Ego Lab

In this episode, Tony and Brian interview Lexi and Nico about their experience thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. They discuss how their dream became a reality as well as:How to Pursue a PassionLearning from Obstacles and setbacksHow to persevere in situations where most people quitHow to find balance in times of stressHow to find a community even when you’re in the middle of the woodsThe importance of finding others who will push you to reach your goalsHow long does it take to hike the entire Appalachian Trail?Are there any dangerous animals on the Appalachian Trail?How to deal with sleeping on the ground for long periods of time

In this episode, Tony and Brian discuss:Is free will an illusion?How one small change in your mindset can reduce Anxiety and WorryWhy new decision making strategies can have a major impact on your lifeThe superpower of letting goAre negative experiences the most important?The impact of indecision and how to move past itWhy biases are limiting youHow to stop spending time on things you don't care aboutWhat to do if I regret my career choice?Timestamps (1:05) Do we have free will?(4:31) Neuroplasticity and our brains are like a computer. There is hardware - our genetics, and software - the experiences we load onto it.(7:14) Can you get over anxiety? (9:00) Do you use worry as a tool?(10:20) How to identify what decisions are worth paying attention to(12:42) The story of the farmer taking life in stride(14:47) What is the right decision?(17:10) How do I make big decisions feel more manageable?(18:27) How do I know my decisions are good ones?(20:23) Are some decisions more important than others?(22:50) How do I manage opportunities and the number of decisions I have to make?(27:11) How do biases impact my decisions?Show notes ep 7 decisionsWe didn’t pick our parents, we didn’t pick our life experiences, so there’s an element of chance in all aspects of your life. There is a lot of biases and beliefs that come preloaded on us because of nature and nurture.Our brains are like computers. We have hardware that makes us who we are. Our tendencies to act and feel certain ways. Then we have the software, which is our learned experiences. Software is all of the parts of our lives that shape how the hardware operates.Neuroplasticity is like walking in a forest. Just like when we walk through a forest and have to make new paths, our brains do the same with learning. The more we walk down certain paths the more defined they become.Changing our thought process from “I have anxiety” to “there is anxiety present” makes the feeling something impermanent. It allows us to move past that feeling of anxiousness instead of believing it’s a part of everything we do.If you’re not careful you might be using worry as a tool. Worry allows us to feel a false sense of control over one’s future. Think about it like trying to worry about all the outcomes that could potentially happen, so you won’t be surprised.You can use simple strategies to help you identify what you want to be putting your attention on. Exercises that help us identify what we can and can’t control can be very helpful. Click here for the worksheet that can help you with that.We tend to see things in the moment as “good” and “bad”. But when we look back on our experiences it’s often the case that a “good” experience didn’t turn out like we hoped and sometimes our “bad” experiences are the most important instructors.Every choice comes with an opportunity cost. When we make a choice in the moment it comes with pros and cons. We’re going to gain and lose from every decision but it’s important to make a decision and live with the consequences.When you begin down a new path, try to begin with small steps. It’s much easier to climb a 100-foot ladder when the steps are one foot apart than it is to climb a 100-foot ladder when the steps are 10 feet apart.“The Secret to getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.” - Mark TwainA lot of life is being open to new experiences. If you’re someone who believes that the world is black and white, you will miss out

How to take all the king's riceWhy 80% of your effort is probably a complete wasteHow the one percent rule can make you into a productivity machineHow pillows, grease, and brakes took a sports team from worst to firstHow to know if you are too spread out or focusedWhy consistency is underratedFind free worksheets, blog posts, and insightful book recommendations at EgoLab.us(0:00) Intro(1:05) The magic of the compounding principle(3:05) How the 1% rule can make you 37x better in just one year(4:35) How the British Cycling Team went from laughing stock to dominant winners(8:25) Why Success leads to more Success (9:19) The power of anchoring habits(9:50) The vital role that consistency plays in growth(12:39) Using the snowball effect to achieve your goals(15:40) Leveraging the Pareto Principle for monstrous growth(17:00) Understanding biases to improve your life(17:57) The sunk cost fallacy and relationships(19:50) The greatest predictors of successful relationships(20:33) The brilliance of Warren Buffet(22:31) How to create better outcomes in a shorter time

How To Live Like A Millionaire - And How To Do It Without Money How much money do you need to be happy? Why comparison is in our genetics Why we care so much about money Why lottery winners wind up miserable Live your dream life for way less than you suspect What the science says about happiness and moneyTimestamps0:41 Why do people care so much about money?5:49 Want to be wealthy? Ask yourself, “Why do you want it in the first place?” 8:16 What you really need to be happy in your life10:27 How comparison robs you of your happiness13:43 How one bad idea can change your life forever16:45 Why lottery winners are miserable and what would you do if you had a million dollars?19:20 The Billionaire party and having enough21:32 The difference between money and wealth26:27 How to live like a millionaire without a million dollars30:10 Are people with more money actually happier? What the science says33:26 How to think more creatively about making enough money36:12 What will make you feel like a millionaire?

In this episode, Anthony and Brian discuss how hope is one of the fundamental emotions giving us purpose in life, how to cultivate hope through positivity, Brian’s experience with hope and cancer, tools to build positivity and hope, and how to live a long and fulfilling life, and many other gems throughout the episode.Show Notes:https://www.egolab.us/podcast/show-notes-e4-what-makes-us-human-use-hope-to-build-a-fulfilling-lifeTimestamps(0:00) Intro(0:42) Hope and Finding Your Why(3:43) The Placebo Effect and Hope(6:30) Hope and Communities, Fighting Cancer, Finding The Will to Live, Friendship, and Impermanence(16:33) How to Use Positivity to Cultivate Hope(20:48) Creating a community of Hope within yourself(25:02) Tools for developing Hope, Gratitude, and Optimism(27:30) Is Being Optimistic an Inherent Trait or Can We Develop it?(31:37) Ikigai and Hope - Do Optimistic People Live Longer?(34:13) What If I don’t Want To Be Hopeful?

In this episode, Anthony and Brian discuss letting go of the stigma associated with failure, why it’s important to separate failures from your identity, and how to create a personal society with the people who share your values.  Learn how to find silver linings in every challenge and the benefits of having an accountability buddy!Timestamps(00:35) - Breaking the stigma associated with failure(2:25) - How society plays a role in what we consider failure(4:38) - Why failing doesn’t make you a failure(5:58) - Is it ok to feel “bad”?(9:29) - Are we hard-wired to seek success?(11:28) - Who controls your society?(13:55) - Using accountability to find success(17:50) - Why failing in public is different than failing in private(20:50) - Two powerful tools for overcoming failure

Get a taste of the Ego Lab Podcast

"Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can't afford to lose."  Thomas Edison.  In this episode, we discuss ideas and strategies you can use to make the most valuable use of your time.(0:00) - Intro(2:33) - Peter Thiel “Why can’t you do it in 6 months?”(3:34) - Warren Buffet’s attention prioritizing strategy (4:34) - Parkinson’s Law and how to get more done(6:15) - The Pareto Principle (80/20 Principle) teaches us where to put our time(7:24) - How to use leverage to optimize results in your life.(8:45) - Schedules, dispelling the Myth of Creativity and the 10,000 Hour Principle(10:10) - Tools for removing distractions to optimize Flow States and Deep Work (13:03) - Don’t multitask. (15:00) - How to strike a work-life balance(15:55) - Peter Drucker’s productivity recommendations (17:25) - Tools for time management.(19:40) - Morning and evening routines to optimize sleep.

Prepare for take-off with Anthony and Brian!(0:00) - Intro(1:00) - How do you know what your destination is?(2:31) - Setting value-based goals(5:10) - How to think about 6-month goals(6:33) - How to set goals across all aspects of life(7:57) - How to set goals that aren’t dictated by society(9:52) - How to use fear and love to help assess your decision making(18:20) - How to use SMART Goals to achieve results you actually want.(24:13) - How to overcome the patterns that are holding you back (26:50) - How asking yourself “why” too much can hinder your goals (29:20) - How to overcome the fear of heading to your destination.