CNLP 480: Bob Goff on the Power of Keeping 1.8 Million Words of Notes, Overcoming His Insecurity, and on Being Unreasonably Available

Former lawyer and New York Times bestselling author, Bob Goff, returns for a conversation about why he keeps notes, accumulating 1.8 million words of observation and insights and the value that serves, enabling justice in a hostile world, overcoming personal insecurity he felt as a child, and why he continues to be ‘unreasonably’ available to the 1 million+ people who have his phone number.

Welcome to Episode 480 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Guest Links

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

Episode Links

The Art of Leadership Academy

Leading your church or business forward can feel like a mystery… but it doesn’t have to remain that way.

Last week, I announced the launch of The Art of Leadership Academy. It’s an online learning community with the courses, strategies, and connections you need to lead a growing mission.

And I’m in the Academy as one of the Community Leaders – along with all the podcasters in The Art of Leadership Network. Between qualified experts and peers in the community, the insights, thoughts, and strategies — being shared every single day — are vital to anyone in a leadership position.

Go to theartofleadershipacademy.com, and the moment you sign up, you’ll get access to a growing library of premium on-demand courses, monthly live coaching hosted by me, monthly staff training, and a community of top-tier leaders. Go to theartofleadershipacademy.com to learn more and get instant access at a surprisingly low price by using code INTROPRICING.

See you there!

Pro Media Fire

What if you could have amazing social media and a website for less than the cost of Starbucks each day? The good news is, you can with Creativo.

Creativo is a brand-new all-in-one creative outreach platform to easily manage your website and social media.

With Creativo, you:

Look amazing online – with a great website and social media content
Save time – by managing your social media and website in minutes
Save money – with an affordable price
Utilize cross platform management – in iPhone, Android and desktop with the same experience

Creativo is great for churches, nonprofits, schools, and entrepreneurs to manage their social media in minutes each week.

For a new website and great social media in 2022, check out Creativo. For a limited time, listeners of this podcast can receive a lifetime founders discount simply by going to creativo.org/carey.

Conversation Links

Undistracted by Bob Goff

Download a FREE chapter of Undistracted

Everybody Always by Bob Goff

Love Does by Bob Goff

The Art of Leadership Academy

Get Carey’s Content Straight to Your Inbox

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Insights from Bob

1. If you want to find Jesus, you have to look in uncomfortable places

In the podcast, Bob Goff talks about his prison ministry at the San Quentin State Prison in California. More than just a charitable opportunity, Goff says his motivation is rooted in his belief that Jesus can most readily be found and experienced among people and places cast off from society. Pointing to Scripture like Matthew 25:35-40, Goff believes most of modern Christianity focuses too much on acquiring knowledge about God rather than meeting with God in spaces many people find uncomfortable.

2. We all need to outgrow certain narratives we told ourselves when we were young

Bob Goff is well-known for his wild stories, gregarious attitude, and infectious optimism. But, as he confesses to Carey, he also struggles with insecurity. Goff traces that insecurity to his childhood, when – in order to cope with unpredictability – he told himself that everyone he loved would leave eventually, so it doesn’t do any good to develop deep relationships. Goff admits to holding onto that narrative far longer than necessary (to the detriment of many relationships), and encourages listeners to identify the coping stories in their own lives that have outgrown their usefulness.

3. The world needs a new kind of cynic

In today’s culture, the word “cynic” comes with a lot of negative connotations. Someone who is considered “cynical” is often someone who appears to find joy in tearing something down. We have a lot of those kinds of cynics. However, Bob Goff points to the cynics of ancient Greece – who were known for something different. Speaking specifically on Diogenes, Goff says he wants more cynics looking for virtue, known more for living apart from the ways of the world and more for seeking out a new way to live.

Quotes from Episode 480

Kindness and respect have a shelf life that will outlast you @bobgoff Click To Tweet Jesus asked 300 questions in the three years of ministry, he only answered three. @bobgoff Click To Tweet You know what? You can be right and you can be kind. @bobgoff Click To Tweet Sometimes you think you need permission to do something you already have permission to do. @bobgoff Click To Tweet What will break our distraction from our pain and for the things around it is acts of kindness. @bobgoff Click To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 480

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

Watch Back Episodes of The Podcast on YouTube

Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen.

SUBSCRIBED YET?

Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Adam Grant, Seth Godin, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Nancy Duarte, Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, Erwin McManus, and many others.

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via

Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review.

Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?

The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn as well.

Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: Ian Morgan Cron

Ian Morgan Cron returns to the podcast and offers advice to leaders on how to lead in a season where there have been no wins, overcoming the fear many leaders have of truly getting healthy (will they lose the power that made them successful?) and how to write a new story and overcome your old, broken story from your childhood.

Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 481.

Lead With Confidence and Clarity. Grow Your Church.

As leaders, we tend to see the challenges and roadblocks before other people do.

We've all been there before...

You need to refresh your vision for the future but know that change will be an issue for that person.
You're overstaffed (or missing a key role) and can't find the right person to fill the role.
You aren't reaching enough new people even though you've tried everything that's working for other churches.
You can see the issue but aren't confident in what to do about it.

And with another Sunday morning coming up, it'll just have to wait until next week when you have a few minutes to figure it out.

Now ask yourself this:

What would it feel like to have those answers at your fingertips 24/7?

Whether it's reaching new people, improving your preaching, increasing volunteers, refreshing your vision, engaging your staff, or any of the countless challenges we face as church leaders, The Art of Leadership Academy will equip you to lead your church with confidence and clarity.

Between comprehensive church leadership courses, live coaching calls, staff and volunteer training resources, and direct access to a private online community of senior-level church leaders, you'll get the exact insights and answers that fuel your church for growth.

Learn More About The Art of Leadership Academy