Too often people have experienced life in a way that shapes their nature, their responses, and how to perceive life as it comes. Having your mind stretched and bent beyond its normal world view is scary but a treat worth exploring with guest Chuck Palahniuk. Last time he joined Tom to discuss life, death and finding meaning in your life. In this episode, we’re deep diving into how Chuck pursues new ideas, stretches himself beyond the outcomes, and allows the magic of connection to take place through the process of creating stories. Chuck discusses his new essay, People, Places, and Things, and shares the juice of how he’s able to compel such strong reactions from stories that make most people uncomfortable. Check Out Chuck’s Short Stories on Substack: https://chuckpalahniuk.substack.com/ Chuck’s Latest Essay, People, Places and Things: https://try.scribd.com/palahniuk60/ SHOW NOTES: 0:00 | Introduction Chuck Palahniuk 1:28 | Shaped Inside Out 4:28 | Mental Breakthroughs 9:46 | Pursuing Creative Ideas 17:12 | Validating New Ideas 25:04 | Surprising Outcomes 29:58 | Mutual Consciousness 36:35 | Freedom at Ground Zero 40:39 | What Scares You Has Meaning 49:16 | Life Influences & Performance 1:00:35 | Allow Silence, Look for Patterns 1:07:31 | Bathos, Comic Tragedy 1:17:19 | Sincere, Not Offensive 1:32:01 | Motivated by Meaning Check out our sponsors: Better Help: Get 10% off your first month at https://betterhelp.com/impacttheory MindPump: mindpumpimpact.com Pique: Go to piquetea.com/impact and use code IMPACT at checkout to get 5% off sitewide + FREE SHIPPING when you purchase a pu’er bundle! HigherDOSE: Go to HigherDOSE.com/impact to save $75 on the Infrared Sauna Blanket or Infrared PEMF Mat. InsideTracker: Get 25% off their entire store at insidetracker.com/impacttheory Ombre Lab: tryombre.com/Impact Are You Ready for EXTRA Impact? If you’re ready to find true fulfillment, strengthen your focus, and ignite your true potential, the Impact Theory subscription was created just for you. Want to transform your health, sharpen your mindset, improve your relationship, or conquer the business world? This is your epicenter of greatness.  This is not for the faint of heart. This is for those who dare to learn obsessively, every day, day after day. Subscription Benefits: Unlock the gates to a treasure trove of wisdom from inspiring guests like Andrew Huberman, Mel Robbins, Hal Elrod, Matthew McConaughey, and many, many, more New episodes delivered ad-free Exclusive access to Tom’s AMAs, keynote speeches, and suggestions from his personal reading list You’ll also get access to an 5 additional podcasts with hundreds of archived Impact Theory episodes, meticulously curated into themed playlists covering health, mindset, business, relationships, and more: Legendary Mindset: Mindset & Self-Improvement Money Mindset: Business & Finance Relationship Theory: Relationships Health Theory: Mental & Physical Health Power Ups: Weekly Doses of Short Motivational Quotes  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PCvJaz Subscribe on all other platforms (Google Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, Downcast, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Podcast Republic, Podkicker, and more) : https://impacttheorynetwork.supercast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices