The tendency of taking things for granted is a very common one. You might be taking for granted many of the good things in life, and even underestimating just how good your life is right now. It's a common human tendency to not notice the things we have, and worse, to focus on what we don't have. 

However, that's a dangerous tendency which can lead to all sorts of problems including anxiety, stress, depression, jealousy, unnecessary conflicts, and even health problems. It's just a massive Pandora's box full of problems that you are better off not opening, and don't actually need to open. So, in this talk we'll take a closer look at this common negative tendency, why and how this tendency distracts us from reality, and why it is better for us to do the opposite.

Listen to this talk to learn more. 

Have questions, suggestions or comments? Email them to "growthphilosophypodcast at gmail.com", or DM them on twitter.

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Topics: Luck, positivity, mindset, optimism, pragmatism, stoicism, hopeful, hope, self awareness, self care, gratitude, habits, good habits, success, growth mindset, thinking better, happiness

Last time I talked about the habit of people-pleasing that most people struggle with, as well as the negative impacts it has on our lives. I doubt I really need to tell you that people-pleasing, ultimately, is not good for you - I have a feeling that at least some of you realise this already. That said, even if this fact does not seem obvious to you, if you dig deep you will realise the truth about this and also realise that people-pleasing does you more harm than good. If you want more background on this, by all means listen to the talk about the plague of people pleasing. 

But assuming that you are already familiar with the basics, in this talk we will look at how you can deal with this negative tendency. You will discover a very simple yet effective framework for getting a handle on this harmful programming that is almost ingrained in most people. Using the two simple methods that you will learn about in a bit will help you to not just curb your people pleasing tendencies, but can even help you to overcome this negative mental programming altogether. 

Learning about how to override your people pleasing tendencies can be extremely useful and can have a significant positive impact on your life, so I suggest you pay attention, and approach this talk with an open mind because even if what you learn here seems really simple - they work, and work well, when applied. So it really is in your best interest to pay attention.

Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Have questions, suggestions or comments? Email them to "growthphilosophypodcast at gmail.com", or DM them on twitter.

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Topics: people pleasing, happiness, self awareness, assertiveness, self care, wellbeing, taking care of yourself, self confidence, mindset, mental strength, toxic people, negative thoughts, positive psychology, growth mindset

People pleasing is like a plague that infects your mind and negatively impacts every part of your life. Learn how to deal with it in this talk.

Here's a glimpse of what you will learn about:

Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Have questions, suggestions or comments? Email them to "growthphilosophypodcast at gmail.com", or DM them on twitter.

Additional resources:

Topics: Mental health, self care, thinking better, rational thinking, logical thinking, pragmatism, stoicism, wellbeing, happiness, kindness, doing good, helping others, compassion, assertiveness, self awareness

Risk is generally considered a scary and worrying concept. The idea of taking risks fills most people with dread. The word alone has a massive amount of fear attached to it, and usually invokes intense feelings and emotions of pain and loss. However, one of the biggest ironies in life is that you cannot have a good life without taking risks. No risk, no reward, as the famous saying goes. 

That doesn't mean though that you need to be reckless, or that every risk is ultimately dangerous. Some risks are actually worth it, like the risks that add value to your life. Furthermore, taking risks that add value to your life is not about being reckless, but rather about taking smart risks. 

So what are smart risks? 

Well, that is what you will learn in this talk.

Stay tuned to learn more.

Have questions, suggestions or comments? Email them to "growthphilosophypodcast at gmail.com", or DM them on twitter.

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Topics: Risk taking, risks, risk management, low risk, no risk no reward, fear, managing fear, mental health, mental strength, progress, success, growth mindset, happiness, mental toughness

Last week I talked about overthinking and what a pest it can be. Overthinking can create hell on earth by creating doom and gloom situations which might seem unescapable. The reality though is very different, and there is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel that can be overthinking. Learn about five ways you can escape the overthinking trap in today's talk.

Stay tuned to learn more.

