7 Secret Habits To Get Out Of A Cycle

Summary

This video outlines seven powerful ideas to help you get unstuck and improve performance. The key takeaways: prioritize sleep and brain health through supplements; dedicate 2 learning hours each week to continuously grow; view stagnation periods as stabilization; take on projects 4% harder than your current capability; treat your body like an athlete would; avoid injury by resting when needed; practice daily gratitude to boost happiness long-term. Implementing even a few of these habits can profoundly impact progress towards your goals.

Takeaways

• 😴 Not getting enough sleep severely impacts performance and productivity. Prioritize sleep over hustling.
• 📚 Schedule 2 hours per week for focused learning to avoid getting stuck. This time is non-negotiable.
• 😌 Periods of stagnation are normal and help stabilize progress. Don't stress during these phases.
• ⏱ Push yourself to complete tasks 4% faster than you think possible to maximize growth.
• 🧘‍♀️ Treat your body and mind well through meditation, exercise and healthy habits to boost productivity.
• 😣 Avoid injury and don't ignore your body's need for rest. Play the long game.
• 🙏 Practice daily gratitude to boost happiness and self-love.
• 🧠 Nourish your brain through good sleep, supplements and avoiding alcohol.
• 💊 Take supplements to counteract nutritional deficiencies common in modern foods.
• 👩‍🏫 Continuously level up your skills through classes, workshops and more.

Q & A

What is the most important muscle in your body according to the video?

The brain is considered the most important muscle in your body.

Why is sleep considered the number one health practice?

Sleep is deemed the number one health practice because it is crucial for the brain's ability to think, analyze, and process data. Even an hour loss of sleep can significantly reduce mental performance and accuracy in tasks.

What impact does alcohol have on brain health according to the video?

Alcohol is described as a mild form of poison that kills brain cells, reduces mental performance, and leads to a smaller brain in people who drink every day.

How does the discipline of 2 hours of learning and growing each week help prevent getting stuck?

Allocating 2 hours each week to learning and growing helps prevent stagnation by enhancing knowledge and skills, ensuring continuous personal and professional development.

What does George Leonard's book 'Mastery' suggest about progress and getting stuck?

George Leonard suggests that progress is not linear but resembles a step ladder, where periods of leap and stagnation alternate. These stagnation phases are actually periods of stabilization, which are essential for sustainable growth.

What is the 4% rule introduced by Steven Kotler, and how does it facilitate growth?

The 4% rule states that to grow and enter flow states, one should engage in tasks that are approximately 4% harder than what they think they are capable of. This challenge is optimal for fostering development and engagement.

Why is treating your body and brain with respect important for productivity?

Treating your body and brain with respect is crucial for maintaining peak physical and mental performance, similar to an athlete's care for their body. Practices like meditation and exercise enhance productivity by improving overall well-being.

How can avoiding injury contribute to long-term goals?

Avoiding injury by prioritizing rest, healthy eating, and sleep ensures that you do not push yourself too hard to the point of harm, thus maintaining consistency and health in the pursuit of long-term goals.

What practice has the highest correlation with overall human well-being according to the video?

Gratitude practice has the highest correlation with overall human well-being, as it significantly increases happiness levels over time.

What is the purpose of the six-phase meditation mentioned in the video?

The six-phase meditation is a protocol designed to train the brain for peak performance, helping individuals to operate in a state of high efficiency and well-being.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Boosting Brain Health and Productivity

The first section outlines strategies for enhancing brain health and overall productivity. The speaker, Vision, emphasizes the importance of sleep, highlighting a study where a lack of sleep drastically reduced the accuracy of army sharpshooters. He advocates for taking care of the brain by ensuring adequate sleep, consuming the right supplements, and avoiding alcohol, as these factors significantly impact mental performance and productivity. Supplements like Gaba, 5-HTP, magnesium, and Melatonin are recommended for mood improvement, stress reduction, and better sleep. Vision also shares insights from Dr. Daniel Amen about the detrimental effects of alcohol on brain health, suggesting that abstaining from alcohol can lead to higher productivity and better mental performance.

05:02

📚 Continuous Learning and Growth

The second section delves into the importance of continuous learning and setting aside dedicated time for personal growth to avoid stagnation. Drawing from the book 'The Four Disciplines of Execution,' Vision advocates for allocating two hours each week to learning and growing outside of one's usual work tasks. This practice is aimed at fostering personal development and overcoming the feeling of being stuck by expanding one's knowledge and skills. He explains how embracing the concept of a 'step ladder' of progress, where periods of growth are followed by stabilization, can reduce stress and contribute to long-term success. Additionally, the concept of the '4% rule' from Steven Kotler is introduced, encouraging individuals to take on challenges that are slightly beyond their current capabilities to induce flow states and stimulate growth.

10:03

🌱 Embracing Self-Love and Gratitude

The final section emphasizes the power of self-love and gratitude in achieving well-being and productivity. Vision highlights the scientific benefits of practicing gratitude, noting its substantial impact on happiness levels even months after the practice is adopted. He advocates for starting each day with a gratitude exercise, focusing on personal and professional life aspects. Furthermore, Vision introduces the concept of treating oneself as an athlete, underscoring the importance of meditation, exercise, and proper rest for maintaining peak mental and physical condition. He shares a personal anecdote to illustrate the risks of neglecting self-care, ultimately advocating for a balanced approach to work and health. The section concludes with an invitation to explore Mind Valley's personal development programs, specifically recommending the six-phase meditation program for those interested in furthering their personal growth journey.

Keywords

💡Unstuck

The concept of becoming 'unstuck' refers to breaking free from periods of stagnation or lack of progress in life. In the context of the video, it involves implementing strategies to overcome obstacles and initiate personal growth. The speaker emphasizes that feeling stuck is a common experience at various points in life and offers seven ideas to not only get unstuck but to also accelerate towards one's goals or visions.

💡Brain health

Brain health is highlighted as paramount for personal development and effectiveness. The speaker underlines the importance of sleep, proper supplementation, and avoidance of harmful substances like alcohol to maintain or improve brain function. This emphasis on brain health is presented as a foundational aspect of achieving peak performance and overall well-being.

💡Supplements

Supplements are introduced as essential for compensating the nutritional deficiencies in modern diets that affect brain function and mood. The video suggests that due to the declining nutritional density of food, taking the right supplements can significantly enhance mood, energy, and focus, thereby contributing to better performance and productivity.

💡Learning and growing

This concept focuses on the intentional allocation of time for personal development and skill enhancement. The speaker advocates for dedicating two hours a week to learning new things or improving existing skills as a mechanism to avoid getting stuck. This practice is positioned as crucial for continuous personal and professional growth.

💡Flow states

Flow states refer to moments of heightened focus and engagement in activities, where individuals lose sense of time and are fully immersed in the task at hand. The video mentions Steven Kotler's 4% rule, which suggests that engaging in tasks that are slightly more challenging than one's current capabilities can induce flow states, thereby facilitating growth and increased productivity.

💡Self-love

Self-love in the video is associated with practices like gratitude that enhance well-being and happiness. The speaker stresses the importance of acknowledging and appreciating one's achievements and qualities as a form of self-care that can significantly impact one's mental health and overall life satisfaction.

💡Physical health

The importance of maintaining physical health alongside mental health is underscored, with the speaker comparing individuals to athletes who need to take care of their bodies to perform at their best. This includes regular exercise, meditation, and healthy eating habits as essential components for peak performance.

💡Gratitude

Gratitude is presented as a powerful practice with substantial positive effects on happiness and well-being. The speaker suggests that regularly expressing gratitude can lead to a significant increase in happiness levels, even months after the practice is initiated, emphasizing it as a form of self-love and appreciation.

💡Mastery

The concept of mastery involves continuous improvement and the achievement of high skill levels in a specific domain. The video references George Leonard's idea that progress is not linear but rather occurs in leaps and plateaus, suggesting that periods of apparent stagnation are actually times of consolidation and preparation for the next growth phase.

💡Avoid injury

This concept emphasizes the importance of not pushing oneself to the point of physical or mental harm. The speaker shares a personal anecdote to illustrate the consequences of neglecting one's well-being for the sake of productivity, advocating for a balanced approach to work and health.

Highlights

Introduction to overcoming being stuck in life with seven powerful ideas.

The importance of brain health, emphasizing good sleep, right supplements, and avoiding alcohol.

Impact of sleep deprivation on performance, highlighting its crucial role in brain function.

Discussion on nutritional density decline in food and the necessity of supplements.

Alcohol's negative effects on sleep quality and mental performance.

The discipline of allocating two hours weekly to learning and growth to prevent stagnation.

George Leonard's concept of progress in a step ladder pattern, emphasizing periods of stagnation as stabilization.

Steven Cotler's 4% rule for growth and entering flow states by taking on challenges.

The importance of treating the body and brain with respect for peak performance.

The significance of avoiding injury and prioritizing self-care for long-term success.

The role of self-love and gratitude in improving overall well-being and happiness.

Introduction to Mind Valley as a transformation platform for personal development.

