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The Art of Impossible

Steven Kotler

The Art of Impossible

30min

30min

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Humans have always sought to achieve the impossible, discovering that when they manage to go beyond their limits, they are capable of things that were previously thought of as unachievable. What’s more, there are events that can push us to raise the bar, overcoming previous limits, such as scientific discoveries, or record-breaking sports achievements. So, is there a formula we can apply to help us achieve the impossible? This is Kotler’s opening question in his book The art of impossible, that takes a broad view of the world, from athletics to extreme sports, to great innovators and the business environment, ending with a map of how our brain works. This is an in-depth guide, with techniques and practical advice, to achieving peak performance, through the powerful state of flow.

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Analysis and key concepts

01.

The first method to go beyond your limits comes from the world of sports: peak performance

02.

There are two kinds of impossible: the one with a capital ‘I’ that affects everyone, and the one with the small ‘i’ that has to do with the limits we set ourselves

03.

What is the secret of successful entrepreneurs? Let’s find out how the impossible is dealt with in the fields of finance and neurology

04.

Is there a formula to achieve the impossible? How can we be sure to achieve our best performance without being influenced by our environment?

05.

The four cognitive abilities that intrinsically guide us

06.

From sports psychology we get flow, a suspended mental state that can help us go beyond our limits

07.

All activities can be divided into games, both finite (with rules and boundaries), and infinite (those without). We can be influenced by a habit of feeling inferior

08.

What are the components of motivation? There are guiding factors for our choices, objectives to aim for and plenty of grit to see them though

09.

Which stimuli act on a deeper level and where do they come from?

10.

Our choices are influenced by a series of external, internal, and societal factors

11.

Our common guiding values in ascending order, from an interest in the discovery of passion to mastery

12.

There are 7 main neural networks that coordinate our reactions when we are in great danger, or feel strong emotions or passion

13.

There are a series of components that can help us achieve our own impossible, including lifelong learning and continuous learning

14.

A growth mindset: the advantages of an open mind to help stimulate learning

15.

Truth filters is a technique used by journalists and entrepreneurs to help us develop the right approach to any given situation

16.

5 steps to learn to master almost any subject

17.

Making a checklist for the impossible and ticking off your successes helps to achieve new goals

18.

90 minutes of concentration per day allows us to empty our mind, concentrate, and define our objectives

19.

Quotes

20.

Take-home message

01. The first method to go beyond your limits comes from the world of sports: peak performance

Peak performance is the main topic of this book, which is a guide to going beyond your limits. The concept of peak performance comes from the world of sport and is used to describe a perfect performance in which an athlete is able to give his best, and produce extraordinary results. This is part of an improvement process for athletes, but can also contribute to the improvement of society, in that breaking new records shows that it is in fact possible to achieve results that have never been achieved before. However, for this to work, the mind and body must be connected, and this allows a person access to their hidden skills, and to discover what they are really capable of.

The author begins his guide by telling us about his approach to the world of journalism, as an expert in extreme sports, such as surfing, snowboarding, free climbing, and skydiving, and explaining how he ended up spending time with people who were constantly going beyond their limits. One story involves a fall and several broken bones, but the experience enabled him to be amongst athletes who were capable of showing the world new tricks, and who were always pushing their boundaries.

02. There are two kinds of impossible: the one with a capital ‘I’ that affects everyone, and the one with the small ‘i’ that has to do with the limits we set ourselves

03. What is the secret of successful entrepreneurs? Let’s find out how the impossible is dealt with in the fields of finance and neurology

04. Is there a formula to achieve the impossible? How can we be sure to achieve our best performance without being influenced by our environment?

05. The four cognitive abilities that intrinsically guide us

06. From sports psychology we get flow, a suspended mental state that can help us go beyond our limits

07. All activities can be divided into games, both finite (with rules and boundaries), and infinite (those without). We can be influenced by a habit of feeling inferior

08. What are the components of motivation? There are guiding factors for our choices, objectives to aim for and plenty of grit to see them though

09. Which stimuli act on a deeper level and where do they come from?

10. Our choices are influenced by a series of external, internal, and societal factors

11. Our common guiding values in ascending order, from an interest in the discovery of passion to mastery

12. There are 7 main neural networks that coordinate our reactions when we are in great danger, or feel strong emotions or passion

13. There are a series of components that can help us achieve our own impossible, including lifelong learning and continuous learning

14. A growth mindset: the advantages of an open mind to help stimulate learning

15. Truth filters is a technique used by journalists and entrepreneurs to help us develop the right approach to any given situation

16. 5 steps to learn to master almost any subject

17. Making a checklist for the impossible and ticking off your successes helps to achieve new goals

18. 90 minutes of concentration per day allows us to empty our mind, concentrate, and define our objectives

19. Quotes

20. Take-home message

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Many useful tips to:

  • Achieve your own peak performance in sport, finance, or in science.
  • Discover how to achieve the impossible, starting with your personal skills and unleashing your hidden energy reserves.
  • Overcome your limits and find new motivation by learning how the human brain works.
  • Learn to find the ‘flow’, a condition free from thought, to overcome your limits and perform at your very best.

Steven Kotler is an author, a multi-award winning journalist and co-founder and director of research of the Flow Genome Project.His books include Tomorrowland, Bold and The Rise of Superman.They have been translated in over 40 languages and he has written articles for more than 80 magazines such as “The New York Times”, “Wired”, “Forbes” and “Time” to name just a few.He is one of the most requested speakers on the subject of technology, innovation and peak performance.

Publishing house:

Harper Collins

Year:

2021

Pages:

322

ISBN:

978-0063203990