Mise-en-place is not a crazy efficiency program. It is really a way of life for people who value themselves, people, eachother, and the planet. In this episode of Made You Think, we’re covering the book Everything in Its Place (originally “Work Clean”) by Dan Charnas, and for the first time on the podcast, the author is joining us for the episode! This book is all about the strategies and tools that culinarians often use in their work, and applying these strategies to improve your life and productivity. We cover a wide range of topics, including: The ten mise-en-place system techniques that you can use to improve your life The correlation between an organized space and an organized mind Using the mise en place system to reduce anxiety, improve work efficiency, and overall quality of life Building inner-discipline and being honest with yourself The importance of actually finishing the tasks that you start on Becoming a better manager and a few of the flaws in companies today And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Everything in Its Place and to check out Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk, to learn how to emulate Musk’s way of thinking for extreme advantages in life, and our episode on The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, to learn how to use a simple theory to never stop improving. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more.   Mentioned in the show: Unlimited Brewing Company [1:12] Warner Brothers [2:03] The Eisenhower Matrix [4:29] School of Journalism [5:28] The Palm Pilot [5:54] NPR [12:06] Transcendental Meditation [22:22] Culinary Institute of America [25:35] Tisch [47:58] Saturday Night Live [48:29] Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee [1:01:37] Four Sigmatic Cordyceps Elixir [1:02:49] Made You Think support page [1:03:35] Perfect Keto [1:03:39] Kettle and Fire Bone Broth (20% off for listeners!) [1:03:41] Nat’s article on fasting [1:09:25] Keto Subreddit [1:12:13] Matcha MCT oil powder [1:17:04] Athletic Greens [1:18:04] Books mentioned: Work Clean (Nat’s Notes) (new version of the book) Getting Things Done [0:48] The Goal [3:14] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People [4:02] First Things First [4:04] The Big Payback [4:37] The Making of a Chef [6:44] Kitchen Confidential [7:04] Heat by Beaufort [7:06] The Way of Zen [23:22] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (episode on the book) Irrational Exuberance [1:00:25] Outliers [1:00:29] What Happened [1:00:45] Antifragile [1:04:04] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Godel Escher Bach [1:10:27] (Nat’s Notes) (episode on the book) Daily Rituals [1:18:35] People mentioned: Dan Charnas Chris Sparks [0:33] Rick Rubin [2:05] Steven Covey [3:57] David Allen [6:08] Michael Ruhlman [6:44] Anthony Bourdain [7:04]] Wylie Dufresne [9:02] Jean-Georges [13:54] Thomas Keller [13:56] Alan Watts [23:22] Éric Ripert [25:28] Bill Buford [25:31] Lauren Michaels [48:29] Ernest Hemingway [50:23] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:00:13] (Antifragile episode) Tim Ferriss [1:02:42] 0:00 - Introduction featuring the author himself, Dan Charnas. A bit on what made Dan write the book, how he got into organizational systems, and some background on his life. Also, Dan listing some of the most influential books that he’s read. 7:24 - Dan’s journey to becoming a chef and him describing the importance of mise en place. Also, a bit on applying the powerful principles that chefs live by to other areas of life. 11:30 - The beginning of Dan cotifying mise en place for the first time with Work Clean, some thoughts on how things sometimes need an outside perspective, and a bit on the discipline and commitment that’s required in the culinary world. “There’s a certain level of commitment to reality that culinarians have that I think we miss in the corporate world.” 17:02 - The thirty-minute daily commitment to setting your own mise en place, some discussion on the macro and micro levels of the system outlined in Work Clean, and the importance of having a system that involves both the mind and the body. 20:02 - Using mise en place as an effective anxiety reducing technique, the correlation between an organized space and an organized mind, and a bit on the zen-like aspects of the book. 24:20 - Breaking down the ten ingredients/techniques of mise en place that you can bring together for your own personal system. 27:55 - The main technique of the mise en place system that has positively impacted Dan the most and some discussion on the importance of doing the largest tasks in your day first. 34:58 - Certain things to do watch out for when managing people, some thoughts on management in general, and discussion on implementing systems into large-scale organizations. 42:20 - General discussion on corporate meetings and the flaws of these meetings. Also, a bit on a chef’s heavy responsibilities, finding balance between speed and quality, and improving efficiency within a company. “A meeting is about sharing ideas, resolving conflicts, and unblocking.” 48:48 - Going in depth on the importance of actually finishing your actions. Also, some discussion on taking an intentional break and the need to be honest with yourself about your work. “Ninety percent finished is the same as zero percent finished.” 54:07 - A bit more on having a system for both the body and the mind, and linking the system to your calendar. Actually taking the time to do things and scheduling the time to do them. “This is what I can do today.” 58:14 - Wrap-up, where to find Dan at online, and some closing thoughts. 59:03 - After-thoughts with just Neil and Nat. Some discussion on various products discounted for listeners, diet, health, fasting, and going into ketosis (ketogenic diet). Also, some discussion getting into ketosis and how to minimize the negative effects when transitioning into ketosis. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com Ultimately it is about cultivating our inner-discipline.

Charlie Munger, an expert in the psychology of human misjudgments, discusses the 25 cognitive biases that lead to poor decision-making. Topics include understanding motivations behind mass shootings, the ease of making a bomb, increasing sales through reciprocity, and the flaws of the 10,000 hours rule. They also explore psychological biases in decision-making, the psychology of pricing, and the mere exposure effect.

In this episode, Neil and Nat discuss 'The Inner Game of Tennis' by Timothy Gallwey, covering topics such as improving your sense of calm, getting into the flow state, trusting the subconscious mind, and the benefits of play. They also explore learning by observation, the paradox of striving for non-striving, and the concept of playing 'out of your mind'. The episode touches on successful sales calls, the importance of curiosity and unconscious competence, different types of music for relaxation and focus, removing ads from our lives, the placebo effect, and achieving optimal performance by letting go.

Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behavior that gets you what you want out of life. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss the book Principles by Ray Dalio. We’ve been fans of Dalio’s work since it was just a PDF floating around the Internet, and this massive tome delivers so many useful guidelines for how to live and work. We covered a wide range of topics, including: Using meditation to improve your clarity with decision-making Developing machines and software for tasks likely to be repeated Seeking out and accepting constructive criticism without your ego getting in the way Improving your life by being more radically honest and expressive Reflecting more upon pain to promote growth The two five-step processes for confronting your own weaknesses and for getting what you want out of life Improving your ability to effectively make decisions And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Principles here and to check out Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk, to emulate Musk’s way of thinking for huge advantages in both work and life, and our episode on Antifragile by Nassim Taleb, to learn how to profit from chaos. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Mentioned in the show: Bridgewater [1:44] Futures [4:08] Morgan Stanley [5:20] Tim Ferriss’ interview with Dalio [9:23] Theranos fraud [11:56] Made You Think episode 13 - How to Think Like Elon Musk [14:27] Nat Chat podcast episode with Sebastian Marshall [16:59] The Lindy effect [22:16] The Daily Show [24:10] Growth Machine [26:35] Bookinabox [29:22] Dogfish [29:39] Carnegie Mellon [29:44] Biblical Series Podcast [31:36] Evernote [33:25] Calendly [38:24] Estee Lauder [40:19] Theory of Constraints [57:06] Neil’s article on the Lindy effect [59:49] Myers Briggs [1:10:42] Article on China rating citizens [1:12:06] Black Mirror [1:12:10] Chris Sparks article on Medium about rating life goals [1:18:12] Nat Chat podcast episode with Justin Mares [1:19:46] Article on Nat’s daily/weekly/quarterly review [1:23:07] Crypto Made You Think episode [1:26:50] Tucker Max’s article on paying celebrities to tweet about his book [1:29:17] Books mentioned: Principles (Nat’s Notes) The Way of Zen [13:04] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Godel Escher Bach [14:14] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars [15:48] (Nat’s Notes) Letters From a Stoic [21:58] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Antifragile [22:32] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Amusing Ourselves to Death [24:08] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Finite and Infinite Games [26:08] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The Goal [27:04] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The E-Myth Revisited [27:05] (Nat’s Notes) Hero With a Thousand Faces [34:54] Lessons of History [34:55] (Nat’s Notes) The Power of Myth [35:02] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Spiritual Brain [35:30] Steve Jobs Autobiography [37:45] The 50th Law [45:46] (Nat’s Notes) Mastery [46:17] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The 48 Laws of Power [46:22] (Nat’s Notes) Extreme Ownership [54:50] (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Ray Dalio Adil Majid [1:18] Tim Ferriss [9:23] Elon Musk [14:25] (How To Think Like Elon Musk episode) Sebastian Marshall [16:59] Adam Smith [22:28] Colbert [24:11] Tucker Max [29:19] Dr. Jordan Peterson [31:37] Carl Jung [34:32] Joseph Campbell [34:36] (The Power of Myth episode) Will Durant [35:20] Dalai Lama [35:39] Steve Jobs [37:45] Robert Greene [45:59] (Mastery episode) Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:00:41] (Antifragile episode) Euthyphro [1:14:31] Socrates [1:14:32] Chris Sparks [1:18:11] Justin Mares [1:19:46] Clay Matthews [1:22:47] Jocko [1:26:27] Taylor Pearson [1:26:57] Anna Kendrick [1:30:10] Chrissy Teigen [1:30:12] The Rock [1:30:28] Gary Vaynerchuk [1:30:38] 0:00 - Introductory quote and some information on the book and on the author Ray Dalio. Also, some of Dalio’s achievements and a bit on how he began with investing. 9:07 - Dalio leaving this company, some discussion on his meditation practice, meditation being a big factor in his success, and the emotional ups and downs that come with startups. 12:46 - Some more discussion on meditation drastically improving your decision-making skills and being more level-headed. 14:45 - Meditation on helping you systemize your thinking and some thoughts on the creation of these principles in the book. “It’s a very useful tool to have these decision-making criteria set-in-stone so that you know what you’re going to do and not let your emotions override you.” 17:34 - Journaling and writing out exactly why you’re doing things, then reflecting back on that later. Narrative fallacy with reflection, as well. 19:57 - Giving more attention to the history of what’s been happening instead of only what you notice in the current time period. Also, a bit on the persistence of certain problems throughout the time. 22:46 - Dalio beginning to improve his systems, develop understanding and principles, improve his reasoning, and more. Tangent at 23:36 on seeking out the smartest people to learn from them and how the opposite largely happens today. “Your arguments can’t improve if they’re only up against people who agree with you already or the weakest version of the other person’s argument.” 24:41 - The underappreciated aspect of constructive criticism, and how the ego can negatively impact this. How having someone much more skilled than you rip apart your work and give you blunt feedback on it can help you grow tremendously if you don’t let your ego get in the way. 25:48 - The destructive nature of college forcing you to put so much ego into your work and to not show your work until it’s perfect. How this negatively impacts the way that you handle feedback. 27:12 - Spending more time now to optimize and spend less time on things in the future. Building machines for tasks that will most likely have to be repeated in the future. Also, putting the machine first and yourself/ego second. 31:15 - Giving yourself the same advice that you would give to someone else in your position. Also, treating yourself the same way that you would treat someone else that you care about, which rarely happens. 34:16 - Some of Dalio’s influences, Nat and Neil’s favorite book recommendations from Dalio, and some discussion on his book recommendations in general. 36:09 - Delving into some of the principles from the book and how they develop. How a majority are simple rules for engagement in everyday encounters. Also, a bit on saving mental energy by making systems for daily activities and creating software for decisions where ever you can. 39:52 - Optimizing certain aspects of businesses, the importance of speaking up in a business if there’s something to optimize upon, memory and past decisions, and some discussion on improving upon group decision-making. 43:51 - The advantages of lowering your verbal filter and being radically honest with improving life, business, and relationships. “There are things that just go unsaid for so long, but everyone’s thinking them, and then they just blow-up at a certain point.” 45:11 - The first principle and a bit on taking action on problems now, and not waiting for them to improve. “Embrace reality and deal with it.”. Developing a reflexive action towards pain that causes you to reflect upon it, rather than avoid it. “Pain plus reflection equals progress.” 50:15 - The five-step process for confronting your own weaknesses. (#1 - 50:20) (#2 - 50:26) (#3 - 50:39) (#4 - 53:53) (#5 - 54:46) 54:53 - Taking ownership of things, even when they’re not your fault. There is usually always some way that you played into it (hiring the wrong person, training them wrong, a faulty machine you designed, etc). Also, how management can cause issues down the line, with the issues listed earlier. 