Thank you to all the listeners for making 2021 the best year yet for the What Got You There Podcast! This episode combines some of the highlight moments and major themes covered throughout the year.

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Grant Williams on Curiosity

• 01:30 Grant Williams emphasizes the importance of listening to others’ stories to learn things that cannot be taught.
• 02:05 He believes that opening up our minds and allowing everyone and everything to be a teacher is when real learning begins.
• 02:24 Chris Sparks also values curiosity and sees every person he meets as an opportunity to learn something new.
• 03:08 He maintains a sense of curiosity by looking at anything from meeting someone at a restaurant to observing how chefs coordinate in creating an excellent experience.

William Green on Investing

• 04:14 William Green synthesizes some keys to successful investing, including independence of mind, playing games they can win, taking simple ideas seriously.
• 04:34 Successful investors have a rational and pragmatic way of thinking about life. They study what works and what doesn’t work.

05:17 Surviving and Winning in Life

Key Points:

• 05:17 The key to winning is to avoid catastrophe by surviving the dip.
• 05:43 To have an advantage, you need to be a continuous learner like Buffett.
• 06:03 Reflection is important for learning and gaining from experience.

06:28 The Power of Storytelling

Key Points:

• 06:28 The story you tell becomes the story that other people tell about you.
• 06:48 If you get your story right, people will align around it and it becomes true more often than not.
• 07:14 Reflection is powerful for reframing experiences and reminding yourself of why things matter.

07:55 Creating Change Through Marginal Gains

Key Points:

• 07:55 Real change happens bit by bit step by step through continual application of small moments of pressure.
• 08:31 Small marginal gains lead to breakthrough results.
• 09:40 Constant application of pressure leads to success in life.

11:05 The Devil is in the Detail

Modest Improvement Consistently Done

• 11:05 Small incremental moments matter.
• 11:25 Trying stuff out, experimenting, learning, and doing it again leads to growth.
• 11:47 Champions do extra – it’s that little bit extra that you do all the time.
• 12:12 Communication is not just sending an email; it’s taking responsibility for the reception of your communication.
• 12:31 Two up and two down – knowing what’s expected of you from two ranks up and what you expect two ranks down.

13:40 Turning Inward: Discovering Your Strengths

• 14:28 Figuring out what you’re good at takes time.
• 15:00 Qualitative and conceptual skills are more important than quantitative analysis for some people.
• 15:18 Understanding concepts, theories, new products, communicating with clients, leadership are some examples of qualitative skills that can be strengths.
• 15:46 There’s only one success – being able to live your life your way.

16:54 Play to Your Strengths and Learn from Others

Section Overview: In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of playing to your strengths and learning from others. They emphasize that it is crucial to treat everything as a learning opportunity and to reflect on what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what can be improved upon.

• 16:54 Play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses.
• Squandering life on something that doesn’t play to your strength is a mistake.
• Choose something that makes you happy instead of just for money.
• 17:18 Practice curiosity and learn from others at every chance.
• Dissect everything you learn by distilling down the lessons learned from others with what you’re reading and even your own experiences.
• Perform extensive book recaps once a month.

Treating Everything as a Learning Opportunity

• 18:05 Treat every decision as an opportunity to improve our decision-making process.
• Perform post-mortems after each session or experience by reflecting on what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what can be improved upon.
• Come out of every session with something actionable that can be done differently next time.

20:10 Going into the Unknown: Discovering What We’re Capable Of

Section Overview: In this section, the speakers discuss how going into the unknown can help us discover what we are capable of. They emphasize that it’s great to have a plan but dangerous if we become too intent on following it because we may miss opportunities that come along.

Going into the Unknown

• 20:10 Going into the unknown helps us discover what we are capable of.
• Having a plan is great but becoming too intent on following it can be dangerous.
• Being too intent on following a plan can make us blind to opportunities that come along.

21:38 Being Authentic and Focusing on Your Strengths

Be You, Be the Best You

• 21:38 Naval Line: “Escape competition through authenticity. No one can beat you at being you.”
• It’s important to be yourself and focus on your strengths because no one else can do that better than you.
• Matthew Berry shares his experience of being the best at being himself in tennis by focusing on his hand-eye coordination and consistency rather than trying to compete with bigger or faster opponents.

