You Need These Habits | Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Name: You Need These Habits | Dr. Benjamin Hardy
Uploaded: 2021-05-10T22:00:02.000Z
Duration: 2 h 18 min 15 s

The Importance of Starting Your Day Right

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of starting your day right and how it can impact your life in a positive or negative way.

Making or Breaking Your Day, Week, and Life

How you start your day creates momentum that affects the rest of your day.

Bad decisions lead to other bad decisions and can ruin your day.

Starting with good decisions sets you up for success throughout the day.

Putting what's important before what's urgent is crucial for achieving long-term goals.

The Power of First Things First

Taking time to pray, meditate, visualize your future self, and have gratitude can change your life.

Making your bed first thing in the morning creates a mindset of winning and builds confidence.

Losing an hour in the morning can set you back for the rest of the day.

The Impact on Your Week

Having a good Monday and Tuesday sets you up for success throughout the week.

Focusing on starting strong at the beginning of each week can help achieve weekly goals.

Overall, starting each day with intentionality and purpose can create momentum that leads to success. By putting first things first and focusing on what's important rather than urgent, individuals can achieve their long-term goals.

The Importance of Starting Right

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of starting right and making good decisions early in life. He explains how starting late can make it harder to achieve success and how setting oneself up for failure by age 30 can have a negative impact on one's trajectory.

Starting Right is Key

It's never too late to start making better decisions, but it's much easier if you start early.

Starting something wrong usually means it will go wrong forever. Compound interest makes starting early even more important.

If you've set yourself up for failure by age 30, your trajectory won't be as good as if you spent your 20s well.

Starting your day correctly sets you up for a successful day no matter what.

Making Progress

Even if you started late, applying powerful principles towards your days can help accomplish more in a few years than most people do in a decade.

Most people are not actively seeking a future self or living with intention and purpose. They're living by default and putting the urgent before the important.

The faster you start right on a daily basis, weekly basis, yearly basis, and in life if possible, the more compound effect and momentum you'll have.

Two Quotes That Can Change Your Life

In this section, the speaker shares two quotes that he believes can change one's entire trajectory in life. He tells a story about Socrates to introduce the first quote.

Socrates' Quote

"When you want wisdom and insight as badly as you desired that breath of air, then you shall have it." This quote emphasizes the importance of desire and motivation in achieving success.

Napoleon Hill's Quote

Desire is the starting point of all achievement. Without desire, there can be no accomplishment." This quote highlights the importance of having a strong desire to achieve one's goals.

Fueling Your Desire

In this section, the speaker talks about how what we let into our brain fuels our desire. He gives examples of how eating cookies makes us want more cookies and listening to good books makes us want more books. The speaker emphasizes that whatever we focus on expands and becomes a part of our identity.

Obsessing Over What You Want

Whatever you focus on expands, and whatever you put your attention towards, you get.

To become successful, you need to obsess over what you want.

Research shows that people who become world-class athletes or performers relentlessly stare at what they want.

The Importance of Setting Yourself Up for Success

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second-best time is now.

If you want to be successful, you need to start planting that tree right now.

Most people set their future selves up for failure because they don't look at their future self as a different person with different wants and values.

Automating Your Way to Success

You can make your future self an automatic millionaire by automating how much money you invest right now using the "Automatic Millionaire" method by David Bach.

Automating investments will help upgrade your subconscious mind because it creates a situation that demands more from you.

Finding Meaning and Purpose in Life

In this section, the speaker talks about the importance of having meaning and purpose in life.

Having a Sense of Purpose

Life is not unbearable by circumstance; it's unbearable because of a lack of meaning and purpose.

You need a sense of purpose that gets you out of bed and makes you willing to change who you are to achieve it.

Developing New Habits

To achieve your goals, you need to develop new habits and become a new person.

Stop doing things that hold you back and start doing things that set you up for success.

Investing in Your Future Self

In this section, the speaker discusses the concept of investing in your future self and how it can lead to a better present.

The Value of Investing in Your Future Self

Investing more money in your future self leads to valuing your current self more.

Having a bigger view of your future self leads to valuing your present more.

Investing more in your future self leads to making better decisions in the present.

Valuing your future self more leads to an increase in income and time management skills.

Journaling for Success

In this section, the speaker talks about journaling as a powerful keystone habit and shares a specific way to prompt or trigger yourself into the right frame of mind while journaling.

Getting into the Right Frame of Mind for Journaling

Whatever state of mind you're in determines how you feel about something while journaling.

