transcript of “vishen lakhiani” -...

© The Bulletproof Executive 2013

Transcript of “Vishen Lakhiani”

Bulletproof Radio podcast with Vishen Lakhiani

Bulletproof Toolbox Vishen Lakhiani

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Speaker1: BulletproofRadio,astationofhighperformance.

Dave: I’mDaveAspreywithBulletproofRadio.Today’scoolfactoftheday.Wellactually,itisgoingto

happen,butfirst,Iwanttogiveyouaquotefromtoday’sguestofthedaybecausethisisacoolquote,andthen,I’llgiveyouthefactoftheday.Here’saquoteandthisoneIreallylike.I’mnotaskingyoutodedicateyourlifetochangingtheworld.“I’maskingyoutonotlaunchbusinessesthatsellcrap,pillagetheenvironmentandtakeadvantageofdevelopingnations,orlikeCoke,marketjunkthatleadstochildhoodobesityandotherhealthdisasters.”

Thatisapowerfulquoteandactuallycoolerthanthecoolfactoftheday.Hereistoday’scoolfactofdaybuthere’stoday’sCoolfactofthedayisthattheAmericanMeteorologicalSocietyfoundthathappinessismaximizedat57degreesFahrenheit.That’s13.9centigradeforyoupeoplewhousedigitaltemperaturethingslikethat.You’rerotating.IliveinacountrywheretheydothatandIneverknowhowwarmitis.Allright.I’mgoingtorelaxnow.

Ifyou’vebeenlisteningforawhile,youknowthatI’m...Idonotwanttowastetime.Oneofthethingsthatmakesyoufeelreallygoodistolookgood.There’sabunchofresearchthatsaysthatwhenyoulookgood,youfeelgood,andpeopletreatyoudifferently.Youactuallymakemoremoney.You’llbemoremotivated.Youcanactuallyhavemoreenergywhenyoulookgood.

OneofthethingsthatI’veneverparticularlybeenafanofisgoingoutandshopping.Idon’tthinkI’maloneasaguy.TheFiveFourClubprovidesasimpleaffordablewaytoexpandyourwardrobe.It’sapersonalizedmemberexperience.It’sgotdependablehow-to-wearself-suggestions,acuratecollectionselectedbyapersonalstylistforyou,freesizeexchanges,freedeliveryandeasystyleprofileedits.Andthere’sexclusivity.

TheclothingyougetthroughtheFiveFourClubisonlyavailablethere.It’sindependentdesign,productionanddelivery.Whenyougetitinyourregulardelivery,itprovidesanauthenticconnectionbetweenyouandtheFiveFourClub.Itmakesyoulookgood.Itmakesyoufeelgood.Thatactuallydoesmakeyouperformbetter.Don’tforget.GotoFiveFourClub.comandusethepromocodeBulletproofandsignuptoget50%offyourfirstpackage.That’spromocodeBulletprooffor50%offyourfirstpackage.

Today’splugoftheday,weneverreallydoaplugoftheday,butIactuallywantedtomentionbecause,ifyou’rewatchingrightnowontheYouTubechannel,gotoBulletproofExec.com/YouTube,andwe’llpluginthisdarkbeverageI’mdrinkingisactuallynotwine.I’mrecordingthisat8o’clockatnight.Whyisitnotwine?Becauseit’scoffee.It’sjustdecafcoffeebecauseIwouldstayupallnightifitwasnotdecaf,butyes,I’mdrinkinganiceblackdecafcoffeefordessert.

It’salsocoffeebecauseI’mnotdrinkingBulletproofcacaoteawhichistheotherthingthatImightconsider.Weactuallyhaveateamadefromtheouterlayerofcacaobeansthatistotallyepicandtotallydifferent,andsomethingthatyou’veprobablynevertriedbefore.Ifyouhaven’thadachance,headovertoBulletproof.comandcheckouttheBulletproofcacaotea.It’smade


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fromtheheirloomvarietyofcacao.It’ssomethingamazing.It’sgoodwithBrainOctanebutterorwithout.It’ssomethingIdon’ttalkaboutenoughbecauseit’sepicandcoolandinteresting.

Speakingofepicandcoolandinteresting,today’sguestofthedayandtoday’slikeatodaydayisVishenLakhiani.Vishenisagoodfriendandaverywell-knownspeakerontheentrepreneurialmindsetandoncompanyculture;awell-knownentrepreneur,investor,philanthropist,technologist,workingforsocialgoodandCEOofMindvalley,andtheguybehindAwesomenessFestwhichisabio-hackingandpersonaldevelopmenteventforentrepreneursandcreativesandinnovators.

Infact,I’mspeakingatAwesomenessFestinGreek...OntheGreekislandofMykonoslaterthisyear.I’mprettyexcitedaboutthat.VishenhasbeenoutheretotheBulletprooflabs.I’mreallyhappytocallhimafriend,andhe’sabio-hackerofchange.Vishen,welcometotheshow.I’mhappytotalkwithyouagain.

Vishen: Dave,Iamsohonoredtobeapartoftheshow.Firstly,Ilovethesetup.IlovethatfreakingswivelfuturisticchairfromJulesVerne’sbooksthatyou’resittingon.

Dave: Nowwewerejusttalkingbeforewewentlive.Youactuallyhavethesamechair.You’renotsittinginitrightnow,butthefactthatsittinginMalaysia...Oh,youaresittinginitrightnow?No?

Vishen: Ihaditinmyoffice.

Dave: Inyouroffice.Okay.Cool.Idon’tseewingsbehindyou,butit’sreallykindoffunnythatweboth,acrosstheworld,endedupwithexactlythesamechair.Itellyou,ifyouhaven’ttakenthetroubletogototheYouTubechannelandlistenonetime,youhavetoseethischairbecauseit’slike,Idon’tknow,JulesVernemeetslike,Idon’tknow,CaptainKirk’ssteampunk.It’sjustlikehammeredmetal.WhenIsawthischair,I’mlike,“Imusthavethatchair,”becauseit’sthecoolestthingforthesetever.Apparently,youthoughtthesamething,becausebio-hackersunite,right?

Vishen: Itisthesingle-most,oneofthesingle-mostexpensivepiecesoffurnitureI’veeverpurchased.Icantellyouitiswortheverydollar.

Dave: Nice.Ifoundmineat80%offatadiscountedplace,soIwasactuallyprettystoked.

Vishen: Oh,F.U.

Dave: It’sactuallytrue.

Vishen: That’sincredible.You’vejust...

Dave: Ijustwanttomakethishistoricmomentknown.Vishenwho’soneoftheworld’smostestablishedmeditationteachersjustusedtheFwordonmeaboutmychair.Just,Vishen,youjustwantedtojusthonorthemoment?Whichisfunnybecausewhatwe’retalkingaboutonthe


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showtodayisyourbookcalledtheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind,tenunconventionallawstoredefineyourlifeandsucceedonyourownterms.

Inthebook,youalsousedanamazingFbombword,andonethatI’mhappytorepeatonBulletproofradio,andIdon’tnormallydothatsortofthing,becauseyouusedtheterm“unfuckwitable”whichisprobablythecoolestwayI’veheardsomeonedescribethatstateofnon-reactivitythatcomesfromadvancedmeditation.Ijustthoughtitwasfunnythatyou’rewillingtoabsolutelyjustgothere.Youdiditinabookaboutextraordinaryminds,soIthoughtthatwasreallycool.

Vishen: Itcauseproblemsright?becausewehavetotakethatoffthebackcoverofthebookbecause,otherwise,Wal-Martwouldn’tcarryit.ThebackcoverofthebookwasgoingtolistinthebeautifulpieceofAh,thetenlaws.Thebooktalksabouttenlawstogettoastateofbeingextraordinary,inlivinginlifeandhappinessintermsofyourmission.Wehavethetenlaws.Lawnumber9isBeunfuckwitable.Wehavetochangetheentirebackcoverbecausemanyconservativebookstoreswouldnotcarryit.

Dave: Wow.Thethingisifyouaddotherletterstoaword,it’sactuallynotthatbadbecause,forinstance,theword“institution”hastheword“tit”,right,inthemiddleofit,andthey’llallowyoutoputthat.I’mlike,howisthatokay?Right?

Vishen: You’reright.

