

If you want to summon someone or something in your dream, you can't always just make them appear. You have to provide a little bit of logic for how they will enter your dream. So if you want a person to appear, you might have to will them to exist behind a door, and then when you open that door, they will be there. If you need a special object, you can imagine that it is in your pocket so that when you reach into your pocket, it will be there. 

One of the most exciting and fascinating parts about lucid dreaming, is that they tend to allow you to see things in incredible detail. Colors are more vibrant, edges are more pronounced, thing are just more beautiful and fascinating in the dream world. 

Lucid dreaming seems to offer some pretty incredible experiences, but it is not used just to fulfill fantasies. There are many accounts of individuals who use lucid dreams to practice speeches or rehearse passages of music to relieve stage-fright in real life. Or, if you imagine yourself as being more confident or competent in a dream, it can sometimes translate to the real world as well.

If you want to learn more about lucid dreaming, you can do what I'm doing and read Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheingold. 

Today we begin a search for what is unique and what is fascinating. This is a radio show about adventures and exciting experiences, building skills and expanding our knowledge. Too often do we live life softly, today it is time to wake up and live life loudly.

This is episode 0, the predecessor to a series about pushing and improving experience. 

The Great Out Loud exists to explore new experiences and not just learn about those experiences, but to actually experience them. We will seek to enhance our mind and our body, expand our knowledge, learn new things, learn to exist.

We will talk with people who are pushing the limits of their imagination and stepping across boundaries. 

This isn't a show about non-conformity. It's ok to do "normal" things you know. This is about learning to do whatever normal or extraordinary things you do in an active rather than passive way. We want to really get inside our experiences and truly exist.

Feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, and feedback at any time. For every show I'll also share music and art that I think is really awesome. I might feature your art or music too if you send me your portfolio.

Featured music:

Jarad Miles

Dustin Wong

Savant 

Follow me on Twitter @maclainchristie and like The Great Out Loud on Facebook.

Thank you to Patrick, Kevin, Natsumi, Cole, and Juan for contributing their voices to the show.

This is day 12, the final day of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud.

Today's step is...Salute the Reaper

If you are able to come to grips with the reality of your mortality, and you face the fact that your demise is inevitable, you may experience a very refreshing release of your most present worries, concerns, and anxieties.

When you think about death and realize that some day, maybe hundreds of years from now, people on Earth will forget about the time you didn't get the job you wanted, or that you got a bad grade on your math test, or that it took you until a little later in life to find something that you were really passionate about and good at; only until you think about this and embrace it, will your biggest anxieties and concerns suddenly start to become small and insignificant.

Then, you can experience what freedom is really like, and just be...kick ass, of course.

Today we experience the death of a series called 12 Steps to Having a Kick-Ass Day. The end was inevitable, but it was known from the beginning, and each day was taken as a single day without much regard for the previous or the following days, and that's how it should be.

Tomorrow we start a new adventure, a trek into the unknown about the unknown, or the unknown about the well known, perhaps.

It is the start of The Great Out Loud. It is Episode 0. It is a radio show about pushing the limits of our experience, learning how to exist, and discovering what makes us excited to be alive.

Thanks for tuning in today and I hope to have you here again tomorrow morning for Episode 0 of The Great Out Loud. Share your thoughts here, on The Facebook Page, or tweet @maclainchristie. 

The music today was "Gualab Jaman" by Selva De Mar and can be found on The Free Music Archive.

This is day 11 of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud.

(Today's art is courtesy of guest artist Claire)

Today's step is: Drink Pu'erh (Pu'er).

Pu'erh is a type of tea, a fermented type of tea, actually. It is super rich in antioxidants and other awesome things for you. I call it super tea. 

Pu'erh tea has been found to be a great preventative and reducer of hang overs, it helps with digestion, good cholesterol and blood pressure, and increases metabolism (this means it can help maintain you weight and maybe assist with a little bit of weight loss). 

You can get Pu'erh tea many places online and sometimes at your local Chinese restaurant or tea outlet. 

For instructions on how to properly brew pu'erh tea, see this awesome video below.

Thanks for tuning in to the day's step. There's only one more to go! Share your thoughts or experiences with tea drinking here, on our Facebook page, or via Twitter @maclainchristie.

The music featured today is "Columbiad" by Massimo Ruberti and can be found on The Free Music Archive

This is day 10 of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud.

Today's step is...Stretch.

Wake up, get out of bed, and give yourself a good stretch. Stretch as many parts as you as possible and for each stretch, hold steady for at least 10 seconds. 

Or you can do what this guy says to do. Follow along, it's fun.

Thanks for tuning in to the day's step. Share your thoughts and experiences with stretching in the comment section below. We also have a Great Out Loud Facebook page and you can follow on Twitter @maclainchristie.

The music featured today is "Catastasis" by Ostin and is available at freemusicarchive.org

This is Day 9 of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud.

Today's step is... Run Everywhere.

Run to class, run to work, run to the coffe maker, run to the shower, run to the printer, run to the car...run everywhere. You might get labelled as the freak who runs everywhere, or the guy or girl who is perpetually late. But who cares! You're trying to have a kick-ass day here.

