Last night, I listened to a conversation between Trevor Noah and Kevin Hart on Trevor’s new podcast, What Now? Side note: In today’s excerpt, I begin with a version of What now?: I say now what? to suggest that life is continuous. Achievement is growth, and then there’s the next thing. Always.

In the podcast conversation, Trevor kept telling Kevin that he needed to go to therapy. Kevin said at the end of the show that he was going to talk to Trevor privately about the topic, and it was implied that he wasn’t all that appreciative of Trevor repeatedly making the comment. I could be wrong.

For context, to know Trevor Noah is to listen to Born a Crime. I say listen because Trevor reads it, and adds his comedic dialect. The book is as funny and inspiring as it is eye opening and shocking. I listened to Kevin Hart’s book a long time ago on a road trip. I remember it being a story of overcoming difficult circumstances.

Not too long ago, I listened to Trevor interviewed on Armchair Expert to promote What Now? It was evident that he had spent time in therapy and has benefitted from the results.

Kevin Hart grinds. On Armchair, Trevor talks about his lifestyle while hosting the Daily Show. Grind. It sounds as if leaving the show has created the opportunity to do life on his own terms. Kevin branded himself and has built what appears to be bulletproof. Kevin still grinds.

I love Kevin Hart. Kevin brings joy just being who he is. Kevin has a work ethic that has worked for him. Trevor repeated several times: ‘listen to Kevin, but don’t take his advice.’

There were some salty comments that were most likely unintentional as there is an obvious friendship and fondness between the two. Perhaps Trevor saw in Kevin, what he saw in himself. The mirror.

I suppose comedians are known for saying out loud what others may only think within.

When one practices self-awareness, one can begin to notice judgment, comparison, and criticism. Judgment, comparison, and criticism are indicators. What one notices in the other may be what one needs to heal within oneself.

I love Trevor and Kevin. They are on their own journeys and have chosen a public spotlight. I am just using their conversation as an example of possible indicators and awareness.

Sunday book club reflection questions:

1. What is your experience of indicators, or the way you communicate with you – as an observer of what’s happening? (I use mind space, heart space, belly space, muscles, skin as segments of the nervous system to notice what is happening internally in response to what happened externally).
2. How do you define meaning? One way to be curious about what matters to you is to consider the last thing you got upset about. What upset you is what you didn’t prefer to happen. Flip what happened to what you wanted to happen. That may be enough of an indicator as to what matters to you. From there, whiddle it down to what you value. For example, you may prefer to be on time. Why? You like an order to things. You value responsibility.
3. What is your experience of desired outcomes and the process in moving toward desired outcomes? Can Quiet Time support a heightened sensitivity to moment-to-moment experience and one’s sensual experience of moments as they happen? Is that something that is important to you? Why? How can you establish Quiet Time in day?