378: Steven Kotler on The Art of Impossible

Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. The author of 13 books, 9 of which best sellers, Steven is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, translated into 40 languages, and has appeared in over 100 publications. In this episode, Eric and Steven discuss his book, The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer. They break down the idea of “impossible” into its component parts that, when cultivated, come together to propel us towards states of flow and otherwise unattainable performance in any area of life.  But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you! In This Interview, Steven Kotler and I discuss The Art of Impossible and…His book, The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance PrimerThe fact that you “go where you look”, i.e. where you put your attention is where you end upHis experience having Lymes Disease and his mystical experience when surfing one dayThe two types of impossibleThe neurobiology involved in the state of peak performance called “flow”How we can increase our motivation, learning, and creativityThe fact that more “meaningful” does not always mean more “pleasant”The importance of getting very good at being uncomfortable when working towards our “impossible” goalsExercises people can do to find their curiosityThat passion lies at the intersection of multiple curiositiesAn unexpected way to cultivate gritThe five steps to learn anythingLearning means being uncertainThe process of “crawl, walk, run”Steven Kotler Links: Steven’s Website Passion Recipe Masterclass Instagram Twitter Facebook Green Chef: The first USDA Certified Organic Meal Kit Company that makes eating well easy and affordable. Go to www.greenchef.com/90wolf and use code 90WOLF to get $90 off including free shipping Talkspace is an online therapy company that lets you connect with a licensed therapist from anywhere at any time at a fraction of the cost of traditional therapy. It’s therapy on demand. Visit www.talkspace.com or download the app and enter Promo Code: WOLF to get $100 off your first month. Literati Kids is a try-before-you-buy subscription club. Each month they deliver 5 vibrantly illustrated children’s books bringing the immersive magic of reading right to your home. You choose which ones you want to buy and then send the rest back for free. Head to www.literati.com/wolf for 25% off your first two orders. If you enjoyed this conversation with Steven Kotler on The Art of Impossible, you might also enjoy these other episodes: Transformative Mindfulness with Shauna Shapiro Greg Krech Jeffrey Rubin