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What's inside the Library
Boredom
Creative Breakthroughs, Tedium & Deep Work, Letting Mind Wander, Need For Discovery, Why We Get Bored, Out Of My Skull, Curiosity & Ingenuity
Perfectionism
The Perfection Trap, Becoming Flawesome, Brave, Not Perfect, Gifts Of Imperfection, Progress Vs Perfection, Imposter Syndrome, Optimalism, Wabi-Sabi, Kintsugi
Priorities
Essentialism, The One Thing, Prioritisation Strategies, What Matters Most, Big Picture Thinking, Clarifying Values, Top Level Goals, Prioritisation Tricks, Eisenhower Matrix
If Only…
Power Of Regret, “Bittersweet” Longing, Brooding Alternatives, Accepting The Past, Counterfactual Thinking, “Time Perspectives”, Past Authoring, Constructive Wallowing, Rumination
Aging
Why We Age, The Telomere Effect, “Super Longevity”, Longevity Genes, Extending Lifespans, Sleep & Aging Well, Exercise & Aging, Aging Well, Naturally, Aging & ...
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 ...
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 ...
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
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, ...
Happiness
Antifragility, The Blue Zones, The Happiness Equation, Chasing Happiness, Stoicism & Happiness, Minimalism, The Happiness Project, The Hedonic Treadmill, Spontaneous Happiness
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
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
Contagion
Contagious Emotions, The Facebook Study, Catching Others’ Moods, The Ripple Effect, Highly Sensitive People, Empathy & Boundaries, Mirror Neurons, Why Yawning Spreads
Mind & Matter
The Mindful Body, The Placebo Effect, Power Of Expectations, The Nocebo Effect, The Milkshake Experiment, Lessons From The Iceman, All The Rage, Healing By The ...
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 ...
Work, Life, Balance
Lifestyle Design, A Well Lived Life, The 4 Metrics, Life Vs Work, Time Poor vs Time Rich, Purpose, Work-Life Integration
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
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 ...
Food & Mood
Diet & Mental Health, Brain Health, Healing Anxiety, Nutritional Psychiatry, Food As Medicine, Diet & Depression, The Biology Of Mood, Impact Of Junk Food
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 ...
Forgiveness
Rage & Forgiveness, Finding Closure, Letting It Hurt & Heal, Perspective & Acceptance, Forcing Forgiveness, Allowing For Time, Transcending Pain, Forgiveness & Recovery, Inability To ...
Under Pressure
Upside Of Stress, Stoicism & Stress, Mastering Stress, “Choking” Under Pressure, Nerves Vs Excitement, Anxiety Reappraisal, Yerkes-Dodson Law, Beating Overwhelm, Time Anxiety
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
Neuroplasticity
Training The Brain, Overriding Limiting Beliefs, Hardwiring Happiness, How Our Brains Work, Brain Adaptability, Neuroplasticity Super Protocol, Plasticity & Aging, Power Of Movement, Emotions & ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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
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 ...
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
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, ...
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
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, ...
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 ...
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
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 ...
Dopamine
Dopamine Nation, Science Of Dopamine, Focus & Motivation, Molecule Of More, Dopamine Fasting, Controlling Dopamine, Apps & Social Media, Chasing Dopamine, The Power Of ...
Braving It
Call To Courage, Vulnerability, Creative Fear, Courage Muscles, Facing Rejection, Admitting Desires, Stoicism & Fear, Fear-Setting, What Makes A Hero
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, ...
Limerence
Romantic Obsession & Us, Childhood Neglect, Trying To Escape Our Lives, Attachment & Infatuation, Spotting The Signs, Science Of Limerence, Idolatry & Self Acceptance, Emotional ...
Square Eyes
Social Media, “Stolen Focus”, Tech & The Brain, “Irresistable” Tech, Why Tech Is Addictive, Managing Distraction, Digital Minimalism, “The Social Dilemma”, Dopamine & Apps
Addiction
Unresolved Pain, Childhood Trauma, Lack Of Connection, Rat Park, Role Of Dopamine, Recovery & Redemption, Freeing Ourselves, Why We Relapse, Shame & Addiction, Coping ...
Cracking Up
Rethinking Madness, Madness & Shamanism, The Myth Of Normal, Spiritual Crisis, Spiritual Emergency, Hypersanity, Spiritual Awakening, Transforming After Crisis, Open Dialogue
The Zone
Science Of Flow, Happiness & Creativity, Flow Triggers, Flow Cycles, Objectives & Outcomes, Effortless Action, Peak States, Transcendence, Taoism & Wu Wei
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 ...
Focus
Deep Work, Attention Crisis, Beating Distraction, Mental Models, Science Of Focus, Single Tasking, Paying Attention, Performance Drivers, Focus & Mastery
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 ...
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
Clarity
Stoicism & “Stillness”, Emptying Our Heads, Taking Action, Clear Thinking & Decisions, Clarity Habits & Routines, How To Clear Brain Fog, Knowing What We Want, ...
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 ...
Resistance
The War Of Art, Beating Resistance, Lizard Brain, What Stops Us, Sources Of Resistance, Delays & Restrictions, Creative Fears, The Artist’s Way Tools
Startup
Million Dollar Weekend, Starting A Business, Side Hustles, What It Takes, The Unexpected, Value Creation, Intrapreneurs, Quantum Of Utility, Lessons From Reddit
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 ...
