The Tim Ferriss Show

#490: Dr. Jim Loehr on Mental Toughness, Energy Management, the Power of Journaling, and Olympic Gold Medals

Dec 28, 2020

Dr. Jim Loehr, a world-renowned performance psychologist and author of 17 books, dives into the art of mental toughness and energy management. He shares his insights from working with elite athletes, revealing how emotional resilience can unlock extraordinary achievement. Loehr emphasizes the power of self-talk and journaling as tools for personal growth and overcoming challenges. He argues that true success comes from character strength, grit, and the drive to cultivate meaningful relationships, urging listeners to lead with integrity and purpose.

01:33:41

Episode guests

Jim Loehr

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Quick takeaways

Positive self-talk and rewiring the brain for success through reflecting and scripting self-coaching moments.

Character strength holds greater significance than external accomplishments or material success.

Drive, determination, and grit are crucial factors that contribute to success, along with aligning actions with virtues.

Deep dives

Developing a Positive Self-Talk

Start by becoming aware of your inner voice and the tone and content of your self-talk. Reflect on how you speak to yourself during challenging moments and write down the words or phrases that you would use to coach someone you deeply care about in those situations. Script out how you want to speak to yourself in those moments and read it repeatedly to rewire your brain for positive self-talk.

How to Speak to Yourself Effectively to Achieve Your Goals

01:20

The Voice in Our Heads

04:03

The Power of Your Private Voice

04:00

Six or Eight Words I Would Like Emblazoned on My Tombstone

01:18

Intro

5min

Mind Over Matter: The Power of Mental Toughness

19min

Exploring Mental Toughness and Wellness Strategies

3min

Transforming Self-Talk for Growth

15min

Leading with Character and Energy

18min

The Drive to Succeed: Grit and Legacy

27min

Facilitating Feedback while Ensuring Privacy

2min

Emphasizing Kindness and Weekly Insights

6min

"The power broker in your life is the voice that no one hears. How well you revisit the tone and content of your private voice is what determines the quality of your life. It is the master storyteller, and the stories we tell ourselves are our reality." — Dr. Jim Loehr

Dr. Jim Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist and author of 17 books, including his most recent, Leading with Character, which also comes with “The Personal Credo Journal: A Companion to Leading with Character.”

He also co-authored the national bestseller The Power of Full Engagement.

From his more than 30 years of experience and applied research, Dr. Loehr believes the single most important factor in successful achievement, personal fulfillment, and life satisfaction is the strength of one’s character. He strongly contends that character strength can be built in the same way that muscle strength is built through energy investment.

Dr. Loehr has worked with hundreds of world-class performers from the arenas of sport, business, medicine, and law enforcement, including Fortune 100 executives, FBI hostage rescue teams, and military special forces.

Please enjoy!

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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.