Podcast Summary
Embrace discomfort for personal growth: Experiencing new things and learning from them can lead to personal growth and a more fulfilling life
Stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing discomfort can lead to personal growth and new discoveries, even if it results in failure. Michael Easter, an investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author, emphasizes the importance of experiencing new things and learning from them. He believes that humans have evolved over millions of years, but our brains and bodies have not kept up with the technological advancements of the past century. As a result, we face challenges in adapting to the modern world and can benefit from embracing discomfort and avoiding excess. Easter's adventures as a journalist have taken him to exotic places and led him to uncover unique stories that cannot be found behind a screen. By seeking out new experiences and learning from them, we can live healthier, happier, and more productive lives.
Exploring the Benefits of Discomfort through Extreme Experiences: Choose to embrace discomfort daily to promote physical, mental, and spiritual growth. Be a '2 percenter' and opt for the stairs instead of the escalator.
The author, in his pursuit of compelling stories and personal growth, seeks out extreme experiences that push him beyond his comfort zone. This pattern, which he calls "taking insights from the edge," has led him to travel to various extreme locations around the world, from the Arctic to Iraq, and even to live with monks in New Mexico. The author's fascination with extreme experiences was initially fueled by his addiction to alcohol, but after getting sober, he channeled that energy into travel and exploration. During his time in the Arctic, the author realized that as the world becomes more comfortable, people are missing out on the benefits of discomfort. He argues that discomfort is necessary for physical, mental, and spiritual growth. The comfort crisis, as he sees it, is a result of modern conveniences that have engineered boredom and discomfort out of our lives. To test this theory, the author spent over a month in the Arctic, and the experience significantly impacted his perspective. The author's message is not that everyone needs to embark on extreme adventures, but rather that we should strive to be "2 percenters" - those who choose the stairs instead of the escalator, even when it's more convenient to take the easier option. By making small, daily choices to embrace discomfort, we can improve our lives and reap long-term benefits. The author's newsletter, twopct.com, explores this theme in various ways.
The Comfort Trap: Less Active and More Distracted: Recognize the impact of modern comforts on our health and productivity, aiming for balance through increased physical activity and mindfulness.
Humans have become too comfortable in modern times, leading to various health and productivity issues. This comfort, which primarily emerged after the industrial revolution, has caused us to become less active than our ancestors, taking fewer steps each day and engaging in less physical activity overall. We've also engineered boredom out of our lives, spending excessive time on digital media and avoiding silence. These habits not only impact our physical health but also hinder our productivity and capabilities at work and in business. For instance, our ancestors walked about 14 times more than we do today, and they engaged in constant physical activity through hunting, gathering, and even resting in squatting positions. Now, we mostly sit in chairs, leading to muscles that can go totally slack. By recognizing these issues and striving for balance, we can improve both our physical and mental well-being.
Incorporating discomfort for better health and happiness: Small choices like taking stairs and big challenges can boost physical and mental well-being through discomfort
Physical activity is essential for both good health and happiness. Our sedentary lifestyles, which are a relatively new development in human history, can lead to back pain and other health issues. Exercise, while uncomfortable, is the "magic pill" for preventing disease and boosting productivity. Additionally, our brains are wired to find things that require effort more rewarding, leading to greater feelings of satisfaction and happiness when we persist through challenges. To infuse more discomfort into our daily lives and reap the long-term benefits, we can start by making small choices, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and aim for one big epic challenge each year, like a grueling workout or a demanding project. These small and large discomforts can lead to significant improvements in both our physical and mental well-being.
Discovering true capabilities and building self-confidence through challenging tasks: Taking on difficult tasks can help us uncover hidden abilities, build self-confidence, and overcome fear of failure. Failure is a learning opportunity, not an end, and calculated risks can unlock our full potential.
Taking on challenging tasks, whether physical or digital, can help us discover our true capabilities and build self-confidence. We often underestimate ourselves and our abilities, but by pushing ourselves to the limit, we can surprise ourselves with what we're capable of. Fear of failure is a common obstacle, but it's important to remember that failure is not the end, and the learning experience can be invaluable. Humans have evolved to be overly cautious and underconfident, but by taking calculated risks and facing our fears, we can unlock our full potential and achieve more than we ever thought possible.