Before journaling, get yourself into the right frame of mind by using a pre-performance routine.

Learn how to persuade yourself by putting yourself into the right frame of mind before trying to persuade yourself.

Journaling is an amazing way to persuade yourself.

The Five Questions for Prompting Yourself

There are five questions that should be placed at a specific place in your journal and read before journaling every morning.

These questions trigger you to think like your future self and help you get into the right frame of mind for successful journaling.

Five Questions to Boost Productivity

In this section, the speaker shares five questions that can help boost productivity. These questions should be written on the inside cover of a journal and used as prompts to remind oneself of their goals and progress.

The Five Questions

Where am I right now?

Write down a few bullets describing your current situation, what you're working on, what you're focused on, and what you're thinking about.

What are my wins from the last 90 days?

Make a list of five to ten bullets of personal and professional accomplishments from the past 90 days.

What are the wins I want for the next 90 days?

List three to five bullets of things you want to accomplish in the next 90 days.

Where do I want to be one year from now?

Write down your one-year goal.

Where do I want to be in three years from now?

Write down your three-year goal.

The speaker emphasizes that having these questions in front of your journal is powerful because it allows you to regularly remind yourself of your goals and progress. It also helps you appreciate your past accomplishments and use them as motivation for future success.

Manifesting Your Future Self

In this section, the speaker discusses how mental creation always precedes physical creation and how to prime your mindset using five questions in the front cover of your journal. He also explains how your identity is shaped by the story you tell about yourself.

Mental Creation Precedes Physical Creation

Mental creation always precedes physical creation.

Visualize what you want first before taking action.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Priming Your Mindset

Use five questions in the front cover of your journal to prime your mindset quickly.

Eventually, use it as a trigger to click into the mindset of your future self.

Journal from a higher plane of state to pull more powerful nuggets from your subconscious.

Shaping Your Identity

Your identity is shaped by the story you tell about yourself.

The story you tell about yourself determines your behavior and outcomes.

Change your life by changing your identity, which starts with changing your story.

Transforming Your Story

In this section, the speaker explains how transforming our stories can upgrade our identities. He also discusses how our past and future stories shape our present selves.

Transforming Our Stories

To upgrade our identities, we must transform our stories of the past and future.

Transforming our past stories involves giving them positive meanings instead of limiting views.

Transforming our future stories involves having an exciting and compelling vision for ourselves.

Shaping Our Present Selves

Our current selves are largely shaped by our view of the past and future stories.

Having a positive meaning for our past experiences shapes who we are now.

Having an exciting vision for ourselves shapes who we become in the future.

Learning from Experiences

In this section, the speaker discusses how we can learn and grow from our experiences by changing our perception of them. He also explains how our memory is flexible and fluid, allowing us to choose the meaning of our past.

Learning from Experiences

Always make your learning greater than your experience.

Learn and grow from experiences by looking at the gains instead of comparing to an ideal.

Resenting or being upset about a situation makes you a victim.

Choosing the Meaning of Our Past

We get to choose the meaning of our past experiences.

Transforming negative meanings into positive ones shapes who we are now.

Our present selves shape the meaning of our past experiences.

Framing Your Past and Future for a Positive Present

In this section, the speaker discusses how to frame your past and future in a positive way to create a more powerful present. He emphasizes the importance of having a positive view of your past and creating a clear, compelling vision of your future self.

Framing Your Past

The narratives we have about our past are not fixed and can be revised based on our present perspective.

It's up to us to frame our past as either positive or negative.

A positive view of the past is essential for creating a powerful present.

Overcoming trauma involves shifting from a gap perspective (resentful towards the past) to a gain perspective (grateful for the experience).

Creating Your Future Self

Your future self is what ultimately drives you, so it's important to define who that person is going to be.

You're the one who creates the narrative and meaning around your future self, so make sure it's empowering and meaningful.

Having clarity and purpose around your future self allows you to be more intentional in the present.

Without goals or direction for your future self, the present can feel pointless.

Prospection: Shaping Your Identity Through Your View of the Future

Prospection is the concept that whatever view you have of your future shapes your identity, behavior, attitudes, etc.

Defining your specific future self allows you to make measurable progress towards that goal.

Measurable progress increases confidence, excitement, and motivation.

Boosting Optimism by Defining Your Future Self

In this section, the speaker discusses the principle of consistency and how it can be used to boost optimism. He explains that defining your future self is crucial in achieving this.

The Principle of Consistency

The principle of consistency states that people need to align their behaviors, thoughts, and identity.

Telling people about your future self and goals compels you to be consistent with that new story.

Matthew McConaughey's speech at the Academy Awards highlights how he always chases his future self.

Defining Your Future Self

To boost optimism, define and clarify your best possible or future self.

Get specific about who your future self is, what they have accomplished, achieved, and what their life looks like.

Make your learning greater than your experience so you don't keep repeating the same mistakes.

Framing Your Past and Future

If you're still upset about the past, you're resentful towards it and are a victim.

Frame your past as something you learned from regardless of what it was.

Surround yourself with people who will help you become your future self.

Making Your Future Tangible

Once defined, make your future measurable and tangible by setting specific goals such as running a marathon in a certain number of hours or having a certain amount of money.

The Power of Identity

In this section, the speaker discusses the power of identity and how it shapes our behavior and personality. He also talks about how we can shape our future personality by deciding who our identity is now and acting in that way.

Identity vs Personality

Our identity is more powerful than our personality.

Our personality is a byproduct of our identity.

We can shape our future personality by deciding who our identity is now and acting in that way.

Career Hierarchy

We can assess where we are at in our career hierarchy by looking at whether we are living paycheck to paycheck, project to project, or adventure to adventure.

Living paycheck to paycheck means everything in your life is based on paycheck to paycheck.

Project to project means projects may be like six months a year or even two years.

Adventure to adventure means you have at least a three to five year journey that takes you to a totally different place.

Three-step Model

The three-step model created by Harvard psychologist Robert Keegan includes the socializing self stage, authoring self stage, and transforming self stage.

The socializing self stage means being dependent on others for what you want while worrying about what other people think.

The authoring self stage means going from dependent to independent with your own goals and agenda.

The transforming self stage involves developing collaborations and relationships with others where both parties transform as people.

Adventure Mode

Living in the adventure to adventure mode allows for massive progress and becoming an expert at something.

Deliberate practice is the way in which you develop expertise and become world-class at something.

Part of the fun of living in the adventure to adventure mode is going from being a novice to becoming an expert.

Mindset for Adventure

In this section, the speaker discusses different mindsets and how they relate to one's approach to work. He introduces the idea of an adventure mindset and explains how it differs from a project or paycheck mindset.

Adventure Mindset vs. Project/Paycheck Mindset

The adventure mindset is characterized by self-mastery orientation, intrinsic motivation, and a focus on growth and transformation.

The project/paycheck mindset is more externally motivated and focused on short-term wins rather than long-term growth.

The adventure mindset allows for greater mastery and transformation, while the project/paycheck mindset may lead to burnout or stagnation.

Adventure-to-Adventure Model

The adventure-to-adventure model involves pursuing one adventure after another, with each new adventure building upon the skills and experiences gained in previous adventures.

This model allows for greater self-determination and internal motivation, as individuals pursue what they are truly passionate about rather than just chasing external rewards.

It also allows for pivoting to new adventures when one becomes bored or unfulfilled in their current pursuit.

Creating Meaningful Work

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of creating meaningful work that can provide recurring revenue streams over time.

Recurring Revenue Streams

Creating things that will pay you for the rest of your life involves thinking longer term about your future self.

Pursuing an adventure rather than just projects or paychecks can lead to creating something truly meaningful that provides recurring revenue streams over time.

Blindness and Strategic Ignorance

In this section, the speaker discusses two concepts - blindness and strategic ignorance. Blindness refers to being unaware of opportunities, situations, or people around us because we are too focused on something else. Strategic ignorance is about intentionally making ourselves blind to things that distract us from our goals.

Blindness

William James said that there are millions of things going on around us that we're blind to because we're focused on what matters to us.

The difference between a genius and an ordinary person is not their ability to focus but what they place their attention on.

We should ask ourselves what our former self was blind to that we're now aware of and pursuing.

We should also think about what our future self is focused on, aware of, values, and worried about.

Strategic Ignorance

Strategic ignorance involves creating filters and boundaries for our attention so that we don't let certain things in.

We should consider becoming more ignorant of things in our lives or world that are irrelevant to our goals, situation, or values.

Examples include removing news and media from our lives or choosing not to read reviews of our work.

The goal is to eliminate distractions so that we can focus on what's important.

Conclusion

We need to be aware of opportunities around us by avoiding blindness caused by distractions.

At the same time, we need strategic ignorance by filtering out irrelevant information so as not to get distracted from achieving our goals.

Selective Attention

In this section, the speaker discusses the concept of selective attention and how it shapes our worldview. The speaker provides three strategies to help individuals become more intentional in their lives.

