How to Do the Impossible This Year

Today's blog post is based on a podcast on The Art of Manliness:

There are goals in life that seem very attainable. And then there are those which seem practically impossible — rising out of poverty and/or a traumatic childhood, becoming a bestselling writer, deadlifting 500 pounds. With impossible goals the odds seem long, and it isn’t clear how to get from point A to point B.

My guest today has spent decades figuring out the roadmap for making that journey. His name is Steven Kotler, he’s a peak performance expert, the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, and the author of numerous books, including his latest: The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer. Today on the show, Steven talks about how he defines an impossible goal and then unpacks the formula for making the impossible, possible. That formula begins with harnessing the five big intrinsic motivators that will give you focus for free and which you need to activate in a certain sequence, and then moves through the six levels of grit which should be trained in a particular order as well. We discuss the importance of creativity and continual learning, and how to assess the ROI of your reading. Steven also explains how flow amplifies the process of achieving peak performance, and why you need to rediscover the primary flow activity from your childhood. At the end of our conversation, Steven shares some things you can begin doing today to start tackling your impossible goals.

Here are the highlights from the show:

• How this book is a continuation of Steven’s work in The Rise of Superman
• What is the “impossible” anyway?
• Why flow is necessary but not sufficient for peak performance 
• Why do so many people fail to live up to their potential?
• How biology scales, but personality doesn’t 
• What is motivation and why does it matter?
• The five stages of motivation 
• Why curiosity is so important to your success 
• Why mastery is so effective 
• The case for reading books 
• What people can do right now to achieve the impossible in 2021

This was a fascinating podcast. I'm going to have to get the book.

Interesting days

Today - Step In A Puddle And Splash Your Friends Day, Heritage Treasures Day, World Sketchnote Day, Milk Day, Learn Your Name In Morse Code Day, Clean Off Your Desk Day and Hot Toddy Day

Tomorrow - Kiss A Ginger Day

Next Monday - Thesaurus Day, Martin Luther King Day, Blue Monday and Winnie the Pooh Day

Week long celebrations:

Jan 18 - Jan 22: Family Mediation Week

February 11 - Fat Thursday, Peppermint Patty Day, Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day, Get Out Your Guitar Day, Get Out Your Guitar Day, Pro Sports Wives Day, Satisfied Staying Single Day, Make a Friend Day and White Shirt Day

Week long celebrations:

Feb 8 - Feb 14: Cardiac Rehabilitation Week

Feb 8 - Feb 14: Flirting Week

Feb 8 - Feb 14: Jell-O Week

Feb 8 - Feb 14: Great American Pizza Bake

Feb 8 - Feb 14: Condom Week

Feb 8 - Feb 14: Secondhand Wardrobe Week

Feb 7 - Feb 14: Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week

Feb 8 - Feb 14: Feeding Tube Awareness Week

Feb 8 - Feb 14: Freelance Writers Appreciation Week

Feb 8 - Feb 14: Children of Alcoholics Week