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Why Mindset is The Key to Success with Tom Bilyeu #110

Apr 28, 2020 1h 36m 35 insights
CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains swearing. Do you believe that people’s values can change, or are they set in stone? Can you gain talent and intelligence through practice, or are they innate? Do you have a growth mindset or a fixed one? My guest on this week’s show is convinced that change is available to all of us, at any time. Tom Bilyeu is a US entrepreneur who co-founded a billion-dollar nutrition company. His weekly YouTube show, Impact Theory, explores the mindset of the world’s highest achievers, to share the secrets of their success. And during this conversation, you’ll learn how to implement some of those yourself. We talk about the importance of being a learner and how openness to criticism is, in fact, a superpower. We also discuss how to shift self-limiting beliefs. One of Tom’s mantras is: ‘only do and believe that which moves you towards your goal’ and he describes how you can use that to change your thinking around things like weight loss or fitness. Tom and I delve into topics like nutrition and diet, although we do not necessarily share the same views – but that’s the beauty of a conversation like this, being open to debate. He has what he calls ‘strong convictions, loosely held’ and I love that as a description of a mind that’s always curious and open. As a doctor, I know different methods work for different people – and at different times. So health is a great example of why a fixed mindset isn’t helpful. Tom’s motivation and passion for life is infectious. His mission is to help people live to their full potential and execute their dreams – I hope after listening to this chat you’ll want to start working towards yours. N.B. this conversation was recorded in October 2019. Show notes available at drchatterjee.com/110 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk
Actionable Insights

1. Develop a Growth Mindset

Develop a growth mindset, believing your talent and intelligence can change and improve, as this is the foundational step that opens up possibilities like personal responsibility and makes everything achievable.

2. Take Full Responsibility

Take full responsibility for yourself and your actions, understanding that no one else will do it for you, which is the universal path to achieving extraordinary things.

3. Adopt Learner Identity

Construct your identity around being a learner, valuing your willingness to admit when you’re wrong and to learn, making your identity anti-fragile.

4. Frame Life Positively

Make the decision to frame things in a positive way, as this mindset opens up the world to you and is the starting point for everything else to follow.

5. Hold Strong Convictions Loosely

Adopt the mindset of holding strong convictions loosely, meaning you believe something based on experience but remain open to being wrong and continuously finessing your understanding.

6. Align Actions with Goals

Adopt the rule to only do and believe that which actively moves you towards your goals, discarding anything that hinders your progress.

7. Leverage Repetition for Beliefs

Understand the power of repetition: repeatedly saying positive things will eventually make you comfortable with and believe those ideas, even if they initially sound like BS.

8. Practice Self-Love and Compassion

Start any personal change, like weight loss, from a place of self-love and compassion, ensuring you feel worthy of making the change to sustain your efforts.

9. Embrace Criticism for Growth

Build an anti-fragile identity as a learner so that when criticized, you can ask ‘What am I doing wrong?’ and use the feedback as material to grow more powerful.

10. Question Negative Self-Talk

Instead of resenting the negative voice in your head, recognize its evolutionary purpose and use self-awareness to ask if the underlying belief serves your current goals.

11. Understand Malleable Frame

Understand that your frame of reference—comprising beliefs, values, identity, habits, and routines—is malleable and not objective truth, allowing you to consciously shape it.

12. Choose Malleability

Even if you believe in determinism, choose to act as if you are malleable and can change your mindset, beliefs, and values, as this perspective is transformative.

13. Cultivate Passion Through Skill

Develop passion by starting with a flicker of interest, engaging with it, and acquiring usable skills, as passion deepens when you get better at something.

14. Train Any Skill

Recognize that humans are adaptation machines and you can train any skill, including desire, courage, or grit; meditation is an effective way to improve focus and develop grit.

15. Clearly Define Your Values

Clearly define your values, recognizing they are constructions, as this is essential for living your best life and achieving what you want.

16. Recognize Beliefs as Constructs

Understand that your value and belief systems are constructions absorbed from your environment, not objective truths, which allows you to consciously shape them.

17. Amplify Your Reactions

Leverage your brain’s need to justify your amplitude of reaction by embodying intensity and saying ’this is important to me’ to amp yourself up and create desire.

18. Prioritize Natural Sleep

Prioritize sleep by going to bed early and avoiding an alarm clock, allowing yourself to wake naturally, then get out of bed within 10 minutes of realizing you are awake.

19. Adhere to Daily Routines

Establish and adhere to daily routines such as getting out of bed within 10 minutes of waking, meditating almost every day, working out almost every day, and eating clean almost every day.

20. Exercise Daily for Stress Relief

Engage in daily exercise to relieve stress from your body, as it is one of the best stress relievers and contributes to an intentional life.

21. Rewrite Your Weight Loss Story

To lose weight, tell yourself a different story that anyone can do it, commit to self-experimentation due to individual variability, and consistently adhere to basic nutritional principles.

22. Pursue Physical Fitness

Put effort into getting strong and improving your physique, as this creates a powerful positive feedback loop in your brain, leading to increased self-esteem and a magical feeling.

23. Choose Your Path Fully

Decide if you are willing to do what it takes to achieve a goal; if not, choose to fully enjoy your current path without shame, recognizing you are worthy regardless of your choice.

24. Optimize for Long-Term Health

When considering diet and lifestyle changes, always optimize for long-term health and sustainable results rather than solely focusing on short-term gains.

25. Be Diet Agnostic

Adopt a diet-agnostic approach, remaining open-minded to different dietary belief systems to effectively help a wide range of people with their health goals.

26. Recognize Individual Variability

Understand that different diets and health approaches work for different people due to individual variability, requiring a personalized approach.

27. Understand Microbiome’s Role

Recognize that your microbiome, and what it is optimized to metabolize, significantly determines how the food you eat impacts your body and health.

28. Avoid Diet-Defined Identity

Prevent your identity from becoming solely defined by your dietary choices, as this can limit openness and create an identity culture.

29. Choose Usernames Carefully

Be mindful of the usernames and labels you choose for yourself, especially on social media, to avoid reinforcing negative self-views and identities.

30. Adopt Empowering Beliefs

Consciously adopt empowering beliefs, such as ‘human potential is nearly limitless’ and ‘you can do anything you set your mind to,’ to transform your life and overcome self-limiting thoughts.

31. Embrace Problem-Solving & Learning

When daunted, repeat ‘I can figure this out,’ embrace the process of sincere pursuit over outcome, and get excited about learning because acquiring skills enables you to do new things.

32. Seek Empowering Narratives

Actively seek out and engage with stories and narratives that offer empowering mindsets and wisdom, like those found in ‘The Matrix’ or ‘Star Wars,’ to guide your life and personal growth.

33. Challenge Your Own Views

Regularly seek out and be open to different viewpoints to challenge your own perspectives, preventing an echo chamber and fostering an open, curious mind.

34. Focus on Receptive Minds

Direct your energy towards people who are already receptive to the notion of a growth mindset, as it is more effective than trying to convince those who are not yet open to it.

35. Supplement with Athletic Greens

If you’re looking for an insurance policy to meet nutritional needs, consider taking Athletic Greens daily with water, as it’s a nutrient-dense whole food supplement with vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes.