excellence, actually13 Mars 2025

109 - How (and Why) to Spend Some Time Alone in Your Head

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." The French philosopher Blaise Pascal said this in 1654. A study published in 2014 found this to be true: many subjects chose to administer an electric shock to themselves rather than sit alone with their thoughts. It's a universal difficulty being with the discomfort that sometimes bubbles up out of our own brains, be it boredom or anxiety. But it's often on the other side of this difficulty that we find our most creative breakthroughs. Plus, achieving excellence in any craft requires an ability to negotiate with the negative voice in your head. So today, we go deep on strategies for mastering the art of solitude, detailing our own struggles with it and the tools we use when we feel the urge to short-circuit mental discomfort by reaching for a distraction.

Join The Growth Equation Academy today. 40% off for a limited time!

https://the-growtheq-academy.mn.co/

Now offering up to $5 for ideas, questions, or guests that make it onto the show. Email Clay at the clay.growtheq@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (646) 893-9503

If you are enjoying FAREWELL, do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(368)

The Sports Psychologist Who Taught MJ and Kobe How to "Manage the Moment" (Rerun)

(This week, we are revisiting a conversation from last year that Brad and Clay had with George Mumford. It's one of our most popular episodes and one we personally have come back to many times — so we...

27 Aug 39min

Peptides 101: Evaluating Hype, Risk, and Reward

Peptides! They're everywhere in the health and performance world (and, increasingly, outside of it, too). So... what is a peptide? Are they safe? Should you be taking them? We're going to get into all...

20 Aug 33min

How to Not Turn Into a Robot

This week, we're reacting to an article about the rise of souped-up A.I. baby monitors, and a video from popular podcast host Chris Williamson responding to the anti-optimization movement. Both hint a...

13 Aug 34min

How to Reset Your Focus

Why is it so hard to focus these days—and what can we do about it? On today's episode, we talk about the science behind our collapsing focus and fractured attention. (If you're feeling frazzled, foggy...

6 Aug 41min

The Ten Commandments of Coaching

Coaching is one of the most meaningful and valuable jobs out there. Which is why it's all the more important that it's done the right way. Today, Steve and Brad—who have more than 30 years of sports a...

30 Juli 45min

World Cup & Mile World Record: Consistency, Joy, and Calling Your Shot

Brad and Steve are solo for a throwback episode. First, they discuss Josh Kerr's mile world record: Kerr called his shot four months ago, named the time, named the meet, and then went and did it, fuel...

23 Juli 41min

Don't Get Rid of Anxiety. Use It.

It's natural to want to get rid of anxiety. It's uncomfortable, we worry that it holds us back from being our best, and we believe that those who perform at the highest levels have figured out a way t...

16 Juli 38min

How to Endure, According to a 4-Time Tour de France Cyclist

What is it like to race 21 days across France wearing little more than underwear, going over 50 miles an hour, burning 8,000 calories a day, in the shadow of the ever-present threat of a violent pelot...

9 Juli 46min