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What's inside the Library
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Resistance
The War Of Art, Beating Resistance, Lizard Brain, What Stops Us, Sources Of Resistance, Delays & Restrictions, Creative Fears, The Artist’s Way Tools
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, ...
Catastrophic
Hopelessness, Catastrophic Thinking, Tackling "Thinking Traps", Learned Helplessness, How We Interpret Bad Events, Overcoming Despair, Doomer Tendencies, Doom-Scrolling, Complex Trauma
The Zone
Science Of Flow, Happiness & Creativity, Flow Triggers, Flow Cycles, Objectives & Outcomes, Effortless Action, Peak States, Transcendence, Taoism & Wu Wei
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
Luck & Opportunity
Principles Of Luck, Weak Ties, Serendipity Mindset, Seizing Opportunities, Lessons From Poker, Taking Small Risks, Being Prepared, Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Square Eyes
Social Media, “Stolen Focus”, Tech & The Brain, “Irresistable” Tech, Why Tech Is Addictive, Managing Distraction, Digital Minimalism, “The Social Dilemma”, Dopamine & Apps
Priorities
Essentialism, The One Thing, Prioritisation Strategies, What Matters Most, Big Picture Thinking, Clarifying Values, Top Level Goals, Prioritisation Tricks, Eisenhower Matrix
Energy Psychology
Science Of The Biofield, Energy Medicine, Boosting Vitality & Health, Biofield Tuning, Acupuncture Points, Tapping (EFT), Tapping (EFT) Basics, Bioenergy Medicine, The Healer
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 ...
Gratitude
Thanking A Thousand, Happiness From Gratitude, Gratitude & The Brain, Receiving Thanks, Impact On Physiology, Gratitude In Hard Times, Transforming Ourselves, Priming & Gratitude, Why ...
Braving It
Call To Courage, Vulnerability, Creative Fear, Courage Muscles, Facing Rejection, Admitting Desires, Stoicism & Fear, Fear-Setting, What Makes A Hero
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 ...
Paradise Lost
Navigating Grief, “Good Grief”, Managing Expectations, What Prevents Healing, Resilience & Grief, Anticipatory Grief, Complicated Grief, Ambiguous Loss, 5 Stages Of Grief
Habits
Atomic Habits, Science Of Habits, Stoicism & Habits, Two-Minute Rule, How Habits Work, Scarcity Loop, Fresh Start Effect, Habit Strategies, Tiny Habits
Under Pressure
Upside Of Stress, Stoicism & Stress, Mastering Stress, “Choking” Under Pressure, Nerves Vs Excitement, Anxiety Reappraisal, Yerkes-Dodson Law, Beating Overwhelm, Time Anxiety
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, ...
Limerence
Romantic Obsession & Us, Childhood Neglect, Trying To Escape Our Lives, Attachment & Infatuation, Spotting The Signs, Science Of Limerence, Idolatry & Self Acceptance, Emotional ...
Triggers
Triggers As A Gift, Understanding Triggers, Amygdala Hijack, Resolving Triggers, Responding Vs Reacting, Getting “Hooked”, Escaping Discomfort, The “Pain-Body”, Core Pain
Groupthink
Dangers Of Group Identity, Wired For Conformity, Stanford Prison Experiment, Milgram Experiment, Asch Conformity Test, Echo Chambers, Groups & Creativity, In & Out-Groups, Herd ...
Confidence
Ego Vs Confidence, “F*ck Your Mood”, The Confident Mind, Mastery & Confidence, Accepting Failure, Confidence Myths, Gaining Experience, The Confidence Code, Brain Hacks
Neuroplasticity
Training The Brain, Overriding Limiting Beliefs, Hardwiring Happiness, How Our Brains Work, Brain Adaptability, Neuroplasticity Super Protocol, Plasticity & Aging, Power Of Movement, Emotions & ...
Caffeine
Caffeine Addiction, Sleep & Exhaustion, Caffeine Intake, What Too Much Caffeine Does, Caffeine's Impact On Brain, Focus & Productivity, Quitting Effects
Constraints
“Messy” Situations, Embracing Our “Shakes”, Obstacles & Opportunities, “Stretching” Mindset, “Can-If Thinking”, Being The Underdog, Laws Of Subtraction, Resourcefulness
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, ...
