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What's inside the Library
Dreams
Why We Dream, Neuroscience Of Dreaming, How We Learn & Forget, Lucid Dreaming, Nightmares, Recurring Dreams, Healing Power Of Dreams, Hypnagogia, Remembering Dreams
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 ...
Confidence
Ego Vs Confidence, “F*ck Your Mood”, The Confident Mind, Mastery & Confidence, Accepting Failure, Confidence Myths, Gaining Experience, The Confidence Code, Brain Hacks
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, ...
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 ...
Problem-Solving
Lateral Thinking, Workshopping Ideas, Elastic Thinking, Design Thinking, Asking Right Questions, Six Thinking Hats, Functional Fixedness, Problems Solving Us, Finding Root Causes
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
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 ...
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 ...
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
Stoic
Memento Mori, Amor Fati, Reframing Obstacles, Negative Visualisation, Premeditatio Malorum, What We Can Control, Becoming Resilient, Managing Stress, Apatheia & Ataraxia
Instinct
Science Of Intuition, “Whole-Body Yes”, Making Decisions, Ego & Wishful Thinking, Split Second Judgement, Gut Feelings, “Slow Hunches”, “Expert Intuition”, Strengthening Intuition
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
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
Shame
What Shame Tells Us, Shame & Addiction, Shame As A Reaction, Toxic Shame, Grandiosity & Shame, Trauma & Shame, Inner Critic & Shame, Negative Self-Talk, ...
Attachment
Attachment Styles, Anxious, Avoidant, Disorganised & Secure Attachment, Authenticity Struggles, Trauma Bonds, The Strange Situation, Healing Wounds
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
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, ...
Groupthink
Dangers Of Group Identity, Wired For Conformity, Stanford Prison Experiment, Milgram Experiment, Asch Conformity Test, Echo Chambers, Groups & Creativity, In & Out-Groups, Herd ...
Target
Setting & Achieving Goals, Stretch & SMART Goals, Visualising End Result, Thinking Big, Top Level Goals, Being Realistic, Goals Vs Systems, The WOOP Technique, Rules ...
If Only…
Power Of Regret, “Bittersweet” Longing, Brooding Alternatives, Accepting The Past, Counterfactual Thinking, “Time Perspectives”, Past Authoring, Constructive Wallowing, Rumination
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, ...
Authenticity
Habits & Identity, Attachment Issues, Finding Integrity, Congruence, True Belonging, The Three Pillars, “One Last Talk”, False Vs True Self, Being Inauthentic
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
Stories
How We Are Unreliable Narrators, Ego Stories, “The Work”, Narrative Identity, Identity Shifting, Reconstructing Pasts, Reframing Stories, Stories Around Grief, Narrative Psychology
Happiness
Antifragility, The Blue Zones, The Happiness Equation, Chasing Happiness, Stoicism & Happiness, Minimalism, The Happiness Project, The Hedonic Treadmill, Spontaneous Happiness
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
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
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
Addiction
Unresolved Pain, Childhood Trauma, Lack Of Connection, Rat Park, Role Of Dopamine, Recovery & Redemption, Freeing Ourselves, Why We Relapse, Shame & Addiction, Coping ...
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
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 ...
Inadequate
Imposter Syndrome, Roots Of Insecurities, Unrealistic Expectations, Self-Doubt, Limiting Beliefs, Not Good Enough, Pillars Of Self-Esteem, Feeling Inferior, Perfectionism
Archetypes
The Parts That Live Inside Us, Internal Family Systems, Alter Egos, Trauma & Fragmentation, Archetypes In Our Lives, Symphony Of Selves, Id, Ego & Supergo, ...
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 ...
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 ...
Food & Mood
Diet & Mental Health, Brain Health, Healing Anxiety, Nutritional Psychiatry, Food As Medicine, Diet & Depression, The Biology Of Mood, Impact Of Junk Food
Relax, Unwind
The Art Of Rest, Deliberate Rest, Yoga Nidra (NSDR), The Relaxation Response, Powering Down, Stoicism & Stillness, Niksen (Doing Nothing), Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Dopamine
Dopamine Nation, Science Of Dopamine, Focus & Motivation, Molecule Of More, Dopamine Fasting, Controlling Dopamine, Apps & Social Media, Chasing Dopamine, The Power Of ...
Luck & Opportunity
Principles Of Luck, Weak Ties, Serendipity Mindset, Seizing Opportunities, Lessons From Poker, Taking Small Risks, Being Prepared, Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
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 ...
Exercise
Exercise Myths, Exercise & Longevity, Exercise & The Brain, Hope & Mental Health, Cardio & Weight Loss, The Hadza Study, Turning Back The Clock, Slowing ...
Beliefs
The Art Of Rethinking, Our Hidden Beliefs, Personality Change, Self-Image & Belief, Taking Ownership, “The Work”, The Lefkoe Method, Early Life Influences, Metacognition
Meditation
What Meditation Is, Meditation For Skeptics, Easing Stress, Transformative Power, Impact On The Brain, Agent Of Healing, Reducing Reactivity, Happiness & Resilience, Physical Health
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
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 ...
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 ...
Tribe
1,000 True Fans, Smallest Viable Audience, Creating “Superfans”, Networking, Building A Tribe, Contagious Ideas, Starting From Nothing, Finding Your Niche
The Zone
Science Of Flow, Happiness & Creativity, Flow Triggers, Flow Cycles, Objectives & Outcomes, Effortless Action, Peak States, Transcendence, Taoism & Wu Wei
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, ...
