The Growth Guide: Self-Improvement | Greatness | Impact | Creators | FI |

Are you a hard worker or a mediocre person who spends your life settling in one phase? It's time to think about how motivated you are to achieve your goals. Because the harder you work, the greater you will become. This week's episode features Brad Ritter. Brad is one of the world's leading experts on performance and author of the best selling book, 'School of Grit: Unlock Your Potential Through Purposeful Adversity,' Join us as we discuss morning routines, box breathing, visualization, monthly milestone challenges, leadership vs. following, accepting failures, and more. [03.08] The school of grit – Brad shares the origin story of his book 'The school of grit.' [13.04] The crucible moment - Brad shares his experience at Kokoro SEALFIT camp and his crucible moment.  [21.42] Morning routine – Morning routines are essential. Brad dives into how to take a little time to yourself in the morning and see what you gain from it. [30.44] The big four – the four elements of mental toughness; positive self-talk, visualizations, mental imagery, and goal setting. [33.50] Box breathing – the box breathing process and how to do tactical breathing in stressful situations. [39.20] Visualization – Brad explains the visualization and why it is crucial. [46.02] Milestone Challenges – Brad explains his favorite milestone challenge, ' The long walk.' [53.19] Breath, think & execute –  responding to situations by going through breath, think, and execute. [01.05.10] The IDEAL day – Brad breaks down what the acronym IDEAL stands for. [01.14.22] Comfortable being uncomfortable – how growth happens when people put themselves into uncomfortable situations  [01.24.30] Accepting failures – The need to accept failures in life to succeed.ResourcesConnect with BradLinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/brad-ritter-63427317/ Website - schoolofgrit.org/ Instagram - instagram.com/schoolofgrit_bradritter/?hl=en YouTube - youtube.com/@schoolofgrit Book by Brad – School of Grit: Unlock Your Potential Through Purposeful Adversity goodreads.com/book/show/60593690-school-of-grit Book by Angela Duckworth – Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverancegoodreads.com/en/book/show/27213329-grit Book by James Nestor – Breath: The New Science of a Lost Artgoodreads.com/book/show/48890486-breath Book by Mark Divine – Unbeatable Mind: Forge Resiliency and Mental Toughness to Succeed at an Elite Levelgoodreads.com/en/book/show/25030935-unbeatable-mind Book by Seth Godin – Tribes: We Need You to Lead Usgoodreads.com/book/show/3828382-tribes?ref=nav_sb_ss_3_6 

To alleviate symptoms such as anxiety and depression, mental health professionals have access to a variety of scientifically-based methods. However, these reductionist approaches rarely produce the lasting peace we seek. My guest for today, Dr. Seth Gillihan, a practicing psychologist and one of the leading popularizers of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), believes that to become healthy and whole, we must do more than alleviate our symptoms. He believes that to achieve lasting health and happiness, we must incorporate spirituality into our healing.Seth is a clinical psychologist, best-selling author, and podcaster. He is an expert in mindful cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).  Seth was a full-time faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania from 2008 to 2012 and taught in the Psychology Department at Haverford College from 2012-2015. He has been in private practice since 2012. He is also the author of multiple books on mindfulness and CBT, Therapy Advisor with the self-therapy app Bloom, a medical reviewer for Everyday Health, and hosts the Think Act Be podcast.Seth begins the conversation by discussing how he has applied lessons from his book throughout his journey thus far. In this extended excerpt, Seth discusses the "Big Three," which he defines as sufficient sleep, a healthy diet, and regular physical activity. Seth also explains how to leverage ourselves and the process of working backward. In addition, he mentions the steps he took to re-center himself in the present moment after deciding to practice mindfulness and the central tenets of mindfulness, such as openness, alignment with reality, and decentering. We also talk about "negative thought auditing," "technology fasting," "priming our environment," the difference between "must have" and "nice to have" items, "outsourcing happiness," "purpose and work," and more. [00:18] Seth's Background – Sharing his journey, Seth discusses the material of his book and his realization that he, too, can benefit from it. [19:06]The “Big Three” – Seth elaborates on the idea of the "Big Three," which consists of getting enough rest, eating right, and exercising. [35:47] Mindfulness – Seth talks about how he brought himself to the present moment when he started focusing on mindfulness, and mindfulness concepts like being open, aligned with reality, and decentering.