The Rise of Superman
The Rise of Superman
Author: Steven Kotler
Rating: 5/5
The Rise of Superman is the perfect primer of flow and the eccentric characters who are pushing the limits of peak performance in the realm of action and adventure sports. Steven Kotler is a fantastic and engaging author and this book is written to pull you along for the ride of your life. If you have any interest at all in flow states and peak performance, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It covers all of the research that has led up to the modern day for flow as well as priming you on the conditions and neurochemical state of flow, plus the triggers for spending more time in flow for yourself and your tribe.
Brain Wash
The central idea in Brain Wash is that we have fallen victim to a condition known as “disconnection syndrome.” We have created routines and a world that leads us to be emotionally reactive and disconnected from our rational-thinking brains. Stress, lack of sleep, nature and nutrient deprivation, and instant gratification in the form of technology have all led us to rely less on our higher thinking and react more from our primitive instincts.
There are many solutions to this problem as outlined in the book, and the combine to make up the Brain Wash program including 8 days of recommended actions you can take.
The program includes taking stock of your digital life, empathy in interactions with others, nature exposure, nutrition, sleep, movement, mindfulness, and finally relationships.
These are topics that I like to talk about a lot as they make up the majority of themes for creating a balanced and complete goal wheel for your life.
The chapter on nature and forest bathing was particularly interesting to me as it is a practice that’s been lost in most modern cultures but is starting to see a resurrection in research that is showing a vast array of benefits to being exposed more to nature and particularly the essential oils found in plants that produce fragrance. These “phytoncides” are linked with improving the immune system, reducing blood pressure, handling stress better, and improving mood and energy. As John Muir said, “wilderness is a necessity.”
Overall this book is a good primer on all of the subjects that it covers. Because of the brevity of the chapters and the amount of information packed into them, it somewhat feels like a laundry list of benefits and “studies show that…” which I don’t mind but takes away from making it a great book as there is too much to go into depth on in a 200-page book. For many people struggling with disconnection syndrome, this book format will be exactly what they need to provide a little bit of ammo to combat the pitfalls of our “disconnected” world.
Rating 4/5
Relentless
Relentless by Tim Grover is a book about the mentality of those who are unstoppable in their pursuit of perfection.
Tim Grover is a sports psychologist who primarily works with NBA players, most notably, Kobe, Dwayne Wade, and Michael Jordan throughout their careers. Grover is a no-nonsense coach who won’t bust his ass for anyone who isn’t willing to put in the work themselves. He believes there are different levels of athletes and people in general which he refers to as Coolers, Closers, and Cleaners. It is only the Cleaner mentality that Grover sees as being Relentless enough to achieve their dreams. People can hone their ability to become Cleaners but it is also a deeply innate characteristic. Just like with Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset, some people start out with the right mindset for success and others need to put more work into getting there.
Relentless is a list of rules about the mentality of a Cleaner and how they operate which is interestingly all labelled as #1 because Grover believes that all of the aspects are equal in their importance and should not be ranked.
The book contains many great stories about the lives and mentality of Jordan, Kobe, and Wade while they were in their prime as well as contains much actionable advice about how to transform yourself into a Cleaner who is relentless in the pursuit of their goals.
Influence
Influence by Robert Cialdini
Life value 5/5
Entertainment value 4/5
Influence is a great distillation of the science of persuasion and teaches you both what to look for or use as a marketer or salesperson and how to better avoid the pitfalls of savvy marketers. Cialdini simplifies the science behind the psychology and is a great writer and storyteller.
The book is broken down into the main categories that influential psychology falls under and gives plenty of great research and real-world examples to solidify each point.
If you need help avoiding influence in your own decisions or you are looking to attain more success in selling something, (whether you believe in it or not), this book will be highly valuable to you if you have never taken a social psychology class before and come across many of these concepts.
This book covers all the biggies including:
The contrast principle
Reciprocation
Social proof
Commitment and consistency
Authority
Liking
Scarcity
One of the best parts about the book is the author's relentless curiosity about persuasion and his down to earth approach as he includes many examples of how he himself is not foolproof to persuasion but becomes even more curious when he gets caught in a trap and why it happened.