Failure
Path To Innovation, Failure Resumes, Flipside Of Failure, Constructive Failure, Learning Acceptance, “The Rise”, “Failosophy”, Failure & The Growth Mindset, “The Long Game”
Work, Life, Balance
Lifestyle Design, A Well Lived Life, The 4 Metrics, Life Vs Work, Time Poor vs Time Rich, Purpose, Work-Life Integration
Paradise Lost
Navigating Grief, “Good Grief”, Managing Expectations, What Prevents Healing, Resilience & Grief, Anticipatory Grief, Complicated Grief, Ambiguous Loss, 5 Stages Of Grief
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
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 ...
Triggers
Triggers As A Gift, Understanding Triggers, Amygdala Hijack, Resolving Triggers, Responding Vs Reacting, Getting “Hooked”, Escaping Discomfort, The “Pain-Body”, Core Pain
Under Pressure
Upside Of Stress, Stoicism & Stress, Mastering Stress, “Choking” Under Pressure, Nerves Vs Excitement, Anxiety Reappraisal, Yerkes-Dodson Law, Beating Overwhelm, Time Anxiety
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
Braving It
Call To Courage, Vulnerability, Creative Fear, Courage Muscles, Facing Rejection, Admitting Desires, Stoicism & Fear, Fear-Setting, What Makes A Hero
Perfectionism
The Perfection Trap, Becoming Flawesome, Brave, Not Perfect, Gifts Of Imperfection, Progress Vs Perfection, Imposter Syndrome, Optimalism, Wabi-Sabi, Kintsugi
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 ...
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 ...
Depression
Hidden Causes Of Depression, Scaling Back The Dragon, Spotting The Signs, Types Of Depression, Futility, Apathy, Hopelessness, Emotional Suppression, Junk Food
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 ...
Entwined
Codependency, Sacrificing Our Selves, Giving “Too Much”, Attachment Influences, Attuning To Others, Healing Codependency, PTSD & Codependency, Enmeshed Families, Hypervigilance, Adult Self-Neglect
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 ...
Victim Mentality
Interpreting Bad Events, Braving Hard Times, Victim Complex, Radical Responsibility, Spotting Victim Thinking, Drama Triangle, Control Dramas, Power Trips, Learned Helplessness
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
Resilience
Stoicism & Resilience, Dealing With Grief, “Supersurviving”, The Stockdale Paradox, Resilient Mindsets, Doing Hard Things, Thinking Traps, Emotional Resilience, Nine Steps To Resilience
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Priorities
Essentialism, The One Thing, Prioritisation Strategies, What Matters Most, Big Picture Thinking, Clarifying Values, Top Level Goals, Prioritisation Tricks, Eisenhower Matrix
Journalling
Stoicism & Journalling, Getting A Clear Head, Improving Our Thinking, 30-Day Experiments, Bullet Journal Method, Self-Authoring, Morning Pages, Fostering Positivity, Expressive Writing
Clarity
Stoicism & “Stillness”, Emptying Our Heads, Taking Action, Clear Thinking & Decisions, Clarity Habits & Routines, How To Clear Brain Fog, Knowing What We Want, ...
Limerence
Romantic Obsession & Us, Childhood Neglect, Trying To Escape Our Lives, Attachment & Infatuation, Spotting The Signs, Science Of Limerence, Idolatry & Self Acceptance, Emotional ...
Sleep
Why We Sleep, Mood, Memory & Diet, The Secret World Of Sleep, Body Clocks, Sleep Chronotypes, Caffeine & Sleep, Alcohol & Sleep, Insomnia, Aging & ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Broken Pieces
Broken Open, Facing The Inexplicable, Stoicism & Bad News, When Things Fall Apart, Endings & Beginnings, If The Worst Happens, Loss & Betrayal, Healing Heartbreak, ...
Gratitude
Thanking A Thousand, Happiness From Gratitude, Gratitude & The Brain, Receiving Thanks, Impact On Physiology, Gratitude In Hard Times, Transforming Ourselves, Priming & Gratitude, Why ...
Resistance
The War Of Art, Beating Resistance, Lizard Brain, What Stops Us, Sources Of Resistance, Delays & Restrictions, Creative Fears, The Artist’s Way Tools
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, ...
Focus
Deep Work, Attention Crisis, Beating Distraction, Mental Models, Science Of Focus, Single Tasking, Paying Attention, Performance Drivers, Focus & Mastery
Fellowship
The Village Effect, Happiness & Longevity, Social Health, Wired To Connect, Emotional Health, Coming Together, Science Of Connection, Power Of Moai
Forgiveness
Rage & Forgiveness, Finding Closure, Letting It Hurt & Heal, Perspective & Acceptance, Forcing Forgiveness, Allowing For Time, Transcending Pain, Forgiveness & Recovery, Inability To ...
Square Eyes
Social Media, “Stolen Focus”, Tech & The Brain, “Irresistable” Tech, Why Tech Is Addictive, Managing Distraction, Digital Minimalism, “The Social Dilemma”, Dopamine & Apps
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 ...
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 ...
Neuroplasticity
Training The Brain, Overriding Limiting Beliefs, Hardwiring Happiness, How Our Brains Work, Brain Adaptability, Neuroplasticity Super Protocol, Plasticity & Aging, Power Of Movement, Emotions & ...
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 ...
Caffeine
Caffeine Addiction, Sleep & Exhaustion, Caffeine Intake, What Too Much Caffeine Does, Caffeine's Impact On Brain, Focus & Productivity, Quitting Effects
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 ...
Boredom
Creative Breakthroughs, Tedium & Deep Work, Letting Mind Wander, Need For Discovery, Why We Get Bored, Out Of My Skull, Curiosity & Ingenuity
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
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.