[38:30] Meditation – To help with mindfulness, Seth details what he considers to be the essentials of daily meditation practice for novices.[53:14] Key Concepts - Seth discusses concepts, including negative thought auditing, technology-fast, priming our environment, outsourcing happiness, and the idea of purpose and work. Also, he further explains how  listeners can incorporate these concepts into their life.Resources:Connect with Seth:Website: sethgillihan.com/Blog: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-act-bePodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/think-act-be-podcast/id1419082632Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sethgillihanphd/Books by Seth Gillihan:Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Simple Path to Healing, Hope, and Peace: goodreads.com/en/book/show/60606331-mindful-cognitive-behavioral-therapyMentioned in the Podcast:Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior: goodreads.com/book/show/336248.Shambhala

This Episode is Sponsored by the Twitter Growth Community.If you're listening to my Podcast, you've likely found me through Twitter where we share content to help people be better, achieve more and become financially free.If you're on Twitter and you want to build a profile that's a magnet for growth, write viral content and turn Twitter into a consistent revenue stream in a few minutes per day, then join us: https://maven.com/growth-academy/twitter-growth-academyBeing a teacher is both a privilege and a responsibility. This week's Pursuit of Learning podcast episode features Pedro De Bruyckere. He is an Educational Scientist at Arteveldehogeschool & Utrecht University and the author of the book 'The Psychology of Great Teaching'. He joined us today to talk about what teachers should know about the psychology of teaching. Throughout the conversation, we discuss replication, growth mindset & fixed mindset, Correlation & causation, nurturing nature, self-determination, cognitive load theory, typologies vs. dimensions, and more. [01:38] Replication- Starting the conversation, Pedro defines replication in his book and how past experiments have failed to replicate. [06.47] Growth mindset – Pedro dives into Carol Dweck's theory of growth mindset and the present idea about it. [13.21] Correlation and causation – Pedro defines Correlation, causation, and Correlation caused by distorting factors. [17.09] Nature vs. nurture argument – Pedro walks us through the nature versus nurture argument and explains the role environment plays in achieving good grades. [23.20] Nurturing nature – Every child needs a little push to be good at something. Pedro dives into the importance of nurturing the nature of a child. Finding something that they are good at and helping them to expand it. [30.19] Self-determination – Pedro defines the three elements of self-determination and what happens if a person themselves can't see their growth. [34.47] Cognitive load theory – Pedro defines John Sweller's cognitive load theory and the importance of having prior knowledge of your environment. [39.20] Effective study methods – Pedro shares the least and most effective study methods, according to a study in 2013. [47.39] Duolingo – An American educational technology company that provides learning apps and language certification. [50.47] Typologies vs. dimensions – Pedro explains the reason for not having much psychological evidence for typology and having more evidence supporting dimensions. [57.57] Development – Pedro dives into the reason for having a bigger influence on nature when people get older. [01.03.04] Creativity – Pedro shares some practices to foster creativity in people.  [01.12.14] Errors in reasoning – Making mistakes is inevitable for anyone. Pedro shares some elements people can use to avoid making common mistakes.Resources Connect with PedroLinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/pedrodebruyckere/ Website -  theeconomyofmeaning.com/ Mastodon - https://mastodon.social/@thebandbTwitter - twitter.com/thebandb Amazon - www.amazon.com/stores/Pedro-de-Bruyckere/author/B00PITS9LKBooks by Pedro De Bruyckere – The Psychology of Great Teaching: Everything Teachers Ought to Know - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/s