Forgiveness
Rage & Forgiveness, Finding Closure, Letting It Hurt & Heal, Perspective & Acceptance, Forcing Forgiveness, Allowing For Time, Transcending Pain, Forgiveness & Recovery, Inability 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
Cracking Up
Rethinking Madness, Madness & Shamanism, The Myth Of Normal, Spiritual Crisis, Spiritual Emergency, Hypersanity, Spiritual Awakening, Transforming After Crisis, Open Dialogue
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 ...
Exercise
Exercise Myths, Exercise & Longevity, Exercise & The Brain, Hope & Mental Health, Cardio & Weight Loss, The Hadza Study, Turning Back The Clock, Slowing ...
If Only…
Power Of Regret, “Bittersweet” Longing, Brooding Alternatives, Accepting The Past, Counterfactual Thinking, “Time Perspectives”, Past Authoring, Constructive Wallowing, Rumination
Boredom
Creative Breakthroughs, Tedium & Deep Work, Letting Mind Wander, Need For Discovery, Why We Get Bored, Out Of My Skull, Curiosity & Ingenuity
Nervous System
Mastering Nervous System, Polyvagal Theory, Disregulation, Vagus Nerve, Fight Or Flight Response, Hypervigilance, Freeze Response, Parasympathetic Response, How To Feel Safe
Relax, Unwind
The Art Of Rest, Deliberate Rest, Yoga Nidra (NSDR), The Relaxation Response, Powering Down, Stoicism & Stillness, Niksen (Doing Nothing), Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Journalling
Stoicism & Journalling, Getting A Clear Head, Improving Our Thinking, 30-Day Experiments, Bullet Journal Method, Self-Authoring, Morning Pages, Fostering Positivity, Expressive Writing
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 ...
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
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 ...
Switching Off
Digital Minimalism, Stoicism & Stillness, Taking Breaks, How To Do Nothing, The Value In Recharging, “Unfocusing”, Daydreaming, Walks & Creativity, Ideas In The Shower
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 ...
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 ...
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
Focus
Deep Work, Attention Crisis, Beating Distraction, Mental Models, Science Of Focus, Single Tasking, Paying Attention, Performance Drivers, Focus & Mastery
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 ...
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
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 ...
Practicality
Being Realistic, The WOOP Technique, Pre-Mortems, Anticipating Misfortune, Practical Pessimism, Embracing Reality, Intense Realism, Realistic Optimism, Power Of Pessimism
Startup
Million Dollar Weekend, Starting A Business, Side Hustles, What It Takes, The Unexpected, Value Creation, Intrapreneurs, Quantum Of Utility, Lessons From Reddit
Attachment
Attachment Styles, Anxious, Avoidant, Disorganised & Secure Attachment, Authenticity Struggles, Trauma Bonds, The Strange Situation, Healing Wounds
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 ...
Failure
Path To Innovation, Failure Resumes, Flipside Of Failure, Constructive Failure, Learning Acceptance, “The Rise”, “Failosophy”, Failure & The Growth Mindset, “The Long Game”
Dreams
Why We Dream, Neuroscience Of Dreaming, How We Learn & Forget, Lucid Dreaming, Nightmares, Recurring Dreams, Healing Power Of Dreams, Hypnagogia, Remembering Dreams
Addiction
Unresolved Pain, Childhood Trauma, Lack Of Connection, Rat Park, Role Of Dopamine, Recovery & Redemption, Freeing Ourselves, Why We Relapse, Shame & Addiction, Coping ...
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, ...
Clarity
Stoicism & “Stillness”, Emptying Our Heads, Taking Action, Clear Thinking & Decisions, Clarity Habits & Routines, How To Clear Brain Fog, Knowing What We Want, ...
Sleep
Why We Sleep, Mood, Memory & Diet, The Secret World Of Sleep, Body Clocks, Sleep Chronotypes, Caffeine & Sleep, Alcohol & Sleep, Insomnia, Aging & ...
