596: Arthur Brooks - The Art & Science of Happiness, Defining Your Purpose, Working with Oprah, Living Authentically, and Building The Life You Want

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Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

Notes:

• Arthur grew up with one goal - To be the world's greatest French horn player. He learned that striving for something was fungible across all fields of life. It was a great laboratory for learning.
• Intrinsic vs Extrinsic motivation - Intrinsic motivation comes from an internal desire to accomplish a goal, while extrinsic motivation comes from external rewards and praise.
• "Misery comes from excessive auto-focus." Misery comes from thinking about yourself too much and not enough about helping others.
• The curse of the strive... All happiness comes from progress.
  • The arrival is not the goal.
• How to be happy while striving:
  • Be grateful - Write it down. Do it daily.
  • Always look to help others.
• "All research is 'me-search.'"
• The Four Idols:
  • Money, Power, Pleasure, and Prestige/Fame. We talked through ours… What are yours?
• The Four Focus areas to help with happiness
  • Faith
  • Family
  • Friendship
  • Serving Others
• Define your purpose. Write it down. Understand why you're here. Mine = "To inspire others to value and pursue excellence." Too many people are ok with mediocrity. We should strive for more.
• Oprah Winfrey is the same person everywhere she goes. She is genuine and authentic to all.
• Arthur's column helped Oprah stay positive and happy through the pandemic. So much so that she called him and asked to meet. And eventually, write a book together. That book became a #1 best-seller.
• #1 Life Hack: "Don't lie ever."
• Arthur is jacked (in great shape).
  • Taking care of your body helps with unhappiness.
  • Wake up 1.5 hours before dawn. Work out hard. Lift weights. Do challenging cardio.
• Life/Career Advice:
  • Don't worry too much about the first job out of college. Don't sacrifice relationships.
  • Bring love to every relationship and be great at what you do. Be excellent.
    • Emanate love and show excellence.