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What's inside the Library
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
Ego & Pride
Ego Is The Enemy, Ego & Creativity, Success & Humility, Ego Stories, Ego Defense Mechanisms, Authentic Pride, Keeping Ego In Check, Ego Work, Id, Ego ...
Triggers
Triggers As A Gift, Understanding Triggers, Amygdala Hijack, Resolving Triggers, Responding Vs Reacting, Getting “Hooked”, Escaping Discomfort, The “Pain-Body”, Core Pain
Boredom
Creative Breakthroughs, Tedium & Deep Work, Letting Mind Wander, Need For Discovery, Why We Get Bored, Out Of My Skull, Curiosity & Ingenuity
Stories
How We Are Unreliable Narrators, Ego Stories, “The Work”, Narrative Identity, Identity Shifting, Reconstructing Pasts, Reframing Stories, Stories Around Grief, Narrative Psychology
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 ...
Gratitude
Thanking A Thousand, Happiness From Gratitude, Gratitude & The Brain, Receiving Thanks, Impact On Physiology, Gratitude In Hard Times, Transforming Ourselves, Priming & Gratitude, Why ...
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
Stoic
Memento Mori, Amor Fati, Reframing Obstacles, Negative Visualisation, Premeditatio Malorum, What We Can Control, Becoming Resilient, Managing Stress, Apatheia & Ataraxia
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, ...
Dopamine
Dopamine Nation, Science Of Dopamine, Focus & Motivation, Molecule Of More, Dopamine Fasting, Controlling Dopamine, Apps & Social Media, Chasing Dopamine, The Power Of ...
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
Intimacy
Power Of Vulnerability, Connection & Belonging, The Fear Of Intimacy, Attachment & Intimacy, Death Anxiety, Fostering Intimacy, Building Trust, Emotional Safety, Radically Open DBT
Creative Block
Writer’s Block Fallacy, Writing A Book, Action & Momentum, Fear, Structure & Tenacity, Creating A Breakthrough, How To Make It Easier, Morning Pages, Design Thinking, ...
Hope & Optimism
If Everything Is F*cked, Active Optimism, Getting Ahead In Life, Hope Molecules, Optimism Vs Being Realistic, Learned Optimism, Pathways To Hope, Optimism In Hard Times, ...
Relax, Unwind
The Art Of Rest, Deliberate Rest, Yoga Nidra (NSDR), The Relaxation Response, Powering Down, Stoicism & Stillness, Niksen (Doing Nothing), Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Priorities
Essentialism, The One Thing, Prioritisation Strategies, What Matters Most, Big Picture Thinking, Clarifying Values, Top Level Goals, Prioritisation Tricks, Eisenhower Matrix
Clarity
Stoicism & “Stillness”, Emptying Our Heads, Taking Action, Clear Thinking & Decisions, Clarity Habits & Routines, How To Clear Brain Fog, Knowing What We Want, ...
Focus
Deep Work, Attention Crisis, Beating Distraction, Mental Models, Science Of Focus, Single Tasking, Paying Attention, Performance Drivers, Focus & Mastery
Shame
What Shame Tells Us, Shame & Addiction, Shame As A Reaction, Toxic Shame, Grandiosity & Shame, Trauma & Shame, Inner Critic & Shame, Negative Self-Talk, ...
Uncertainty
Fear Of The Unknown, Embracing Uncertainty, Certainty As An Illusion, Experimental Mindset, Gateway To Possibility, Creativity & Uncertainty, Facing The Unknown, “Poking The Box”, The ...
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
Archetypes
The Parts That Live Inside Us, Internal Family Systems, Alter Egos, Trauma & Fragmentation, Archetypes In Our Lives, Symphony Of Selves, Id, Ego & Supergo, ...
Startup
Million Dollar Weekend, Starting A Business, Side Hustles, What It Takes, The Unexpected, Value Creation, Intrapreneurs, Quantum Of Utility, Lessons From Reddit
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 ...
Journalling
Stoicism & Journalling, Getting A Clear Head, Improving Our Thinking, 30-Day Experiments, Bullet Journal Method, Self-Authoring, Morning Pages, Fostering Positivity, Expressive Writing
Forgiveness
Rage & Forgiveness, Finding Closure, Letting It Hurt & Heal, Perspective & Acceptance, Forcing Forgiveness, Allowing For Time, Transcending Pain, Forgiveness & Recovery, Inability To ...
Neuroplasticity
Training The Brain, Overriding Limiting Beliefs, Hardwiring Happiness, How Our Brains Work, Brain Adaptability, Neuroplasticity Super Protocol, Plasticity & Aging, Power Of Movement, Emotions & ...