Recommendation for the six-phase meditation for peak performance.

Call to explore further personal development programs on Mind Valley.

Invitation to subscribe and share feedback on the video content.

Transcripts

do you feel stuck in life right now most

people at some point in life get stuck

and you don't just get stuck at some

point in life you actually get stuck

very often at different points in your

life and I'm going to be sharing with

you seven really powerful ideas to not

just help you get unstuck but to help

you improve yourself in a cycle of Rapid

performance towards your goal or the

ultimate vision of how you want your

life to be this advice is fairly unusual

and it comes from my experience having

built the world's number one

transformation platform mind Valley but

also interviews I've done with close to

a th000 thought leaders professors and

experts in the world of human

performance and if you already feel like

things in your life are going swimmingly

well this video is going to help you

swim better my name is Vision I'm the

founder of Mind Valley and I'm delighted

to be sharing these ideas with you

number one guess what's the most

important muscle in your body it's your

brain but most of us do not care for our

brain we do things that actually reduce

brain health you want to ensure that

you're getting good sleep you want to

take the right supp supplements and you

want to avoid things which are bad for

your brain such as alcohol let's talk

about sleep for a moment in a study of

army shop Shooters if someone requires 7

hours of sleep and they instead get six

their accuracy in the range goes down

from 90% to approximately 50% even an

hour loss of sleep can take down your

brain's ability to think to analyze to

process data so if you force yourself to

wake up earlier than you need because

you need to rush into work know that

your work that day is going to be

significantly lower quality than if you

simply gave yourself a good night's

sleep never ever compromise sleep the

number one Health practice in the world

you guessed it is sleep your brain needs

it you need to take supplements because

the nutritional density of our food has

been falling for example according to

nine Jane the brilliant founder of viome

the gut testing AI company an avocado

today has one8 the nutritional density

of an avocado in the 1980s think about

that this is why taking the right

supplements is extremely important

because the right supplements can

improve your mood improve your energy

and improve your focus there are many

great supplements that have a profound

impact on your brain Gaba and 5hdp

actually elevate your mood and lower

your response to stress magnesium and

Melatonin help you sleep better Alpha

GPC is amazing for Focus all of these

are extremely affordable and available

in any supplement store on Amazon look

into these supplements finally this is

going to be tricky for some of you let's

talk about alcohol many friends I know

have completely given up alcohol and

when I ask them why they say because

they've started to notice that when they

drink they sleep worse and this causes

them to wake up feeling a little bit

tired and it also causes them to lose

mental performance the next day they

actually notice that their thinking

quality goes down Dr Daniel aan who's

the world's leading brain doctor told me

that every time you drink alcohol you're

literally killing brain cells people who

drink every day have a smaller brain

alcohol is essentially a mild form of

poison and every time you take alcohol

the very next day you will see a

decrease in productivity if your time is

worth say $300 an hour and alcohol

causes a 30-minute decrease in

productivity well guess what that drink

just cost you 150 bucks is that worth it

now this brings us to the second idea

and this comes from a book called the

four disciplines of execution so firstly

this is an incredible book that I've

made every manager working at my company

read one of the disciplines in this book

is the discipline of 2 hours of

allocated time every week to learning

and growing why do people get stuck we

get stuck because we're not actually

growing our knowledge we're not actually

learning no matter what field you're in

you can learn to get better if you're a

writer you can attend writing workshops

if you're an actor you constantly should

be attending acting classes to get

better and better as an actor but many

of us forget that we fall into the

hustle and the grind rather than calving

aside time to get better you need to

block off 2 hours on your calendar and

in those 2 hours you're not allowed to

work rather what you have to do is study

how to get better at your work you can

let your work bleed into anything else

but your work should never bleed into

your study time and you will be shocked

at how fast you grow this 2 hours is

non-negotiable go to your calendar right

now and figure out what are those 2

hours a week you can block off for your

non-negotiable learning time they don't

have to be a connected 2 hours they

could be two disconnect 1 hour slots but

go to your calendar right now before you

do anything else and block out that time

in those 2 hours you could be watching

more YouTube videos you could be

checking out content on mind Valley you

could be reading a book but in this

2hour slot this is where the magic

happens number three is probably

something really unusual because you're

going to see that being stuck can

actually be to your advantage this idea

comes from George Leonard's book Mastery

now in his book George shared this idea

progress does not flow in a linear way

rather it flows like a step ladder you

have a leap and then it stagnates you

have a leap and then it stagnates you

have a leap and then it stagnates but

we're not really stagnating we're

stabilizing if you were just constantly

growing the change could be really