Dave: Ilearnedthatinsixthgrade,bytheway,anditstuckwithmeeversincethen,atthetimeIwasquitetitillatedbythatthoughtofbeing...Anyway.Youcouldtell.Idon’tknowwhenIdopodcastat8o’clock.I’mjustinlikeagreatI’mdrinkingdecaflateatnightsortofmood.Really,IhaveagoodnumberofNewYorkTimes’best-sellingauthorsontheshow,Vishen.Thisbook,Ibelieve,isabsolutelydestinedtogoonthelist.It’sactuallyareallygoodbook.There’salotofpersonalgrowthstufflikepeoplecrankoutbookslikethis.

IcouldtellwhenIreadit,andI’vegotlikeapre-releaseversionthatyou’vereallyputalotofheartintoitandalotofpersonalstories,includingsomestuffthatIwouldsayalotofpeoplewouldn’thavethecouragetoputinthere.IwanttotalkmoreaboutMindvalley.IhavesomethingsIdefinitelywanttocoverwithyou.Oneofthestoriesinthebookthatstoodouttomewaswhathappenedveryearlyinyourcareerwhenyouwereworkingintelesales.

Vishen: Mm-hmm(affirmative).

Dave: Right.Youdescribedhowyoubasically...Ithinkyoutripledyourproductivity?Justbychangingonething,likewalkinginthroughthatstorythewayyousayitinthebook,it’ssopowerfulandit’ssonon-intuitive,likeit’snotthewesternsideofsciencehere,butitwascoolthatyoucalleditout.Justtellmeaboutit.

Vishen: First,aprefaceinthat,right,foryourlisteners.OneofthethingsIlikeaboutyou,Dave,andoneofthethingswhy,inmycompany,peoplearesuchBulletprooffans,isbecauseyouandIbothcomewithasciencebackground.WebothstartedoutinSiliconValley.Mytrainingiselectrical


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engineeringandcomputersciencefromtheUniversityofMichigan,oneofthetopfiveengineeringschools.IworkedinSiliconValley.Iworkedasadeveloper.MyfirstjobeverwasMicrosoft.

Ilookatthingsfromalogicalpointofview.Ifthereisn’tlogicalscienceforit,tome,Iquestionit.InthisentirebookcalledtheExtraordinaryMind,it’saboutquestioningeverythingwe’vetakenonfromtheworld.Wetakeascienceandevolutionarybiologyapproach,andgetpeopletoquestiontheirideasofspirituality;theirideasoflove,ofmarriage,ofreligion,ofparenting,ofschooling,ofeducation,ofmeaningofhappinessandsoon.

OneofthethingsthatIstartedquestioningataveryearlyagewascareer.Iworkedreallyhardasanengineerandgotgoodgrades.Iwasoneofthetop1%ofgraduatestomakeittoMicrosoftin1998.After11weeksatMicrosoft,IdecidedIhatedprogramming,soIquit.Iquitacoldturkey.Idecidedtoquit,actually,atBillGates’home.IwasatBillGates’home,atabarbecuehostedbyGates,andIcouldn’tshakehishandbecauseIfeltlikeIhad...Ifeltitwassowrongformetobethere.WhenIquit,Ibalancedthroughlifeforseveralyears,tryingtofindsomethingthatactuallygavemefulfillmentandmeaning.

IstartedafewcompaniesintheValley,andIfailed,andfailed,andfailed.In2002,Ifoundmyselfhavinglosttwostartups;havingbeenfiredtwice.Ihadnomoney.Iwassleepingonacouch,acouchthatIrentedfromaBerkeleycollegestudent.Itwasn’tevenlikeathree-seatacouch.Itwasatwo-seatacouch.Mylegsdangledofftheends.

TheonlyjobIcouldfind,becauseitwasApril2001,thedotcombubblehadjustburst,right?TheonlyjobIcouldfindwasadialing-for-dollarsjob.Iwasworkingforatechnologycompanythatsoldtechnologytolawfirms.Ihadtocalluplawyersandpitchthemonthistech.IfIdidn’tcloseasale,therewasnobasesalary.Wehavepeopleintheofficewhoweremakingzerodollarsamonth.Mymentorwhogotmeintothecompanywasfiredbecausethebossfoundoutthathecouldn’tcloseasale,andhehadresortedtolivingunderhisdeskintheoffice.Iatleastmadeone...

Dave: Itwasbadtimesbackthen.Irememberthatcrash.

Vishen: Youhavetomakeatleastonesaleaweektobeabletoeatandsurviveandpayarent,right?Indesperation,IgotinGoogle,toGoogleforhope.Ican’trememberwhatIputin.Maybeitwas“howtosucceed.”Maybeitwas“howtostartabusiness.”Maybeitwas,“Whydoeslifesucksobad?”

Idon’trememberwhatIfound,butIfoundaclassformeditation.ItwashappeninginLA.Theteacherwasapharmaceuticalsalesrepresentativewhosaidthatlearningthesetechniqueshaveboostedhersales.Ithought,“Okay.Icouldusethat.IcoulduseittobealittlebitlessstressedoutandIcouldboostmysales.”

IflewtoLA.Iwastheonlypersoninthatclass.Meditationjustwasn’tnecessarilycoolbackthen.ItookthetechniquesIlearned.Iwentbacktomyjob.Here’swherethestorygetsweird.Again,Iaskyoutolistentothiswithanopenmind.Now,backthen,wewouldgototheSan


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FranciscoLibrary,checkouttheyellowpages,andIwouldhavetocalleveryattorneyfromAtoZ,inorder,inmyterritory,whichwasSanAntonio.Instead,Ilearnedthetechniquefromthiscall.

Iwentintoadeepstateofmeditation.NowyouandIhavestudiedmeditationtogether,sothat’sbasicallythealphastate.Theywouldteachyoutoconsciouslygotothealphastatewhichisameasurablebrainwavefrequency.Youwouldgotothealphastate.Whattheysaidisthat,atthealphastate,intuitionisturnedon.IusedthetechniqueIlearned.

Iwouldopenuptheyellowpages,andratherthancallthelawyersatrandom,Iwouldrunmyfingerdowntheyellowpages.Iwouldclosemyeyes,andinthatstate,getanimpulse.ThenI’dopenmyeyes,lookatthenamemyfingerwasonandcallthatname.Weird,right?Idon’tknowwhatcausedtheimpulse.ItalmostfeltlikeIwasguessing.

Here’swhatIknow.Inoneweek,Idoubledmysales.ItwasasifIwasmagicallycallinglawyersmorelikelytobuy.Itriedadifferenttechnique.Icontinuedlearning;reading;goingforadditionalclasses;tryingtofigureoutwhatthefuckwasgoingoninmyhead.HowdidIgaintheseabilities?

NowthenexttechniqueIlearnedwasasimpletechniqueonintentionandempathy.Beforecallinganattorney,Iwouldsetanintentionthatthesalewouldgowellonlyifitwasinthebestinterestofeveryoneconcerned.ThenIwoulduseavisualizationandconnectmyhearttotheattorney’sheart,andimagineafriendlyconversation,thatIwasreceptivetotheirneeds,thatIwasempathetictothem,allhokeystuff,right?Onceagain,Idoubledmysales.

Longstoryshort,in4months,Igotpromotedthreetimes.Thecompanywasastartup.WhenIjoined,itwaslike20people.BythetimeIleft,itwasover100.Theywerepromotingveryheavily.Igotpromoted4timesin...3timesin4months.Theymademedirectorofsales;setmeouttoNewYorkwhereIhateit,andopenedupthecompanytoaNewYorkoffice.Iwas26yearsold.Ihaveonlybeeninsalesfor9months.Inowledthecompany’sentireNewYorkdivision.AllofthatcamefromtheseabilitiesthatIwasunlocking,butitgetsbetterDave,andIwanttostressthis.

AsIstartedunlockingtheseabilities,notonlycouldIbeoneofthetopsalespeople,butIgotbored,becauseIcouldpulloffsomuchmoresalesinlesstime.WhatcouldIdowithmyother4hours?Iaskedmybosstogivemeanadditionaljob.HeneededabusinessdevelopmentmanagerbecauseGoogleAdWordshadjustlaunched.

AdWordswasanewsystem.Backthen,youhavetoputdownhalfamilliondollarstogetontheAdWordssystem.Thatcompanydidn’thavethatmoney.MybosshadbeenhagglingwithGoogle,Googlewasasmallercompanybackthen,totrytogiveusabreak,sowecangetonAdWords.Itoldmyboss,“Letmetry.”