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 ...
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 ...
Happiness
Antifragility, The Blue Zones, The Happiness Equation, Chasing Happiness, Stoicism & Happiness, Minimalism, The Happiness Project, The Hedonic Treadmill, Spontaneous Happiness
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
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 ...
Grit
Passion & Perseverance, The Types of Grit, Formula For Grit, Stoicism & Grit, Mental Toughness, Science Of Endurance, Gritty Traits, Killing Our Excuses, “The Long ...
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 ...
Early Years
Attachment & Authenticity, Early Life Stress, Upbringing & DNA, Adverse Experiences, The ACEs Study, Still Face Experiment, Signs Of Early Trauma, Healing Inner Child, ...
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
Work, Life, Balance
Lifestyle Design, A Well Lived Life, The 4 Metrics, Life Vs Work, Time Poor vs Time Rich, Purpose, Work-Life Integration
Mindfulness
Rethinking Mindfulness, Mindlessness, Developing Mindsight, Learning To Be Present, Mindfulness Practices, The Mindfulness Movie, Self-Regulation, The Nine Attitudes
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Meditation
What Meditation Is, Meditation For Skeptics, Easing Stress, Transformative Power, Impact On The Brain, Agent Of Healing, Reducing Reactivity, Happiness & Resilience, Physical Health
Shame
What Shame Tells Us, Shame & Addiction, Shame As A Reaction, Toxic Shame, Grandiosity & Shame, Trauma & Shame, Inner Critic & Shame, Negative Self-Talk, ...
Intimacy
Power Of Vulnerability, Connection & Belonging, The Fear Of Intimacy, Attachment & Intimacy, Death Anxiety, Fostering Intimacy, Building Trust, Emotional Safety, Radically Open DBT
Maturation
Emotional Intelligence, The RULER Guide To E.Q., Emotional Agility, Self-Actualisation, Differentiation, Emotional Maturity, Emotional Immaturity, Maslow's Hierachy Of Needs, The Camel, Lion & Child
Broken Pieces
Broken Open, Facing The Inexplicable, Stoicism & Bad News, When Things Fall Apart, Endings & Beginnings, If The Worst Happens, Loss & Betrayal, Healing Heartbreak, ...
Entwined
Codependency, Sacrificing Our Selves, Giving “Too Much”, Attachment Influences, Attuning To Others, Healing Codependency, PTSD & Codependency, Enmeshed Families, Hypervigilance, Adult Self-Neglect
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
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 ...
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 ...
Inadequate
Imposter Syndrome, Roots Of Insecurities, Unrealistic Expectations, Self-Doubt, Limiting Beliefs, Not Good Enough, Pillars Of Self-Esteem, Feeling Inferior, Perfectionism
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 ...
Perfectionism
The Perfection Trap, Becoming Flawesome, Brave, Not Perfect, Gifts Of Imperfection, Progress Vs Perfection, Imposter Syndrome, Optimalism, Wabi-Sabi, Kintsugi
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, ...
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 ...
Structure & Routine
Sticking With Habits, Stoic Routines, Famous Routines, Time Management, “Drunk Tank Pink”, Environment Design, Behavioural Triggers, Working From Home, Morning Routines
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 ...
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 ...
Contagion
Contagious Emotions, The Facebook Study, Catching Others’ Moods, The Ripple Effect, Highly Sensitive People, Empathy & Boundaries, Mirror Neurons, Why Yawning Spreads
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
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, ...
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
Depression
Hidden Causes Of Depression, Scaling Back The Dragon, Spotting The Signs, Types Of Depression, Futility, Apathy, Hopelessness, Emotional Suppression, Junk Food
Food & Mood
Diet & Mental Health, Brain Health, Healing Anxiety, Nutritional Psychiatry, Food As Medicine, Diet & Depression, The Biology Of Mood, Impact Of Junk Food
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
Decisions
Fast Decisions & FOMO, Life’s Big Decisions, Being “Farsighted”, Tapping Intuition, The Art Of Choosing, The Expansion Test, Logic, Instinct & Action, Hidden Biases, Decision ...
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, ...
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.