Something You Should Know
How to Avoid Life's Biggest Regrets & The Meaning of Swear Words – SYSK Choice
27 Jun 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What are the secrets to making the perfect burger?
Today on Something You Should Know, simple instructions on making the perfect burger from the guy who wrote the Bible on it. Then, how to lead a life of no regrets using purpose, intention, and anticipation.
Studies show that we derive more joy from anticipating the trip than we actually experience when we're on the trip. That's why this is the low-hanging fruit to me. Organize your life so that you have identified stuff that might light you up.
Also, total myths about your health that a lot of people still believe. And the story of vulgarity and how swearing and profanity have become more acceptable.
I think it has to do with the relaxation of obscenity and profanity laws. In fact, you know, George Carlin's seven words you can't say on TV. Half of those are words that we barely consider to be that vulgar anymore.
Chapter 2: How can you lead a life with no regrets?
All this today on Something You Should Know.
something you should know fascinating intel the world's top experts and practical advice you can use in your life today something you should know with mike carruthers hi welcome to something you should know now that summer is in full swing and barbecue grills are blazing everywhere i thought we'd start this episode with some advice on cooking the perfect burger
And this advice comes from Steve Raiklin, author of the Barbecue Bible, so he would know. First of all, if you want the perfect burger, avoid packaged meat labeled hamburger or ground beef, which is usually scraps and trimmings and, you know, who knows what else. It's better to buy top-quality meat with at least 15% fat, like ground sirloin. Also, shape your burgers with a light hand.
Chapter 3: What is the significance of anticipation in our lives?
The less you touch the meat, the better. Too much handling can actually bruise the meat. Burgers tend to puff up in the center when they cook, so make an indentation in the center so when it puffs up, it puffs up flat. Avoid the urge to press down on the meat while it's cooking. It squeezes out all of the juices right into the fire. Just cook the burger once per side and avoid excess flipping.
And here's a great chef secret from Steve. Tuck in a half a tablespoon of herbed butter into the center of the burger before you grill it. It'll add about 50 calories to your hamburger, but you'll probably say it's worth it. And that is something you should know.
We've all heard a million times that life is short, you should make every day count, make every minute count, that you should lead a meaningful and purposeful life, and on and on and on. I'm sure you've heard it before, but what does it mean to lead a purposeful and meaningful life? How do you do that? Well, you're about to find out.
As you listen to my guest, Jody Wellman, she's a former corporate executive turned executive coach,
Chapter 4: What are common health myths that people still believe?
who has a master's in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and she's author of a book called You Only Die Once, How to Make it to the End with No Regrets. Hi, Jodi. Welcome. It's a pleasure to have you on Something You Should Know.
Oh, thanks, Mike. I'm excited to be here.
Chapter 5: Why do swear words hold such power in language?
So let's start. I mean, you have a wake-up call that you want people to hear. So let's start with that.
Yes, I'm happy to announce something that we all technically know that we're all going to die. But I do want us to wake the F up to that fact so that we can live with more urgency and intention before we do, in fact, end up dying, unfortunately.
Chapter 6: How has the perception of swearing changed over time?
So you suspect most of us don't wake up, that we're on autopilot kind of thing. Is that right?
You said the words, that's exactly it. It's all too easy to just go about our day, go about our routine. And then all of a sudden another week went by and wait, what happened? What month is it? And we take life for granted, right? It's just part of the human condition. So I do want us to wake up and start savoring it rather than squandering it.
But I think everybody does what you just described. I mean, I can't imagine anybody who doesn't at least have one point in their life where they just kind of get through the day. And maybe that's even a good thing. Like, you can't always be on.
Yeah, yeah, I agree with you completely. So I would love right out of the gates to dispel this notion that this is about, you know, because I talk about living an astonishingly alive life, and that sounds pretty darn grandiose. And I don't want to not have people live a grandiose life if you want that. But for most of us, it's this tuning in to what makes you feel alive.
And it doesn't have to be, you know, balls to the wall full on. I mean, that's exhausting. So we just need to define for ourselves what would make you feel alive? What would make you feel if you got to the end, like you wouldn't regret things you didn't do?
Because I agree, it's not 100 miles an hour every day, but it's about saying, wait, maybe I do need to just snap out of this routine and start living with a little more intention. So I think it's all in the right dosing.
And so give me an example of what would that look like? Because if you don't do it, it's hard to understand what living with intention means. It means doing what on a minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour basis differently than what I'm doing now.
Well, I'm going to back it up a sec because I do think that even understanding this notion of living with intention, because it does seem obscure, like, wait, what do I do? I think the starting point is to do the good old fashioned, count how many Mondays you have left. Like this is a language I speak and I do it intentionally to rankle a little bit.
Like for example, I have 1,814 Mondays left on average. I want people to do that mortality math because that's the thing that helps us to come to terms with our unfortunate, you know, temporary nature. And when we do that, for many of us, it does that thing, which is like that little eye opening of, oh, right, like my countdown timer is on.