56:55 - The five-step process for getting what you want out of life. (#1 - 57:31) (#2 - 58:26) (#3 - 59:03) (#4 - 1:02:46) (#5 - 1:02:55) 1:03:45 - How the principles are outlined and organized. Also, the third principle, to be radically open-minded and the two impediments to this. 1:06:45 - The two-step process for decision making. A bit on avoiding the first solution that you find which confirms your already held beliefs, as well. The confirmation bias. 1:10:35 - The fourth major principle on understanding that people are wired very differently and a bit on challenging other people’s perspectives to get to know certain aspects of them. Also, bringing up controversial topics to test them. 1:14:54 - The last major principle on learning how to make decisions effectively and some discussion on creating a decision plan, then reaching out to others in a field related to that decision and getting feedback from them. “The biggest threat to good decision making is harmful emotions and if you can systematize as much as possible, then emotions won’t get in the way.” 1:18:03 - Using the expected value calculation and using this with deciding which goals to currently go after. Also, making goals much larger and trying to reach for the inflated goal, eventually reaching beyond the original goal or at the original goal easier. 1:21:49 - The first work principle and how the life principles somewhat form the work principles in the book. Also, how you should go about reading the book and what may be of the most help to you. 1:23:52 - The last section on creating your own principles. Wrap-up and a bit of information on the newsletter and the episode outlines. 1:26:28 - Some fun closing thoughts and stories. (Tangents starting at 1:22:47 on Clay Matthews from the GB Packers and on other goodies.) If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

The goal is essentially to increase net-profit while increasing return on investment and increasing cash flow. Today we’re discussing The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. It is a business novel that Eliyahu used to introduce the “Theory of Constraints”, a sort of meta-theory for business (and life, really) that you can use to advance the output of just about any system. It is very much a “zero-to-one” book, where you’ll see the world differently after reading. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Improving all of your systems with the Theory of Constraints Discovering bottlenecks in various systems and effectively optimizing them Identifying your goal and making positive progress towards it Becoming a better manager or employee by using the Theory of Constraints Improving your time-management skills, productivity, and workflow Useful mental hacks for waking up easier and for making habits stick And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Goal and to check out Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our other episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk, to emulate Musk’s way of thinking for extreme advantages, and our episode on Antifragile, to learn how to profit from chaos.   Mentioned in the show: The Theory of Constraints [1:13] AlphaLab [5:31] Sumo [7:35] Zirtual [12:13] Unlimited Brewing Company [13:21] Growth Machine [18:26] Joe Rogan Podcast [28:20] Nat’s article on how to start a podcast [39:37] Deep House Relax on Spotify [40:28] (Nat and Neil’s favorite playlist for deep work) Last of the Mohicans’ soundtrack [40:39] Halo soundtrack [40:45] Matrix soundtrack [40:51] Tron soundtrack [40:52] The Magician on Soundcloud [43:05] OWSLA and Skrillex mix [43:24] Praxis on Medium [45:45] Medium [45:45] Getting Stuff Done Like a Boss course [46:34] Building a Second Brain course [46:45] The Forcing Function [47:00] Nat Chat podcast [47:02] Nat Chat episode with Chris Sparks [47:02] Tiago Forte’s main courses [47:09] Neil’s post on viewing books similar to VC [48:00] Four Sigmatic’s Mushroom Coffee [1:02:18] Athletic Greens [1:02:28] Game of Thrones [1:05:48] Stranger Things [1:05:49] Buffer [1:07:57] Made You Think episode on Thinking Like Elon Musk [1:09:18] Tesla [1:09:18] Boosted Board [1:11:28] How to Legally Own People article [1:13:26] Books mentioned: The Goal (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile [4:29] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Work Clean [50:22] (episode coming 12-19 or 12-26) (Nat’s Notes) Principles [52:17] (episode coming 12-5) (Nat’s Notes) Emergency [1:19:43] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Eliyahu M. Goldratt Zak Slayback [4:04] Joe Rogan [28:20] Daft Punk [40:55] Rapper Nas [41:55] Lil Wayne [41:58] Future [42:02] Ivan Pavlov [43:22] Adil Majid [43:29] Tiago Forte [45:32] Chris Sparks [46:59] Elon Musk [1:09:18] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:13:26] 0:00 - Introductory quote, a bit of background on the book and the author, and how you can use this book to help you out in both business and in life. 7:24 - Some examples from the book applied to the real-world and some flaws in various business systems. 10:36 - What the actual goal is for various systems, some details on the goal’s infrastructure, and why these three metrics are important. “The goal is essentially to increase net-profit while increasing return on investment and increasing cash flow.” 19:40 - The next part on the daily goal metrics (throughput, inventory, and operational expense) and some details on those. 21:10 - How to use these metrics if you’re not a manager or a CEO and are without a big-picture perspective. Also, some discussion on these metrics, applying them to members of a system, and some real-world examples. 28:44 - Figuring out all of these metrics and operations and then applying them in day-to-day situations. The beginning of how the main character in the story does this. 30:47 - The bottleneck issue from the book and applying it to real-world scenarios, the funny story of discovering and solving the bottleneck from the book, and some discussion on it. (Tangent #1 at 31:29) 35:05 - The order for optimizing around a bottleneck properly. Also, some examples of optimizing various bottlenecks and improving your time management skills. Nat and Neil’s favorite music for working, as well. 41:00 - (Tangent #2) The issue with typing the words to a song or podcast instead of the words meant for your writing and some more thoughts of various music types for various types of work. 43:49 - The Theory of Constraints coming into play in the book and some information on Tiago Forte and his courses on improving systems, creative output, and productivity. 47:48 - Books and small investments improving your ROI ($10-$20 books possibly giving you insights that make you $1000+, save you time, or offer valuable enjoyment) and some thoughts on doing your quality insurance before you buy books. 50:22 - Discussion on the book Work Clean and some ideas from it for improving your peace of mind, organizational ability, and productivity. 52:29 - The idea of losing an hour on the bottleneck which is not just being lost to the bottleneck, but to the whole system. Also, being a better manager by analyzing not only possible bottlenecks with others, but for your own bottlenecks, as well. 57:04 - Examining your life for possible scenarios that create bottlenecks for you (drinking and eating unhealthy afterward, etc) and fixing those scenarios. Also, some useful mental hacks for waking up easier at 1:00:36 and 1:01:38. 1:02:10 - Waking up and daisy-chaining your habits immediately afterward. Some explanation and examples of doing this. 1:03:55 - Applying the Theory of Constraints to creative work and making sure you apply the theory towards positive things instead of negative things. 1:09:37 - The steps for identifying the constraints within a system and then beginning to fix them. Some issues on having someone on salary versus hourly, compensating people for their work, and having slack in a system discussed here, as well. 1:16:23 - Some last thoughts and some pieces of advice for others on goals and systems. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com What is the bottleneck and how do I optimize around the bottleneck right now? To even identify what the bottleneck is, you really need to clearly identify the goal.

