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What's inside the Library
Dark Night of The Soul
Navigating The Dark Night, Ego Death, Hero’s Journey, Identity Death & Rebirth, Wake Up Call, Doing The Work, Chaos Cycles, Spiritual Crisis
Rise & Shine
How To Start The Day, Morning Routines, Stoic AM Habits, Two-Minute Mornings, Kickstarting The Brain, The Night Before, The 5AM Club, Morning Pages, Miracle ...
Discipline
Stoicism & Discipline, Science Of Discipline, The Ulysses Contract, The Marshmallow Test, Self-Control, The Willpower Instinct, Temptation & Hot States, Temptation Bundling, If-Then Planning
Boredom
Creative Breakthroughs, Tedium & Deep Work, Letting Mind Wander, Need For Discovery, Why We Get Bored, Out Of My Skull, Curiosity & Ingenuity
Procrastination
The “Do Something Principle”, Why We’re Waiting, Solving Procrastination, Role Of The Ego, Delay As Stress Relief, Our Use Of Time, Timing Things Right, Procrastinating ...
Bias & Filters
Optimism Bias, Negativity Bias, The Halo Effect, Status Quo Bias, Confirmation Bias, The Invisible Gorilla, Emotions & Perception, The Brain’s Filter, Implicit Bias
Victim Mentality
Interpreting Bad Events, Braving Hard Times, Victim Complex, Radical Responsibility, Spotting Victim Thinking, Drama Triangle, Control Dramas, Power Trips, Learned Helplessness
Sugar
Everyday Poison, Why We Crave It, Link With Cancer, Impact Of Fructose, Link With Alzheimer’s, Accelerated Aging, Balancing Glucose, Quitting Sugar, 60 Days Of ...
Archetypes
The Parts That Live Inside Us, Internal Family Systems, Alter Egos, Trauma & Fragmentation, Archetypes In Our Lives, Symphony Of Selves, Id, Ego & Supergo, ...
Toxic Positivity
The Risks Of A “Good Vibes Only” Attitude, Forcing Happiness, The Antidote To Too Much Positivity, Relentless Optimism & Appreciating "Beautiful Terrible Days", When Positivity ...
Crash & Burn(out)
The Stress Cycle, Productivity & Burnout, Focus & Priorities, Tapping Into Flow States, Spotting Signs Of Burnout, Work Vs Reward, Job Satisfaction, Striving Without Burnout, ...
Creativity
The War Of Art, Big Magic, The Practice, Rules For Writing, Unlocking Creativity, Neuroscience Of Creativity,
Creative Confidence, The Artist’s Way, The Creative Process
Aimlessness
Lacking Direction, Liminality, Being In Limbo, Being Lost & Found, Reframing Our Thinking, Feeling Behind In Life, Finding Our North Star, Knowing What We Want, ...
Dreams
Why We Dream, Neuroscience Of Dreaming, How We Learn & Forget, Lucid Dreaming, Nightmares, Recurring Dreams, Healing Power Of Dreams, Hypnagogia, Remembering Dreams
Broken Pieces
Broken Open, Facing The Inexplicable, Stoicism & Bad News, When Things Fall Apart, Endings & Beginnings, If The Worst Happens, Loss & Betrayal, Healing Heartbreak, ...
Radical Acceptance
Radical Acceptance, The Stockdale Paradox, Amor Fati, Intense Realism, How Radical Acceptance Works, Accepting Reality, Recipe For Happiness, Ending Resistance, Embracing Our Fate
Happiness
Antifragility, The Blue Zones, The Happiness Equation, Chasing Happiness, Stoicism & Happiness, Minimalism, The Happiness Project, The Hedonic Treadmill, Spontaneous Happiness
I Can Do It
Growth Mindset, Figuring It Out, Expectations, Grit & Growth Mindset, “Can-If” Thinking, Being Open To Possibility, “Get Better” Mindset, Tackling Failure
Constraints
“Messy” Situations, Embracing Our “Shakes”, Obstacles & Opportunities, “Stretching” Mindset, “Can-If Thinking”, Being The Underdog, Laws Of Subtraction, Resourcefulness
Sleep
Why We Sleep, Mood, Memory & Diet, The Secret World Of Sleep, Body Clocks, Sleep Chronotypes, Caffeine & Sleep, Alcohol & Sleep, Insomnia, Aging & ...