Running even lightly will drive in oxygen, release endorphins, and get you pumped up. Even if you're just running from your desk to the copying machine.

Many of us sit in front of the computer too much and lumber from place to place. Kickassify your day by running from place to place instead. It will make you feel good and give you a sense of urgency and productivity. 

Thanks for tuning in to the day's step. Share your thoughts in the comments below or hit us up on our Great Out Loud Facebook page. The Facebook page is where I post other interesting tidbits for you to enjoy. Or, you can tweet your thoughts @maclainchristie. 

The music today is "Running" by Peter Biedermann and is available at freemusicarchive.org

This is day 8 of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud. Today's step is...Meditate.

I'm a big fan of mindfulness. Daily meditation can dramatically increase you focus and your positivity. People who meditate are generally happier and more stress free. 

Cognitive Scientists have studied Tibetan monks and found that their prefrontal cortex brain activity is considerably above the norm when meditating. This area of the brain is often loosely named your "happy center" and could be responsible for good feelings in the conscious level.

Start today with just 10 to 15 minutes of breathing meditation. Sit, relax, and focus on your inhales and exhales. Your day might be noticeably better after this!

Thanks for tuning in to the day's step. Share your thoughts and experiences with mediation on The Great Out Loud Facebook Page, comment here, or tweet your thoughts @maclainchristie.

The music featured today is "Garden Theme" by Deltason and can be found at freemusicarchive.org

Today is the 7th day of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud.

Today's step is... Belly Breathe.

Belly breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, not only helps to release stress and keep you a little more chilled out, it has also been shown to increase metabolism so you have more energy for kickassery.

In addition, deep belly breathing is also known to stimulate lymphatic drainage, which helps release toxins and reduce your chances of getting sick.

Thanks for tuning in to the day's step. Share your thoughts and experiences with belly breathing on The Great Out Loud Facebook Page or tweet your thoughts @maclainchristie.

Today's music is "A Breather" by The Simpson Family and can be found on The Free Music Archive. 

This is day 6 of of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud. Today we hear of Step 6 towards having a Kickass day.

Today's step is... Be Fluid.

This one is a little more out of the box but basically, to be fluid, you need to go through the day pretending like everything you do is second nature. Be fluid in the way you talk, walk, write, fly a kite. Breathe fluidly, turn your head fluidly. 

Being fluid is a great way to feel more alive and more connected with your body. You can also boost your confidence by being fluid because it makes you cool, and no one around is as cool as you are today.

Thanks for tuning in to the day's step. Share your thoughts and experiences with being fluid on The Great Out Loud Facebook Page or tweet your thoughts @maclainchristie. You can comment here too!

Today's music is "Union Square" by James Beaudreau, available at The Free Music Archive.

Have a kickass day!

This is day 5 of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud. If you're just joining us, be sure to start here.

Today's step is...

Make a kill list. A kill list is sort of like a to do list, except it includes the exact times when you are going to check-off, knock-out, kill, each task. What are you going to do an when? How long do you want to spend on each task?

This sort of intense planning can help you to be considerably more productive on this day of kickassery. A word of warning though, if you are too strict on yourself about keeping to the schedule, you could fall behind and your day could become a train wreck. To avoid this, build in buffer time in case you go over the time limit on some tasks. Or, just be okay with not finishing everything on your list today. It should be an accomplishment to get most of it finished.

Thanks for tuning in for the day's step. Be sure to take a second and like the new Facebook page and follow on twitter @maclainchristie.

The music featured today is "Radiomaniac" by Radiomaniac and can be found on freemusicarchive.org

This is day 4 of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud. For everyday in the CountUP I will be giving you one step to having a kick ass day.

Today's step is...

Listen to heavy metal. It doesn't have to be metal, this is just what gets me going. But it should be some form of music that really pumps you up and makes you motivated. If you're slacking or feeling sluggish, listening to high energy music can really put you into action.

This can be super helpful if you need an extra push to get out of bed or to put your clothes on for god's sake. 

Thanks for tuning in for the day's step. Before you go off and be a beast today, take a second to like us on our new Facebook page and follow on twitter @maclainchristie.

The music featured today is "Roy Rogers McFreely" by In Vivid Colour.  

www.facebook.com/OfficialInVividColour

This is day 3 of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud. For everyday in the CountUP I will be giving you one step to having a kickass day. 

Today's step is...

Wash your face and brush your teeth. Not just when you wake up and go to sleep, but whenever you feel the need to be refreshed.

This can help motivate you and sometimes even get you out of a procrastination rut.

Thanks for tuning in to the day's step. Follow on twitter @maclainchristie and feel free to comment below.

Today's music is "Quantum Bubbles" by Phono Trash available at freemusicarchive.org.

This is day 2 of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud. For every day in the CountUP, I will be giving you one step to having a kick ass day.

Today's step is...

Write 750 words about anything. Writing 750 words a day can help make the rest of your day more focused, and you can track your moods and concerns. Sometimes, you can figure out the things that are bothering you or solve problems that have been giving you a hard time.