We all have these things in our life that we accept as a first principle while having no scientific basis or reason for believing in that thing. Today we do a deep dive of the world’s raddest man: Elon Musk. We’re exploring the wildly popular Elon Musk series by “Wait but Why,” focusing on the last article titled “The Cook and the Chef: Elon Musk’s Secret Sauce” which explores just how Musk might be able to do all the things he can do. And most importantly, we discuss how any of us can use these tools to enhance our own thinking and work. How any of us can be more chef than cook. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Emulating Musk’s way of thinking for extreme advantages Musk’s businesses and how he began them How Musk thinks compared to the way most people think Challenging your existing beliefs and redefining your perspective A strategy for designing your reality and pursuing your goals How the way that you think is much more influential than your natural-born talents Shedding dogma-based thinking and instead, thinking based off of first principles Turning fear into excitement And much more. Please enjoy and be sure to check out the article!   Mentioned in the show: Hyperloop One [15:20] Boring Company [15:20] Neurolink [15:21] OpenAI [15:38] Square [16:28] Elon Musk’s cameo in Iron Man 2 [17:23] Diagram for designing your reality and pursuing your goals [26:34] The history of SpaceX article [29:27] Unlimited Brewing Company [30:53] Zara Clothing [32:17] Shark Tank [35:24] Crispr [41:57] Zip2 [45:08] Paypal [45:24] eBay [45:29] Elon Musk and Peter Thiel’s early days [46:40] Peter Thiel blood transfusions from children article [47:45] PayPal Mafia [48:28] The 49ers [49:34] Made You Think episode on The Sovereign Individual [51:37] Bitcoin [51:50] Made You Think episode on Cryptocurrency [52:03] Uranium on Amazon [55:57] AC Propulsion [56:38] Ad Astra [56:55] Nat Chat podcast [57:28] Calvin and Hobbes comic strips [1:00:30] Crony Beliefs by Kevin Simler [1:02:42] Melting Asphalt [1:02:51] Jordan Peterson’s Biblical Series podcast [1:06:02] Made You Think episode on The Way of Zen [1:18:18] Tyranny article [1:18:26] Made You Think episode on Emergency [1:20:25] Two Somali immigrants rape case in Canada [1:22:07] Good Beer Hunting podcast [1:29:37] Magic Hat [1:29:42] Estee Lauder [1:37:35] Growth Machine [1:42:53] Made You Think episode on Finite and Infinite Games [1:44:15] Uber [1:49:11] Airbnb [1:49:12] Tim Ferriss Podcast [2:03:25] Killing the Lion: Turning Anxiety into Excitement article [2:04:55] Made You Think episode on Amusing Ourselves to Death [2:12:58] Made You Think episode on Letters from a Stoic [2:13:05] Grand Theft Auto [2:13:28] Bookinabox [2:15:37] Books mentioned: Steve Jobs’ Biography [14:52] Tropic of Cancer [24:22] The Goal [25:53] (Nat’s Notes) (episode coming 11-28) The 50th Law [38:10] (Nat’s Notes) Principles [39:13] (Nat’s Notes) (episode coming 12-5) The Score Takes Care of Itself [49:40] (Nat’s Notes) The Sovereign Individual [51:37] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) Surely You’re Joking [1:07:45] (Nat's Notes) The Way of Zen [1:18:18] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (MYT episode) Emergency [1:20:25] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) The E-Myth Revisited [1:41:58] (Nat’s Notes) Finite and Infinite Games [1:44:15] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) Pragmatic Thinking and Learning [1:47:45] (Nat’s Notes) The Red Book [1:50:33] The Cook and the Chef on Amazon [2:15:40] People mentioned: Elon Musk Jim Cramer [3:09] Tim Urban [3:38] Albert Einstein [9:03] Peter Thiel [12:10] Jeff Bezos [13:18] Steve Jobs [14:50] Walter Isaacson [14:52] Jack Dorsey [16:27] Henry Ford [18:50] Genghis Khan [18:50] Marie Curie [18:50] John Lennon [18:50] Ayn Rand [18:50] Louis C.K. [18:50] Henry Miller [24:24] Eliyahu M. Goldratt [25:54] Ray Dalio [39:13] Galileo [44:25] Reid Hoffman [48:59] Max Levchin [49:03] Bill Walsh [49:37] Kevin Simler [1:02:44] Dr. Jordan Peterson [1:06:02] Richard Feynman [1:07:40] Tim Ferriss [1:17:22] Justin Mares [1:17:45] Sam Harris [1:32:24] The Dreyfus Brothers [1:47:47] Carl Jung [1:50:33] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [2:00:02] (Antifragile MYT episode) Seneca [2:02:39] (Letters from a Stoic MYT episode) Robert Greene [2:02:42] (Mastery MYT episode) 0:00 - Perspective challenging, introductory quote and an outline of what the discussion will be about. Also, some information on giveaways, upcoming episodes, the mailing list, and the podcast notes. 3:31 - How the Wait but Why article is outlined and some talk about challenging your existing beliefs. Some examples of challenging your beliefs, as well. 9:40 - The first section on us being constrained by existing beliefs and then, some examples of how Elon Musk thinks. 11:48 - The possible benefits of being on the Asperger or autistic spectrum in regards to life and business. Also, some thoughts on Elon’s companies, his deadlines, and the huge scale of the things that he does. 15:50 - Some discussion on how Musk may allocate and divvy up his time, and the many different projects that he has going on. 18:06 - The software versus hardware idea, how a different way of thinking is more powerful than your natural-born intelligence or talents. 20:08 - How where you’re born can have very little impact on your success, and some examples of very successful people born or raised in poor situations. 26:12 - Discussion on the strategy for designing your reality and pursuing your goals from the article (diagram here). Also, some examples of various companies operating using this system and being successful. 34:21 - How Elon uses this thinking strategy, continually adjusts it, and tests everything. 36:56 - Learning to not become attached to any of the goals and be willing to let it go if something better comes in. Also, being honest with yourself and be willing to invalidate things, instead of validating them. Some examples of doing this and lying to yourself. 40:50 - The story of Musk when he was in college, and how he thought “What would most affect the future of humanity?”. Also, how he focused mostly on expanding the list of things that were possible, instead of focusing on his wants at the time. Musk’s thoughts on engineering being preferable to science, as well. 45:06 - Elon’s first companies and how he was able to fund his next companies. 47:28 - (Tangent #1) The possible health benefits of blood transfusions from younger people. Also, some discussion on various trees of people who are either all successful or not. 50:46 - The history of PayPal, some of its original goals, and some of the feats that the company has accomplished. Also, what came next for Elon after PayPal. 58:12 - The comparison between most people’s way of thinking compared to Musk’s and the importance of always asking “Why?”. 1:02:23 - Some discussion on The Great Depression mindset and how it may be negatively affecting most of us, as well as our future generations. Rooting out these negative beliefs that are passed onto us by our peers, environments, parents, and more. 1:07:37 - The problem with learning things based on dogma, rather than on first principles. Making your way of learning and thinking more antifragile. Also, some examples of these things based on dogma. 1:13:30 - Thoughts on tribalism in political parties, life, social circles, and religion. Some discussion on blind versus conscious tribalism and universal based income, as well. 1:20:59 - Testing people on how tribal they are and challenging their core beliefs. Also, some more talk on tribalism and various issues in the world like rights, cultural differences, health care, and laws. 1:29:22 - Some examples of us not using first principles in our judgment, and some thoughts on various events that completely change your perspective on something. 1:36:20 - Some core heuristics from the Cook and the Chef article for improving your thinking and life. Also, thoughts on growing a business and how you can be the Chef instead of the Cook. “The Chef creates, while the Cook, in some form or another, copies.” 1:45:39 - The necessary need to become the cook and develop intuition before you become the chef. Also, how Musk is the chef and how this all relates to his way of thinking. 1:54:39 - How the ability to become a Chef is infinitely greater now than it was a hundred years ago. How easy it is to try things risk-free currently and the large number of things that we can now try. 1:56:58 - Explaining the three types of cooks and then, the chef. Where most people lie in regards to these four types and recognizing these types, as well. 2:02:45 - Obtaining an accurate view of reality and the benefits of an extreme honesty policy within a company. 2:04:16 - Two mental tricks to overcoming public speaking anxiety and some details on these tricks. Also, how the chef doesn’t give into rational fear and turns fear into excitement, and how the chef doesn’t get tied up in their own identity. 2:10:39 - How a misplaced identity and getting caught up in your history can affect what you allow into your want pool and your view of reality. Thinking things are a lot riskier than they are and the selection bias within stories. 2:13:21 - The final part regarding us essentially playing Grand Theft Life. Us taking much more risks and going after the largest opportunities if our life was inside of a simulation, similar to Grand Theft Auto. 2:15:18 - Wrap-up, some closing thoughts on the article, some bits on the future of the podcast, where to contact us, and information on what our newsletter offers. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com The more I learn about Musk and other people who seem to have superhuman powers—whether it be Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Genghis Khan, Marie Curie, John Lennon, Ayn Rand, or Louis C.K.—the more I’m convinced that it’s their software, not their natural-born intelligence or talents, that makes them so rare and so effective. - Tim Urban

The strange loop phenomenon occurs whenever by moving upwards or downwards through the levels of some hierarchical system, we unexpectedly find ourselves right back where we started. Godel Escher Bach is one of the most complex books Neil and I have ever read. It will have you thinking about minds, intelligence, AI, and reality in an entirely new way. It weaves together insights from music, art, mathematics, ant colonies, Lewis Carroll stories, and more unexpected places into a new understanding of how our minds work and how we might program computers to emulate them. You don’t want to miss it. We covered a wide range of topics, including: What strange loops are and their presence in reality Unique perspectives on the strange loops of the mind, intelligence, and artificial intelligence The possibility of living in a simulation Defining intelligence and artificial intelligence Collective consciousness systems How art, music, and math relate with these strange loops Extra-sensory perception And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Godel Escher Bach and to check out Nat’s notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on The Way of Zen by Alan Watts, to learn about Zen Buddhism and improving your life with it, and our episode on Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, to learn ancient wisdom for a better life. Mentioned in the show: E-Mu systems [4:03] Principia Mathematica [4:58] Constant of recursion [5:50] Pulitzer Prize [7:35] American Mathematical Monthly [7:59] Godel Incompleteness Theorem [9:36] M.C. Escher paintings [15:15] The Never Ending Staircase [15:25] Inception movie [15:42] Man in an art gallery white space painting [16:20] Hands drawing hands [16:30] Turing test [39:06] Microsoft Twitter AI experiment [40:00] GoAI [41:03] Deep Blue program [42:03] Jung’s collective consciousness [58:18] Epimenides Paradox [1:09:24] Books mentioned: Godel, Escher, Bach (Nat’s Notes) Nick Bostrom’s Superintelligence [2:08] The Way of Zen [3:15] (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) (MYT episode) Atlas Shrugged [7:30] In Praise of Idleness [9:49] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) Sapiens [51:14] (Nat’s Notes) The Power of Habit [54:16] (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile [55:00] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) The Red Book [59:16] The Power of Myth [1:00:28] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) Emergency [1:02:26] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) Amusing Ourselves to Death [1:16:58] (Nat’s Notes) (MYT episode) People mentioned: Douglas Hofstadter Godel Escher Bach Elon Musk [2:05] Nick Bostrom [2:08] Lewis Carroll [6:06] Jeremy Bernstein [8:09] Bertrand Russell [9:49] Leonhard Euler [10:55] Isaac Newton [10:56] Charles Duhigg [54:16] Carl Jung [58:18] Dr. Jordan Peterson [59:54] Alan Turing [1:02:35] 0:00 - Introductory quote from the book, some information on the book, and some connections that the book makes. 3:24 - Some thoughts on the book, the logic and mathematics in the book, how it is constructed, and the exercises in the book. 7:49 - A couple of the quotes found on the back of the book and an in-depth discussion about the first section on Godel’s incompleteness theorem. Also, discussion on the strange loops with this theorem. 14:09 - The strange loop idea on making decisions, the incompleteness of all systems, and the strange loop from Escher with the never-ending staircase. Also, some other examples by Escher regarding loops. 18:18 - What defines an incomplete system, an example of this, paradoxes, and the multiple layers that define things. 20:19 - The strange loops within our own consciousness and relating these to death. Also, thoughts on the extreme complexity of the world.   22:28 - Discussion about creating artificial intelligence and how strange loops relate to that. Some discussion on a collective intelligence and some thoughts on us being a part of a collective intelligence, as well. 25:40 - Some examples of us being a collective system, like ant colonies or cells. Also, thoughts on our memory, data storage, and how it relates to constructing intelligence and consciousness. 30:25 - The idea of what intelligence exactly is, evolutionary pressures, and thoughts on whether technology will ever be able to experience emotion and gratitude. Some discussion on intelligence versus consciousness, as well. 33:20 - Thoughts on artificial intelligence and programming in intelligence and emotion into these artificial intelligence systems. 35:02 - How the book is more about a series of essays on these various topics, and how the author is just presenting his ideas and concepts for people to discuss. 35:39 - A quote from the book on recognizing another intelligence and the limiting perspective we each have. How we can never exactly know what another thing is experiencing or thinking. 37:22 - Thoughts on us living in a simulation and how we may never know since we cannot step out of the system and observe it as a third-party. 39:06 - Thoughts on the Turing test and it relating to intelligence in technology. Also, whether conversation and chess can be a suitable measure of intelligence, and thoughts on artificial intelligence beating us at certain things. 43:13 - How the Deep Blue program works and how excellent chess players don’t even see bad moves, they just know. Thoughts on intuition and intuition in artificial intelligence. 45:31 - Thinking computers and processing power, and lower level processes. Also, what core lessons can be learned from this book and some more thoughts on the simulation theory. 49:15 - Discussion on the sense of self, the evolution of artificial intelligence, the huge power of the internet, and how we’ve domesticated wheat. 53:27 - More thoughts on the collective consciousness and the correlation between termite mounds and us. Also, how many structures may exist that we can’t perceive due to not having the ability to, similar to termites and ants with their structures. 57:21 - How just creating the binary system isn’t enough due to cause intelligence and the strange loops with this. Also, the collective symbols that exist between one another and thoughts on these exist. 1:00:27 - How our fears may affect what mythological stories stick and persist. 1:02:32 - Alan Turing and extra-sensory perception, and thoughts on ESP being real. 1:06:10 - The strange loop of questioning our own sanity and how questioning our sanity creates this tighter and tighter vortex of uncertainty. Also, this relating to questioning living in a simulation. Thoughts on solipsism, as well. 1:09:09 - The necessity of strange loops and if a system is self-referential, it has strange loops. The Epimenides paradox and self-referential paradoxes. Also, discussion on our symbol pattern recognizing system. 1:15:15 - Stoicism’s perspective on thinking about death versus Zen Buddhism’s perspective on thinking about death. 1:16:30 - Wrap-up and some closing thoughts on the book. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com