Hesaid,“Yeah.Fine.Okay.Youdon’thavethenegotiationskills.Ihave.”MybosswasaBerkeley-trainedattorney,butIsaid,“Letmetry.”Igotonagain,andIdidthosesametechniques.IgotGoogletogodownfrom500Kto100K.Itoldhimthatwasthenews,he’slike,


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“Holyshit!That’samazing!100?Wecanaffordthat.Vishen,look,ifyoucangetthatdownto100K,canyougetthemdownlower?”

Dave: NewYorkersItellya.

Vishen: Igotthemdownto60K.

Dave: Whoa!

Vishen: Ourcompany,from500to60K,ourcompanycouldadvertiseonGoogle.TheymademebusinessdevelopmentmanagerandIwasleadingtheirNewYorkoffice.Iwasdoingtwojobsatonce.Mybosswassoimpressed,heaskedme,“Howareyoudoingthis?Howdoyoudothis?”Isaid,“Look,Idon’tknowwhat’sgoingon,butIthink,inscience,theycallitESP.”Hegoes,“ESP?That’sbullshit!Whateveryoudo,keepdoingit.”

Istayedwiththatcompanyforanother18months.Afterawhile,IjustfeltlikeIneededtomoveon.Iwantedtostartsomethingthatmatter.Iwantedtostartsomethingthatcouldmakeacontributiontotheworld.Myquotethatyouquotedinthebookactuallyendswiththisline.Ifyoubuytheaudiobookversion,itendswiththisline.“I’mnotaskingyoutosavetheworld.AllI’msayingisdon’tfuckitupforthenextgeneration.”

IdecidedthatwhateverIstartasacompany,itmustbesomethingthatisn’tgoingtofuckuptheworld.It’snotgoingtobesomethingthatisgoingtobeproducingwasteplastic,ordestroyingtheenvironment,orteachingoutdatedmodelsoflearning.Iwantedsomethingthatcouldmakeadentonthisplanetinapositiveway.Ithoughtmeditationiswhathelpedme.Let’sstartameditationcompany.That’showMindvalleywasbornin2003-2004.

Dave: That’saheckofstory.Hereyouare.You’reacomputerscienceguylikeme.IrealizedIwouldn’twant...Iwouldn’tbehappyprogrammingforaliving,after4yearsofstudyingcomputerscience,soIchangedmymajor.Iwaslikeneargraduation,likeIcan’tdothisforaliving.I’dratherdigditches.Programmingiscomplex,butIjustcouldn’tseedoingthatforliketherestofmycareer.TechnologyIlovebutcodingIdidn’t.

We’rebothprettyareonscience-based,butpartofthescientificmethodisobservation,right,likeyouobservewhat’shappening.Inyourcase,youtrustsomethingthatisn’tsupposedtowork.Wehavesimilarstoriesthatway.You’relike,“Okay.Idon’tknowforsurewhat’sgoingon,butsomethingisgoingonhere.”Oneinterpretationisluck.Youjusthadastringofluck.Itwasentirelyrandom,right?Whatdoyousaywhensomeonesaysthattoyou.

Vishen: Iputthisway,right?Inmybook,Iteachpeopleacodifiedformoflearningandhumandevelopment.Icallitconsciousnessengineering.Ifyouwanttoupgradeyourcomputeror,say,yoursmartphonewhichisessentiallyacomputer,allyoudoisyouupgradethehardware.YoumightgofromtheiPhone5totheiPhone6oryoudownloadnewapps.Youdownloadnewappstogiveyoufullnewabilities.

Now,inthehumanconsciousness,thinkofyourhardwareasyourbeliefs.Yourbeliefsare


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installedinyou.That’swhyIcompareittohardwarebecausehardwareissomethingyouinstallinacomputer.Nowthethingismostofyourbeliefsthatwereinstalledinyoucomenotfromrationalchoice.Theywereindoctrinatedinyoufromauthorityfigures,fromthemedia,fromparents,fromeducation,fromobservationsyoumadeasaninnocentlittlechild.

Youdecidehowimportantyouare;thatyoudecidewhetherpeopleloveyou.Youdecideyourcapabilities.Youdecideyourmoneythreshold.Youdecideyourroleasamanorawoman.Youdecidewhat’smasculineorfeminine;howyou’regoingtoage;whatyourbodyis;yourfeelingsaboutyourself.They’reallinstalledbeliefs.

Nowthefirstthingaboutconsciousnessengineeringistorecognizethatthesebeliefsarenotyou.Theyaresimplyhardware.Justlikehardware,youcanswapoutofabadbeliefandswapinagoodbelief.Often,whenpeopletransformtheirbeliefs,whentheyhaveawakeningmoments,theirlifechangesbecauseyourbeliefsdeterminewhatyou’regoingtoexperienceintheworld.That’sonepartofit,right?

Thesecondaspectofconsciousnessengineeringistheappsofthesoftware.Whileupgradingbeliefsisonewaytogrow,thesecondwaytogrow,tohackyourmind,istodownloadnewsoftware.Softwareareyoursystems;yoursystemsforliving.Bulletproofcoffeeisasystem.Certaindietsareasystem.Tabataexerciseorminimumeffectivepillsexerciseisasystem.You’vemade...You’vebuiltanincrediblebusinessteachingpeopleupgradedsystemsforliving;fromhowtoeat;tohowtothink;tohowtoincreaseyourlongevity.

Really,ifyouwanttogrowasahumanbeing,youwanttogetfromHuman1.0toHuman2.0,you’vegottodotwothings.Recognizemodelsofreality;understandwhatareyourmodelsofreality.Swapinthegoodones;swapoutthebadones.Youlearnthisthroughstudyingthegreats;readingautobiographiesthroughmodalitieslikehypnotherapyormeditationwhereyouhaveawakeningmomentsthatshiftyourbeliefs.

Secondly,study,learnandadoptnewsystems;constantly,learningandstudying.That’smybookshelf.It’sfilled.Ihaveaboutathousandbooksinmyhomefilledwithbooksandallmybooksarenon-fictionbooks.Theyteachnewsystems;newsystemsforeverythingfromeatingtodieting.I’mconstantlyreinventingmyselfwiththesenewsystems.Backtoyourquestion,right,onceyouunderstandthisframework.

Now,whenyouunderstandthisframework,everythingyouabsorbedinthenon-fictionworld,inthepersonalgrowthworld,youcanabsorbitfaster,becauseyouinstantlyspotting.Okay.That’samodel.YoucanreadabiographylikeALifeDecodedbyJ.CraigVenterandgo,“Ohwow.Okay.That’showCraigVenterviewstheworld.”He’stheguywhodecodedthehumangenome.Thenyoucanadoptthatsamemodelinyourhead.YoucanreadbookslikeTheBulletproofDietandadoptsystemsdirectlyandinjectthemintoyourlife.

Whattheyreallyteachpeopleistoaccelerategrowthbyturningthemselvesintoanupgradablepieceofhardware;beliefsinsystems.Backtoyourquestion,Idon’tknowhowintuitionworks,orthefactisitdoesn’tmatter.Intuitioniscompletebullshit.Itdoesn’tmatter.It’sabelief.Thebeliefchangesyourviewoftheworld.


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Maybeitisallluck,butbybelievingthatIhavethatluck,bybelievingthatwhenI’maboutto

callanattorney,right,becausethere’ssomethinginmybeingthat’sguidingmeonwhotocall,Iambetteronthecall.Infact,sciencehasproventhisinShawnAcher’sbook,TheHappinessAdvantage.Shetalksaboutastudywithsalespeoplethatshowsthatoptimisticsalespeopleare55%moreeffectivethannegativesalespeople.

Evenifintuitioniscompletebullshit,byhavingmebelievethatIhaveintuition,thatmyfingerisguidingmetowardstheattorneytocall,Imademyselfmoreoptimistic.Icreatedthat55%boost.Youseeit’sallempirical.Yourbeliefsdon’thavetobetrue.Youchooseyourbeliefsandactinaccordancewiththem,andtheybecometrueforyou.

Dave: Thelanguageinyourbookisreallyclearandpreciseabouthowtoseethesethingsandhowtobreakthrough.WhatIwishIwouldhaveknownwhenIwas20orbackwhenIwas12,andcertainly,bythetimeIwas30,waswhatyoujustsaidaboutwhereyourbeliefs,thebeliefsthatyouthinkareyou,wheretheycomefrom,Ithoughtyoudidareallyelegantjobofexplainingthat.

Inmyowncase,IfiguredthisoutwhenI...Ifirststartedreallydigginginonwhythingswerethewaytheywereinmylife.I’vemademillionsofdollarsandIlostitall.I’vebeeninareallytoxicrelationshipandjustallkindsofstufflikethat.IsatdownwithawomanwhorantheAmericanPre-andPerinatalPsychologyAssociation.Shewasafounderofit.Sheaskedmethisweirdquestion.Shesaid,“Tellmeaboutyourbirth.”I’mlike,“Okay.I’manengineerfromSiliconValley.Likewhydoyouare?I’mprettysuretherewerelikevaginasandhospitals.”

Isaid,“Oh,”andIhadthecordwrappedaroundmyneck,butitdidn’tcutoffoxygen,sonoharmdone.”Shewas,“Yeah,that’swhatIthought.”ThenshelikepresentedaPowerPointslidecompletelydissectingmypersonality,likeaSWOTanalysis,forpeoplelisteningwhohavebeenintobusinessschools;strengths;weaknesses;opportunities;strengths.ThiswomanjustlikeopenedmeuplikeataxidermyanimalonaPowerPointslide.I’mlike,“That’sincredible.”

Sheendedupdoingthisthingcalledthebirthregressionwithme.Shesaid,“Withoutguidingthatmuch,justsortoflikefeelwhatyoufeltwhenyouwereborn.”WhatIhavedoneisjusttohavelike,wouldtheymesswithyouwhenyou’recomingoutifthecordisaroundyourneck,andtheyusetoolsandallthis?

I’vegotaprogramthathadbeenrunningconstantly.ItwasafterIwasborn,theyputmeinsomelittlechamber.Whenababyistraumatized,youactuallywanttobeonyourmother.It’sjustkindoflikeaninstinctivething.They’veshownthisinmonkeys.They’veshownthisinprettymuchallwarm-bloodedanimals.Ididn’tgetthat.

TheprogramthatIhaverunningwasbasicallylike,ifI’mgoingtobealone,thenI’llbealone,right?I’mlikeI’llalwaysbealone.ThatwasacorebeliefthathappenedbeforeIcouldspeak,beforeIcouldthink,beforeIevenknewwhattheplanetIwasonwas.Likeliterally,youcomeoutofyourmomandyou’relike,“Whatthehelljusthappened?”Likesomethingtriedtosquishmyheadandit’slikeTheMatrix.


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Tobeabletoknowthat,andso,thatwasmyprogrammingforme,tobeabletorewritethat

program,completelychangedmylife,buttheprogramwasentirelyinvisibletome.Youhavenoideait’srunningthere,becauseallofthesegoin.We’retalkingabouthardwareandallthat.Thesearelikefirmware,likethey’dgointhere,belowyouroperatingsystem,andthey’reinvisible,andyoudon’tknowaboutthem.

WhenyoufindatechniqueliketheonesinTheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind,youreallylaidoutveryclearlyhowtotellifyou’vegotthesethingsgoingon.Here’sthedeal.Ifyou’remorethan7yearsoldandyou’realive,you’vegotthesegoingon,likethat’sthehumancondition.Ithoughtyoudidagreatjobpointingthatout.Forme,Ihadtospend10daysatapersonalgrowthretreatlikedoingregressionworkandstrangebreathingexercisesbutitworks.

Ijust...Likekudosforexplainingitsoclearlyinyourbookbecause,ifIhadn’tcomeacrossthat,Iwouldn’tbeabletodothethingsthatIdonow,likethatmattersalot.It’snottaughtinSiliconValley.It’snottaughtatWharton.It’snottaughtat...What’sthatlittleschoolyouwentto?UniversityofMichigan?I’mjustkidding.Bytheway,IwenttoCaliforniaStateUniversityformyactualdegree,soI’mtotallygivingyoucrap.

What’sgoingonthere?Thisisn’tinoureducationsystem.It’snottaughttoparentsforthemostpart.Everyonemustsingtothis;havetheseprogramsrunning.Ithinkyourbookisworthreadingbecauseyouhavereallyapproachabletoolsforjustseeingthat.Idon’tthinkthatallthetoolsyouneedtogetridofthemarepresentedinthebook.

Youtalkedaboutmanydifferentwaysofdoingit.Justtoknowit’sthere,andtobeabletoseeit,andfeelit,andgo,“Wait,maybethat’snotme.”Thatisapreciousgift.IjustwishedsomeonehadexplainedthattomewhenIwaswayyoungerbecauseIwouldhaveavoidedalotofsufferingandpoordecisions,right?

Vishen: Thankyou.There’s...Whatyousaidistrue.Mostofourbeliefswetakeonbelowtheageof9.There’s...Oneofthebestbooksoutthere...Inmyopinion,oneofthebestbooksouttherein2015isYuvalHarari’sbook,Sapiens.It’saboutthehistoryofthehumanrace.YuvalHarariisahistorian-anthropologist.Hesayssomethingreallyinteresting.

Hesaysthathumanbeings,aswelearntowalkerect,right,itbecameharderandharderformotherstogivebirth.Allhumanbabiesbasicallyarebornpremature.Weareactuallybornbeforewearefullydeveloped.ToquoteYuvalHarari,mostanimals,ifyouthinkaboutakittenorababygazelle,mostanimalsarelikeearthenware.Whentheyareborn,withinafewmonths,theycanhunt.Theycanwalk.Theycanstandup.Likeearthenware,anyattempttomoldthemorinfluencethemisjustlikemakingatinyscratch.

Human...Animals,humanbeingsarebornlikemoltenglass;andthus,theycanbemolded.Theycanbeshaped.Likemoltenglass,theycanbeturnedintowhateveryouwantthemtoturninto.Thisiswhyyoucanraiseachildtobe,inthewordsofYuvalHarari,BuddhistorChristian;socialistorcapitalist;warmongerorpeacemaker.


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Allourbeliefscanbeindoctrinatedinusbeforetheageof7.Itdoesn’tjustcomefromthepeoplearoundus.Itcomesfromourownmeaning-makingmachine.Withinourminds,wehaveameaning-makingmachine;apatternrecognitionsystemthattriestomakesenseoftheworld;butbecauseit’sstill...Itdoesn’thaveallthedataitneeds,datahasnothingmorethanmaturity,wecreatefalsemeanings,likeinyourcase,youcreatedthatmeaningthatyouweremeanttobealone.

Icreatedthemeaningthat,becauseIgrewupinacultureinAsiawhereIlookdifferent.I’mnotAsian“Asian”.I’mSouthAsian,Indian,Ilookdifferentfromeveryoneelse.IwenttoschoolandIwasadifferentcolor.IhadCaucasianfeatureslikealargernoseandhaironmyarmsandlegsbecauseI’mnorthernIndian.Theboysmakefunofme.IwascalledGorillaLegsbecauseIhadhaironmylegs.IwascalledHookNosebecausemynosewasbiggerthanmostpeopleofEastAsiandescent.IgrewupandcreatedthemeaningthatIwasugly.

Myentirelife,untiltheageof22,I’veneveractuallybeenwithagirlorevenbeenonadate,becauseIgrewupthinkingIwasugly.That’showpowerfulthesemeaning-makingmachinescanbeonourlife.Whenyoulearntoswapthisout,andwhenyoulearnthatyourbeliefsarenotyou,instantshiftshappen.That’sreallywhatI’mtryingtodowiththisbook.It’soneofmanythings.That’swhythisissoimportant.

Now,justasasegue,right,oneofthekeythingsthatexcitesmemostishowthisinfluencesparents.You’vegotkids.I’vegotkids.OneofthepeopleIinterviewedinthebook,alongsideyou,andElonMusk,andRichardBranson,isaparentingpsychologistcalledShellyLefkoe.Shelly’stheoriesarereallyinteresting.

Oneofthethingsshesaysisthatyourgreatestjobasaparentistoletyourkidsbewhotheywanttobe.Whatyou’vegottoconstantlyaskyourselfineveryinteractionwithyourchildis,“Whatmeaningaretheygoingtotakeawayfromthis?”

