Chris Sparks, a former top online poker player turned productivity coach, shares insights on achieving peak performance without stress. He recounts his experience in an invite-only Bitcoin poker tournament and discusses the balance between intuition and analytical thinking in decision-making. Sparks dives into the importance of aligning personal goals with core values and maintaining a focused 'North Star' for better life choices. He also emphasizes embracing emotions and crafting structured routines for enhanced productivity, offering invaluable lessons for anyone seeking growth.
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Bitcoin Poker Tournament
Chris Sparks participated in a Bitcoin poker tournament, aiming to leverage his skills against crypto whales.
Despite careful preparation and a strong hand, he lost a crucial hand, accepting the 20% chance of loss.
insights INSIGHT
Balancing Systems and Equanimity
Chris emphasizes the importance of balancing a systems-focused approach with acceptance and equanimity.
This mindset shift allows for greater peace and resilience, especially in high-stakes environments.
insights INSIGHT
Growth Needs Goals
Growth requires goals for direction and tracking progress, even if the focus is on systems.
Regularly assess if actions align with goals, creating a feedback loop for continuous improvement.
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Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Steven Pressfield
In 'The War of Art', Steven Pressfield identifies the internal force of 'Resistance' that hinders creative endeavors. The book is divided into three sections: 'Resistance: Defining the Enemy', 'Combating Resistance: Turning Pro', and a final section that discusses the role of the muses and the battle between the Self and the Ego. Pressfield provides practical advice on recognizing and overcoming resistance, emphasizing the importance of professionalism, discipline, and continuous work in achieving creative success.
The Psychology of Money
Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness
Morgan Housel
In 'The Psychology of Money,' Morgan Housel delves into the psychological and emotional aspects of financial decisions. The book consists of 19 short stories that illustrate how personal history, worldview, emotions, and biases influence financial outcomes. Housel emphasizes the importance of behavior over knowledge in managing money, highlighting the power of compounding, the dangers of greed, and the pursuit of happiness beyond mere wealth accumulation. He advocates for a frugal lifestyle, long-term perspective, and a balanced approach to investing, stressing that financial success is more about mindset and discipline than about technical financial knowledge[2][3][4].
The artist's way
a spiritual path to higher creativity
Ada Arbós Bo
Julia Cameron
This book presents a comprehensive method for artists to recover their creativity from various blocks such as limiting beliefs, fear, self-sabotage, and other inhibiting forces. It is designed to help individuals discover and develop their artistic potential, whether as writers, painters, poets, or musicians. The book emphasizes the connection between creativity and spirituality, providing step-by-step exercises to nurture creative expression as a consistent part of daily life.
The Fifth Discipline
The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization
Peter Senge
The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge focuses on creating 'learning organizations' that can adapt and innovate in a rapidly changing environment. The book introduces five disciplines: personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking. These disciplines help organizations overcome 'learning disabilities' such as the delusion of learning from experience and the myth of teamwork. By embracing these disciplines, organizations can foster a culture of continuous learning, enhance problem-solving capabilities, and achieve long-term success. The book draws on a wide range of sources, including science, spiritual wisdom, psychology, and management thought, and has been influential in shaping modern business management practices[2][3][5].
Chris Sparks is the former #4 online poker player on the planet, a productivity coach and an investor.
Having a high performance mindset is something everyone wants. Being able to achieve without stress or anxiety, maximising output whilst minimising suffering. As someone who coaches both himself and some of the world's brightest on getting more out of their game, Chris has learned a lot about balancing growth, goals and internal peace.
Expect to learn what it feels like to play in an invite-only Bitcoin Poker Tournament, how Chris evens out his hard-charging nature to become more at ease, whether the outcomes you get in life are impacted by how neurotic you are, my theory around the Anxiety Cost of delayed actions, how to balance intuition with cognition and much more...
Modern Wisdom 