22:18 Distilling Wisdom from Learning

Finding Insights That Transform

• 22:54 Randall Stuttman believes that the key point is finding insights that transform and deciding to keep them in our own lives.
• We’ve heard hundreds of stories from people on the show alone, but it’s important to find those insights that are truly valuable.
• The process of distilling down and acting on wisdom will be discussed further in the next section.

23:31 Creating Productive Routines

Starting Productive Habits Early

• 23:51 It’s important not to start processing information right away in order to avoid getting stuck in a rhythm.
• Create a habit of not allowing your phone near you when sleeping so you can go about your morning without distractions before engaging with emails or texts.

Distilling Key Insights

• 24:11 At the end of each day, distill notes down into key insights and place them in a journal for later review.
• Some days may not have any insights, but it’s important to take the time to distill and organize notes on other days.

Creating White Space

• 25:14 Throughout the day, create enough white space to move from one conversation to another effectively.
• Making fast transitions is important, so try to find segues or transition points between conversations.

26:47 The Importance of Distilling Information

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of distilling information and not just collecting it. He explains that collecting information is just the first step and that the next step is to be able to distill it down to make it useful.

Collecting Information

• Constantly gather information and data by reading, listening to podcasts, talking to people, etc.
• Take notes during presentations or when gathering new knowledge throughout the day.

The Problem with Collecting Notes

• Most people collect all their notes but have no ability to use any of that knowledge or wisdom.
• Notes collect dust in a file cabinet or stay buried and hidden inside a phone or laptop.

The Process of Distilling Information

• Understand that collecting information is just the first step.
• Distill notes down to real insights and wisdom.
• Re-articulate insights in a way where they can be remembered.

Organizing Distilled Information

• Initially put distilled information in one spot.
• Eventually organize distilled information into different journals based on topics such as feedback, language, stories, etc.

30:50 Understanding Passion and Purpose

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker discusses passion and purpose as key components for finding success. He explains how not everyone understands them or uses them well in their own lives.

Passion and Purpose as Holy Grail of Achievement

• Passion and purpose are made out to be the holy grail of achievement by pretty much anyone of note.

Understanding Passion

• How do we understand passion?
  • Passion is something you love doing so much that you would do it for free if you could afford it.
  • It’s something that gives you energy rather than takes energy away from you.

Using Passion Well

• Use your passion as a guide to help you make decisions.
• Use your passion as a way to find purpose.

Understanding Purpose

• How do we understand purpose?
  • Purpose is something that gives meaning to your life.
  • It’s something that makes you feel like you’re making a difference in the world.

Setting Yourself Up for Meeting Your Life and Your Purpose

• Use your passion as a way to find your purpose.
• Set goals that align with your passion and purpose.
• Take action towards those goals every day.

31:39 The Five Core Intrinsic Motivators

Section Overview: This section discusses the five core intrinsic motivators and how they are designed to work in our biology.

Curiosity is the most basic fuel of motivation

• 31:39 Curiosity is the most basic fuel of motivation.
• 32:00 Passion emerges when several major curiosities intersect at one point on one thing.
• 32:22 Purpose comes from coupling passion with a cause greater than oneself.
• 32:41 Autonomy, or freedom to pursue purpose, is necessary for motivation.
• 33:06 Mastery, or skills to get better and pursue purpose, completes the stack of intrinsic motivators.

33:52 Neil deGrasse Tyson on Curiosity

Section Overview: This section discusses Neil deGrasse Tyson’s emphasis on getting out of the way of curiosity.

• 33:52 Children are born curious; people need to get out of their way as they express their curiosity.
• 34:36 Retaining curiosity and wonder into adulthood makes one a scientist.

35:14 Changing Our Deepest Held Assumptions

Section Overview: This section discusses Jack Schwager’s philosophy on changing our deepest held assumptions.

• 35:14 Being willing to change one’s mind based on evidence is important for learning.
• 35:58 Reacting to what we know to be true rather than what we want to be true is crucial in trading and life in general.

36:41 Surrendering Fully

Section Overview: This section discusses JP O’Brien’s wisdom on surrendering fully.

• 36:41 Perceptions, fears, anxieties, and baggage from the past can prevent us from being fully involved in the present.
• 36:41 Surrendering fully is important for overcoming these obstacles.