Youmayhaveakid,right,who’seatingfoodandhedropshisfood,andyougo,“Billy,don’tdothat.”Afewminuteslater,Billydropshisfork,andyou’relike,“Billy,Itoldyounottodothat!Gositinthecorner!”Nowyouthinkthat’scorrect.That’sthetraditionalNorthAmericanparentingstyle,butit’sharmful.

It’sdangerousbecauseyou’vegottoaskyourself,“WhatmeaningisBillytakingawayfromthis?”Perhaps,Billydroppedhisfirstfoodbyaccident.Hewassurprisedthathismomyelledathim.Hewantedtotesthismom’sloveforhimbydroppinghisfork.He’sjustaninnocentchild.He’sjustexperimenting.Momnowgetsangryandsendshimtoacorner.Now,inhishead,hismeaning-makingmachinegoesinoverdrive.“Mamadoesn’ttrustme.I’mnotimportant.WhatIsaydoesn’tmatter.I’mclumsy.”

Allofthesemeaningsstackoneachother.Hegrowsupwithmeaningssuchas,“I’mnotimportant,therefore,I’mnotlovable.Therefore,I’mnotgoodenough.Therefore,I’mnotasgoodasotherkids.”Theybuildup,andtheybuildup,andtheybuildup.Allofusgointoadulthoodwiththeseholeswithinourselves;thesethingswhichwe’rewaitingforotherpeopletofillinforus;love;importance;attention.


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Westartcravingthembecause,aschildren,theywere...Theseholeswereputintousthrough

innocentparentingmistakesandourowndysfunctionalandlimitedmeaning-makingmachine.That’swhatexcitesme.Beingabletohelptheworldcreatekidswhoaren’twhole;whoaren’tconfident;whodon’tfeellike...Theyhavetheseholestofill.

Dave: It’soneofthosethings.Ourkidsareprettysimilarages.Theadviceinthebookthereisreallyimportant.Ifpeopledon’tunderstandthatthatprogramminghappensandthatit’sinvisibletoyou,youthenhaveasetofassumptionsabouthowtoparent.IfyouacceptwhatIwouldcallafact,butyousayacceptatheory,thatstuffgetsputinbeforeyou’re7,andit’snotvisibletoyou.Youwillnotbeabletoseethisunlessyou’reinanalteredstate;you’reinsomeformoftherapy,ordeepmeditation,orneuro-feedback,orwhatever.Ifyoudon’tusesometechnologytohelpyouseethat,itwillneverbevisible.Itwilljustbeapartofyou.

Ifthattheoryisright,orIthinkyouevenmightberight,itradicallychangeshowyoutreatkids.Andifthattheoryiscompletelywronganditcan’tberight.You’reanisland.Everythinginthereisyou.Numberone,you’refucked.Okay.Ijusthavetosaythat.Youwillnotbehappytothelevelyou’recapableofbecauseyouhaven’tseparatedoutyourprogrammingfromyou.

Thelanguagetohelpsomeoneseethatisreallyhardbecauseit’soneofthescariestthingsyoucanshowtosomeonelike,“Oh,thethingsyouthoughtwereyou,actually,someofthemare;someofthemaren’t.Ihopeyoudon’tfeeltoounsettledbythat.”Thisisbigpersonalgrowthscarystuff.

Vishen: Ilovewhatyoujustsaid,thelanguage,becausethat’soneofthethingsItalkaboutinmybook.Whatlanguageteachesustosee,wecansee,right?Therearestudiesthatshow,forexample,becauseRussianshavedifferentcolorsforblue,RussiansareabletoseedifferentshadesofblueanddifferentiateamongstthembetterthanmostAmericans.Whatlanguagecandelineate,wecansee.Languageisoneofourmosteffectivepatternrecognitionsystems.

WhatIdointhebookisIgivepeoplenewwords.Thebookcoinssome20newwordsintheEnglishlanguage.Themostpopularofwhichistheword“brule”orbullshitrule.Byteachingyouwordssuchasbrule,wegiveyoutheabilitytoquestionyourunderstandingsoftheworld;questionwhatitisthatyouaredoing.

Isyourideathatyouneedtocheckinatworkat9andcheckoutat5abrule?Isyourideathatyouneedtogetmarriedandhave2.5kidsabrule,abullshitrule,oryou’rejustfollowingthesesocietalexpectationsthatwereinstalledonyou?Languageisareallyimportantthing.Thankyouforbringingthatup.

WhatItriedtodointhebookisgivepeoplenewlanguageterms,newwords,tohelpthemunlocknewbeliefsandnewsystems;wordssuchas“unfuckwitable”,whichisastateofbeingwherenothingcantouchyou;wordssuchas“bendingreality”,whichisputtingyouinastatewhereitalmostseemsasiftheuniversebendsinyourfavor;wordssuchas“brule”orbullshitrule.


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Dave: Ithinkthatthebookdoesanadmirablejobofdoingthat.YoualsotouchedonabunchofdifferentareasandsomethatIthinkthelistenerswouldreallyappreciate.Youtalkedaboutcommonmisconceptionsaboutmoneyandproductivity.What’syourtakeonthatfromthebook?

Vishen: Itseemsatthispointthatthebookcoversalotofthings,right?Everythingreallyfitsintotenrules...

Dave: It’sagreatframework.Yeah.

Vishen: Whatwe’vebeentalkingaboutthusfarisreallytostart.Whenyoustarttoseehowyouliveinwhatiscalledtheculturescape.Theculturescapeisthattangledwebofhumanbeliefs,habits,ideas,philosophies,religionsthatgovernhowyoulivelife.Theculturescapeinstallsyouwithbeliefs.

Part2ofthebookisthemodelofconsciousnessengineeringthatteachesyouhowtocreateyourownworldwithintheculturescape;howtogofromHuman1.0toHuman2.0.Onceyoudothat,youstartdevelopingalonginginsideyou.Thatlongingis,“Holyshit!IamsomuchmorepowerfulthanIthinkIam.Iwanttodomore.”Youstartseeingopportunities,seeingthingsthatotherpeoplemissbecausetheyarestuckinthesafetynetoftheculturescape.

Whenthathappens,whathappensisthatyoustartthinkinglikesomeoftheworld’smostextraordinarypeople.Youstartbecoming,andyouautomaticallybecomewhattheycallanentrepreneur,oracreative,oramaverick,becauseyouseepatternsthatotherpeoplefailtosee.

ThenwegoontoPart3ofthebook,andthat’swhereItalkaboutwhattodowhenyoustartgettingthislonging.Howdoyoumakesurethatyouareinacareer,orinabusiness,orinarolethatistrulyrightforyou?Here,wequestionsomeofthenormalstandardsofrolesetting.

Youspokeof...Youaskedmeabouthappinessandproductivity.WhatItalkaboutinPart3ofthebookisanideaofastateoflivingthatIcallbendingrealitythatIobserveinmanyofthemostastonishingpeopleoutthere,fromyou,whoarefeatured...You’refeaturedprominentlyinthebook,toRichardBranson,toAriannaHuffington,toPeterDiamandis.

Thestateisbasicallythis.It’sasituationwhere,yes,youhavebigvisionspullingyouforward.Thinkofthisasyourvision,right?Youhavethesevisionspullingyouforward.Yourhappinessisnottiedtothesevisions.You’rehappyinthenow.Youhavevisionandyouhavehappiness.Mostpeoplemixupthetwo.Theyarelike,“IwillbehappywhenIhitmyvision;whenIgetthatnewjob;whenIgetthatpromotion;whenshesays,yes,thatshe’sgoingtomoveintotheapartmentwithme;whenIgetlaid.”

Trulyextraordinarypeopleactuallyhaveitinadifferentway.Theyarehappybeforetheyattainedtheirvision.Scienceisshowingthathappinessisfuel.Itbasicallyfuelsyouandgetsyoutoyourvisionfaster,thatonlyatinypercentageofentrepreneursareactuallyhere.Mostentrepreneursarestressedout.Theyarefacinganxiety.Iwouldsay95%ofentrepreneursare


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miserablebecausetheyhavenotdecoupledtheirhappinessfromtheirvision.They’rewaitingforadestination.Whenyourealizethathappinessisajourney,everythingchanges.