Self-Sabotage
What Drives Self-Sabotage, Self-Protection, Self-Sabotaging Habits, Underlying Beliefs, Upper Limit Problems, Self-Handicapping, How We Can Stop, Roots Of Self-Destruction
Forgiveness
Rage & Forgiveness, Finding Closure, Letting It Hurt & Heal, Perspective & Acceptance, Forcing Forgiveness, Allowing For Time, Transcending Pain, Forgiveness & Recovery, Inability To ...
Dopamine
Dopamine Nation, Science Of Dopamine, Focus & Motivation, Molecule Of More, Dopamine Fasting, Controlling Dopamine, Apps & Social Media, Chasing Dopamine, The Power Of ...
Acting As If
The Alter Ego Effect, As If Principle, Embodied Cognition, Attitude & Aging, Acting Younger, Posture & Posing, The Batman Effect, Changing How We Feel
Higher Cause
Effective Altruism, Doing The Right Thing, Moral Ambition, Having A Just Cause, Creating A Vision, Committing To Vision, Giving To Others, Pursuing Noble Goals, Social ...
Hero(ine)’s Journey
The Hero’s Journey, The Key Steps, The Heroine’s Journey, The Artist’s Journey, Treasure in Dark Places, Myth As A Guide, Facing Setbacks, Rites Of Passage, ...
Practicality
Being Realistic, The WOOP Technique, Pre-Mortems, Anticipating Misfortune, Practical Pessimism, Embracing Reality, Intense Realism, Realistic Optimism, Power Of Pessimism
Contagion
Contagious Emotions, The Facebook Study, Catching Others’ Moods, The Ripple Effect, Highly Sensitive People, Empathy & Boundaries, Mirror Neurons, Why Yawning Spreads
Exercise
Exercise Myths, Exercise & Longevity, Exercise & The Brain, Hope & Mental Health, Cardio & Weight Loss, The Hadza Study, Turning Back The Clock, Slowing ...
Failure
Path To Innovation, Failure Resumes, Flipside Of Failure, Constructive Failure, Learning Acceptance, “The Rise”, “Failosophy”, Failure & The Growth Mindset, “The Long Game”
Adaptability
Adaptability Quotients, Diversification, Adapting To Change, Having A “Flux Mindset”, Becoming “Formless”, Adapting To What Life Hands Us, Mindful Change, "Be Like Water", The Way ...
Attachment
Attachment Styles, Anxious, Avoidant, Disorganised & Secure Attachment, Authenticity Struggles, Trauma Bonds, The Strange Situation, Healing Wounds
Habits
Atomic Habits, Science Of Habits, Stoicism & Habits, Two-Minute Rule, How Habits Work, Scarcity Loop, Fresh Start Effect, Habit Strategies, Tiny Habits
Addiction
Unresolved Pain, Childhood Trauma, Lack Of Connection, Rat Park, Role Of Dopamine, Recovery & Redemption, Freeing Ourselves, Why We Relapse, Shame & Addiction, Coping ...
Problem-Solving
Lateral Thinking, Workshopping Ideas, Elastic Thinking, Design Thinking, Asking Right Questions, Six Thinking Hats, Functional Fixedness, Problems Solving Us, Finding Root Causes
Learning Curve
The First 20 Hours, Accelerated Learning, The Art Of Learning, How To Remember What We Learn, Learning & The Brain, Active Recall, Disfluency, Desirable ...
Neuroplasticity
Training The Brain, Overriding Limiting Beliefs, Hardwiring Happiness, How Our Brains Work, Brain Adaptability, Neuroplasticity Super Protocol, Plasticity & Aging, Power Of Movement, Emotions & ...
The Unconscious
Hypnosis & Healing, If We’re Hypnotisable, Multiple Minds & Desires, Hidden Secrets, Subconscious Limitations, “Drunk Tank Pink”, Early Life Programming, Subconscious & Behaviour, Accessing Hidden ...
Trauma
The Signs Of Trauma, Trauma & The Body, The Myth Of Normal, Complex Trauma, Trauma Bonds, Stuck Emotions, The ACE Study, TRE Techniques, The Emotion ...
Baby Steps
Getting 1% Better A Day, Keeping It Small & Simple, Do Something Principle, The Progress Principle, Taking Small Steps, Celebrating Small Wins, Incremental Improvement, The ...