37:12 Surrendering and Acceptance

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about surrendering and acceptance. He explains how fear and hope can create similar feelings of uncertainty about the future. Surrendering is about accepting what’s happening in the present moment without putting too much emotion behind it.

Surrendering and Acceptance

• The idea of surrendering is to truly enjoy where you are at the moment.
• Surrendering means full acceptance of what’s happening in the present moment.
• It doesn’t mean being super happy or upset about everything.
• Surrendering allows us to be present and accept what’s showing up.

38:47 Finding Purpose

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about his journey to find his purpose in life. He describes how he was good at playing the “choose your own adventure” game but realized that he wasn’t actually creating anything. He then went on a journey to figure out his purpose, which led him to unleash greatness in others.

Playing “Choose Your Own Adventure”

• The speaker was good at playing the “choose your own adventure” game.
• He was able to pick the right path based on what showed up.
• However, he realized that he wasn’t actually creating anything.

Finding Purpose

• About eight years ago, the speaker went on a journey to figure out his purpose in life.
• His purpose is to unleash greatness in people around him by solving big problems that impact humanity.
• This involves having an amazing group of people who are living a purposeful life and doing work they’re passionate about.

41:00 Importance of Self-discovery and Psychology

Section Overview: In this section, Dr. Michael Gervais discusses why self-discovery is so important and why psychology should be central to the process. He also talks about the power of purpose and how it can guide us to live a more meaningful and impactful life.

Self-discovery

• Self-discovery is important because it helps us find our purpose in life.
• Psychology should be central to the self-discovery process, but it’s often not.
• Self-discovery is fraught with complications and questions.

Power of Purpose

• Purpose is powerful because it guides us to live a more meaningful and impactful life.
• Having a clear purpose can help us make better decisions and stay focused on what matters most.

42:20 Purpose-Driven Presentations

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about how they approach presentations and why purpose is important to them.

Presenting with Purpose

• The speaker only presents when it aligns with their purpose.
• They compare their love for presenting to the love for an intimate loved one or family member.
• They strive to be authentic in their presentations by coming from a place of purpose.

Investing in Purpose

• The speaker’s purpose is to help people live in the present moment more often.
• They believe that investing in oneself and others is necessary to achieve this goal.
• Psychology plays a crucial role in self-discovery and developing psychological skills.

43:02 Building Internal Structures

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker discusses building internal structures that allow individuals to withstand external pressures.

Frameworks for Psychological Strength

• Building internal frameworks allows individuals to withstand external pressures.
• The right walls, windows, and structures can create a sense of freedom while remaining grounded.
• Self-discovery and psychological skills are core components of psychology.

Aspen Trees as an Analogy

• Aspen trees are interconnected through their roots, creating one tree.
• Humanity is connected through shared experiences and stardust.

46:40 Embracing Self-discovery

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about embracing self-discovery despite its challenges.

Overcoming Taboos Around Psychology

• The speaker questions why psychology has been taboo for centuries.
• Investing properly in psychology takes time but is not difficult.

Embracing Dark Sides

• Self-discovery involves embracing dark sides without being overrun by them.
• It can be scary but necessary for growth.

47:57 Self-Discovery and Psychological Skills

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about the importance of self-discovery and psychological skills in achieving human potential. He also discusses how to develop self-awareness through self-reflection, instruments, feedback-rich environments, and conscious medicine states.

Importance of Self-Discovery and Psychological Skills

• 47:57 To achieve human potential, one needs to explore their internal and external capabilities.
• 48:13 Owning psychological skills requires finding the razor’s edge where one can test and refine those skills.
• 48:35 Most people focus on looking good to be accepted rather than exploring their true purpose.

Developing Self-Awareness

Self-Reflection

• 49:00 Self-reflection is essential for growing in self-awareness.
• 49:23 Deconstructing one’s game after playing sports or any activity helps in being self-reflective.

Instruments

• 50:51 Instruments like Enneagram are powerful tools for growing in self-awareness.

Feedback-Rich Environment

• 51:12 Creating a feedback-rich environment helps leaders become more self-aware.

Conscious Medicine States

• 52:00 Conscious medicine states like psilocybin, MDMA, ayahuasca, peyote help in growing beyond self-awareness.

Developing Habits for Self-Awareness

• 52:40 Using an app like Mind Jogger or Randomly Remind Me to ask oneself throughout the day if they are above or below the line helps develop habits for self-awareness.