Thebooktalksabouthowtoputyourselfinastate.Firstly,ittalksabouthowtosettherightvision,soyoudon’tendupgoinginthewrongdirectionandendingupinajoborcareerthatjustkillsyoursoulwithsomanypeopleyouendupin.Thenittalksaboutaprocesscalled“bliscipline”;andthere’sanothernewword.Blisciplineisthedisciplineofbliss.Ittalksaboutadailymethodologytohackyourhappinesslevelsandturnhappinessintorocketfueltogetyoutoyourvision.Themisconceptionis“Iwillbehappywhen.”Wrong.Rather,“Iwillbehappybecausehappinesswillberocketfueltogetmetomyvision.”

Dave: Thatissoprofound.OneofthereasonsIwishedI’vehadthis,folk,alongtimeago,isthatwhenIwas16,IdidtheThinkandGrowRichthing.Iwrotedownmygoalonamirror.MygoalwasIwasgoingtomakeamilliondollarsbythetimeIwas23.Theunstatedgoalthere,soyouwouldhavecalledout,fullfrontalinthebook,islike,“Oh,you’llbehappywhenyouhaveamilliondollars.Willyou?”Iwouldbelike,“Ofcourse,becausethenIcandowhateverIwant,”right,whichisbadlogic.Ididn’tsayIwasgoingtokeepit.

Here’sthethingthatI’mstillmarvelingat,okay,ifyou’relisteningtothis,andyouhavetheopportunitytotake$6millionoffthetableandyoudon’thaveanymoney,takeyourmoney,right?$6millionismoremoneythanyouknowwhattodowith,unlessyou’rejustlike,“Ihavetohavemyownjet,”andsomethinglikethat,butyoucanlivefortherestofyourlifeon$6millioncomfortablyandhappily,right,withoutdoinganything?Oryoucandowhateveryouwant,butlikeyou’rebasicallydone.

Insteadoftakingthatoffthetable,whatItoldmyselfwas,“I’llbehappywhenIhave$10million,”whichiswhyIleftitallonthetableandwhyIlostallofmymoney,right?Iwentfromset-forlifeto,ayearandahalflater,I’llbasicallygoingtobeworkingforthenext20years,becauseofthatbadprogramming;thestuffthatyoudescribedinTheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind.That’swhyIthinkthisisreallyavaluablebookbecauselike,man,ifsomebodyjustcalledmeoutonthat.

Vishen: There’sawayaroundthat.There’sawayaroundthatandthatisrecognizingthedifferencebetweenameansgoalandanendgoal.Thisiswherewesterngoalsettinghasitwrong.Iwalkedintotheseclasses.Ispokerecentlyatmyoldalmamater,theUniversityofMichigan,andIwalkintothisclasswheretheywereteachingthesekids,thisstupid,stupid,stupidsystemcalledSMARTgoalsetting,S-M-A-R-T.

Dave: Ohyeah.

Vishen: It’soneofthedumbest...

Dave: Specific,measurable,attainable,redundant,something.

Vishen: Absolutelystupid.Right.IinventedanewgoalsettingsystemcalledTheThreeMostImportantQuestions,right?Wedon’thavetogointoit,butthekeydifferentiatoristhis.Whenyou...


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There’sadifferencebetweenendgoalsandmeansgoals.Mostpeopleaimformeansgoalswhenwhattheyarereallyhopingtogetareendgoals.

Forexample,ifyouarelookingtogetacollegedegree,getajob,getmarried,getamilliondollarsinyourbankaccount,thosearereallymeansgoals.Thosegoalsdon’treallyspeaktoyourhappinessbecause,ifyoureallylookfurther,you’relookingtogetacollegedegree,sothatyoucandosomethingelse.You’relookingtogetamilliondollars,sothatyoucandosomethingelse.

Askyourself,whatisthat“sothat”?Whatisthat“so”?Thatguidesyoutotheendgoal.Theendgoalsarealwaysthingssuchas,“Iwanttotraveltheworld.Iwanttowakeupeverydaynexttotheloveofmylife.Iwanttoexperienceraisinga2-year-old.Iwanttobuildacompanyforthesakeoflearninghowtofunctionasateamanddevelopmyleadershipskillsandhavethatthrillofbuildingsomethingunique.Yousee,endgoalsaretypicallyfeeling-oriented.

Nowthethingis,whenyougetridofthemeansgoals,andyoutossawayallthatcrapthattheculturescape,anothernewwordIcoined,tellsyouthatyouneedtodotobesafe,fromthecollegedegree,totheGPA,tothelawdegree,togettingacceptedatthatfirm,yougostraighttotheendgoals,andthat’swhereyoutrulyhavehumanhappiness.

Allendgoalsfallintothreedifferentbuckets.It’sallaboutexperiences.Whataretheamazinghumanexperiencesthatyouwanttohaveintheworld?Thesecondbucketisgrowth.Howdoyouwanttogrow?AllofusareaimingforthetipofMaslow’sPyramidwhichisself-actualization.Growthgivesusgreatfulfillment.Nomatterwhereyouare,youarehappywhenyou’regrowing.You’relearningsomethingnew.

Thethirdoneiscontribution.Howcanyouleaveamarkontheworld?WhatIteachpeopleistodiscardSMARTgoalsetting;discardeverythingthatkeepsyouenmeshedinthebullshitoftheculturescape,andinstead,gowithin.Speaktoyourselfandunderstandwhatarethosethingsthatreallymakeyouhappyandfulfilled.Theyarealwaysexperiences,growthandcontribution.

Nowwhenyoudothat,you’renolongeraimingforthemilliondollars,butitwilllikelycometoyou,becausetogetthatdreamhouse,tomeetthatdreamwoman,totravelaroundtheworld,tohavethatfreedom,tohavethatcreativeoutput,you’regoingtohavetoberichandsuccessfulanyway,butyougettherewithoutfallingintothetrapthatsomanymillionairesfallinto,wheretheyhavethemoneyinthebank,buttheyhatetheirlives.Theyhavetheircareers;theyhavetheirbusinesses;buttheirrelationshipswiththeirkidsortheirspousessuck;ortheirhealthisgoingdownthedrain;ortheymaymakemoneyandtheyrepeatedlyloseit.It’sabouttheendgoalsandnotthemeansgoals.

Dave: Thatmightbeoneofthemostpowerfulchaptersinthebook.IlovethewayyoujustcrapallovertheSMARTgoalsandthespecific-measurable.Itis.Thesearestair-step,liketreadmillgoals,likewhat’snext?What’snext?What’snext?Ihaven’tseenthatwrittenanywhereelse;thewayyou’vedescribedthat.Isthatsortoflikeyourowntakeonthis?Itjustevolvedfromanotherbodyofwork?


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Vishen: No.Itcamebecause,in2009-2010,Ihadtwobusinesses.Onebusinessgotfunded.Wehadinvestors.WegotfundedbyIntel.Mindvalleywasgoingstrong,butIwasmiserable.Iwasdepressed.Ihadscratchedoffeverythingonmylist.Ihadmediaattention.Ihadmoney.Ihadbusinesses.IhadanofficethatwonBest-lookingOfficeintheCity.Ihadsmartpeoplearoundme,butIwasdepressed,andIhatedmylife.Ifeltlikeafailure.IwasputtingonthisfalsemaskeverytimeIwalkintotheoffice.

Irealized,“Holyfuck,Vishen.Whatisitthatyoureallywant?Youattainedallyourgoals10yearsinadvance.”IrealizedthatwhatIreallywantedwascompletelydifferent.Iwantedfreedom.Iwantedtheabilitytobeabletotravelaroundtheworld.Iwaslonely.Iwantedclosefriendships.Iwantedtomeetinsightful,interestingpeople.Iwantedtobeabletotakemysonwithmewhowas3or4yearsoldbackthentoallthesebeautifulthings,locations,andexperiences,andseminarswhereIcouldlearn,andtakehimwithme.Iwantedtravelandadventure.Iwantedtobeinparadiselocations.

WhenIre-factoredmygoallist,somethinginterestinghappened.Firstly,Idecidedtocompletelygiveuponeofmycompanies,ColdTurkey.Thatcompanywasmakingmemiserable.Isoldallmyshares,tookalossandescaped.AssoonasIescaped,Ibecamesohappy.