Easy As…
“Effortless”, Rethinking Hard Work, What If It Was Easy?, Trying Not To Try, Wu Wei & Taoism, “Don’t Try”, The 80/20 Principle, The Backwards ...
Psychosomatic
T.M.S. & Pain Psychology, When The Body Says No, Unlearning Our Pain, Training The Brain, Thinking Away Our Pain, Processing Emotions, Somatic Experiencing, The Nocebo ...
Me, Myself & I
Self-Compassion, Being There For Ourselves, True Self Acceptance, Affirming Values, Self-Confidence Vs Ego, Feeling Enough, Embracing Disowned Parts, Having Our Own Backs, Healthy Self-Esteem
Risk, Caution
Why Risk Matters, Comfort As The Enemy, Expanding Our Reach, Growth Vs Comfort Zone, Embracing Discomfort, Comfort Challenges, Poking The Box, Facing Rejection, The Discomfort ...
Stories
How We Are Unreliable Narrators, Ego Stories, “The Work”, Narrative Identity, Identity Shifting, Reconstructing Pasts, Reframing Stories, Stories Around Grief, Narrative Psychology
Critical Inner Voice
Managing “Chatter”, Sub-Personalities, Attachment, Quietening Hostile Voices, Origins Of Inner Critic, Negative Identities, Self-Compassion, Automatic Thoughts, The Role Of Shame
Resistance
The War Of Art, Beating Resistance, Lizard Brain, What Stops Us, Sources Of Resistance, Delays & Restrictions, Creative Fears, The Artist’s Way Tools
Gratitude
Thanking A Thousand, Happiness From Gratitude, Gratitude & The Brain, Receiving Thanks, Impact On Physiology, Gratitude In Hard Times, Transforming Ourselves, Priming & Gratitude, Why ...
A Walk In The Park
Happiness & Longevity, Power Of Movement, Evolution & Exercise, Creativity & Insight, “Hope Molecules”, Moving Vs Exercise, Reshaping The Brain, Forest Bathing, Healing Walks
Purpose
Our Life’s Task, Using Our Time Well, Meaningful Work, Problems We Can Solve, Purpose From Pain, Finding Our “Why”, A Life On Purpose, The Power ...
Focus
Deep Work, Attention Crisis, Beating Distraction, Mental Models, Science Of Focus, Single Tasking, Paying Attention, Performance Drivers, Focus & Mastery
Switching Off
Digital Minimalism, Stoicism & Stillness, Taking Breaks, How To Do Nothing, The Value In Recharging, “Unfocusing”, Daydreaming, Walks & Creativity, Ideas In The Shower
Aging
Why We Age, The Telomere Effect, “Super Longevity”, Longevity Genes, Extending Lifespans, Sleep & Aging Well, Exercise & Aging, Aging Well, Naturally, Aging & ...
Alcohol
Alcohol As A Drug, Alternatives To Drinking, Impact On Health, Effect On Sleep, Choosing Sobriety, One Year, No Beer, How Quitting Feels, The Easy Way ...
Passion
The Passion Paradox, Finding Your Element, Intrinsic Skills, Skills Vs Passion, Strengths & Virtues, Harmonious Passion, Pathways To Bliss, Passion In Practice, The Hero’s ...
Ambition
Aiming High, Avoiding Clearer Paths To Lesser Goals, Stoicism & Success, Having A Dream, What’s Required, Making It Happen, The 10X Rule, Being Unrealistic, Raising ...
Resilience
Stoicism & Resilience, Dealing With Grief, “Supersurviving”, The Stockdale Paradox, Resilient Mindsets, Doing Hard Things, Thinking Traps, Emotional Resilience, Nine Steps To Resilience
Perfectionism
The Perfection Trap, Becoming Flawesome, Brave, Not Perfect, Gifts Of Imperfection, Progress Vs Perfection, Imposter Syndrome, Optimalism, Wabi-Sabi, Kintsugi
Confidence
Ego Vs Confidence, “F*ck Your Mood”, The Confident Mind, Mastery & Confidence, Accepting Failure, Confidence Myths, Gaining Experience, The Confidence Code, Brain Hacks
Meditation
What Meditation Is, Meditation For Skeptics, Easing Stress, Transformative Power, Impact On The Brain, Agent Of Healing, Reducing Reactivity, Happiness & Resilience, Physical Health
Negativity
Prioritising What’s Wrong, The Power Of Bad, Beating Negativity Bias, Negative Fixations, Gratitude As Antidote, Impact Of TV News, Doom-Scrolling, Premeditatio Malorum, Addiction To ...