Marketing is essential for all types of businesses, whether you are a novice entrepreneur or a seasoned marketer. Brian Kurtz, my guest today, distills the knowledge he's gathered after nearly four decades in the direct marketing field to develop a business that lasts a lifetime using direct response fundamentals.For nearly four decades, Brian has adhered to a specific set of direct marketing principles that have enabled him to build an iconic $160 million company. Also, these same principles are currently enabling him to apply everything he has learned and accomplished to the current state in marketing. In addition, he is unwaveringly dedicated to teaching these timeless foundations to the next generation of exceptional direct-response marketers. Brian is the author of the book, Overdeliver. Brian illustrates how to discover our audience and sell successfully in his book without losing sight of the people we are selling to and without sacrificing the respect and attention they deserve.Brian shares how to track what is effective in marketing to our target demographic and how to diversify our marketing. Brian also defines overdelivering and how to achieve it. Brian shares his perspective on abundance while elaborating on why there is no ceiling when you live abundantly.  Brian imparts his expertise in tracking the metrics that matter, constructing a responsive database (list building), and personalizing the list. In addition, we also explore some of the seven traits of world-class copywriters, multichannel marketing, and much more![00:15] Brian's Journey – Brian shares his journey so far, mentioning how he was introduced to direct marketing.[06:49] Over Delivery - When you exceed your prospects', customers', and partners' expectations, you weave integrity, loyalty, and growth throughout your life and business.[13:20] Abundance – Brian shares his view on abundance and why there is no ceiling when you live abundantly.[18:27] Selling – What is the timeline? What are the touches? What's the value before you say, "Hey, I'm going to try to sell a product."[39:47] Core Principles -  We explain what a swipe file is, the rationale behind specific copywriting approaches, and original source principles, which Brian believes are essential for any young direct marketer or copywriter who wants to level the field. [01:02:05] 41-39-20 Rule – Brian elaborates on the 41-39-20 rule, and he covers going a mile deep instead of broad, ensuring that our specialization aligns with our superpower by emphasizing the concept of repurposing assets as opposed to constantly trying to develop new ones. [01:25:05] Great Copywriters - A successful copywriter possesses seven qualities. Brian shares a few that listeners should focus on.[01:32:07] Three Questions - What is missing that really ought to be there? Precisely what makes you worthy of attention? And why should someone buy your products? [01:38:40] Multiple Channels - Brian outlines the value of having our own domain and being present on numerous platforms.[01:45:13] Compound Interest-Enriched Relationship Capital – Brian shows how we can contribute to connection, what compound interest-enhanced relationship capital entails, and how the audience can grow this relationship capital.Resources:Connect with Brian:Website: briankurtz.net/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brian-kurtz-a1934/Books:Overdeliver: overdeliverbook.com/Breakthrough Advertising: https://breakthroughadvertisingbook.com/

Everyone has a writer inside them. Everyone has stories inside them. They have to find a way to unravel it. In this week's episode of the Pursuit of Learning podcast, we are joined by Ben Putano, founder of Damn Gravity Media, and author of the book, Great Founders Write:  Principles for Clear Thinking, Confident Thinking and Startup Success.  Throughout the conversation, we cover Ben's journey to becoming an author, writing with a purpose, the ABC123 copywriting framework, writing with empathy, the power of persuasion, and more. ResourcesConnect with BenLinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/ben-putano/ Twitter - twitter.com/BenjaminPutano Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/benputanoWebsite - damngravity.com/books/greatfounderswrite Book by Ben – Great Founders Write: Principles for Clear Thinking, Confident Writing, and Startup Successgoodreads.com/book/show/63829773-great-founders-write Books mentioned in Podcast - Book by Suneel Gupta – Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on Yougoodreads.com/en/book/show/53915346-backable Book by Jay A. Conger – The Necessary Art of Persuasiongoodreads.com/book/show/3827770-the-necessary-art-of-persuasion Book by Timothy Ferriss – The 4-Hour Workweek goodreads.com/book/show/368593.The_4_Hour_Workweek?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_19 Book by James Clear – Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Onesgoodreads.com/book/show/40121378-atomic-habits?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=7voPjNJeyI&rank=1 Book by Ryan Holiday -The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumphgoodreads.com/book/show/18668059-the-obstacle-is-the-way Book by David EpsteinRange: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized Worldgoodreads.com/book/show/41795733-range? Book by Bo Burlingham - Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Biggoodreads.com/book/show/100467.Small_Giants? Book by Arlan Hamilton – It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated Into Your Greatest Advantagegoodreads.com/book/show/49646727-it-s-about-damn-time? 

