Environment Design: 3 Ways to Improve Your Thinking (without thinking)

Principles to enhance learning, independent thinking, and problem-solving, whilst reducing the feeling of being lost. Ever feel like you're constantly consuming information but losing touch with your own thoughts? This episode takes you on a journey back to the essential skill of listening to yourself. We'll explore the impact of continuous content on our ability to think independently and how it can dilute our personal insight. Hear expert advice on creating the mental space necessary for profound self-dialogue and reflection. By the end, you’ll learn how to balance input from the world with your own inner wisdom, transforming how you learn, solve problems, and engage with the world. Takeaways: Practical tools for self-dialogue How to create a healthy balance in consumption vs reflection Enhanced awareness of personal needs and feelings Slower and more independent ways of thinking Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMA's and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Sponsors: 🥙 😋 Factor: 50% off code GROWTHMINDSET50 🪒 🦁 ManScaped: 20% Off + Free Shipping - code GROWTH 📚 🤓 ShortForm: Free trial + 20% off - code PSYCHOLOGY Recommended Books Why Buddhism is True - Robert Wright Slow Productivity - Cal Newport Stillness is the Key - Ryan Holiday 4000 weeks - Oliver Burkman Recommended Episodes How to Slow Down Time: Increase productivity and reduce stress - 21st Feb 2023 Old Secrets to Calm and Purposeful Progress: Speeding up by slowing down - 22nd Jan 2024 7 Wierd Life-Changing Skills that will make you happier - 5th Nov 2023 10 powerful Stoic Questions (for a full life) - 6th Feb 2024 Meet Sam Free Call - Schedule Link Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Insta - SamJam.zen Newsletter - Expansive Thinking Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 04:34 Entertainment, Edutainment and Accessibility of Content 06:26 Downside of Constant Learning, Capitalism and the Knowledge Economy 07:32 The Balance Between Learning and Thinking for yourself 08:47 Creativity, Brain Function, and Importance of Mental Downtime 09:11 The Pitfalls of Over-Optimization and Finding the Right Balance 11:08 The Value of Reflection when Adapting to Different Situations 12:51 Embracing the Unknown 13:35 Talking to Yourself and Organizing Your Thoughts 15:45 Practical Tips for Self-Dialogue 16:56 Overcoming Social Stigma and art of not giving a f### 17:58 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9 Aug 202422min

Developing the freedom to choose how you respond to situations in life is a core part of building a growth mindset. A fixed mindset approach leaves you at the mercy of events in life that will make you angry or sad and blame your circumstances with no control from you. A growth mindset allows you to build the space to determine how you react in any situation and be the person you want to be rather than the person the world pushes you to be. To achieve that we examine: The nature of Free Will and desire The role of our consciousness as an observer and actor Unconscious thought processes and behaviours How to master control of our responses in any situation How to observe physical and mental pain with curiosity This episode touches on some very important concepts deep in the fabric of our experiencing self as a human being. By understanding internal processes we can better control our actions and outcomes in life. Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMA's and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Sponsors: 🥙 😋 Factor: 50% off code GROWTHMINDSET50 🪒 🦁 ManScaped: 20% Off + Free Shipping - code GROWTH 📚 🤓 ShortForm: Free trial + 20% off - code PSYCHOLOGY Books Upside of Irrationality - Dan Ariely Free Will - Sam Harris Conscious - Annika Harris The Map is Mostly Water - David Foster Wallace Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor Frankl Recommended Episodes Thinking Fast and Slow: How to make better decisions - 12th July 2024 Ego Blindspots: 9 Cognitive Biases to avoid - 7th May 2024 5 Stoic Principles for Creating Happiness Now - 5th Nov 2023 10 powerful Stoic Questions (for a full life) - 6th Feb 2024 Meet Sam Free Call - Schedule Link Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Insta - SamJam.zen Newsletter - Expansive Thinking Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Personal Growth and Free Will 01:59 Understanding Fixed and Growth Mindsets 02:08 The Complexity of Psychology and Mindsets 03:34 Episode plan - Diving into Consciousness and Free Will 05:12 Habits and conscious and unconscious behaviour 06:44 Case Study: The Sleepwalking Killer + The Compulsive Gambler 11:44 Understanding the Limits of Free Will 15:35 The Role of Desires and External Influences 18:24 Conscious vs Subconscious thoughts and memories 21:50 Building Free Will and Autonomy and issues with Fixed mindset 25:38 Victor Frankl's Insights on building Free Will in everyday life 28:17 Understanding Emotional Triggers 30:25 David Foster Wallace on Thinking and Free Will 33:10 The Psychology of Revenge 38:33 Pain and Free Will - How meditation helps us control our reactions 45:29 Applying Free Will in Daily Life 47:02 Conclusion and Further Reading Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Aug 202454min