Facing Pain
Embracing Darker Emotions, Taking Responsibility, The Completion Process, Feeling To Heal, Emotional Suppression, Benefits Of Crying, Why We Resist, Healing Physical Pain, Being Present
Grit
Passion & Perseverance, The Types of Grit, Formula For Grit, Stoicism & Grit, Mental Toughness, Science Of Endurance, Gritty Traits, Killing Our Excuses, “The Long ...
Ikigai
Japanese Philosophy, Art Of Living A Meaningful Life, The Truth Of Ikigai, Living Your Ikigai, The Ikigai Way, Turning Passion Into Profit, The 5 Pillars ...
Work, Life, Balance
Lifestyle Design, A Well Lived Life, The 4 Metrics, Life Vs Work, Time Poor vs Time Rich, Purpose, Work-Life Integration
Inadequate
Imposter Syndrome, Roots Of Insecurities, Unrealistic Expectations, Self-Doubt, Limiting Beliefs, Not Good Enough, Pillars Of Self-Esteem, Feeling Inferior, Perfectionism
The Difficult Years
Obstacles & Opportunities, Alive Vs Dead Time, The Messy Middle, Navigating “The Dip”, Handling Setbacks, Reframing Problems, “The Long Game”, When To Quit
Groupthink
Dangers Of Group Identity, Wired For Conformity, Stanford Prison Experiment, Milgram Experiment, Asch Conformity Test, Echo Chambers, Groups & Creativity, In & Out-Groups, Herd ...
Startup
Million Dollar Weekend, Starting A Business, Side Hustles, What It Takes, The Unexpected, Value Creation, Intrapreneurs, Quantum Of Utility, Lessons From Reddit
Entwined
Codependency, Sacrificing Our Selves, Giving “Too Much”, Attachment Influences, Attuning To Others, Healing Codependency, PTSD & Codependency, Enmeshed Families, Hypervigilance, Adult Self-Neglect
Scarcity & Lack
Scarcity Brains, The Cult Of “More”, The Gap & The Gain, How Much Is Enough, Money Relationships, What We Actually Need, Relative Deprivation, Our Money ...
Rage
Reframing Anger, The Roots Of Anger, Channelling Anger, Need For Assertiveness, The Upside Of Anger, Healing Anger, Anger As Motivation, Getting “Hooked”, Releasing Resentment
Food & Mood
Diet & Mental Health, Brain Health, Healing Anxiety, Nutritional Psychiatry, Food As Medicine, Diet & Depression, The Biology Of Mood, Impact Of Junk Food
Manifesting
Science Of Manifesting, Manifesting Practicalities, Truth, Visualising & Action, Removing Internal Blocks, Who We Are Vs What We Do, Tricking The Brain, Focused Attention, Working ...
Fantasy, Reality
The Third Door, Turning Pro, Shipping Our Work, Putting Ideas Out There, Plans Vs Strategies, What It Takes To Write A Book, Building From Scratch, ...
Fasting
Science Of Fasting, When We Eat, Weight Loss, Longevity, Anti-Aging Benefits, Water Fasting, Ketosis, Dinner vs Breakfast, One Meal A Day
Square Eyes
Social Media, “Stolen Focus”, Tech & The Brain, “Irresistable” Tech, Why Tech Is Addictive, Managing Distraction, Digital Minimalism, “The Social Dilemma”, Dopamine & Apps
Energy Psychology
Science Of The Biofield, Energy Medicine, Boosting Vitality & Health, Biofield Tuning, Acupuncture Points, Tapping (EFT), Tapping (EFT) Basics, Bioenergy Medicine, The Healer
The Shadow
Facing Rejected Selves, Letting Go Of Old Stories, Shadow Work Journalling, Revealing Hidden Aspects, Growing Via Shadow Work, Integrating Our Shadow, Carl Jung & The ...
The Zone
Science Of Flow, Happiness & Creativity, Flow Triggers, Flow Cycles, Objectives & Outcomes, Effortless Action, Peak States, Transcendence, Taoism & Wu Wei
Mastery
Mastery, Mastering Our Life Task, First Rule Of Mastery, The Real Work, Practice, Energy & Emotion, 10,000 Hour Rule, Deliberate Practice, Building Expertise, Practicing Like ...