disruptive think about reptiles reptiles

don't perpetually shed their skin they

grow they shed their skin then they stay

with that skin for several years before

their next growth bur you can't be

continuously shedding skin by

understanding the concept of the stap

lather we put less stress on ourselves

during those moments where you are

stabilizing now the fourth rule the

four% rule by Steven Cotler Steven

Cotler is a dear friend and he's written

many remarkable books his program habit

of ferocity is one of the most amazing

programs available in mind Valley now

Cutler in one of his speeches introduced

me to the idea called the 4% rule he

said if you want to grow in any field

you want to be able to enter flow states

where you are so engrossed in your work

that you are growing you're getting

better and you are excited excited about

the work you do and there's a simple

rule for this always ensure that the

projects you're working on are roughly

4% harder than what you think you're

capable of the 4% harder rule puts you

at just the right Zone where the project

is challenging enough where you can

develop flow and you can grow so always

seek to do things at a level that's 4%

harder than what you're capable of a

simple way to do this is a timer for

example if you're a writer and you write

blog posts or you write chapters for a

book if you know that a particular blog

post or article might take you 8 hours

seek to do it in 7 hours and 45 minutes

that will push you to deliver your

article within the constraints of that

4% rule it gives you the right amount of

challenge that puts you in flow but

causes you to grow because you have to

think of new processes new creativity uh

Pathways new ways to get your output

done in a tighter time frame of time as

a result you get better and better

faster rule number five treat your body

and brain with respect you you got to

think of yourself as an athlete no

matter what you do you are not just that

which you do you are a human being in a

human body meaning a mind powered by a

brain and a physical body you do not

want to in any way sacrifice your

physical body or your mental prowness

you always want to make sure that your

physical body and your brain are

operating at Peak potential much the

same way an athlete takes such good care

of their body you need to treat your

body and brain with respect and this

means not just avoiding stuff that's bad

for you but doing stuff that keeps your

body and brain sharp meditation having a

schedule for exercise for yoga for

practices that put you in a great state

will all make you more productive

meditation takes 20 minutes a day

exercise can be done in 15 minutes a day

this may take 30 minutes or so a day but

these 30 minutes will probably add 1 to

2 hours that same day in extra

productivity number six is simple avoid

injury you see this little red mark on

my nose well it may be a little bit more

obvious if we were sitting in person

about a month ago I was feeling a bit

sick in my apartment I had eaten

something that was off and I had

developed food poisoning and I knew this

but I was still hustling and busy with

work I got out of my apartment cross the

street to go to a restaurant for a

business meeting at the restaurant I

started feeling sick and I knew that I

needed to go and collapse in bed but I

didn't even have enough energy to walk

out the restaurant as I was walking out

the restaurant I lost Consciousness I

fell down hit my face against some

potted plants fractured my nose I was so

obsessed with my goal that I forgot to

take care of myself if you're not

getting enough sleep if you're working

even when you're sick and not giving

your body rest then you are failing you

may be pushing a little bit extra to get

greater movement towards your goal in

the short term but you are hurting

yourself in the long term what this

means is if you need downtime Embrace

that downtime I'm not saying be lazy but

I'm saying you got to prioritize sleep

exercise healthy eating and rest and

relaxation when your body needs it avoid

injury you're playing a long-term game

here number seven is self-love do you

know what is the single most important

practice that has the highest

correlation with overall human

well-being it's gratitude a scientific

study showed that if you practice

gratitude for 30 days this means for 30

days just sitting still in meditation or

journaling things that you appreciate

about yourself and your work at the end

of 30 days you see your happiness levels

go up by 25% but here's the crazy part 9

months later in that study people who

practice gratitude over the control

group their happiness levels were still

higher gratitude is a form of self- love

start your day by sitting still or

journaling and think about three things

that you're grateful for in your

personal life three things that you're

grateful for in your work life this

simple practice can have a profound

impact in your day so there you have it

seven habits that can help you get

unstuck I hope these ideas are

interesting if you want to go and

explore any of these ideas further you

might want to get a membership on mind

Valley for just a really low price uh

equivalent to what youd pay for a

Netflix subscription you get access to

hundreds of the world's greatest

programs in personal development and one

of the programs that you may want to

start with if you like this particular

video is the six- phase meditation this

is a meditation protocol I created

that's been used by top performers

around the world and the six phas

meditation actually Trad your brain to

ensure that you're perpetually

performing in a peak State go check it

out on M valley.com thank you and if you

like this video please click subscribe

and leave a comment let us know which of

these habits do that you find have the

biggest impact in your life thank

you