Reach senior-level decision makers on LinkedIn: LinkedIn has 180M senior-level decision makers, 10M C-suite executives, and is top channel for B2B marketers. Reach potential clients, expand reach, and grow customer base with targeted ads and content.
LinkedIn is an effective platform for reaching senior-level decision-makers in the B2B world. With over 180 million senior-level decision makers and 10 million C-suite executives, LinkedIn provides unparalleled targeting capabilities due to the wealth of information users share about themselves. This makes it an ideal platform for cutting through the noise and reaching potential clients who are actively looking for solutions to their business problems. Furthermore, LinkedIn is the top channel for paid media for 79% of B2B marketers, making it a smart investment for businesses looking to expand their reach and grow their customer base. Additionally, tools like Indeed for hiring and Kajabi for creating and selling online courses can streamline processes and help businesses save time and resources.
Embrace discomfort and boredom for increased creativity and better ideas: Incorporating small discomforts into daily routine can lead to increased creativity and better ideas. Recognizing mortality can help make better decisions and focus on what truly matters.
To live a more productive, creative, and fulfilling life, we need to embrace discomfort and boredom. While it may seem counterintuitive, studies show that incorporating small discomforts into our daily routine, such as taking a work call while walking or going for a phone-free walk, can lead to increased creativity and better ideas. Additionally, recognizing and accepting the uncomfortable reality of mortality can help us make better decisions and focus on what truly matters. Kajabi, a platform for creating and growing online businesses, can help you navigate the technical aspects of starting a course, allowing you to focus on these important life lessons. Take advantage of their 30-day free trial at kajabi.com/profiting. Embracing discomfort and boredom may be uncomfortable in the short term, but the long-term benefits are worth it.
The Evolution of Brain Needs and New Challenges: Our brains are wired for survival needs, but technology brings new challenges like overeating, obesity, information overload, job loss, and decreased human connection. Adapting to these changes while maintaining balance is crucial.
Our brains have evolved to focus on survival needs such as food, possessions, status, and information. However, in today's world, we have an excess of these resources, leading to new challenges. For instance, we have more food than ever before, but now the problem is overeating and obesity. Similarly, we have an abundance of information, but it can be overwhelming and lead to confusion. Our brains have not evolved as quickly as technology, leading to potential issues. While technology brings many benefits, it also presents new problems, such as job loss due to automation and decreased face-to-face interaction. AI, as a tool, has the potential to revolutionize medicine and information processing, but it also poses challenges, such as job displacement and decreased human connection. Ultimately, it's essential to be aware of these issues and find ways to adapt to the changing world while maintaining a balance between technology use and human connection.
The Scarcity Loop of Technology Addiction: Our obsession with unpredictable tech rewards stems from evolution, but can lead to addictive behaviors and detrimental consequences.
Our obsession with technology, particularly smartphones, has become a necessity in modern society, leading many people to adopt behaviors driven by a scarcity mindset. This mindset, as described in the book, results in a "scarcity loop" where bad habits, such as excessive social media use or online shopping, hinder progress towards goals. This concept was initially observed in the design of slot machines, which provide unpredictable rewards, quick repeatability, and the opportunity for potential winnings, keeping players engaged for hours. This same design has been adopted by various tech companies, resulting in addictive behaviors towards social media, dating apps, sports betting, and personal finance apps. The deeper reason for this obsession with unpredictable results, according to a psychologist, can be traced back to evolution, as humans in the past had to find food every day, making unpredictable rewards essential for survival. However, in today's society, these unpredictable rewards can lead to detrimental consequences, as the "house always wins" in the long run.
The Power of Quick Repeatability: Quick repeatability increases engagement with activities, leading to more frequent participation in gambling, social media use, food consumption, and business success. Engineered junk food, digital scrolling, and gambling button changes are examples of quick repeatability in action.