Relax, Unwind
The Art Of Rest, Deliberate Rest, Yoga Nidra (NSDR), The Relaxation Response, Powering Down, Stoicism & Stillness, Niksen (Doing Nothing), Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Fellowship
The Village Effect, Happiness & Longevity, Social Health, Wired To Connect, Emotional Health, Coming Together, Science Of Connection, Power Of Moai
Live (& Let Die)
Relationship With Death, Actively Pondering Death, Memento Mori, Facing Mortality, Mortality & Motivation, Terror Management Theory, Death Anxiety, Death Denial, Learning To Live Fully
Structure & Routine
Sticking With Habits, Stoic Routines, Famous Routines, Time Management, “Drunk Tank Pink”, Environment Design, Behavioural Triggers, Working From Home, Morning Routines
Closure
Writing About The Past, “The Last Word”, Expressive Writing, What Doesn’t Serves Us, How To Move On, What Closure Is, Ambiguous Loss, Getting Over ...
Taking Action
"Smarter, Faster, Better", Getting Things Done, Slow Productivity, Productivity Tricks, Stoicism & Productivity, Do Something Principle, Clarity Via Action, Two-Minute Rule, The Zeigarnik Effect
Agency
The Power Of Agency, The Power Paradox, Feeling Empowered, Feeling In Control, Radical Responsibility, What We Can Control, The Locus Of Control, Autonomy & Drive, ...
Under Pressure
Upside Of Stress, Stoicism & Stress, Mastering Stress, “Choking” Under Pressure, Nerves Vs Excitement, Anxiety Reappraisal, Yerkes-Dodson Law, Beating Overwhelm, Time Anxiety
Nervous System
Mastering Nervous System, Polyvagal Theory, Disregulation, Vagus Nerve, Fight Or Flight Response, Hypervigilance, Freeze Response, Parasympathetic Response, How To Feel Safe
Target
Setting & Achieving Goals, Stretch & SMART Goals, Visualising End Result, Thinking Big, Top Level Goals, Being Realistic, Goals Vs Systems, The WOOP Technique, Rules ...
Luck & Opportunity
Principles Of Luck, Weak Ties, Serendipity Mindset, Seizing Opportunities, Lessons From Poker, Taking Small Risks, Being Prepared, Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Comparison & Envy
Assessing Own Progress, Rivalry & Mimetic Desire, Jealousy As Motivation, Signs To Take Action, Active Vs Passive Envy, “Worthy Rivals”, Self-Evaluation, Roots Of Insecurity, Idol ...
Depression
Hidden Causes Of Depression, Scaling Back The Dragon, Spotting The Signs, Types Of Depression, Futility, Apathy, Hopelessness, Emotional Suppression, Junk Food
Stoic
Memento Mori, Amor Fati, Reframing Obstacles, Negative Visualisation, Premeditatio Malorum, What We Can Control, Becoming Resilient, Managing Stress, Apatheia & Ataraxia
Boundaries
Putting Our Needs First, Stopping People-Pleasing, Healthy Boundaries, Getting Priorities Straight, How To Say “No”, Giving & Taking, “Obliger” Tendencies, When The Body Says No, ...
Patience
The Slow Movement, Slow Productivity, Cultivating Calm, Learning To Breathe, How To Slow Down, Patience In Business, The Delayed Response, Savouring The Moment, Hurry ...
Shame
What Shame Tells Us, Shame & Addiction, Shame As A Reaction, Toxic Shame, Grandiosity & Shame, Trauma & Shame, Inner Critic & Shame, Negative Self-Talk, ...
Mindfulness
Rethinking Mindfulness, Mindlessness, Developing Mindsight, Learning To Be Present, Mindfulness Practices, The Mindfulness Movie, Self-Regulation, The Nine Attitudes
Meaning
The Meaning Crisis, Antidote To Hardship, What Really Matters, Lessons From The Holocaust, Meaning Vs Happiness, Eradicating Meaningless, Finding Our Own Meaning, Ikigai Recipe For ...
Latest Blog posts
When Our “Passion” Fails To Deliver
What to do when our passion project ceases to be one.
Is It Procrastination Or Is It This?
It might very well be procrastination. But it might also be that we feel helpless.
Distraction Isn’t Always The Enemy
Yes, it’s important to focus. But those times when we can't matter just as much as well.
When Positive Thinking Is Hard, Try This
Why we need to consider the idea of radically accepting what is missing in our lives.