In today's episode, titled "A Simple Approach to a Better Life with Nate Dallas," we explore the profound impact of small, consistent decisions on achieving a fulfilling life. Our guest, Nate Dallas, shares his transformative journey from an outwardly successful yet unsatisfied individual to someone who prioritizes peace and well-being over societal norms. Whether it's understanding the nuances of state management or the importance of love and connection, this episode is packed with insightful advice and actionable steps to guide you on your path to a better life. So, get ready to uncover an unorthodox approach to living meaningfully as we learn from Nate Dallas on "The Growth Guide."[00.15] A brief history – Nate dives into his background of becoming who he is today. [09.51] Importance of small decisions – You have to make small decisions in your life constantly. It may change you as a new person. Nate shares the importance of making small decisions in life and how they may affect your life. [21.03] Importance of sleep – Getting 6-8 hours daily sleep is essential because our bodies need to rest. Nate dives deep into the importance of sleep, the wrong things people do when they go to sleep, the best sleep practices, and his sleep routine. [42.54] Drinking water – Nate shares why he wanted to drink only water for two months and how he felt after two months. [50.24] Food choices – Nate dives into what they do at home to ensure that they get good things in their bodies. [01.03.13] State and state management – Nate dives into what he meant by 'the state' in his book and some of the state management techniques we can use. [01.28.09] Choosing a pathway –  Nate dives into how he chooses his pathway according to his terms because he wants fulfillment and availability in life. [01.45.31] Habit – Nate emphasizes the value of conversing with people, even if you don't relate to what they are saying.Resources    Connect with Nate     LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-dallas-20741764/       Website - https://natedallas.com/        Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dallasnate/?hl=en        Twitter - https://twitter.com/fathersbrother        YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@natedallas8114  Books by Nate;You're Too Good to Feel This Bad: An Orthodox Approach to Living an Unorthodox Lifebooks.google.com/books/about/You_re_Too_Good_to_Feel_This_Bad.html?id=XQ9bzQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y  Hacking Fatherhood: Preparing for Success in the Biggest Role of Your Life –books.google.com/books/about/Hacking_Fatherhood.html?id=ChrNAQAACAAJ&redir_esc=y Mentioned

What is it like to live a life without distractions? This week's episode of the Pursuit of Learning podcast features Joshua Becker, a writer, creator, and entrepreneur at Becoming Minimalist. He is here to talk about his latest book, "Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life." Throughout the episode, we discuss Joshua's journey,, identifying distractions, re-programming, money as a stressor, becoming a minimalist,, and more.[00.28] A brief bio – Joshua shares his journey of becoming a minimalist and discovering how excessive possessions take happiness away. [07.41] End of life – Joshua explains that his book is dedicated to influencing the reader on how to live their lives having fewer regrets about how they lived. [09.53] Heedless luxury & no good activity – The comfort that isn't necessary and the time we spend doing nothing worthy makes us question the time we wasted, says Joshua. [15.41] I commit myself – Staying focused every day is essential. Joshua shares the importance of having a clear goal in mind every day. [20.24] Identify the distractions – Joshua shares how his book helps readers to identify the distractions in their lives from doing worthy things with their time. [31.37] A little bit more – No matter how much money we have, we want a little more. Joshua explains why 90% of American people have stress over money. [45.10] Re-programming – Joshua explains how the world is trying to manipulate our existence. He further explains how to break it and re-program ourselves. [51.50] Childhood – Joshua dives into how your origin or childhood affects your view of possessions. He shares what people need to do to discover how they are programmed in their childhood. [01.01.40] Time – Joshua dives into why it is easy to sacrifice time for things we don't want. [01.10.05] Consuming media – Joshua shares his idea on why technology consumes people.ResourcesConnect with