The resource that inspired me to start writing 750 words a day is of course http://750words.com/. This is an awesome web service that automatically tracks your mood, your concerns, and much more, just by analyzing the words you write every day. Go check it out, it's really cool. It also explains more about "why 750 words?" 

The music today is "Everyone's Hip" by Jaill and it can be found on http://freemusicarchive.org/

Follow me on twitter @maclainchristie. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Tune in tomorrow for step three in this 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud. 

This is day 1 of the 12 day CountUP to the launch of The Great Out Loud. For every day in the CountUP I will be giving you 1 step to having a kick-ass day.

Today's step is...

As soon as you wake up, give your best war cry at the top of your lungs and with all of your might. Do it loud and proud, and do it with all of the muscles in your body. 

This will help get the blood flowing to your brain and around your body. And the war cry will put your mind in attack mode and you'll have no choice but to seize the day, carpe diem. 

The music today is a track called Ooh Child by Jarad Miles and you can find out more about it here! http://jaradmiles.com/index.php

You can follow me on twitter @maclainchristie. Feel free to shoot me a tweet or comment below and share The Great Out Loud with your friends!

[Look at this! I made that, and I will be continuing to share my beautiful art with you (I promise it will get better (fingers crossed)).]

So you somehow found your way to this site, and you probably have a lot a questions, like, what the hell am I doing here? If you stay with me for a bit, I'll answer a lot of questions and make this a little less awkward for the both of us. 

First of all,

Q: What is The Great Out Loud?

A: The Great Out Loud is a little radio show about experiences and how to get more of them. 

"Um, can you explain that a little more?" 

(sigh), Hold on, let me call in the expert...

Enter MacLain. Oh hey, that's me.

"Well WHO THE F*** are YOU?"

Hold on, geez, I'm about to tell you. Alright, so my name is MacLain Christie (yes, first name for a last name and last name for a first name). I'm the creator and host of The Great Out Loud and the reason you're in this mess right now. 

I've created The Great Out Loud as a means to explore the experiences that make for a more exiting, full, and present existence. About four years ago, I realized that another day of waiting for someone or something else to make my life decisions would doom me for a pretty boring life. That was NOT okay with me. So, I started doing whatever I could to become my own man, in a sense. I studied the fundamentals of lifestyle design, followed the words of Tim Ferriss and Chris Guillebeau, and spent months building good habits and a frame of mind that would hopefully lead me to as free of a life as I could get. My studies took me to the intricacies of sleep cycles, rapid confidence building, effective communication tactics, brain hacking, rapid skill building, and more.

I'm still a very, very young traveler on this journey towards a more free and fulfilling life, but if I've learned one really important lesson in the past few years, it is that that traveling alone is not a boatload of fun. That is why I'm inviting all who share my quest for a life full of awesomesauce, to join me every week for an episode of The Great Out Loud. 

Q: What exactly are you going to talk about in each episode of The Great Out Loud?

A: Every week on The Great Out Loud I'm going to dissect worthwhile experiences and adventures, and occasionally throw in some brain, body, and life hacks. I'll bring in experts (people who are particularly knowledgeable and have first hand encounters with the experience we're discussing) and interview them to get the deets (details, duh). Then, by the end of every show, I'll give you the precise steps for how you can have this experience too and apply it to your own life. As a bonus, every show will feature some hand selected pieces of music, and maybe I'll through in some cool art as well. 

Q: Why should I care and why should I listen?

A: Well, this radio show isn't for everyone.

If you already are living the dream, this show is not for you.

If you don't need any more excitement in your life, this show is not for you.

If you don't want to learn new things, build new skills, or step outside your comfort zone, this show is not for you. It's okay, really.

BUT, this show IS for you:

If you are itching for new adventures and experiences.

If you are passionate about learning new things.

If you are ambitious about improving yourself and expanding your capabilities.

If you think you have a boring life and want help to change that. 

It is my mission to expose you to valuable new experiences and to give you the inspiration to get up and live life actively. I want you to live life loudly.

  Q: Where are the answers to all of life's questions?

A: Well, I can't promise that the answers will be laid out in bold lettering. But, I can promise you that if you listen closely, and use the help of the friends you make here, that you might find all of the answers you're looking for. This is more than just a radio show, you'll realize that soon enough. 

Q: Can I like, comment and give feedback and share my own original thoughts and stuff?

A: Yeah! This is a community of supportive individuals. I encourage the sharing of thoughts and ideas because that's how we learn from each other and grow. The people who listen to The Great Out Loud are pretty kick ass, I would suggest getting to know them and maybe make a friend or two.

I will also take suggestions for future show topics, music you think I should listen to, or anything else!

Q: What now?

A: Now, we start the countdown until the launch of Episode 0, the trailer episode! The trailer episode will be launching on Tuesday, March 26th, 2013. So mark your calendars and tune in right here! 

Until then, I will be taking 12 days to share my 12 steps to a more kick-ass day, one step for each day leading up to the launch of Episode 0. 

Keep it tuned.