The difference in even doing a little bit of preparation between doing nothing for a disaster is massive. Today we’re discussing what you should know about preparing for doomsday, centered around the book “Emergency” by Neil Strauss. What will you do when a massive hurricane, earthquake, or fire hits? When a terrorist attack happens? When the power grid goes down and you’re stuck in your home with rapidly depleting supplies? These aren’t fun topics to think about… but it’s better to plan for them now than suffer the consequences of hiding our heads in the sand. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Surviving various disasters and life-threatening situations Minimizing your damage from threats and disasters Protecting yourself from terrorist threats Future societal outcomes after apocalyptic events Leaving the country to avoid disaster Hiding caches and finding water Utilizing the five flag system for optimal security And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Emergency and to check out Nat’s notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Antifragile, to learn how to turn chaos to your advantage. Our episode on The Sovereign Individual, to better prepare yourself for the cyber-economic future. And last, our episode on cryptocurrency, to learn how cryptocurrency works and how it can benefit you. Mentioned in the show: New York Times [1:10] Made You Think episode on Cryptocurrency [3:48] Made You Think episode on The Sovereign Individual [4:09] Infowars [5:07] Lord of the Flies [15:35] Made You Think episode of The Power of Myth [18:24] The Federalist Papers [25:10] FEMA [28:32] Article on the Dutch flooding risks [31:53] 500 Startups [36:53] Y Combinator [36:54] Start-Up Chile [37:34] Estee Lauder [40:20] Sovereign Man article on places to get a passport [41:27] Made You Think episode on Amusing Ourselves to Death [43:50] Huffington Post [44:53] Fox News [44:54] Pocket app [45:40] Doomsday Planning for Less Crazy Folk [51:45] Bug Out Bag [1:01:52] (Bug Out Bag essentials checklist) Nat Chat podcast [1:05:28] CERT Training [1:04:30] The guy who fasted for over a year [1:08:16] Documentary on Koreatown protecting itself [1:13:56] New Yorker article on interviewing North Koreans [1:22:23] Making a solar still [1:26:50] Online simulation on a population and dying [1:43:15] Tesla [1:48:23] Nat Chat episode with Zak Slayback [1:48:55] Books mentioned: Emergency (Nat’s Notes) The Game [1:03] (Nat’s Notes) The Truth [1:05] (Nat’s Notes) The Sovereign Individual [4:09] (Nat’s Notes) The Lean Startup [7:30] (Nat’s Notes) Amusing Ourselves to Death [43:50] (Nat’s Notes) Contagious [46:36] (Nat’s Notes) Deep Survival [1:25:22] Man’s Search for Meaning [1:26:05] (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Neil Strauss Ariana Grande [3:30] Adil Majid [3:48] Taylor Pearson [3:50] Alex Jones [4:49] Jordan Peterson [10:50] Carl Jung [10:54] Madison and Hamilton [25:16] George W. Bush [28:24] Rodney King [51:10] Nassim Taleb [51:48] Laurence Gonzales (author) [1:25:22] Viktor Frankl [1:26:05] Samy Kamkar [1:45:48] Elon Musk [1:48:23] Zak Slayback [1:48:55] Related links: Nat’s 5-day water fast article 0:00 - Powerful introductory quote, the beginning of the discussion, and some information on what the book’s about. 4:39 - Some thoughts on prepping and some popular misconceptions with prepping. Also, thoughts on why you may want to get into prepping for disasters. 7:27 - Discussion on various disaster scenarios, looting, gangs, and the social unrest that arises. Also, how these situations can make us irrational. 11:50 - Thoughts on various genocides around the world and the death tolls of them. 15:00 - The author’s perspective on possible outcomes during various apocalyptic events and some discussion on these events. Also, some talk regarding tribes and the events that happened from the year 1900 and onwards. 20:33 (Tangent #1) Discussion on what may happen with nation states and states succeeding in regards to war. Also, some talk about various laws and types of governments. 27:46 - The author’s three strategies regarding various disasters and surviving them. Also, some information on why rescue teams don’t always show up as soon as the disasters happen and some thoughts on how many people have died during recent natural disasters. 33:48 - The first challenge of escaping. Describing the five flag system and detailing how to go about achieving that system. Also, evading income tax by living in Puerto Rico and getting paid to start a business there, same with Chile. 42:23 - Some signs that you should leave the country and some discussion on these signs. Also, discussion on the media being warped to make us think a certain way. 46:30 - What makes things go viral and get shared. Some thoughts on these driving forces. Also, how much it typically would cost to achieve the five flag system mentioned earlier. 49:56 - The next part on surviving these disasters and traveling away from the country to avoid possible disasters. 52:30 - Some more discussion on survival, hunting, diet, and training yourself to survive beforehand, especially training your instincts. Also, some in-depth discussion on escaping from Long Island and the usefulness of being able to sail. 1:04:26 - How the author learned how to do all of these things. Also, the three qualities and the three skills that will help you out greatly in various disasters. What you should learn to survive in various situations mentioned, as well. 1:09:00 - Urban survival versus wilderness survival and some thoughts on this. Some talk about protecting yourself with weapons and owning guns, as well. 1:16:42 - What you should do first when a disaster hits and what you should do last. 1:18:42 - Where to find safe drinking water in your home if you run out of water. Also, storing water, protecting yourself from nuclear threats, and some talk on bomb threats in general. 1:23:20 - What to do if you’re in a building where a bomb explodes, minimizing damage from shooters, what to watch out for when lost, information on solar stills, and the minimum amount of water needed daily for survival. 1:31:05 - Some other things that you can do to help your survival chances. 1:36:20 - Information on hiding items and caches, and some more information on finding water and drinking from streams. 1:39:36 - The last section on rescuing and EMT training. Also, what’s currently most likely to kill you here in America. 1:44:23 - (Tangent #2) Self-driving and the possible fragility of the self-driving system. Some thoughts on security, hacking, driving, and fossil fuels, as well. 1:49:34 - Wrap-up. Some last thoughts on surviving various disasters and prepping. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com People who can stay rational and who can maintain hope, tend to always survive these dire scenarios more.