Growth begins at the edge of your comfort zone. Learn to expand your mental horizons and build a healthy relationship with the fear of failure. To build new connections in the brain and learn we need to fail. Becoming an expert in anything requires being comfortable with being a crappy amateur. A great paradox of success is that it is built on a foundation of failure. Perfection is actually a common cause of fixed mindset attitudes and can block growth. Learn practical strategies to embrace the lessons hidden in setbacks and turn fear into a stepping stone for success: The failure rates of real success How to determine what a healthy failure rate is Build deliberate practice routines Create an enjoyment of the journey - mishaps and difficulty included It’s time to change how you view challenges and start celebrating the growth that comes from every misstep. Sponsors: 🥙 😋 Factor: 50% off code GROWTHMINDSET50 🪒 🦁 ManScaped: 20% Off + Free Shipping - code GROWTH 🛏️ 😇 Cozy Earth: 35% off code GROWTH 📚 🤓 ShortForm: Free trial + 20% off - code PSYCHOLOGY Meet Sam Free Call - Schedule Link Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Insta - SamJam.zen Newsletter - Expansive Thinking Chapters: 00:00 The Importance of Failure 02:13 #1 Increasing Your Failure Rate for Success 04:19 Jobs, Startups, Investing and High Failure Rates 06:04 #2 Deliberate Practice and Personal Growth 07:09 Pushing Comfort Zones in Skiing and anything 09:30 Learning Faster Through Deliberate Failure 10:25 Books on Deliberate Practice 10:51 #3 Enjoying the Ride: Embracing Failure 16:22 Conclusion: Living an Interesting Life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2 Aug 202420min

How our brain chemistry and architecture works are fascinating. It can also help us embrace challenges, learn faster and reconfigure our mindsets. Today we are diving deep into how the brain lays down its wiring and builds beliefs and behaviour patterns. We can then better understand how our mindsets are formed, how they shape our outcomes and what we can do about them. This is core knowledge for anyone wanting to invest in their personal journey and influence their outcomes in life. Instead of talking about opinions we are going straight to the source of the real science of self-improvement. Sponsors: 🥙 😋 Factor: 50% off code GROWTHMINDSET50 🪒 🦁 ManScaped: 20% Off + Free Shipping - code GROWTH 🛏️ 😇 Cozy Earth: 35% off code GROWTH 📚 🤓 ShortForm: Free trial + 20% off - code PSYCHOLOGY Meet Sam Free Call - Schedule Link Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Insta - SamJam.zen Newsletter - Expansive Thinking Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Personal Limitations 01:44 Neuroplasticity and Growth Mindset 04:39 Growth and Fixed Mindset Explained 06:05 The Science Behind Brain Development 10:25 The Role of Nurture in Human Development 13:19 Mindsets and Their Impact 15:08 Learning Through Mistakes 19:29 How Mindsets Are Built 24:28 The Importance of Failure 27:52 Reframing Failure for Growth 29:19 The Problem with School and Mistakes 30:10 Celebrating Mistakes and Effort 31:03 The Root of Fixed Mindset Beliefs 32:29 Final Thoughts on Growth and Learning Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 Juli 202435min

