The Science of Self

• Getting right in body, mind, and soul means adopting the attitudes and mindsets that make a self-disciplined life possible. Firstly, make a plan to reduce, remove, and avoid temptations. If you are…

The pleasure principle asserts that the human mind does everything it can to seek out pleasure and avoid pain. It doesnt think; it doesnt analyze; it just acts like a blind animal urgently moving in …

Make sure you are scheduling in ample time to rest and recuperate, as well as time to acknowledge your progress and reward yourself. This is crucial for your ongoing success!

Show notes and/or episode…

When you think of Buddhism, the world discipline is usually not far away. In fact, discipline is right at the core of Buddhist teachings.

Its tenets emphasize maintaining a sense of control over one’s…

When we label ourselves or others as lazy, are we really doing ourselves justice, or is there more to that simple and overused term? What can we learn about simple laziness to defeat it and perhaps s…

The question becomes: how can you strengthen your vagal tone? The most prominent way is to work on deep, diaphragmatic breathing, as breath is one of the vagus nerve’s key regulators. The more slowl…

Working with the limitations of your own brain requires an honest appraisal of where you are and how you’re functioning. Make it a habit to routinely assess yourself on the following aspects, on a sc…

If you don’t have one already, establish a rock-solid morning routine that gets you started on the right foot. Each person has their own unique biorhythms, but most of us benefit from having regular …

The vagus nerve is the embodiment of the phrase “mind-body connection.” Why is that? Because thats what it literally does. Its a cranial nerve that runs through the entire body, and through some smar…

* Mental Model #28: Sturgeon's Law: 90% of everything is crap, so be selective with your time and energy. Start with the 10% absolute non-crap and slowly work your way out. This is a more restrictive…

It sounds basic, but you cannot cultivate self-discipline without the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. You can fuel your willpower by considering how to fuel your body first. There are many differe…

Speaking of more neural connections, learning how to play an instrument or speak a new language literally activates dormant or underused parts of your brain. These skills provide different types of a…

Mental Model #26: Hanlon's Razor: Malicious acts are far more likely to be explained by incompetence, stupidity, or neglect; assumptions about one's intentions are likely to be wrong. Improve your re…

To become more disciplined, focus on your bad habits and work not to eliminate them but replace them with better ones. Observe your current habits, understand the purpose they serve, their triggers a…

The first piece of true brain training is to embrace novelty, challenge, and everything that makes you struggle a bit mentally. Thats when actual neural growth is occurring—just like the gym and phys…

Mental Model #24: Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, so make sure it doesn't have the opportunity. Don't rely on just getting by; make sure that you are as fail-safe as possible.

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Choose a goal, set a timeframe, and then choose some appropriate metrics to track and monitor your progression. Keep this visible and concrete, to inspire you, give you a sense of focus and accomplis…

The efficacy of brain training programs has been dispelled multiple times. This is because we can’t necessarily train ourselves to be more intelligent, strictly speaking. We can, however, engage our …

Mental Model #23: Avoid the Path of Least Resistance.

Does something appear too easy? It's too good to be true. Avoid it. Seek resistance, because that's a sign that you are on the right path. On a d…