Joshua Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/becomingminimalistInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/joshua_becker/LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/becoming-minimalist/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/joshua_beckerYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@JoshuaBeckerWebsite - becomingminimalist.com/ Books by Joshua – Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life – goodreads.com/book/show/58636918-things-that-matter The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39810030-the-minimalist-home-The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own -https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27036703-the-more-of-lessSimplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13049773-simplifyClutterfree with Kids - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20618993-clutterfree-with-kids

You do not have to be a genius or a multimillionaire to get out of debt and live comfortably. It is never too late to start planning for your financial future as long as you realize the importance of maximizing your current resources. To help you build wealth and live life on your terms, my guest today removes the uncertainty from your financial future by explaining what to buy, how much to spend, and how to maximize every dollar you earn. In today's episode of Pursuit of Learning, we're joined by Sam Dogen, founder of Financial Samurai.Sam spent 13 years in investment banking before launching the personal finance website, Financial Samurai. Several high-profile newspapers and magazines have profiled him, including The Wall Street Journal, The Sydney Herald, The Chicago Tribune, and The Los Angeles Times. Also, Sam has written new book, "Buy This, Not That: How to Spend Your Way to Wealth and Freedom”. Sam discusses financial terms, including analysis paralysis, probabilistic thinking, income tethering, and FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early). He mentions that the rate you reach financial independence depends on your work ethic, savings, and willingness to take risks. [01:30] Financial Freedom - What is financial freedom? What is passive income?[06:26] Analysis Paralysis - Most of the time, we must act on a decision without complete information. Sam discusses how much information is required before taking action. [10:42] Probabilistic Thinking –  Sam explains what probabilistic thinking is and how we can modify our ability to think in probabilities to enhance our frameworks for decision-making. [15:44] FIRE – What is FIRE? FIRE stands for Financial Independence Retire Early.[25:25] Do You Know - How many assets are required to generate a specific amount of income? What is the safe rate of withdrawal? [37:08] Three Components - The pace at which you build your wealth is proportional to your efforts, your savings rate, and the amount of risk you're willing to take.[47:05] Income Tethering - Sam elaborates on income tethering.[49:53] Sam's Pieces Of Advice - It is not necessary to achieve financial independence by a specific age. Resources:Website: financialsamurai.com/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sam-dogen-aa2152178/Twitter: https://twitter.com/financialsamuraBook by Sam:  Buy This, Not That: How to Spend Your Way to Wealth and Freedom: https://www.financialsamurai.com/btnt/

Many of us have battled mental health issues during the previous two and a half years. Also, we often do not have a toolbox to deal with sentiments like regrets. However, maintaining a healthy mind is a skill everyone can develop and hone, regardless of upbringing or circumstance. Dr. Bill Howatt, an expert on mental health in the workplace, is here with me for today's episode of the pursuit of learning podcast. He has studied and spoken extensively on the topic of how businesses should safeguard and promote employees' mental health on the job, earning him a reputation as a leading expert in the field internationally. Dr. Bill has spent over 30 years working in the mental health and psychological safety field. Moreover, he has vast clinical expertise due to his own struggles and eventual triumph over mental health issues. His approach to mental health is transparent, honest, and productive; also, he provides answers that are both well-tailored yet often overlooked in the workplace. Dr. Bill's  book "No Regrets" outlines the five things you can do right now to improve your mental fitness and be ready to face life's obstacles. Also, it provides the resources and guidance you need to construct a life you can enjoy.[01:52] Introduction - Dr. Bill  provides an overview of his work and discusses how he has done a lot of work supporting people with mental illness and mental health issues.