Understanding Selective Attention

Selective attention is the idea that our worldview is shaped by what we give our attention to.

Our mental filter determines what we see and hear.

We don't see the world as it is but as we are or as we've been conditioned to see it.

Three Strategies for Intentional Living

Strategy 1: Become Less Blind

Realize that you're currently blind to a lot of things that your future self will be aware of.

Think about what your future self wants and start becoming less blind by actively preparing for it.

Rid yourself of blindness that's potentially stopping you from taking massive action.

Strategy 2: Reflect on Progression

Continuously reflect on the progression you've made from your former self.

Take time to look back on what your former self was thinking about, doing, and pursuing versus your current self.

Recognize and appreciate the growth of what your former self saw, was ignorant of, and pursued.

Strategy 3: Approach What You Want

Clarify what you want rather than trying to avoid what you don't want.

Spend time approaching what you want instead of avoiding it.

Educate yourself on what you want so that you can become an expert in that area.

Implementation Intentions and High Hard Goals

In this section, the speaker talks about how the British rowing team won a gold medal by using "Will it make the boat go faster?" as their filter for decision making. The concept of implementation intentions is introduced, which means actively planning for setbacks and having an automatic strategy to deal with them. The importance of having high hard goals and defining what you want is also discussed.

Implementation Intentions

"Will it make the boat go faster?" was used as a filter for decision making by the British rowing team.

Implementation intentions mean actively planning for setbacks and having an automatic strategy to deal with them.

Having a clear filter like "Will it make the boat go faster?" helps in decision making without wasting time thinking about it.

Using implementation intentions or filters can help reach your goal by saying no to everything below your commitment.

High Hard Goals

Craving the end result so bad that hard work becomes irrelevant is important when setting high hard goals.

High hard goals are more powerful than low goals because they motivate and excite you.

High hard goals are not things that can be accomplished in a weekend but may take several months or years to achieve.

Defining What You Want

Defining what you want and finding out what price you have to pay is important before setting high hard goals.

Purposeful goals are different from passion because purpose usually takes you out of yourself and into the world where you have a cause and help someone else.

Having a massively transformative purpose can transform your life and yourself over time.

The three levels of goals are why, what, and how. Having all three can give you clarity on who you are and where you're going.

The Power of Long-Term Goals

In this section, the speaker talks about the importance of having long-term goals and how they can help in achieving success.

Importance of Long-Term Goals

Having a long-term goal allows one to fall in love with the process and avoid short-term outcomes.

Far out goals that are challenging and take years to accomplish can slow down time, remove anxiety, and allow for a bigger vision.

Setting far out goals can also help in enjoying the present moment while working towards them.

Specific Goals

Specific goals are things that can be accomplished right now or within a short period of time.

It is important to have no more than three specific goals on a daily basis that are focused on impact rather than busyness.

When setting specific goals, it is important to consider one's high-level purpose, vision of their future self, and high hard goals.

Minimum Effective Dose

Minimum effective dose means determining the minimum requirement to get the desired result.

Applying this concept to goal-setting involves asking oneself what is the minimum requirement to achieve their desired outcome.

Three Levels of Goals

In this section, Dr. Benjamin Hardy discusses the three levels of goals that can help individuals achieve their desired future self.

High Hard Goals

High hard goals allow individuals to fall in love with the process and enjoy the present moment.

They create huge compounding effects if an individual is consistent.

They allow individuals to play their own game and engage in the process.

Specific Goals

Short-term targets such as weekly or monthly targets are focused on high impact and effectiveness.

They allow for short-term intense objectives that push individuals outside their comfort zone.

They enable bold, courageous actions towards an individual's future self.

Combining Both Types of Goals

Individuals can be both the tortoise and the hare by having a peaceful, present compounding effect while also taking bold, courageous short-term actions towards their future selves.

Kobe Bryant found that committing to long-term goals gave him permission to be more courageous in the short term because he was playing a longer game.

Having specific goals allows for sprints while still being focused on outcomes and effectiveness.

Simplifying Goal Setting

In this section, Dr. Benjamin Hardy simplifies goal setting into three high-level purposes and no more than three daily or weekly specific goals.

Three High-Level Purposes

Define three organizing principles for life or what matters most.

Pursue high hard goals that align with these principles over 3, 5, or 10 years.

No More Than Three Daily/Weekly Specific Goals

Focus on big outcomes that make exponential progress towards high-level purposes.

Combine slow peaceful consistency with bold courageous actions towards future selves.