The quicker and more frequently we can experience rewarding or unpredictable activities, the more likely we are to engage in them. This concept, known as "quick repeatability," has significant implications for various aspects of life, from gambling and social media use to food consumption and even business success. For instance, the food industry has engineered junk food to be faster to eat, leading to increased calorie intake. Similarly, the shift from manual slot machine arms to buttons led to a dramatic increase in gambling frequency. In the digital age, infinite scroll on social media keeps users engaged for longer periods, whereas a limited number of posts requiring manual page loading would result in less usage. Understanding the power of quick repeatability can help us make informed decisions about our habits and the industries that shape them.
Navigating Business Growth with Shopify and Managing Investments with Yahoo Finance: Shopify offers business support and Yahoo Finance simplifies investment management. Observe behaviors, remove triggers, and seek help to overcome digital age habits.
If you have a business idea and the drive to be an entrepreneur, there's no need to wait or navigate the process alone. Shopify offers award-winning help to support your business growth every step of the way. Additionally, it's crucial to invest your money wisely to beat inflation. Yahoo Finance simplifies investment management by securely linking all your investment accounts for a unified view. For financial news and analysis, visit Yahoo Finance, the go-to financial destination. Our brains aren't naturally programmed for moderation, especially in the digital age. To overcome this, we can observe our behaviors, remove or change the triggers, and seek help when needed. For instance, observing food intake or social media usage can lead to better habits. Additionally, apps like ClearSpace can add a pause before accessing certain apps to reduce overuse. By being aware and taking action, we can rewire our brains and break free from the scarcity loop.
Break Free from Scarcity Loop: Pause before use, set time limits, use cues to avoid triggers, seek healthier alternatives, and manage information overload to regain control and reduce negative impact on time and well-being
We can modify our habits and break free from the scarcity loop by introducing intentionality and limiting our use of addictive apps, junk food, and impulsive shopping. By pausing before use, setting time limits, and using cues to avoid triggers, we can regain control and reduce the negative impact on our time and well-being. Additionally, being aware of the sources of internal discomfort and seeking healthier alternatives can help us find a better escape from stress and boredom. Lastly, dealing with information overload can be managed by being mindful of media bias and consuming news more thoughtfully, such as through slower sources or in moderation.
Leveraging the Scarcity Loop for Productivity and Well-being: Limit digital technology use, engage in nature and hobbies with scarcity elements, and learn about the scarcity loop to boost productivity and enhance well-being
We can harness the power of the scarcity loop, which is our brain's natural response to limited resources, to improve our productivity, gain skills, and enhance our overall well-being. The speaker emphasized the importance of intentional information consumption and limiting digital technology use to avoid the negative effects of boredom and distraction. He also highlighted the benefits of spending time outside and engaging in activities that incorporate elements of scarcity and unpredictability, such as bird watching and playing games like Pokemon Go. To apply this concept to business, the speaker suggested finding ways to incorporate scarcity in a positive way, such as through gamification or nature-based activities. One actionable step for young and profiting listeners is to seek out resources, like the book "Scarcity" by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir, to learn more about the scarcity loop and how to use it to their advantage. Additionally, they can try setting aside time each day for a nature walk or engaging in a hobby that involves elements of scarcity, such as bird watching or gardening. By embracing the scarcity loop, we can break free from excess and bad habits and move towards a more productive and fulfilling life.
Personal growth through embracing challenges: Embracing challenges can lead to significant personal growth, even if initially uncomfortable or fearful. Pursue what brings joy and fulfillment, even if it involves risk.
Embracing challenges and stepping into the unknown, despite the initial discomfort or fear, can lead to significant personal growth. This was exemplified by the man who lived in a cave for 30 years and wrote about the spiritual improvement he experienced after overcoming the initial struggle. Michael, the speaker, also shared his personal experience of finding a career that aligned with his adventurous spirit and curiosity, emphasizing the importance of pursuing something that brings joy and fulfillment, even if it involves risk. Ultimately, the comfort crisis, as Michael put it, is about recognizing that we risk missing out on valuable experiences and growth by hesitating to take the leap into the unknown. To learn more from Michael, check out his newsletter at twopctdot.com and follow him on social media.