The Willpower Podcast

Does meditation actually work, or is it a waste of time? Some people call it the salvation of their lives. Today we look at the science.

We go through a Harvard study where eight weeks of mindfulness training changed how the brain decides whether a fear is still real, and a second study on what meditation does to your motivation (spoiler: it doesn't kill your drive, it changes what you're driving toward). Plus this week's action: 5 to 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation, 5 of the next 7 days.

Coaching: if you want help building the life you actually want, check out williammulvaney.com/coaching

Chapters:

00:00 Does meditation actually work?

00:59 How I got into meditation

02:38 Two kinds of meditation

04:06 My 10-day silent retreat

04:31 Three levels of benefit

06:47 Why this is a willpower topic

07:32 Fear stops us in our tracks

08:12 Motivation and the boring part

09:41 The Harvard fear study

11:14 What people reported

11:56 How your brain stores fear

13:51 What changes after 8 weeks

15:18 Triggers

16:04 What this means for willpower

19:07 The motivation study

20:38 What you chase vs what you want

22:42 This week's action

25:02 Wrap up

Studies mentioned:

Sevinc et al. (2019), "Strengthened Hippocampal Circuits Underlie Enhanced Retrieval of Extinguished Fear Memories Following Mindfulness Training," Biological Psychiatry: https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(19)31407-6/fulltext

"Mindfully motivated: Can a brief session of mindfulness meditation enhance motivation toward personal goals?" European Journal of Social Psychology: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.2770

Waking Up app (Sam Harris), free 30-day intro course

Welcome back! This week we're talking about gratitude journaling, and the science backing (and not backing) the practice.

Details on working with me: williammulvaney.com/group

00:00 Does gratitude journaling do anything?

00:48 Why journaling splits people

02:22 How gratitude ties into willpower

03:35 Does satisfaction kill motivation?

04:12 The 2017 study on life satisfaction

06:13 Satisfied and still growing

07:31 The trap of always being dissatisfied

08:44 Gratitude journaling: not so fast

09:01 Once a week beat three times a week

10:09 Why my gratitude lists went stale

11:07 A 2023 study: letters vs lists

12:03 The results

13:14 Do it differently, not less

13:38 This week's action

15:00 Recap

16:33 Make it real

Welcome back to the show! This week we're exploring a science-backed Japanese concept that I am currently applying to my pursuits in stand-up comedy.

Check out the willpower group: williammulvaney.com/group

00:00 Does failure stop you?

00:47 Why we treat failure as bad

01:54 The quit reflex

02:24 The open mic that went wrong

05:09 Why this is a willpower problem

06:08 The same pattern in dating

08:18 A study from Japan and Canada

10:54 The twist in the experiment

11:41 The results flipped

12:39 The perfectionist trap

13:22 Kaizen: failure as an attraction

14:43 Back to the mic

16:02 One date vs fifty

16:38 This week's action

17:21 The nightly review

19:26 Recap

20:53 Make it real

Welcome back! This week we’re focusing in on one of the areas people often associate with willpower: health and fitness. However, we are approaching it in a different way, by asking the question “What actually sticks?”.

I created a free guide to go along with this video, get yours here: williammulvaney.com/fitness-blueprint 

Learn about coaching: williammulvaney.com/group

Try the free habit board: board.williammulvaney.com 

Chapters:

00:00 Why your gym routine never sticks

01:40 The fix: fast feedback loops

02:20 Willpower is also know-how

03:31 Step 1: Your real reason for training

04:34 Step 2: Rank your 4 outcomes

06:19 Step 3: Set a milestone

07:20 Milestones for building muscle

09:16 Milestones for functional strength

10:36 Milestones for losing fat

11:35 Milestones for cardio health

13:22 Step 4: Tactics

13:49 Building muscle: hypertrophy basics

16:20 Building strength (and staying safe)

18:02 Losing fat: calories in, calories out

19:02 Why fat loss plateaus

20:38 Cardio: heart rate zones 1 to 5

24:53 Recap

25:15 Daily action: 10 minutes of training

25:59 Say the commitment out loud

27:27 Wrap up

Welcome back to the show! This week I have broken down a super simple habit that many greats have applied to their work, along with science to explain why it works.

