Steven Kotler: Master the Impossible | E138

Ready to achieve the impossible?

In this episode we are talking with Steven Kotler, best-selling author, award-winning journalist and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, whose mission is to understand the science behind ultimate human performance and use it to train individuals and organizations. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance.While best known for his work on Flow, he also writes about the use of other unique states of consciousness in order to optimize performance. Steven is also the cohost of Flow Research Collective Radio, a top ten iTunes science podcast. 

Steven is the author of nine bestselling books, including The Art of Impossible, The Future is Faster Than You Think, Stealing Fire, The Rise of Superman, Bold and Abundance. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, translated into over 40 languages, and has appeared in over 100 publications, including the New York Times Magazine, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, Wall Street Journal, TIME and the Harvard Business Review.

In today’s episode, we discuss Steven’s new book The Art of Impossible and take a deep dive into its lessons. Some of which include the definition of “impossible”, Intrinsic versus Extrinsic motivation, and the core pillars of peak performance. We also talk about the importance of learning, why to-do lists are a must, and why reading books is the best ‘return on investment’ for your brain! If you want guidance on how to create clear goals and reach your optimal performance in life, keep listening! 

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Timestamps:

0:30- What is “Flow” According to Steven

1:52- The Art of Impossible and What It’s About

6:15- Steven’s Definition of impossible

10:02- Why Does Motivation Matter?

19:03- Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

26:12- How Much Autonomy Do We Need?

34:35- Why Mastery is Important

37:04- Why Goal Setting is Important

46:35- Why We Need Grit

50:20- The Importance of Learning

56:37- What Creativity Means to Steven

1:01:21- How Do The Pillars Tie Back to Flow?

1:03:40- Steven’s Secret to Profiting in Life

Mentioned In The Episode:

Steven’s New Book: https://www.stevenkotler.com/book-pages/the-art-of-impossible

Steven’s First Appearance on YAP: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/32-flow-into-the-future-with-steven-kotler/id1368888880?i=1000445189295

Steven’s Website: https://www.stevenkotler.com/

Flow Research Collective: https://www.flowresearchcollective.com/