[08:51] Mental Illness – Dr. Bill defines mental illness and discusses its connection to interpersonal competence.[13:02] Employee Mental Health -  We talk through why most workplaces devote considerable resources to ensuring the physical well-being of their members, but far less attention is paid to the mental health of their employees. [23:06] Leadership - The future of work will require improved emotional health and emotional regulation from leaders. It will not be task-focused; Leaders must appreciate people and care about how they feel and perceive the world. [40:08] Regret – We explore the distinction between experiencing regret and living with regret, and we try to pin down a definition of regret.[47:07]  Lifecycle of an Employee - If you're unhappy with your job, why are you still working there?[01:05:32] Self-Protection -  By self-doubting ourselves, we are protecting ourselves by not setting expectations.  [01:12:23] Negative Thought Audit – We discuss how people can examine unpleasant thoughts to stop accepting them.[01:16:02] Hardwirings – Dr. Bill outlines what we can do to overcome the inherent biases rooted in our deeply held beliefs.Resources:Connect with Dr. Bill:Website: billhowatt.com/Howatt HR consulting: howatthr.com/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/howatthr/Book by Dr. Bill:No Regrets: How to Live Today for Tomorrow's Emotional Well-Being: goodreads.com/book/show/62917384-no-regrets?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=7UPXSyfDFy&rank=1Mentioned in the Podbast:Thinking, Fast and Slow: goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slow?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Q3uhKVG3XE&rank=1Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others: goodreads.com/book/show/58438525-trust-and-in

To enjoy life, we have to live in the moment. But it's essential to plan for the things that haven't happened yet, but you fear may happen. Our guest today is Andrew McConnell, founder, and CEO at rented.com, a team of vacation rental professionals with 50+ years of experience in managing, marketing, and pricing vacation rentals, to talk about his best-selling book 'Get Out of My Head’. Throughout the episode, we dive into Andrew's background, stoic wisdom, valuing ourselves, love and hate for what you do, zero-based Calendaring, and more. [00.23] The history – Andrew dives into his journey, starting as a swimmer to opening up his own company. [05.00] Stoic wisdom – Andrew shares what stoic wisdom is and how he selected it as a framework for his book. [12.04] The game of life – It's human nature to measure themselves in others' opinions. Andrew dives into why we must stop living according to others' views. [16.43] Valuing ourselves – Andrew dives into the three levels of valuing ourselves; What do you think you are worth? How do you change it to work out, and what are you doing at any given moment? [30.01] Love and hate – Andrew dives into his two-by-two framework, where you have to figure out what you love, what you hate, and what you are great at. [36.13] Calendaring and Budgeting- Andrew defines what he meant by Zero-budgeting and calendaring in his book. [45.14] Enjoying time – Andrew dives into the importance of focusing on what you want to do in a particular moment and not ruining it by thinking about something else. [58.55] Kernel of truth – Andrew dives into the importance of finding other facts about your beliefs. It will make you see what we know isn't always the right thing. [01.07.32] Locus of control – Locus of control has two sides. External and internal. Andrew dives into how we can control our actions according to these. [01.15.54] Future negative events – Andrew shares his opinion on premeditation on future negative events and their importance. [01.26.30] Habit – Wrapping up the conversation, Andrew dives into what habit he has that had an impact on his life. Resources        Connect with AndrewLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandrewmcconnell/ Book by Andrew:Get Out of My Head: Creating Modern Clarity with Stoic Wisdomhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61075218Prepare for the Worst, Plan for the Best – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4748444-prepare-for-the-worst-plan-for-the-bestThe 4-Hour Workweek – https://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Anywhere-Expanded-Updated/dp/B0031KN6T8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UVKUP85FZTWC&keywords=the+4+hours+work+week&qid=1675368488&sprefix=the+4+hours+work+wee%2Caps%2C378&sr=8-1