To learn about the coaching group:

williammulvaney.com/group

To join the (free) habit board:

board.williammulvaney.com

Chapters:

0:00 Brain fog

1:10 Join the group

1:45 Hitting creative exhaustion

3:33 Why this is about willlpower

4:30 What causes this

5:26 William James on energy

7:30 Why couch laying doesn’t work

9:00 Walking without awareness

11:30 Einstein’s routine

12:27 Creative output while walking

15:30 Steve Jobs

16:25 Aristotle

16:55 Nietzsche

17:40 Our daily action

19:07 Nature and creativity

20:05 Commitment

Welcome back to the show! This week we are talking personal finance, an area that a ton of us are leaking willpower. Listen through for a super simple way to fight your way back.

Learn more about coaching: williammulvaney.com/book

Join the board: board.williammulvaney.com

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:35 Why personal finance?

2:37 Two levels to financial willpower

4:10 Edward Jones Research

5:07 What median net worth tells us

6:43 My financial story

10:32 Split your direct deposits

11:36 Roommates

12:16 The getting rich myth

14:10 3 small changes for financial confidence

20:15 Emergency fund hack

21:00 The addictive loop

23:45 Summary up until now

24:40 Action for the week

26:00 rules of the show

27:22 Make your commitment

Welcome back! This week we are talking about Personal Growth, and the mass deception we've all been tricked into.

By the end of the episode, you will have a clear framework for achieving true "Personal Growth".

If you are interested in my coaching, book an intro call today: https://cal.com/william-mulvaney-s0q4fq/introwithwill3

Check out the free habit board: https://board.williammulvaney.com

Chapters0:00 Intro1:00 Personal Growth doesn't always work1:43 Discipline2:35 Work with me (free right now!)3:15 Goggins5:12 Self set study goals10:11 Back to Goggins12:40 How to set goals in-line with your visions14:30 Our weekly action17:00 tie-in to Willpower18:15 rules of the show

Welcome back to the show!

This week we are talking about how make discipline happen naturally.

Listen through to the end to get the simple daily action that builds this muscle.

For 1-1 coaching: https://williammulvaney.com/book

To follow along with our willpower actions (free!): https://board.williammulvaney.com

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

3:05 Kobe's discipline

4:55 Kids playing soccer

7:45 Kobe's feedback loops

9:45 Personal tie-in

12:35 Get your subconscious on your side

14:30 Clean it up

16:28 Types of feedback

19:07 Action of the week

Welcome back! This week I'm talking about AI, what it means to us, and the ways it is already killing us. I'll leave off with a framework to use it without falling into nihilism.⁠Follow along with us each week: https://board.williammulvaney.comI'm offering 4 weeks of free coaching for 5 guys. Book an intro:⁠https://williammulvaney.com/bookChapters:0:00 Intro0:58 What AI is doing to us2:31 What is AI3:45 ChatGPT changed the game4:53 Your brain on ChatGPT9:34 Parallel to the move to knowledge work13:35 Cognitive gym16:00 Where it breaks down16:29 What AI CAN do21:00 How to use AI without eroding Willpower24:35 Daily action26:55 Connection to Social Media

Welcome back! This week I'm talking about how to bridge the gap between your dream life and the one you currently have, without falling into nihilism.

Follow along with us each week.

I'm offering 4 weeks of free coaching for 5 guys. Book an intro:

4 weeks of free coaching.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

2:00 Standup comedy

5:40 The "X" method

7:58 Behavioral momentum

9:02 My 100 mile ultra

11:48 Getting back in the gym

14:00 How to find you action

17:22 Do this for yourself

18:46 This weeks action

22:34 Strengthening willpower

25:07 Commitment