Secondly,Idecidedtostopmyownfestival.ThatbecameAwesomenessFest.It’snowcalledA-Fest.WhenIstartedmyownfestival,thatalmostcametomeasaninsight.IwokeuponedayandI’mlike,“Dude,I’vegottodothis.ItmakesabsolutelynobusinesssensebutI’vegottodothis.”Today,A-Festhasbeenoneofmybiggestlegaciesontheplanet.Everyyear,thousandsofpeopleapply.Theycomeandjoinmeinaparadiselocationwithamazingteachers.You’regoingtobespeakinginabio-hackingevent.It’ssomeofthemostepicpartiesyoucanimagine.

A-Festhasno...Thebusinessmodelmakesnosensebutit’soneofthesingularlymostsuccessfulthingsIdo.Weraisedhundredsofthousandsofdollars.80%ofmyfriendsintheworldtodayareinA-Fest.Igettotravelwithmykidstoexoticlocations,connectwithamazingpeoplelikeyou,butitwasn’tsomething.ItwassomethingthatjustemergedoutofmybrainwhenIcreatedalistofendgoals.Somehow,mysubconsciouscreatedapathformetogetthere,thatneverexistedintheworldbefore.

Howmanypeoplegooutthereandstartafestival,right?ThatwaswhenIrealizedthatthere’sanewwayweneedtobethinkingaboutlife,thatoursubconsciousmindsarefarmorepowerfulatproblem-solvingthanweeverimagined.Screwtheculturescape.Stopbelievingthatyouhavetotakethetriedandtruepath.Figureoutwhatreallydrivesyou.Writeitdown.Youmaynotimmediatelyseethesteps.Aslongasyouarehappy,andjoyful,andoperatinginthatstateofpositiveexpectancy,youstartmovingtowardsthatvision.

Youquotethebookthinking...Oneofthegreatestthingsinthatbookistheideaofbabysteps.NapoleonHillsays,“Youdon’thavetoknowhowyou’regoingtogettothatendvision.”Takeastep.Takeanybabystep.Whathappensis,witheverybabystep,youauto-correct;andyouauto-correct;andyouauto-correct.Eventually,youhitthatendvision.

WhenIcameupwiththisinsighttostartafestival,really,allIdidwasIwasspeakingonstagein


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aneventinDC.I’vegotastandingovationandI’mlike,“Guys,I’msograteful.Ifyoulovedmeforanhour,I’mthinkingaboutdoingthisthingwhereI’mgoingtoinvitemaybe200peopletocomeandjoinmeinaparadiselocationinCostaRica,andwe’llspend3daystogetherjustlearning.”Itwasspontaneous,butitwasababystep.

Thirtypeopleintheaudiencepaid$2000tobuyaticket.Ihad60grandinseedfundinginonehour.IusedthattolaunchwhatisnowA-Fest.Mysubconsciousguidedmethat,within2years,everysinglethingIputdowninmythreemostimportantquestionslistcametrue.

Dave: That’ssomepowerfulobservationsthere.IwouldinvitepeoplelisteningtopayattentiontothatbecauseIfind,asanengineer,asacomputerscientistguy,IthinkIhavetruthtablesbuiltintothewayIthink.Peoplewhowritecodeordologicmathunderstandtruthoperatorsandwetendtobehyper-logicalbeings.

Alongwiththatcomesusuallylikearelativelynegativeoutlookonlife,likeprofoundskepticismandjustareallynegativemindset.Howdoyouworkwithpeoplewhohavethatkindoflikejustrigorousmindset,whoarejustunwillingtoaccept,“Ohyeah,theremightbesuchathingasintuition?”What’syourapproachtothem?

Vishen: Youdon’tevenhavetobecauseIdon’ttrytoconvinceanyoneofintuition.Ispendalotoftimewithscience.IamamemberoftheXPrizeInnovationBoard.Ijustgotback,forexample,fromSanFrancisco.IwasattheUCSF,UniversityofCalifornia,SanFrancisco,whereIgottoactuallytalktosomeoftheworld’sgreatestneuroscientists.Igottoholdahumanbrain.

Dave: Imissedthattrip.Iwasgoingtogoonit.

Vishen: Yeah,itwasamazing.Oneofthethingsaboutthebrainisthisthingcalledthereticularactivationsystem.Ourbrainsareincrediblysophisticatedpatternrecognitionmachines,right?Theyrecognizepatterns.Ifyoulook,it’sonlynowthatneuro-artificialintelligenceisbeingdeveloped,whereyoucanteachacomputertorecognizepatterns.

IknowthescientistwhowrotethecodewhereyoucoulduploadapictureontoGoogle’salgorithmandittellsyouthispicturehasteenagersplayingFrisbeeinapark,butittookyearstogetthere.Eventhen,thosepicturescan...Thosealgorithmscanbeconfused.My1-year-olddaughtercanpickupmyfaceinacrowdof100people.Fromtheback,sheknowswhatthebackofmyheadlookslike.That’spatternrecognition.

Thinkaboutwhatyoudointoyourbrainwhenyouwritedownthethingsthatyouwantyourlifetoevolveinto.Yourbrainautomaticallystartsseekingoutthepatterns.It’sthesamephenomenonwhereifyoudecideyouwanttobuyawhiteTeslaModelS,youstartnoticingmorewhiteTeslaModelS’sontheroad,right?That’sthebrain’sreticularactivationsystem.

Again,wekindofexplainedhowitworks.Mytheoryisdon’tbelieveinintuition.That’sfine.Callithogwash,butyou’redoingsomethingtoyourbrain’spatternrecognitionsystemthatstirsyoutowardsyourgoal,butyou’vegottohavetherightgoals.


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Dave: Inthebook,youalsowriteabouttheSix-PhaseMeditationwhichwasareallycondense,veryelegantwayofrefreshingmeditation.Idon’tknowifwe’vegottimeontheshowtodaytogointoanenoughdetailtooffervalueforpeople.I’mjustgoingtosay,insteadofaskingyoutodescribethatnow,I’mgoingtoaskthepeoplelistening,gooutandgetacopyofTheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind.I’mgivingitmyfull-onrecommendation.Thisisauniqueandnoteworthybook.Themeditationstuffthat’sinthereisreallymeaningful.IthinkyouhaveaURLaswell.I’msureyou’dbehappytogivetopeople.

Vishen: Yes,And,YoucangetitfromTheCodeXMind.com;TheCodeXMind.com;orjustgotoAmazonandtypeinTheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind.Justonethingaboutthebookwhichisreallyinteresting,thisisthemosttechnologically,perhapsthemosttechnologicallyhooked-upbookinhumanhistory,becausewhenIwrotethisbook,justlikethebookencouragesyoutoquestioneverything,Iwantedtoquestiontheideaofthebook.

We’rereleasingacoupleofinterestingthingssoonthatthisisoneoftheworld’sfirstbookthatactuallyconnectstoamazingsoftwarethatallowsthereaderstocometogetherandtoconnectwithme,thatintegrateswithartificialintelligence,thatintegrateswithappsthatchangehumanbehavior.

Wehaveateamof30developersanddesignersandUSexpertsworkingonthetechnologythatplugsintothisbook.OneofthereasonsisbecauseI’mlookingtolaunchanewtechcompanythattakesregularbooksandturnsthemintowholenewexperiences.Thisisthefirstbookthat’sactuallygoingonthisnewtechnologicalplatform.It’sareally,really,reallyinterestingexperimentinhowhumanbeingslearnandtransform.

Dave: Vishen,itsoundslikeyourwholelifehasbeenaninterestingexperimentinhowhumanslearnandtransform.There’saquestionthat...Youknow...There’saquestionyouknowI’mgoingtoaskyouandit’s...Ifsomeonecametoyoutomorrowandsaid,“Vishen,Iwantedtokickmoreassinlife.Iwanttobebetterateverything.WhatarethethreemostimportantthingsIneedtoknow?”Whatwouldyousay?

Vishen: Sure.Thefirstthingthatyou’vegottoknow.Again,actually,ifIhadaminutetogivethemadvice,I’dsay,“Look,everythingI’velearnedinthelast10years,buildingupsomeoftheworld’sbestpersonalgrowthcompanies,isinthisonebook,TheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind.”Iwasgoingtowritefourbooks.IcondensedthemintoonebookbecauseIfiguredoutmostpeoplelikeyouarebusy.

Dave: It’sverybusy.Yeah.

