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How Not To Let the News Paralyze You | Tom Llamas

Dec 12, 2025 54m 25s 16 insights
<p dir="ltr">An NBC Nightly News anchor shares insider tips from the belly of the beast.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Tom Llamas is anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas and anchor of Top Story with Tom Llamas, a daily streaming primetime newscast on NBC News NOW. He has been in broadcast journalism for over 25 years.</p> <p><strong><br /> <br /></strong></p> <p dir="ltr">In this episode we talk about:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">How to be a better listener</li> <li dir="ltr">Practices for continued growth and curiosity as you get older</li> <li dir="ltr">The role of both faith and meditation in Tom's life</li> <li dir="ltr">The role of exercise</li> <li dir="ltr">The role of friendship</li> <li dir="ltr">His family's dramatic history and the impacts of becoming the first Latino anchor of a weekday evening news broadcast</li> <li dir="ltr">And much more</li> </ul> <p><strong><br /> <br /></strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Join Dan's online community <a href="http://www.danharris.com/">here</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Follow Dan on social: <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J">TikTok</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Subscribe to our <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD">YouTube Channel</a></p> <p><strong><br /> <br /></strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Additional Resources: </p> <ul> <li dir="ltr"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lion-Trackers-Guide-Life-ebook/dp/B07LC9C7Q4"> The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life</a> <strong><br /></strong></p> </li> </ul> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit <a href="https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris">https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris</a></p> <p> </p> <p>Thanks to our
Actionable Insights

1. Commit to Constant Growth

Actively seek to learn and grow in all aspects of life, as ‘if you’re not growing, you’re dying.’ This involves challenging yourself, reading, and learning from others’ experiences.

2. Practice Deep Listening

Ask deep, curious questions and truly listen to people, as this helps you connect on a deeper level and formulate better follow-up questions in any conversation.

3. Set Annual Life Goals

Create a yearly list of goals for personal life, relationships, career, and health to track progress and ensure continuous growth.

4. Exhaust Life Daily

Strive to maximize every day and activity, approaching tasks with full effort and presence, rather than doing anything ‘half-ass.’

5. Practice Full Presence

Aim to be fully present in each moment, whether in the zone or flow, to truly exhaust life and avoid dwelling on the past or future.

6. Integrate Daily Meditation

Mediate consistently, starting with 5-10 minutes daily and potentially increasing to 25-30 minutes, including visualizations, positive affirmations, and prayer, to feel better and foster clearer thinking.

7. Seek Silence for Clarity

Utilize silent meditation time to allow your mind to relax, as this state can foster new ideas and help solve problems that wouldn’t emerge otherwise.

8. Maintain Active Body & Mind

Engage in about an hour of physical exercise daily, such as running, lifting weights, or playing tennis, to support longevity and overall well-being.

9. Absorb Difficult Moments

After experiencing or witnessing difficult events, take a brief moment to absorb what happened without dwelling on it, to prevent paralysis and maintain emotional well-being.

10. Retain Your Humanity

Don’t lose your human touch or be afraid to show emotion, even in professional contexts, as it’s crucial for empathy and connecting with others.

11. Simplify Core Beliefs

Simplify your core life philosophies to fundamental principles like ‘don’t judge others, be a good person, and know that this thing that you’re living through, it’s not about you,’ to live a meaningful life.

12. Optimize Key Relationships

Focus on spending time with the core 20% of friends and family who bring 80% of your happiness, as strong relationships are crucial for well-being.

13. Consume News Mindfully

Reduce news alerts, stick to trusted news organizations, and be mindful of opinion-based journalism and unverified sources from social media to avoid feeling overwhelmed or constantly enraged.

14. Encourage Team Collaboration

Promote an environment where diverse voices and ideas are heard, asking questions and ‘red teaming’ concepts to ensure comprehensive and accurate outcomes.

15. Trust Your Inner Guide

Embrace the philosophy of ‘I don’t know where I’m going, but I know how to get there,’ by listening to your intuition and following subtle cues in life, even when the path ahead is unclear.

16. Embrace Life’s Changes

Recognize that ’too much chaos is unstable, but too little is not living,’ encouraging an acceptance of change and dynamic experiences.