Have questions, suggestions or comments? Email them to "growthphilosophypodcast at gmail.com", or DM them on twitter.

Additional resources:

Topics: overthinking, rumination, anxiety, stress, depression, negative thinking, positive thinking, positive habits, negative habits, bad habits, mental trap, mental model, mental health, self care, mental strength, self awareness, self improvement, personal growth, wellbeing, happiness

Pretty much every mental health issue you can think of, or even health issues that stem from things like stress and depression, have their root in thinking. Since those challenges are caused by our thinking, it can be easy to jump to the conclusion that thinking is the root of the problem, and that it is generally not good for you.

However, that could not be further from the truth...

In this talk, find out why that is the case, the dangers of overthinking, as well as what the better alternative is and how you can get started with avoiding the overthinking trap.

Listen to the podcast to learn more. 

Have questions, suggestions or comments? Email them to "growthphilosophypodcast at gmail.com", or DM them on twitter.

Additional resources:

Topics: active thinking, mind, mindset, growth mindset, mental health, mental strength, inner strength, inner chatter, inner voice, negative thinking, positive thinking, self awareness, personal growth, wellbeing, wellness, happiness

Thinking actively has enabled us to achieve incredible things as a species. We are at the top of the food chain despite not being the strongest or fastest in the animal kingdom, and that's pretty much thanks to our ability to think actively. We have gone to the depths of the Earth and even to the moon and other planets thanks to our ability to actively think and figure things out. In that sense, active thinking is our superpower! It enables us to achieve incredible, amazing, and even seemingly impossible and miraculous feats! Active thinking is good for us, to say the least.

What's really worrying is that there are now incentives for not thinking. We are actually incentivised to not think!  Mass media creates programs that entertain at the expense of other people's stupidity - to the point that being stupid and not really thinking actually become profitable! If this carries on we might face a time when intelligence would be selectively bred out.

But not all hope is lost, because we can all tap into the ability to think actively (vs passively).

Learn about the two main types of thinking, why active thinking is better for you, how you can (re)claim this superpower, and more in today's talk. 

Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Have questions, suggestions or comments? Email them to "growthphilosophypodcast at gmail.com", or DM them on twitter.

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Topics: Active thinking, critical thinking, fast thinking, slow thinking, passive thinking, thinking fast and slow, thinking better, growth mindset, success mindset, progress mindset, career tips, happiness tips, wellness tips, mental health, mental strength, personal power, self improvement, self awareness, super power

In today's talk you'll learn about why asking for help needs to be balanced with giving, why giving is good for you both personally and professionally, as well as how it can even have a massive impact on our lives.

Keep listening to learn more.

Have questions, suggestions or comments? Email them to "growthphilosophypodcast at gmail.com", or DM them on twitter.

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Topics: kindness, generosity, helping others, selfishness, the giving mindset, growth mindset, happiness, prosperity, progress, success, self care

Discover why accepting emotions and feelings is better than denying or avoiding them, why believing that feelings make you weak can harm you, as well as what the better and smarter alternative is.

Listen to the podcast to learn more. 

Have questions, suggestions or comments? Email them to "growthphilosophypodcast at gmail.com", or DM them on twitter.

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Statistics

Topics: Mental health, Wellbeing, Happiness, Mental strength, Inner strength, Emotional wellbeing, Self care, Resilience, Calmness, Zen, Being emotional, Meltdown, Mental breakdown, Emotional stability, Emotional health

Last week's talk went over the challenges of meekness and weakness, and touched on a common misconception about strength... the myth surrounding asking for help and how that makes you weak. That's what we will examine and explore in today's talk. 

You'll learn about: 

Listen to today's episode to learn more.

Have questions, suggestions or comments? Email them to "growthphilosophypodcast at gmail.com", or DM them on twitter.

Additional resources:

Topics: Inner strength, Mental strength, True strength, Grit, Power, Personal power, Resilience, Mental models, Mindset, Positive mindset, Negative mindset, Negative beliefs, Thinking better, Happiness, Success