Vishen: Ifyouwantthreethings,thefirstthingisunderstandthedifferencebetweenanendgoalandameansgoal,right,andgostraightfortheendgoal.YoucangetonGoogleandGoogleTheThreeMostImportantQuestionsintheaccountlist.Theywantedtoreallyseevideosofmeexplainingtheconceptverywell.Okay.

First,knowthedifferencebetweenyourendgoalsandyourmeansgoals.Dotheexercise.Figureoutyourendgoals.Secondly,understandtheconceptofconsciousnessengineeringbecauseit


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teachesyouhowtohackyourgrowth,sothatyougrowfaster,becauseonceyouhavetheseendgoals,youneedtogrowintothemanorwomanwhocanattainthemeffortlessly.Consciousnessengineeringisthatmechanismforgrowth.

Thethirdthing;thethirdthingisknowyourquest.ThisisthefinallawinChapter10ofthebook.Yourquestissimplythatmark,thatdentthatyou’regoingtoputintheuniverse.Knowwhatitisthatyouwanttoshiftintheworld.Doandaskyourself,“WhodoIwanttobe?OrwhatbusinessdoIwanttohave?OrhowmuchmilliondollarsdoIwanttohave?”

Askyourself,“WhatamIgoingtoberememberedforwhenIdie?”Okay.NowI’msimplifyingtheconcept,ofcourse,butwhenyougetthat,whenyougetthatwhatyouwanttodoismovetheworldtowardsthemostsustainablefutureortransformeducation,orchangethewayprenatalcareworks,yougetrocketfuelandeverythingelseinyourlifestartsliningup.

Dave: Normally,I’llsaythankyouafterthislistofthree,butI’vegottoaskyouropiniononthatlastone.OneofthemanydifferentmeditationgroupsI’vestudiedwith,overmylife,Ididabunchofquantifiedanalysesofmeditation.Theirbelief,Iwon’tcalloutwhotheyare,isthatsomewherearound85%ofpeoplehavenomission,liketheyhavenoreasonforbeinghere.Youclearlyhaveamissionandyouknowit.Myquestionforyouis,“Doyoubelievethateveryoneisherewithamissionoronlysomepeople?”

Vishen: Idon’tbelievethat...Idon’tbelievethateveryoneisputhereandthereissomemetaphysicalsoulstorythatsays,“YouarehereonplanetEarthtodoX.”No.Ibelieveamissionissomethingwefind.Ibelievethattheproblemwiththewaywearetrainingkidstodayisthatweaskkids,“Whatdoyouwanttobewhenyougrowup?”“Iwanttobeadoctor.Iwanttobealawyer.”Icantellyoualotofthosejobsaregoingtodisappearinthenext15yearswiththeriseofartificialintelligenceandmachines.I’veseensomeofthedevelopments.

Instead,askyourkids,askyourself,“WhatmarkdoIwanttoleaveontheplanet?”That’sahugedifferentiatorbecausewhenyouaskthatquestion,you’reopeningyourselfuptofindnumerouswaystoaccomplishthat.Youcouldsay,forexample,“IwanttobeabusinessmanorIwanttobeanentrepreneur.”

LikeIknow...Let’stakemyson,forexample.Hewantstohelpmaketheoceanscleaner.That’samazing,becausenowsomanydifferentbusinessopportunities,somanypathsopenuptohim.Everythingwestudyatschoolnowhasmeaningbecausehehastolearnaboutthechemicalcompositionofplastic.Hehastolearnaboutfishesandwhattheyeatandhowtheylive.Hehastolearnaboutcoralreefsandwatertemperature,whichleadstoglobalwarming,whichleadstohimlearningabouttheimpactoffossilfuelsandtheimpactofelectriccars.

Fromthatonetinymission,a7-year-oldboyhashisentireworldopenuptohim.Thewholedrudgeryofschooldisappears.Everythinghe’slearningnowisbecausehe’sgoingtogrowuptomakeanimpactbycleaninguptheoceans.Itworksforkids,butitalsoworksforadults,becausewhenyouunderstandwhatyourquestis,andIusetheword“quest”,younowhaveadirectiononwhatcompanytojoin;whatbusinesstostart;whattypeoffundraisingtodo;whatbookstoread.Itchangesyourperspectivecompletely.Itmakeslifesomuchmoremeaningful.


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Oneofthethingsthatimpactsusmostintermsofourhappinesslevelsismeaning.Studyafter

study;study;allempiricalstudiesshowthatmeaningmakesaprofoundimpact.People,forexample,onestudyofmenwhoretireafter80showedthatthemajorityofreasontheystayedatworkwasbecauseofmeaning.Meaningwasnumber1.Happinesswasnumber2.

Studiesonemployeeengagementshowedthatwhenemployeesfeelthattheirworkismeaningful,theyaremoreengagedintheirwork.Studyafterstudyafterstudyshowsthat.Then,ofcourse,there’salsothephilosophiesofgreatmenliketheDalaiLama.Hesaid,“Youwanttobehappy.Learntomakeothershappy.”That’swhatyoudowhenyou’relivingalifeofmeaning.You’reheretomakeacontributiontothehumanrace.Imaginewhattheworldwouldlooklikeifallofuswouldtreattofunctionlikethat?

Dave: Itwoulddefinitelybeabetterplace.Wecancallitanupgradedplace.

Vishen: Yeah.Mybookmakesaplea.Itsays,“Stopraisingourkids.StopjoiningbullshitcompanieslikeCoca-ColaorGoldmanSachs.Thesepeoplearenotreallycontributingtotheworld.Theyarefuckingitupforthenextgeneration.Instead,joincompanieslikeBulletproof;likeTesla.JoinNASA.Takework.Taketasksthatactuallymaketheworldbetterforthenextgeneration.Witheverydecisionwemake,wecancreatebusinessesorjoincompanieswhicharehumanityplus,whichmeanspushinghumanityforward,orhumanityminus,whichmeansholdingusback.Youwanttomakedecisionsthatmoveusforward.

Dave: Verywellsaid.Ithinkprobablysaidthis15timesontheinterview,butifyou’relisteningtothis,we’renearing300episodesofBulletproofRadio,andIreadalotofbooks.Therearealotofbooksthatarehastilycrankedout;alotofbooksthatarekindofwellmarketedbutnotthatwellputtogether.Thisisextraordinarilywell-put-togetherbookthatVishendid.It’sgotaframeworkforunderstandingit.

IfyouliketheBulletproofroadmapwhereit’salloftheseideasconsolidatedintoaframeworkthatyoucandigestandabsorbwithyou.Thereisasimilarthoughtprocess.It’sactuallyaprogrammer’sthoughtprocessbehindputtingtogetherTheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind.It’sworthreadingbecauseit’sgotactionabletoolsyoucanusewithouthavingtolikeover-digestandjustunpackthem.They’rejustrightthere.

TheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind,Igivemyhighestrecommendation.Itisameaningfulbook.EveryonewholistenstoBulletproofRadio,there’satleastonethingandprobably10thingsitwilldothatwillupgradethewayyouperform.Igiveitmyfullunabashedsupport,TheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind.GetitonAmazonoranywhereelseyoucouldfindit.Vishen,thanksforbeingonBulletproofRadio.

Vishen: Thankyou,Dave.Iappreciateyou.

Dave: Likewise,myfriend.Now,ifyou’veenjoyedtoday’sepisode,youknowwhattodo.GobuyVishen’sbook.Whileyou’reatit,youcoulddosomethingelse.HeadovertoBulletproof.comandsubscribetomakesurethatyougetBrainOctaneandBulletproofUpgradedcoffeebeans


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shippedtoyouonaregularbasis.

EverydaywithoutBrainOctaneisadaywhereyou’reprobablynotoperatingatyouroptimallevel.Youcanjustfeelbetterifyouhavemoreenergy,andwhenyouhavemoreenergy,youcantakeitanddirectlyapplyittopersonalgrowth.Youwanttodowhat’sinTheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind,giveyourselfmoreenergyinyourmitochondria.

Getyournutritiondialedin.Getyourfooddialedinandallthepersonalgrowthstuff;allofthatstuffthatittakestochallengeconventionalideastogiveupyourb-rulesorbrules.ThoseareVishen’sbullshitrules.Ittakesenergy.Yougetthatenergyright,forme,it’scompletelychangedmyabilitytochangemyself.Ithinkitwilldothesameforyou.TheCodeoftheExtraordinaryMind,gogetit,andhaveanawesomeday.

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