Every time that you’re putting a label on something, you are abstracting away from what it truly means. Meditation has taken western interest by storm… but what is Buddhism, anyway? We try to figure that out in this exploration of The Way of Zen, which lays out the different forms of Buddhism and how they differ. Neither of us knew much about the subtleties, nor how much it’s misrepresented in western marketing. We covered a wide range of topics, including: Differences in Eastern and Western wisdom The origins of Buddhism and Zen Buddhism The negative effects of putting labels on things Reducing attachment to things and becoming more open-minded Non-conscious and indescribable knowledge Meditation and mindfulness Finding joy in the journey, not the destination And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Way of Zen and to check out Nat and Neil’s notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Letters From a Stoic, to learn ancient wisdom for a better life and our episode on In Praise of Idleness, to reduce the guilt from overworking and to improve your leisurely time. Mentioned in the show: Uber [6:25] The Socratic method [22:40] Jordan Peterson’s Biblical Series [24:07] DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) [26:10] Inuit [28:06] Aristotelian Ethics [43:40] Jung’s Collective Consciousness [44:49] Simulation that is Reality [44:59] Reddit [45:46] Jocko’s Podcast [57:47] The Blind Mountainbike Rider [1:02:25] The Switch from Search to Social [1:09:38] Headspace [1:13:58] Books mentioned: The Way of Zen (Nat’s Notes) (Neil’s Notes) Finite and Infinite Games [0:53] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile [1:02] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Letters From a Stoic [3:39] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Meditations [3:45] (Nat’s Notes) Enchiridion [3:48] (Nat’s Notes) Discourses [3:49] (Nat’s Notes) Astrophysics For People in a Hurry [29:27] Mastery [33:52] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Benazir Bhutto’s book mentioned [38:29] The Power of Myth [41:44] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) In Praise of Idleness [1:09:26] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [1:14:28] Bhagavad Ghita [1:16:08] Godel, Escher, Bach [1:20:55] (Episode coming soon) (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Alan Watts Seneca [3:39] Marcus Aurelius [3:45] Epictetus [3:48] Daniel Kahneman [9:23] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [10:47] Euthyphro [22:42] Chief Justice Roberts [23:08] Jordan Peterson [24:07] Sam Harris [25:35] Neil Degrasse Tyson [29:27] Benazir Bhutto [38:29] Aristotle [43:40] Carl Jung [44:49] Elon Musk [44:59] Nick Bostrom [45:08] Descartes [45:15] Jocko [57:47] Sebastian Marshall [1:12:48] 0:00 - Introduction, a powerful quote from the book, and some thoughts on why you may want to re-read books intermittently. 1:56 - A bit of background on the author Alan Watts, some information on the book, and discussion on the similarity between Zen Buddhism and Stoicism. 3:52 - Discussion on the first section in the book and some comparisons between Western and Eastern types of knowledge. Also, some interesting differences in Western and Eastern language. 6:07 - (Tangent #1) Successful startup and company names being both nouns and verbs, such as Google and Uber. Also, thoughts on nouns, verbs, and labels. 7:03 - How when things aren’t labeled in the west, things can get confusing. Thoughts on freeing yourself from these “boxes” of labels and restricting labels, as well. 9:54 - The spoken, explained, and labeled things, versus unspoken, unexplained, and unlabeled things. Some more thoughts on labeling things and putting them in the box of that label. Also, thoughts on labeling ourselves and defining ourselves by our past actions. 11:28 - Discussion on the illusion of reality and our reality shifting based on our goals and actions. 12:47 - Further discussion on the narrative fallacy of putting a label on something. Also, the differences in the meaning of words between different people, and the communicative problems that arise due to those. 14:38 - Thoughts on the categories of things and changing your perspective on how you view them. Also, changing your interpretation of reality, to reduce attachment in general and attachment to these categories that things have been labeled under. Seeing the true nature rather than the label and being open to new ideas. 15:37 - The word complexity and how our attempts to understand things with categories is obsolete and overly complex. 17:05 - The example of learning music in the West compared to the East. Also, the comparison of learning language in an immersive and challenging way versus than the traditional approach found in schools. 19:08 - (Tangent #2) Some thoughts on the similarity between the books on the podcast so far and some thoughts on why Zen is not considered a philosophy. 21:39 - Being open to new ideas and ways of thought, and some thoughts on non-conscious and indescribable knowledge. 23:40 - Requiring an indescribable experience to both experience and understand some of the aspects of Zen and non-conscious knowledge. Some talk on where our thoughts come from and asking ourselves the question of where they come from. 26:33 - (Tangent #3) How much of our reality we don’t experience because there are no words to describe it. Discussion on our past visual spectrum and not being able to see certain colors in the past, compared to now, where we can see more colors. 30:57 - Neil’s personal experiences and life changes after meditating. Becoming more mindful and aware of things that we may normally be mindless to. Also, thoughts on the metaphysical aspect of our reality. 34:08 - The next chapter, discussion on the origins of Buddhism, and comparison between other religions. Also, how Buddhism may be considered a school of thought rather than a religion and some thought on religion in general. 40:09 - Some discussion on the history of Buddhism as well as a bit on other religions. 46:19 - Watt’s on Buddhism coming from Hinduism and Buddhism sharing ideas. Also, thoughts on ego, our desires to be in control, and Nirvana. 49:18 - Discussion on brief moments of clarity, being in the zone, and the flow state. 50:56 - The book’s section on Mahayana Buddhism and some talk about Bodhisattvas. Shortly after, discussion on Zen awakening and achieving Sattori. 55:32 - Sitting meditation versus bringing meditation into everything that you do. Also, some more discussion on enlightenment and zen versus other Buddhist traditions. 1:00:20 - The principles and practices of Zen Buddhism. Some more on giving up control and some thoughts on control in general. 1:04:49 - (Tangent #4) Thoughts on emotion as a heuristic and Watt’s thermostat analogy in regards to human happiness. 1:08:17 - Discussion on Zazen meditation and Watt’s views on seated meditation. Also, some talk about our attention spans, the constant entertainment we get, and comparing that to sitting quietly where we don’t get that stimulation. Also, discussion on the moments of clarity and mindfulness we get throughout the day. 1:12:26 - Thoughts about whether Zen meditation is getting more popular and discussion on just doing meditation for no purpose, instead of doing it to gain something. 1:15:16 - The last section on Zen and the arts. How the practice of Zen influences art and makes it so much more beautiful. “So much of it was built, for the sake of just building.” “The process is the reward”. The joy is more in the journey, rather than the destination. 1:21:04 - Wrap-up and a powerful quotation to ponder on. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com It’s a very limiting view to believe that everything needs to be really clearly defined to be true.

Every move that an infinite player makes is towards the horizon, and every move a finite player makes is within a boundary. After reading Finite and Infinite Games, you’ll never see the world the same. This simple dichotomy, finite and infinite, will rethink how you see business, life, love, goals, friendships, play, war, and everything you come across. Once you learn to think about the horizon… there’s no going back. We covered a wide range of topics in this discussion, including: Improving your life with new perspectives Promoting personal growth by defining your boundaries and pushing past them Improving your motivation with the infinite mindset Finding the balance between over-working and contented leisure Consciousness and illusory experiences Insights into our relationship with nature And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Finite and Infinite Games! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to listen to our episode on Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, to learn more about the negative impacts that technology has on us and on how to prevent these impacts. Also, be sure to listen to our episode on Mastery by Robert Greene, to learn how to become a master at your craft and improve your life. Mentioned in the show: Made You Think Cryptocurrency episode [0:22] Valve [27:57] Steam [28:07] Zappos [28:59] Wait But Why [31:16] Elon Musk’s Secret Sauce article [31:17] Fight Through the Suck article [33:25] Narrative Fallacy [34:12] Made You Think Antifragile episode [34:15] Made You Think The Power of Myth episode [39:15] The Philosophy of Mind [47:04] What it’s Like to Be a Bat paper [47:05] The Cartesian [48:58] All Natural Apple Meme [1:09:02] Made You Think Amusing Ourselves to Death episode [1:15:42] The Lincoln Douglas debates [1:15:42] Books mentioned: Finite and Infinite Games The Red Book [19:05] Bhagavad Gita [21:45] (Nat’s Notes) The Way of Zen [21:48] (Nat’s Notes) Sapiens [22:36] (Nat’s Notes) Valve Employee Handbook [28:19] The Dip [32:43] (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile [34:15] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The Snowball [36:40] The Power of Myth [39:15] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) The Quran [39:20] The Art of Seduction [55:50] (Nat’s Notes) The Game [55:52] (Nat’s Notes) Astrophysics for People in a Hurry [1:03:38] The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels [1:10:40] Amusing Ourselves to Death [1:15:42] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind [1:16:35] (Nat’s Notes) The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up [1:26:00] (Nat’s Notes) 1984 [1:31:26] The Sovereign Individual [1:36:32] (Nat’s Notes) (Made You Think episode) Godel Escher Bach [1:36:34] People mentioned: James P. Carse Taylor Pearson [0:19] Carl Jung [19:05] Bruce Lee [20:23] Plato [21:23] Seth Godin [32:43] Justin Mares [33:25] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [34:15] Warren Buffett [36:19] Kyrie Irving [38:27] Thomas Nagel [47:05] Descartes [48:58] Robert Greene [55:50] Neil Strauss [55:52] Neil DeGrasse Tyson [1:03:38] Elon Musk [1:14:04] Charles Darwin [1:15:37] 0:00 - Intro to the book’s discussion, a thesis quote from the book, and talking about the unique writing of the book. 2:48 - The difference between a finite and infinite game, some powerful lessons, and some real-world examples. 8:01 - The distinction between life or death games and some advice on finding the balance between working too much and being content with not working at all. 11:38 - Some more detail on the finite games, thoughts on the past nature that titles have, and thoughts on achieving your goals and accomplishing things. 18:08 - Our social nature, how that affects these games, and the collective consciousness. 20:43 - Ancient philosophy’s timeless nature and the wide range of influence that these philosophies have had. Also, thoughts on the development of various philosophies. 23:27 - Thoughts on war from the book and the author’s perspective on war. 25:52 - The theory on titles and accomplishments in regards to large and small companies as well as bureaucracy. 29:55 - Bureaucracy in schools, the finite game that schools are, and the title theory applied to schools and degrees. 31:08 - Thinking of everything as a game and taking more risks. Also, some thoughts on how much time you have for major projects that you can accomplish in your life and being selective with those projects. 34:42 - Thoughts on the past nature of wealth, showing wealth off, and wealth in general. 37:33 - Discussion on the boundaries of these games, how successful people think in regards to these boundaries, and constantly striving for a larger goal that’s never achieved. Expanding your boundaries, looking through them, and reaching for the horizon. 42:46 - Defining your boundaries by noticing resistance, and pushing through that resistance or increasing it continuously. Pushing past your limits, living on your edge, and recognizing these artificially self-imposed boundaries. 46:03 - The section on what we know to be true, illusory experiences, consciousness, and thoughts on uploading our brains and consciousness to computers, and teleporting ourselves and consciousnesses. 54:52 - The translation of the game towards sexuality and the infinite and finite players within that. Also, thoughts on sexuality and social hierarchy and sacrificing love for other things. 58:32 - The thoughts of parents being like an abstract audience, where even if they aren’t there, you’re still trying to impress them. Also, more on finite sexuality and infinite sexuality. 1:00:57 - The nature of a finite game and the limits of a finite game. “It’s all the limits that you choose to play the game within”. Also, applying this to the universe, applying it to time, and to other real-world examples. 1:05:18 - Using the infinite mindset to become more motivated for your goals, to achieve more, and to keep doing more. 1:06:58 - The chapter on nature and its horizons. How everything that happens is natural and how nature just is. 1:10:39 - The morality of fossil fuels, some thoughts on fossil fuel usage, and some more thoughts on the game of nature. 1:14:08 - The author’s perspective on explanation and its relation to arguments. Also, the nature of arguments in general. 1:17:44 - Discussion on our control over nature and us versus nature. Also, the author’s thoughts on traveling and some discussion on different areas around the world. 1:21:45 - The chapter on nature and the machine world. The comparison of machines with gardens. 1:26:29 - Thoughts on all types waste and how we view waste. 1:27:48 - The book’s section on myth, and some discussion on myth and the relationship with infinite and finite players. 1:32:06 - Thoughts on how there is but one infinite game, and some interpretations of this thought. Also, the master player and how they play these finite and infinite games. 1:34:46 - Wrap-up and some closing thoughts. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com If you’re thinking about it from a more infinite standpoint, the goal is to simply keep building it, keep growing it, and keep making it bigger. There’s not really a clear end goal that you’re getting to.