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Chapter 7: What are the origins of popular swear words?
Because if you've never done it, you don't know what to do. It's all platitudes and you can do it. Sure you can, but like what?
Yeah. So the first thing, like I said, was counting your Mondays. Most people haven't done that. Most people have a notion of how many years they have left, but it's too vague.
So when you count Mondays, it makes it granular and it activates that science that I was telling you about in psychology, which is that awareness that when you see something as rare and limited time only, it does tend to heighten its value or its perceived value.
We're talking about leading a meaningful and purposeful life and the reasons for doing so. And my guest is Jody Wellman, author of the book, You Only Die Once, How to Make it to the End with No Regrets. So Jody, how do you do the math? What is the math on figuring out how many Mondays you have left?
Well, for a cheat sheet, I have a calculator on my website on the resources page for those of us that don't want to do math. And that's at 4000mondays.com on the resources. But if you want to do it right now, it is 78 years is the average life expectancy for men minus your age. And then multiply that by 52. If you identify as female, start with 83 as your life expectancy minus your age times 52.
And if you don't identify with either, average it out at 80 years. minus your age, times 52. So if you do the math, for many people, it does this, oh, okay, that's uncomfortable, and it's appropriately so. You know, some people, when I work with younger groups, they're like, I've got more than 2,000, I've got more than half, I'm good to go. But for most of us, it does tend to do this.
All right, yeah, right. There is the sand hourglass that has been flipped over, so that awareness is key. It takes a consistent reminder. So I'm a fan of having little visuals around you. You can't see where I am, but my place is littered with all the pictures of the skulls. And I've got, you know, a bracelet I wear with a little skeleton on it. I've got images. I've got reminders.
I've got quotes that are pretty clear. So seeing it as vivid imagery can be important for visual folks. I also recommend talking about it. So we don't want to talk about death because it is a freaking downer. I'm, other than us talking about this right now, which is all about life, but I'm a fan of like, get your friends together or have a dinner party or talk to your family.
And you don't need to start with a dour stuff. That's advanced. What if you just started by really talking about, okay, what is on your bucket list? What's the stuff that you would love to do before you go? And then rather than just talking about it in a grandiose notion, which admittedly, according to some psychological research, sometimes just fantasizing about a dream,
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Chapter 8: What are some surprising facts about language and swearing?
And we make choices at any given interval of time about how we're going to spend that time. I squander a lot of my time watching Netflix at night. I love watching TV. And so part of it is joy, but part of it, I also know I let it go too far. And if I stop and get honest with myself, which is, this is like in real life right now, real time, me planning a better night tonight, okay?
It's not going to be tuning into whatever the show I'm watching is, which is not even that enjoyable. It's just like an unwinding in the day. What might make me feel actually a little better tonight is if I go sit outside and I pour a cocktail and I'll take the husband out with me and we'll just sit even if it's for 30 minutes and be like, hey, let's talk about the day.
That's a 30-minute choice that's not going to blow up my entire day or week, right? But it's a conscious choice and we underestimate the impact that has on our well-being and our perceived life satisfaction.
When people do these things, is it the doing or the appreciating of the doing? Because you may already be sitting playing Legos with your kid or sitting with your husband. But if you don't stop and think, I'm really enjoying this, is that where the benefit comes?
oh yeah, you're so, I love your questions because you're so smart. It's both. For many people, it's the doing of it because they're not doing it, right? So it's just like, I'm a zombie. I come home and make dinner and then I go to the couch and I'm missing the chance to do those things. So for some people, it is the action. For many of us, we are walking around our day.
It's the proverbial gratitude exercise scenario, right? Which I mean, gratitude in the field of positive psychology has been so exhaustively and fantastically researched. You could be walking really quickly, like just running into the backyard to go and turn off the faucet and running back in. And you miss the fact that, wait a sec, there's a new bud on the tree. And oh, wow, it's beautiful.
Or like, if I stop and smell it, like, wow, this is a really kind of cool, precious little moment. And it's 14 seconds. And so that's something that for those people who are in the practice of doing maybe a gratitude journal, which I only recommend like for doing it in a couple of weeks at a time, every little quarter maybe, just to get tuned in. So it is the attunement, Mike.
It is that, you know what? I'm being present. I love this. Or I love the taste of this paella, the saffron. Wow. Like rather than scarfing it back, you know, which is what we tend to do is just getting from one meal to the next or one, you know, stopping, looking around the room at your team at work and being like, I'm so grateful I get to work with these clowns. You know, or whatever that is.
So that is absolutely part of it. And that is part of this conscious living with intention that, again, people I work with groups of people who have gotten, you know, in remission from cancer illnesses. And they're just so savoring the experiences of, you know, interacting with friends that they formerly took for granted.
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