I'm obsessed with the human brain. I'm especially interested in how to make it work better — how to think better, how to learn better and how to maximize my overall cognitive potential.

Books like Brain Rules and audio courses like "Your Best Brain" have been a big help with this. I'm also a fan of brain-supporting foods, herbs, and supplements like walnuts, bacopa, and omega-3s.

One evening, I went down a brain research rabbit hole (just another one of my crazy Friday nights) and came across this Scientific American article that talked about strategies for increasing one's fluid intelligence.

I was struck by the approaches outlined in the article. They made sense to me both logically and intuitively -- and they were backed by science to boot.

In this episode, I summarize those strategies and give you actionable ways to integrate them into your life.

Enjoy!

Markus (@MarkusAlmond) is a writer and creative mentor. If you're a writer, musician, or other creative person -- OR, if you would like tips on how to become more creative -- I think you'll find a lot value in this episode.

I’ve shared Markus's writings many times on my Instagram page, ThinkGrowProsper. Even if you don't recognize his name, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a quote from his books somewhere on the internet.

Markus is the author of the book Motivational Quotes to Get the Blood Moving, a collection of notes he wrote to himself to help guide him in different areas of his life.

I came across this book in a bookstore in Brooklyn one day while Vanessa and I were visiting New York. I resonated with many of his insights and have wanted to pick his brain ever since.

WHO IS MARKUS ALMOND?

Markus started his career in the music industry as a songwriter with many of his songs played on MTV, E! Network and other television shows.

After moving to New York, he transitioned into writing books and poetry. Many of his works ended up reaching the Amazon best-sellers list.

Some of his earlier self-published works were shared by influential people and popular artists like Travis Barker (Blink-182), Rob Dyrdek (MTV), Steven Pressfield (War of Art), and others.

After his success in the music industry and then later as a published author, he began teaching some of the principles he’d learned to other songwriters and authors. Today, he runs a mentorship program for songwriters and authors of all genres.

One of Markus’ deeply held beliefs is that success in any creative field can be replicated no matter where a person is starting from.

You can connect with Markus and see what he's working on right now through his website MarkusAlmond.com

If you enjoyed this episode and find value in this podcast, I humbly ask you to please subscribe and/or leave me a review. Or you can just share it with a friend who you think might find value in it. If you’ve already done any of these, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank you. I truly appreciate your support!

You can find the full show notes for this episode on my blog here. This includes selected books and other resources mentioned in the episode, along with time stamps of topics discussed.

http://thinkgrowprosper.com/blog/cultivating-creativity-with-writer-markus-almond

In today's episode I talk with Jonathan Fields about his philosophy on doing meaningful work, bridging the gap between science and spirituality, the value of psychological frameworks, and other topics.

Jonathan Fields (@jonathanfields) is an award-winning author, serial entrepreneur, and teacher. He's founded a number of game-changing wellness companies and has led workshops around the world on everything from yoga and mindfulness to conscious entrepreneurship and innovation. 

His most recent book is called How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science and Practical Wisdom. It's a super inspiring and insightful book. You can read the first chapter for free at GoodLifeProject.com/book.

Currently, Jonathan runs the mission-driven media and education company, Good Life Project®, where he produces a top-rated podcast of the same name with millions of downloads. I highly recommend checking out his podcast -- dozens of amazing guests and lots of insightful commentary from Jonathan.

But more importantly, Jonathan is one of the kindest, most genuine, and down-to-earth people you could ever meet. I'm extremely fortunate to call him a friend.

If you enjoy this episode and find value in this podcast, I humbly ask you to please subscribe and/or leave me a review on iTunes. Or you can just share it with a friend who you think might find value in it. If you’ve already done any of these, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank you. I truly appreciate your support!

For the books, resources, and links mentioned in the episode, as well as time stamps of topics discussed, you can see the full show notes on my blog here.

In this episode, I explore overthinking (and it's close cousin, anxiety) from an evolutionary perspective and then offer some practical strategies you can apply immediately to help you overcome repetitive, obsessive, non-productive thoughts. 

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or psychologist and I don't play one on the internet. If you are dealing with clinical anxiety or other mental health issues, this advice should not be construed as a replacement for professional treatment. These are simply strategies that have helped me.