Catastrophic
Hopelessness, Catastrophic Thinking, Tackling "Thinking Traps", Learned Helplessness, How We Interpret Bad Events, Overcoming Despair, Doomer Tendencies, Doom-Scrolling, Complex Trauma
Sleep
Why We Sleep, Mood, Memory & Diet, The Secret World Of Sleep, Body Clocks, Sleep Chronotypes, Caffeine & Sleep, Alcohol & Sleep, Insomnia, Aging & ...
Target
Setting & Achieving Goals, Stretch & SMART Goals, Visualising End Result, Thinking Big, Top Level Goals, Being Realistic, Goals Vs Systems, The WOOP Technique, Rules ...
Exercise
Exercise Myths, Exercise & Longevity, Exercise & The Brain, Hope & Mental Health, Cardio & Weight Loss, The Hadza Study, Turning Back The Clock, Slowing ...
Archetypes
The Parts That Live Inside Us, Internal Family Systems, Alter Egos, Trauma & Fragmentation, Archetypes In Our Lives, Symphony Of Selves, Id, Ego & Supergo, ...
Mindfulness
Rethinking Mindfulness, Mindlessness, Developing Mindsight, Learning To Be Present, Mindfulness Practices, The Mindfulness Movie, Self-Regulation, The Nine Attitudes
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 ...
Failure
Path To Innovation, Failure Resumes, Flipside Of Failure, Constructive Failure, Learning Acceptance, “The Rise”, “Failosophy”, Failure & The Growth Mindset, “The Long Game”
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 ...
Savouring
Boosting Happiness, Taking In The Good, Recalling Happy Memories, Priming Ourselves With Positive Emotions, Incorporating Savouring Into Our Lives, Nostalgia & Happiness, Three Good Things ...
Authenticity
Habits & Identity, Attachment Issues, Finding Integrity, Congruence, True Belonging, The Three Pillars, “One Last Talk”, False Vs True Self, Being Inauthentic
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, ...
Nervous System
Mastering Nervous System, Polyvagal Theory, Disregulation, Vagus Nerve, Fight Or Flight Response, Hypervigilance, Freeze Response, Parasympathetic Response, How To Feel Safe
Shame
What Shame Tells Us, Shame & Addiction, Shame As A Reaction, Toxic Shame, Grandiosity & Shame, Trauma & Shame, Inner Critic & Shame, Negative Self-Talk, ...
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 ...
Groupthink
Dangers Of Group Identity, Wired For Conformity, Stanford Prison Experiment, Milgram Experiment, Asch Conformity Test, Echo Chambers, Groups & Creativity, In & Out-Groups, Herd ...
Stories
How We Are Unreliable Narrators, Ego Stories, “The Work”, Narrative Identity, Identity Shifting, Reconstructing Pasts, Reframing Stories, Stories Around Grief, Narrative Psychology
Energy Psychology
Science Of The Biofield, Energy Medicine, Boosting Vitality & Health, Biofield Tuning, Acupuncture Points, Tapping (EFT), Tapping (EFT) Basics, Bioenergy Medicine, The Healer
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, ...
Relax, Unwind
The Art Of Rest, Deliberate Rest, Yoga Nidra (NSDR), The Relaxation Response, Powering Down, Stoicism & Stillness, Niksen (Doing Nothing), Progressive Muscle Relaxation
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
Early Years
Attachment & Authenticity, Early Life Stress, Upbringing & DNA, Adverse Experiences, The ACEs Study, Still Face Experiment, Signs Of Early Trauma, Healing Inner Child, ...
Constraints
“Messy” Situations, Embracing Our “Shakes”, Obstacles & Opportunities, “Stretching” Mindset, “Can-If Thinking”, Being The Underdog, Laws Of Subtraction, Resourcefulness
Luck & Opportunity
Principles Of Luck, Weak Ties, Serendipity Mindset, Seizing Opportunities, Lessons From Poker, Taking Small Risks, Being Prepared, Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Gratitude
Thanking A Thousand, Happiness From Gratitude, Gratitude & The Brain, Receiving Thanks, Impact On Physiology, Gratitude In Hard Times, Transforming Ourselves, Priming & Gratitude, Why ...
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 ...
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
Attachment
Attachment Styles, Anxious, Avoidant, Disorganised & Secure Attachment, Authenticity Struggles, Trauma Bonds, The Strange Situation, Healing Wounds
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Habits
Atomic Habits, Science Of Habits, Stoicism & Habits, Two-Minute Rule, How Habits Work, Scarcity Loop, Fresh Start Effect, Habit Strategies, Tiny Habits
Confidence
Ego Vs Confidence, “F*ck Your Mood”, The Confident Mind, Mastery & Confidence, Accepting Failure, Confidence Myths, Gaining Experience, The Confidence Code, Brain Hacks
Fellowship
The Village Effect, Happiness & Longevity, Social Health, Wired To Connect, Emotional Health, Coming Together, Science Of Connection, Power Of Moai
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
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 ...
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 ...
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
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.