53:18 Self-Awareness and Self-Acceptance

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of self-awareness and self-acceptance in leadership. He explains that leaders need to be above the line (in a high state of trust) most of the time, but when they are below the line (in a state of fear), they should not judge or criticize themselves. Instead, they should practice self-awareness followed by self-acceptance.

The Importance of Self-Awareness and Self-Acceptance

• 53:18 Leaders need to be above the line (in a high state of trust) most of the time.
• When leaders are below the line (in a state of fear), they should practice self-awareness followed by self-acceptance.
• Self-awareness needs to be followed by self-acceptance because sometimes truth hurts and can undo us.
• Most leaders need to grow in both self-awareness and self-acceptance.

The Role of Fear in Leadership

• 55:15 Making mistakes can cause fear about loss of control, approval, or security.
• A coach who acknowledges their players’ fear can help them transmute it into awakeness and learning.
• Great leaders admit their own fears to their followers so that everyone can use fear as fuel for growth.

57:00 Healthy Fear in Leadership

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker discusses healthy fear in leadership. He explains that great leaders acknowledge their own fears and those of their followers. They use fear as fuel for growth rather than denying it or pretending it doesn’t exist.

Acknowledging Fear in Leadership

• 57:00 Great leaders acknowledge their own fears and those of their followers.
• Denying or pretending that fear doesn’t exist can make leaders incongruent and untrustworthy.
• Fear is healthy and can be used as fuel for growth when acknowledged and transmuted into awakeness and learning.

58:39 Emotion vs Feeling

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker explains the difference between emotion and feeling.

Emotion is about Action

• Emotion is something that can be seen.
• It is directed towards the outside world.
• It is public and objectifiable.

59:04

Feeling is about Experience

• Feeling is all interior and subjective.
• It’s about experience and what’s happening in your mind.
• It gives you knowledge of what’s going on in your life.

59:29

The Beauty of Feeling

• Feeling is necessarily conscious, giving us precise knowledge about our lives.
• Creatures that are very simple by comparison to humans, like bacteria, are intelligent but without knowing they’re doing it.

01:00:20

01:04:03 Dr. Robert Cialdini’s Seven Principles of Influence

Section Overview: In this section, Dr. Robert Cialdini shares his seven principles of influence.

Reciprocity

• People who receive are much more likely to say yes to you.
• Children understand that you are obligated to give back to others what they first give to you.

01:05:02 Principles of Influence

Section Overview: This section discusses the principles of influence and how they can be used to enhance outcomes and elevate circumstances.

Whom Can I Help Here?

• Ask yourself whom you can help, whose outcomes you can enhance, and whose circumstances you can elevate.
• Identify commonalities and parallels with others to build rapport.

Principle of Liking

• Point out genuine similarities between yourself and others to increase rapport.
• Sharing personal information about hobbies, interests, upbringing, or education can decrease stymied negotiations by 24%.

Principle of Social Proof

• People look outside themselves for answers when uncertain.
• They look to their peers for guidance.

Principle of Authority

• People look to acknowledged experts in a particular field for guidance.
• Include expert testimonials in messaging.

Principle of Scarcity

• People want more of what is scarce or dwindling in availability.
• Use scarcity as a tool to move people towards your direction.

Commitment and Consistency

• People want to be consistent with what they have already said or done in your presence.
• Get people to take small steps towards your direction so that they will want to be consistent with it in the future.

Unity

• Communicate shared identity with others so that they consider you one of them.

01:10:15 Failing Forward

Section Overview: This section discusses the concept of failing forward as a way of moving forward and improving oneself.

Embracing Failure

• Embrace failure as a way of moving forward.
• Correlation between quantity and quality when it comes to innovation.
  • Ten thousand hours of deliberate practice is necessary for improvement.
  • Deliberate practice involves practicing until failure.

01:12:11 The Art of Balancing Successes and Failures

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about how failures are opportunities to get better and that it’s important to have enough successes with your failures to keep going.

Balancing Successes and Failures

• Failures are opportunities to get better. 01:12:11
• It’s important to have enough successes with your failures to keep going. 01:12:41
• The formula for balancing successes and failures is not a blind one. It requires part of the art of living, deciding if there are enough successes to suggest that you should keep going forward. 01:12:41

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