By nature, I tend to overthink. I realized this when I was fairly young and it was a source of frustration for me until I discovered the world of personal development and learned ways to deal with it effectively.

I became pretty good. So good that most of the strategies became second nature to me. Simple things like focus on what I can control, not on what I can't — that sort of thing.

But the other day, I had a bout of, "acute" overthinking that blindsided me and led to a variety of negative feelings (mostly anxiety). It paralyzed me from doing pretty much anything that day.

This hadn’t happened to me in a long time so it forced me to employ some of the more powerful strategies that have helped me in the past in order to pull myself out of that hole.

This podcast is partly the post-game analysis of that experience and partly a guide to dealing with overthinking in general. It is as much for you as it is for me.

GET A ONE-MONTH FREE TRIAL FROM AUDIBLE PLUS A FREE AUDIOBOOK:

http://AudibleTrial.com/tgp

For a list of books mentioned in this episode, see the show notes on my blog here:

Steve Mehr is the chairman of Jacoby & Meyers, one of the largest consumer law firms in the U.S. He is also the CEO of WebShark 360, a full-service media agency that caters to professionals. If that’s not enough, Steve is also an avid real estate investor with around 100 million dollars worth of transactions under his belt! 

But more important than any of that, Steve is a father and a husband with a beautiful family who I’ve had the privilege of meeting. And despite all his various ventures, he somehow makes it all work. We talk about how he makes it work in our conversation.

Something also worth noting is that Steve is someone who I’ve been fortunate enough to consider a mentor of mine for several years now. We initially connected through Instagram and over time, developed a real-life friendship, which I’ve been very grateful for.

In this conversation, we cover topics like:

• How Steve structures his day for maximum effectiveness
• The difference between being productive and being effective
• How to attract a mentor and cultivate that relationship
• Emotional intelligence and self-awareness
• His advice to his younger self
• A foundational belief that has enabled much of Steve's success

...and more.

You can connect with Steve on Instagram @stevemehr.

Dominate Your Goals by Steven Mehr

If you enjoy this episode and find value in this podcast, I humbly ask you to please subscribe and/or leave me a review on iTunes. Or you can just share this podcast with a friend who you think might find value in it. If you’ve already done any of these, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank you. I truly appreciate your support.

If you have any suggestions for future guests or topics you’d like to hear covered, you can email [email protected].

I love quotes but I also love figuring out what makes them true. Part of that has to do with applying them to my life but the other part is learning how they hold up against one of the most powerful truth detectors we have -- science.

Whenever I hear a quote or idea that resonates with me, I typically ask questions like:

• What makes this true?
• What basis does this idea have in reality?
• What does science say about this?
• Can I corroborate this with an experience from my own life?

I've found that sayings that have endured the test of time tend to contain -- at the very least -- a seed of wisdom or truth in them. If not in a literal way, in a metaphorical way.

It turns out there is both practical wisdom and scientific truth packed into the idea that “your focus creates your reality.” In this episode, I read one of my blog posts that explains what I think that consists of.

You can read the original blog post here:

http://www.thinkgrowprosper.org/blog/2017/11/30/how-your-focus-shapes-your-reality

Donald Hoffman is a cognitive scientist at the University of California, Irvine. He has been studying visual perception for over 40 years. 

His research has led him to some intriguing and compelling theories about our ability (or inability) to see a true picture of reality and even about the nature of reality itself. His TED Talk “Do We See Reality As It Is” has garnered over 3 million total views on TED.com and YouTube.

In our conversation, we talk about two subjects I find endlessly fascinating and think about quite often: Perception and evolution. What does one have to do with the other, you might ask? 

In this episode, Don explains his controversial Interface Theory of Perception and brings forth compelling and rigorous scientific evidence to address this question and others, such as:

•  Do we see a true picture of reality?
• What is the nature of reality?
• Do objects exist even when we're not looking?
• What are the practical implications if his theory proves to be true?

We also touch on some of the arguments against his theory, which I found super interesting.

