Thought Stack: Adventures In Being Human

We differ in how we see the world because we grew up differently.   Since we are a product of our individual experiences, any new information presented to us has to pass through our individual mental filter. Today's Mental Monday, we're covering Confirmation Bias. Our brains evolved to be able to make quick decisions based on information that’s available to us. To be quick, we have to fill in the gaps with our beliefs, assumptions, and experiences that helped us get to where we are in life. And therein lies the problem. We favor viewpoints that helped us get to where we are, even if they aren’t right.  We also HATE changing them… We’d much rather keep things comfortable and the same.  It’s this wishful thinking for stability that makes any new information that disagrees with us fall on our mind’s deaf ears. Make sure you never miss an episode by signing up for my Weekly Thought-Full Newsletter.

In the book The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield, he states that each day you wake up you’re battling The Resistance, that little voice inside you saying you’re not good enough, you’ll never amount to anything, and that you’ll never get disciplined enough to reach your goals. The hard truth is this: anything that’s worth it to you will not be easy. If you decide to give up and let The Resistance win, you’ll be stuck in your current state for the rest of eternity. Learn how to spot The Resistance and how to beat it in this week's Actionable Book Short. Make sure you never miss an episode by signing up for my Weekly Thought-Full Newsletter on my site.

This episode is not a podcast, but more of an active meditation. Your moment of zen in this crazy world. This weekend we will be covering The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, therefore today I'm asking you a few questions based on the book to allow you a few moments to just think for yourself. Note: There will be a 30ish second pause after I ask a question for YOU TO THINK. Let your mind wander and be free! There are no right or wrong answers here. If you want to share your thoughts, leave me a comment on my site. If it's too personal, feel free to send me a private note or private voicemail by clicking the green button on the right middle side of the site as well. This is an experiment, let me know if you enjoyed it. I'm always testing new ideas that I discuss with awesome people like yourself. Stay Thought-Full. P.S. If you have signed up for our Weekly Thought-Full Newsletter, you're missing out on a chance to WIN free books and might miss out on future episodes and book notes.  Sign up at FuckingRead.com.

Mental Monday time! Today's mental model is Inversion. Learn the brilliance of "Opposite Costanza" for solving all of your toughest problems.  The best way to think of this is by asking yourself if I want this thing, what do I have to do to NOT get it? For example, I want to be Happy. Which is very tough to answer because the options seem endless. Well, what are things that would GUARANTEE my unhappiness? That’s something much easier for your brain to start answering. This episode is full of examples of how inversion is one of the most powerful tools in your mental toolbox. Special guest Kevin from Epic Gardening who shows you how he uses Inversion to improve his business and health. Make sure you sign up for our Weekly Newsletter so you never miss an episode and also get some special goodies each week. Stay Thought-Full.

If you're not in control of your thoughts and emotions, someone else will control them for you. So how do you defend against it? Learn how the most powerful man in the world did it by mastering Stoic Philosophy. Today we cover 4 lessons: Develop mind control through meditation. Know that consistency is everything. You only get one life, don't blow it. Don't be afraid to change your mind. Lastly, for today's actionable nugget, show one person around you that you care for them. Stay Thought-Full.

This episode is not a podcast, but more of an active meditation.  Your moment of zen in this crazy world. This weekend we will be covering Meditations by Marcus Aculeus, therefore today I'm asking you a few questions based on the book to allow you a few moments to just think for yourself. Note: There will be a 30ish second pause after I ask a question for YOU TO THINK. Let your mind wander and be free!  There are no right or wrong answers here. If you want to share your thoughts, leave me a comment on my site.  If it's too personal, feel free to send me a private note or private voicemail by clicking the green button on the right middle side of the site as well. This is an experiment, let me know if you enjoyed it.  I'm always testing new ideas that I discuss with awesome people like yourself. Stay Thought-Full.

Today's Mental Monday we are exploring the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 Principle. A common rule of thumb states that the 20% of an input produces 80% of an output. For example, 20% of your clients will produce 80% of your revenue or 20% of the population will have more money than the other 80%. This rule works outside of business and economics as well. Use it in your daily life to focus on what really matters and forget the rest. If you missed last week's Actionable Book Short, it was on Deep Work by Cal Newport, who shows you that by learning to focus you'll prevent the robots from taking your job. Never miss an episode by signing up for my newsletter at fuckingread.com.  Also, reach out to me via voicemail or email, I'd love to meet you. Stay Thought-Full.

Today's Actionable Book Short is hosted a special guest @KevinEspiritu who's introducing Deep Work by Cal Newport. Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. If you master this skill, you'll be valuable and employable in the future when this skill becomes rare. Learn how to find true fulfillment in your work by developing a sense of craftsmanship from focused and meaningful work. Listen to learn how to excel by going against the grain.

Welcome to the first Mental Monday. Today we're covering the Say / Do Something Syndrome! Every Monday I'll be introducing to you a new mental model to add to your mental toolbox. The purpose of mental models is to help you see the world in a new light and make the best decisions for whatever life throws your way. The Say / Do Something Syndrome occurs when we're compelled to feel important by contributing to a situation, even when our contribution ultimately hurts the end result you're trying to achieve. Stay thought-full!

We are social creatures, therefore we need friends. If you want to get ahead in life, you'll need to influence people to get what you want...just be sure it's authentic and a win-win for both. Since it's release in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People is still as relevant as it was when written. Learn the tactics of some of the most influential people and how they found success through friendships. Enter this week's book contest to WIN a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People!  Leave me a comment or send me a voice message by visiting my site. Much thanks to @TrentShelton for the spoken word intro!  Check out his amazing site!

Unlocking the combined wisdom of two historians, Will and Ariel Durant in their book The Lessons of History. Special guest, Kevin Espiritu, from EpicGardening.com joins us to give his thoughts on some of the key lessons discussed in the book. Get the show notes at fuckingread.com/podcast. Leave me a comment on today's nugget: What entrenched belief have you changed recently? For you chance to win a copy of Lessons of History. Stay Thought-full.

George Orwell's masterful depiction of a dystopia where no one can think without fear of retribution from the Party. This book shows us the world where those in power control the thoughts and actions of their citizens steeped in fear. Wars are created for the purpose of unifying one country (or team) against the other. Although fiction, this book has lessons that we should always hold dear and prevent that type of future from manifesting. Be sure to reach out and say hi to your representative either by email or meeting at their office: whoismyrepresentative.com. Keep thinking, Jon

Fake News. Alternative Facts. How did we get here? Ex-media manipulator Ryan Holiday exposes the dirty secrets of how the mainstream media gets its stories. Blogs like Buzzfeed and the Huffington Post drive the media agenda.  Bloggers are slaves to money, technology, and deadlines.  Manipulators wield the levers to shape everything you read, see, and watch -- online and off. You are no long able to claim innocents.  Arm yourself with the knowledge of how media manipulation works so you can see through the BS.