From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
Fear is like being shot out of a cannon. Imagine a car has fallen on someone I love—I get this clear, calm, intense bolt of energy. Anxiety, on the other hand, is like being haunted. You never actually see what's scaring you—it's just a story in your head that never goes away.
I believe happiness is a consequence, not a goal. If you engage in the right activities that bring contentment, happiness will naturally follow. Viewing happiness as a goal makes it elusive; it's like chasing an illusory concept.
To me, the very definition of success is living up to your potential – and the very definition of failure is not living up to your potential, simple.
the distinguishing characteristic of humanity is our awareness that death is inevitable and the disinclination to accept that fact. Very simply, Becker says that we're just like all other creatures- we want to survive- but the difference is that we're able to do it using our vast intelligence. We can imagine things that don't exist and make them real.
If your judgement is hijacked by emotions such as rage, fear, neediness, loneliness, or anger, you will act out of impulse – not out of value. This can be incredibly harmful – when the dust settles, you may realise you've messed-up.
I fell in love with the process first – they sometimes call it the grind. I fell in love with movement, with training, with everything between the competitions – and falling in love with that was instrumental to me because now, when things don't go right, and I feel vulnerable or emotional, I can dip into that state.
Technology claims to be showing us a mirror of what was already present in society but in reality, technology is a funhouse mirror with a feedback loop that's engineered to show us the most egregious parts of society that are better at keeping our attention.
Most people misunderstand what a negotiation is. In my experience, it's simply a conversation with a purpose. We tend to rush to problem-solving, eager to reach the solution, often leapfrogging several important steps. But to get the best possible deal for everyone, it starts with the right mindset.
When you start questioning and be mindfully aware of your thoughts, you realise that you are an observer of your thoughts, not the originator. You can then extend that observer experience to emotions, sensations, perceptual experience and every aspect of mental space.
I got out of the Navy because I stopped getting adrenaline in gunfights. That's when it gets dangerous. You don't want to get killed because you get bored. A bullet only needs to be right once.
When you engage with highly successful individuals who are open and honest about their journeys, it's invariably surprising to learn how much they attribute their achievements to good luck and favourable circumstances.
My mother's unbelievable parenting in deploying enormous self-esteem and confidence meant I believed in myself in a way that was blind. The best entrepreneurs are the most optimistic and completely out of tune with reality right? Why would you do it otherwise. My father made me a word-is-bond, word-is-everything, shake a hand and stick to it kinda' guy. That combined with blind faith and belief has become an amazing concoction and something I live-off even today.