If you find this subject matter is too dense for you, don't worry -- we also talk about more intuitive topics like:

• Meditation
• The relationship between science and religion
• What some Eastern religions have in common with his theory
• The biological and evolutionary roots of anxiety. Why it's normal and why it was essential for our survival as a species
• His hope for the future of science
• What makes science such a powerful tool

(If you want to jump to this part of the conversation, start at around 43:50).

I think you are going to find this conversation fascinating and thought-provoking, just as I did. However, you may find that you end up with more questions than answers. Alas! Such is the nature of these deep topics. So, prepare your cognitive faculties and get ready for some head-spinning theories.

If you enjoyed this episode and want me to continue producing this kind of content, the best way to let me know is by subscribing to the podcast or leaving a review on iTunes. I appreciate your support!

If you have any suggestions for future guests or topics you’d like to hear covered, you can email [email protected].

I speak with author & illustrator Mari Andrew. If you are an artist or creator of any kind, today’s episode is for you. Mari Andrew (@bymariandrew) has built a massive and loyal following by sharing refreshingly honest illustrations about life, love, and vulnerability.

In our conversation, we talk about:

• How she created a career as an illustrator despite not having any formal art training
• What she contributes most to her success as an artist
• Why you shouldn’t feel guilty for getting paid for your creative work
• The benefit of not “fitting in”
• How she deals with criticism and trolls
• The power of stories

...and much more

Mari is also coming out with a book that expands upon some of her drawings with mini-essays about her journey: Am I There Yet? The Loop-de-loop, Ziggzagging Journey to Adulthood. We also talk about how that book came about.

Mari is a delightful and intelligent woman who is not afraid to speak candidly about who she is and what she’s been through. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

If you enjoy this episode and want me to continue producing this kind of content, the best way to let me know is by subscribing to the podcast or leaving a review on iTunes. I appreciate your support!

If you have any suggestions for future guests or topics you’d like to hear covered, you can email [email protected].

Daniel DiPiazza is the founder of Rich20Something, where he teaches young people how to start businesses they care about and live happier lives. He's also the author of the book Rich20Something: Ditch Your Average Job, Start an Epic Business, and Score the Life You Want (which I am fortunate enough to be a part of). You can find him on Instagram @Rich20Something.

Daniel and I have been friends for a few years now so this is a fun interview. We talk about a variety of topics including:

- How he built his first business that allowed him to quit his job

- Why he journals every day

- The power of consistency

- The difference between working IN your life versus working ON your life

- His morning routine

- Foundational principles and the philosophy that spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle and retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink both live by

- His reasons for using DMT

My favorite part is when we discuss working on your life on a macro level -- what that looks like and why it's important (starting at around 24:55). We discuss various behaviors I like to think of as meta-habits (although I don't think we ever actually use that term in our conversation).

If you enjoyed this episode and want me to continue producing this kind of content, the best way to let me know is by subscribing to the podcast or leaving a review on iTunes. I appreciate your support!

Also, if you have any suggestions for future guests or topics you’d like to hear covered, you can email [email protected].

This is a special episode -- not just because it’s the first but because my wife and business partner, Vanessa is my co-host! I wanted to introduce her to you all from the very beginning because I’ll likely reference her from time to time and she may even pop up in future episodes.

For the first few minutes, we chat about some of the reasons that compelled me to start this podcast. The rest of the episode (starting at around (08:45) is a Q&A format where I answer questions that were submitted by you all.

If you'd like to see more episodes, the best way to let me know is by subscribing to this podcast and/or leaving a review on iTunes. You can also shoot me an email at [email protected].

This would be extremely helpful data for me to have because if either you or I aren’t getting value from this project, then it’s probably not worth continuing.

• What’s the first step to creating one’s own reality?
• How do you keep going and stay positive after all the rejection you’ve experienced in your life?
• What are your thoughts on mindfulness and stress reduction?
• How do you balance the "give-it-your-all / keep-trying / hard-work-pays-off" message with the "relax-and-watch-the-universe-do-its-thing / think-good-and-it-will-be-good" mindset?
• How and why did you start ThinkGrowProsper? What steps did you take? What have been your failures and successes? What mindset has helped you?
• What is your philosophy and how has it helped you to get where you are now?
• How do you know when it’s time to quit your job and become an entrepreneur?
• What is your daily/morning routine?