Dive into the timeless insights of Morgan Housel's book 'Same As Ever' and the nature or things that never change. We unpack the most profound lessons from the book, exploring how subtle shifts in perspective can lead to monumental changes in personal finance and decision-making. Sam invites his book review cohost Nicolas Vereecke on the show to discover how Housel's principles can be applied to everyday life, providing clarity and guidance through the complexities of economics and behavioural finance. Lessons and principles include: Risk is what we don't see Balancing drive and satisfaction Investing in things that are permanent winners The role of Cohorts on success Permanent vs. Expiring information Join us as we decode strategies for smarter investing, savvier saving, and overall wiser financial health. Sponsors: ManScaped: Men's grooming at its best. 20% Off + Free Shipping - code 'GROWTH' - ManScaped.com/Growth ShortForm: Summaries of the world's best books. Free trial + 20% off - code 'PSYCHOLOGY' - ShortForm.com/Psychology SleepyClub: Doctor-approved natural sleeping aid that improves sleep quality. 20% discount - code 'GROWTH20' - SleepyClub.co.uk Morgan Housel Links Morgan's Blog - Collab Fund Morgan's Podcast - The Morgan Housel Podcast Psychology of Money Same As Ever Meet Sam Free Call - Schedule Link Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Insta - SamJam.zen Newsletter - Expansive Thinking Chapters: 00:00 Introduction - Things that never change 04:29 Book summary: Same as Ever by Morgan Hause 05:01 Human behaviour the Lindy Principle 05:54 Key Takeaway: Progress is Hard to See 06:56 The Impact of Evolution on Human Perception 10:10 The Risks We Don't See 10:47 The Role of Luck in Success 16:06 Happiness and Expectations 18:39 Balancing Stress and Relaxation 20:42 Balancing drive with Satisfaction - Ad break 23:13 The Influence of Your Social Circle 28:06 The Impact of Age in Professional Hockey 29:02 The Role of Private Tutoring in Education 29:42 The Influence of Cohorts on Success 31:16 Permanent vs. Expiring Information 33:39 Books vs. Podcasts: A Debate 37:46 Getting information from the source - Ad break 2 42:42 The Value of Taste and Enthusiasm 44:34 Book Review and Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Juli 202452min

There is no better time to contemplate the meaning of your existence than a Tuesday. Tackle the meaty questions of life, using philosophical tools and some lessons from the school of Positive Psychology. We curiously dive through the principles of physics and the lessons of history to contemplate the effect of time on our lives. Opposingly we examine the effects of our life on everything else and why we even do things. Along the way, we'll take on ideas from Ghengis Kahn and Julius Caesar to songwriting and dancing. Some questions answered" What makes something worth doing? What is the point of Legacy? How can I be consistently happier? Why does no one want to be a mummy (Egyptian style) these days? What is the coolest saying ever? This is one of our more 'out there' episodes and Sam would like you to know he has not been taking drugs and that he is always like this. Sponsors: ManScaped: Men's grooming at its best. 20% Off + Free Shipping - code 'GROWTH' - ManScaped.com/Growth ShortForm: Summaries of the world's best books. Free trial + 20% off - code 'PSYCHOLOGY' - ShortForm.com/Psychology SleepyClub: Doctor-approved natural sleeping aid that improves sleep quality. 20% discount - code 'GROWTH20' - SleepyClub.co.uk Related Episodes Thinking Fast and Slow: How to make better decisions - July 12th, 2024 Make Time Your Friend - May 26th, 2024 Meet Sam Free Call - Schedule Link Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Insta - SamJam.zen Newsletter - Expansive Thinking Chapters: 00:00 How Time Creates Existence 01:06 Exploring the Philosophy of Time 02:49 Why the Concept of Winning Doesn't Exist 05:42 Patterns in the River of Time 06:52 Julius Caesar and the power of words 08:02 Patterns in Music and Art 09:54 Fighting Entropy with Patterns 12:23 The Temporary Nature of Existence 13:12 Creating Patterns for Others vs. Self 14:12 The Concept of Legacy 16:06 Optimizing for the Experiencing Self 19:01 Final Thoughts and Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23 Juli 202423min

Some of the most important life skills sound strange to work on. But high-performers work on them anyway. From building your curiosity and enthusiasm to a better sense of humour. Several life skills make all the difference in your social and professional life. We'll even learn essential ideas that make us happier, more patient and more right. Yes, that's a thing. What's odd is that society says many things like our interests and humour are just part of who we are. We feel ashamed to want to work on becoming more unique. That is a fixed mindset approach. We embrace our weird side and do our own thing. Become the black sheep that doesn't follow the herd and build skills that make us truly unique, memorable, and happy on our terms. Sponsors: ManScaped: Men's grooming at its best. 20% Off + Free Shipping - code 'GROWTH' - ManScaped.com/Growth ShortForm: Summaries of the world's best books. Free trial + 20% off - code 'PSYCHOLOGY' - ShortForm.com/Psychology SleepyClub: Doctor-approved natural sleeping aid that improves sleep quality. 20% discount - code 'GROWTH20' - SleepyClub.co.uk Related Episodes The Feynman Technique: Learn To Master Anything - June 16th, 2024 Get Noticed and Be Remembered - Aug 30th, 2022 The Simple Art of Happiness - Bob Asim - 21st May, 2018 Meet Sam Free Call - Schedule Link Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Insta - SamJam.zen Newsletter - Expansive Thinking Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: Unconventional Traits for Success 03:48 #1- Becoming a Deep Thinker 08:53 Focusing on Quality Information 10:12 Train your Attention and Build your Environment 13:38 #2 Building Curiosity: The Key to Lifelong Learning 17:35 #3 How to Be Unique 22:55 #4 Discovering and Nurturing Your Interests 27:15 #5 The Power of Humor: A Life-Changing Skill 29:01 Practical Tips for Developing a Sense of Humor 30:25 Developing Your Unique Comedy Style 32:37 Mastering the Rule of Threes 34:41 The Magic of Puns 37:05 #6 Building Enthusiasm in Life 40:59 #7 Understanding Ego in Communication 46:07 #8 How to Stay Calm and Patient 52:52 Bonus areas to consider 55:59 Send Off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Juli 202459min

Why top performers embrace imperfection and celebrate victories. We dig into the show archives to uncover the timeless topic of perfectionism. Hedonic adaption is a major reason we aren't as happy as we should be and relentlessly pursue the next thing without taking time to even reflect on the happiness we are seeking. Lessons from the episode: Balancing perfect with good enough When our work is better than we think it is Why we aren't as happy as we deserve The importance Recognising achievements Building more sustainable happiness When we ask ourselves why are we unhappy we often seek more things to solve our problems and jump onto the next things as quickly as possible. However, a big part of our unhappiness is this exact habit to relentlessly move on that we can't even experience joy when we do achieve something. This episode will help ground you in reality. Sponsors: ManScaped: Men's grooming at its best. 20% Off + Free Shipping - code 'GROWTH' - ManScaped.com/Growth ShortForm: Summaries of the world's best books. Free trial + 20% off - code 'PSYCHOLOGY' - ShortForm.com/Psychology SleepyClub: Doctor-approved natural sleeping aid that improves sleep quality. 20% discount - code 'GROWTH20' - SleepyClub.co.uk Meet Sam Free Call - Schedule Link Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Insta - SamJam.zen Newsletter - Expansive Thinking Newsletter examples When and What to Celebrate Is your work better than you think it is? Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to perfectionism and Celebrating Our Wins 03:09 Celebrating Successes 04:17 Perfectionism and Letting Go 06:41 The Concept of Bundling in Business 08:46 The Importance of Celebrating Achievements 10:17 The Struggles of Entrepreneurship 11:28 Prioritizing Celebrations for long-term success 14:21 Personal Achievement: Running an Ultra Marathon 17:40 Recognizing Your Own Successes that pass us by 18:54 Reflecting on 200 Episodes 20:51 Future Plans and New Projects 22:51 Conclusion and Call to Action Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

16 Juli 202426min