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
Imagination
Visualising Goals, Learning Via Visualisation, Imagination & The Brain, Vision Boards & The Brain, Imagination & Visualisation In Sport, Expanding What’s Possible, Aphantasia, Blind Man’s ...
Grit
Passion & Perseverance, The Types of Grit, Formula For Grit, Stoicism & Grit, Mental Toughness, Science Of Endurance, Gritty Traits, Killing Our Excuses, “The Long ...
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
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 ...
Catastrophic
Hopelessness, Catastrophic Thinking, Tackling "Thinking Traps", Learned Helplessness, How We Interpret Bad Events, Overcoming Despair, Doomer Tendencies, Doom-Scrolling, Complex Trauma
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
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 ...
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
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 ...
Square Eyes
Social Media, “Stolen Focus”, Tech & The Brain, “Irresistable” Tech, Why Tech Is Addictive, Managing Distraction, Digital Minimalism, “The Social Dilemma”, Dopamine & Apps
Food & Mood
Diet & Mental Health, Brain Health, Healing Anxiety, Nutritional Psychiatry, Food As Medicine, Diet & Depression, The Biology Of Mood, Impact Of Junk Food
Confidence
Ego Vs Confidence, “F*ck Your Mood”, The Confident Mind, Mastery & Confidence, Accepting Failure, Confidence Myths, Gaining Experience, The Confidence Code, Brain Hacks
Fasting
Science Of Fasting, When We Eat, Weight Loss, Longevity, Anti-Aging Benefits, Water Fasting, Ketosis, Dinner vs Breakfast, One Meal A Day
Contagion
Contagious Emotions, The Facebook Study, Catching Others’ Moods, The Ripple Effect, Highly Sensitive People, Empathy & Boundaries, Mirror Neurons, Why Yawning Spreads
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
Practicality
Being Realistic, The WOOP Technique, Pre-Mortems, Anticipating Misfortune, Practical Pessimism, Embracing Reality, Intense Realism, Realistic Optimism, Power Of Pessimism
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, ...
Growing Pains
Benefits Of Suffering, Antifragility, Post-Traumatic Growth, “Supersurvivors”, Evolving From Pain, Meaning In Adversity, Advesity As a “Gift”, What Doesn’t Kill Us, Happiness & Adversity
Fellowship
The Village Effect, Happiness & Longevity, Social Health, Wired To Connect, Emotional Health, Coming Together, Science Of Connection, Power Of Moai
Alone
The Anatomy Of Loneliness, The Cure For Loneliness, Finding Connections, Fostering Genuine Connections, Power Of Solitude, How To Feel Connected, Navigating Aloneness, Feeling Alone In ...
Switching Off
Digital Minimalism, Stoicism & Stillness, Taking Breaks, How To Do Nothing, The Value In Recharging, “Unfocusing”, Daydreaming, Walks & Creativity, Ideas In The Shower
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
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 ...
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
Misfit
Fitting In Vs Belonging, Being Awkward, The Underdog Advantage, Underdogs Vs Giants, Original Thinkers, Being An Introvert, Cultivating Weirdness, The Freak Factor, Upside Of Not ...
Entwined
Codependency, Sacrificing Our Selves, Giving “Too Much”, Attachment Influences, Attuning To Others, Healing Codependency, PTSD & Codependency, Enmeshed Families, Hypervigilance, Adult Self-Neglect
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 ...
Happiness
Antifragility, The Blue Zones, The Happiness Equation, Chasing Happiness, Stoicism & Happiness, Minimalism, The Happiness Project, The Hedonic Treadmill, Spontaneous Happiness
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, ...
Inadequate
Imposter Syndrome, Roots Of Insecurities, Unrealistic Expectations, Self-Doubt, Limiting Beliefs, Not Good Enough, Pillars Of Self-Esteem, Feeling Inferior, Perfectionism
Intrinsic Motivation
What Motivates Us, What’s Our Payoff, The Science Of Motivation, The Power Of Autonomy, Self-Determination, The Goldilocks Rule, The Autotelic Personality, Our Basic Needs
F**k It
The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F**k, Getting Over The Fear Of Other People's Opinions, “Let Them” Theory,
Stoic Ways To Care Less, Saying ...
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 ...
Problem-Solving
Lateral Thinking, Workshopping Ideas, Elastic Thinking, Design Thinking, Asking Right Questions, Six Thinking Hats, Functional Fixedness, Problems Solving Us, Finding Root Causes
Caffeine
Caffeine Addiction, Sleep & Exhaustion, Caffeine Intake, What Too Much Caffeine Does, Caffeine's Impact On Brain, Focus & Productivity, Quitting Effects
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, ...
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 ...
Luck & Opportunity
Principles Of Luck, Weak Ties, Serendipity Mindset, Seizing Opportunities, Lessons From Poker, Taking Small Risks, Being Prepared, Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
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 ...
Groupthink
Dangers Of Group Identity, Wired For Conformity, Stanford Prison Experiment, Milgram Experiment, Asch Conformity Test, Echo Chambers, Groups & Creativity, In & Out-Groups, Herd ...
Authenticity
Habits & Identity, Attachment Issues, Finding Integrity, Congruence, True Belonging, The Three Pillars, “One Last Talk”, False Vs True Self, Being Inauthentic
Structure & Routine
Sticking With Habits, Stoic Routines, Famous Routines, Time Management, “Drunk Tank Pink”, Environment Design, Behavioural Triggers, Working From Home, Morning Routines
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 ...
Aging
Why We Age, The Telomere Effect, “Super Longevity”, Longevity Genes, Extending Lifespans, Sleep & Aging Well, Exercise & Aging, Aging Well, Naturally, Aging & ...
Paradise Lost
Navigating Grief, “Good Grief”, Managing Expectations, What Prevents Healing, Resilience & Grief, Anticipatory Grief, Complicated Grief, Ambiguous Loss, 5 Stages Of Grief
Broken Pieces
Broken Open, Facing The Inexplicable, Stoicism & Bad News, When Things Fall Apart, Endings & Beginnings, If The Worst Happens, Loss & Betrayal, Healing Heartbreak, ...
Dreams
Why We Dream, Neuroscience Of Dreaming, How We Learn & Forget, Lucid Dreaming, Nightmares, Recurring Dreams, Healing Power Of Dreams, Hypnagogia, Remembering Dreams
Under Pressure
Upside Of Stress, Stoicism & Stress, Mastering Stress, “Choking” Under Pressure, Nerves Vs Excitement, Anxiety Reappraisal, Yerkes-Dodson Law, Beating Overwhelm, Time Anxiety
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
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 ...
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 ...
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
Beliefs
The Art Of Rethinking, Our Hidden Beliefs, Personality Change, Self-Image & Belief, Taking Ownership, “The Work”, The Lefkoe Method, Early Life Influences, Metacognition
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 ...
Addiction
Unresolved Pain, Childhood Trauma, Lack Of Connection, Rat Park, Role Of Dopamine, Recovery & Redemption, Freeing Ourselves, Why We Relapse, Shame & Addiction, Coping ...
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 ...
The Zone
Science Of Flow, Happiness & Creativity, Flow Triggers, Flow Cycles, Objectives & Outcomes, Effortless Action, Peak States, Transcendence, Taoism & Wu Wei
Emotional Literacy
Identifying Emotions, Emotional Agility, Emotional Granularity, Labelling Emotions, Affective Labelling,
Emotional Vocabulary, Name It To Tame It, The Feelings Wheel, Mindfulness Of Current Events (Or ...
Tribe
1,000 True Fans, Smallest Viable Audience, Creating “Superfans”, Networking, Building A Tribe, Contagious Ideas, Starting From Nothing, Finding Your Niche
Resistance
The War Of Art, Beating Resistance, Lizard Brain, What Stops Us, Sources Of Resistance, Delays & Restrictions, Creative Fears, The Artist’s Way Tools
Perfectionism
The Perfection Trap, Becoming Flawesome, Brave, Not Perfect, Gifts Of Imperfection, Progress Vs Perfection, Imposter Syndrome, Optimalism, Wabi-Sabi, Kintsugi
If Only…
Power Of Regret, “Bittersweet” Longing, Brooding Alternatives, Accepting The Past, Counterfactual Thinking, “Time Perspectives”, Past Authoring, Constructive Wallowing, Rumination
Constraints
“Messy” Situations, Embracing Our “Shakes”, Obstacles & Opportunities, “Stretching” Mindset, “Can-If Thinking”, Being The Underdog, Laws Of Subtraction, Resourcefulness
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
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
Depression
Hidden Causes Of Depression, Scaling Back The Dragon, Spotting The Signs, Types Of Depression, Futility, Apathy, Hopelessness, Emotional Suppression, Junk Food
Cracking Up
Rethinking Madness, Madness & Shamanism, The Myth Of Normal, Spiritual Crisis, Spiritual Emergency, Hypersanity, Spiritual Awakening, Transforming After Crisis, Open Dialogue
Habits
Atomic Habits, Science Of Habits, Stoicism & Habits, Two-Minute Rule, How Habits Work, Scarcity Loop, Fresh Start Effect, Habit Strategies, Tiny Habits
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.