Golden Insights: Finding Inspiration in Malcom X, Grizzly Bears, and Superhuman Performance
Episode VIII
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Todays Snapshot:
Quote: Malcom X’s Outlook On The media
Tweet: Can You Out Run A Grizzly Bear?
Golden Workout: Get In Insane Shape In 5 Minutes
Article: The Rise Of Superman - Elevate Your Gains With Flow
Podcast: The Number One Reason Why You’re Not Succeeding
Quote:
Malcolm X's quote about the power of media sheds light on the profound influence it has over our thoughts and beliefs. Living in an era of information abundance, it becomes essential for us to stay open-minded and discerning. The quote serves as a reminder that we should not merely accept everything we see or hear as the ultimate truth.
To truly grow as individuals and foster a healthy society, we must develop essential skills like active listening, fact-checking, and embracing diverse perspectives. These skills allow us to filter through the noise and misinformation, paving the way for informed decision-making. By questioning the information we consume, we create a solid foundation for forming well-rounded opinions and contributing to a more balanced and educated society.
Tweets: Hitting The Jackpot… But Don’t Try to Out Run This Bear… Someone Call Khabib
In 1999 this man was asked to reenact his recent lottery win for TV and ended up winning again on camera
Grizzly bear running! Grizzlies can reach
speeds of up to 35mph (56km/h)
Golden Fitness
In this special edition, we're introducing a "Workout of the Week" to help you stay fit, healthy, and motivated.
We've designed a unique 5-minute Tabata workout that you can do at home, with no equipment needed.
This quick and effective routine can be done at the end of any other workout or on its own. Get ready to challenge yourself!
Do each exercise for 20 seconds - rest for 10 seconds between each one.
Smash them all out to complete 1 round.
Repeat it all for a second round.
Bang. 5 minutes done.
Burpees
Push-ups
Bodyweight Squats
Plank (isometric hold)
Mountain Climbers
Tricep Dips (using a chair or bench)
Alternating Lunges
Glute Bridge (isometric hold)
Bicycle Crunches
Tips for Success:
Warm-up for at least 5 minutes before starting the workout, doing dynamic stretches or light cardio.
Pay attention to your form and technique to avoid injury.
Modify exercises as needed to suit your fitness level.
Push yourself to complete as many reps as possible during the 20-second intervals, while maintaining proper form.
Track your progress and try to improve your performance each week.
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The Rise of Superman
Have you ever experienced a moment where everything just seems to click, and you become fully immersed in the task at hand?
Time seems to fly by…
Self-doubt vanishes…
And you're in complete control of your actions…
This is the exhilarating state, known as "flow."
And if you can access it… you’ve got a powerful tool that can transform your physical and mental performance.
Author Steven Kotler, covers this as the secret to success in his book ‘The Rise of Superman’. He explores the concept of flow and how it has enabled extraordinary achievements and progress in various fields.
He questions, why extreme athletes have made crazy progress in recent years, yet other fields are stagnant.
The answer? Flow.
Here are 3 lessons from The Rise of superman to help You Perform Better:
When you’re in flow, five neurochemicals are released simultaneously.
For flow to happen, some parts of your brain must be switched off, not on.
What we think is possible, changes every time we see a new achievement, which is why flow is so important.
Lesson 1: A potent combination of five hormones is responsible for creating the flow state in your body.
When you experience flow, it feels like a "high," where everything seems to go right, and your performance reaches new heights. Although it may feel spiritual, there is a lot happening within your body during this state. In fact, five powerful chemicals are released simultaneously when you enter flow, making it incredibly potent:
Dopamine: ignites enthusiasm for new ideas, helps distinguish the essential from the irrelevant, and enhances your focus.
Norepinephrine: which elevates your heart rate, blood sugar, and breathing rate, providing energy and attention to the task at hand.
Anandamide: which functions similarly to cannabis, stimulating your brain to form new connections and boost creativity.
Endorphins: which relieve physical pain as they are 100 times more potent than morphine.
Serotonin: which generates a sense of accomplishment after achieving a goal and encourages you to strive for more.
As you can see, this powerful chemical cocktail keeps you energised. However, for flow to occur, certain parts of your brain must cease activity for a while.
Lesson 2: To enable flow, specific regions of your brain must be DEACTIVATED, not activated.
Transient hypofrontality: The prefrontal cortex experiences reduced activity for a brief period, allowing you to rely on instincts and make split-second decisions without self-doubt.
Deactivation of the orientation adjustment area: Enables surfers to feel "at one with the wave" or writers to effortlessly "think their words onto the page."
Lesson 3: Flow's significance lies in its ability to redefine what we consider possible through major achievements.
The Roger Bannister effect: Whenever someone achieves the seemingly impossible, our perception of what is possible changes.
Exceptional accomplishments inspire us to surpass them and reach even greater heights, emphasizing the importance of flow.
Without flow, humans would cease to push the boundaries of performance, and our species would start to decline.
What is required for flow?
The flow cycle consists of four stages:
Struggle phase - This is where you initially struggle to focus on the task at hand. It's characterised by feelings of frustration, anxiety, and even fear. However, this phase is important as it releases adrenaline and primes the body for the flow state.
Release phase - As you begin to find your rhythm, the stress hormones from the struggle phase are replaced with dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter that relaxes you.
Flow - This is the optimal performance state where you are fully immersed in the task at hand. Endorphins are released, and you feel a sense of enjoyment, control, and excitement.
Recovery - After experiencing the high of flow, your body needs to rest and recover. This stage is marked by exhaustion and the need for sleep.
It's important to note that any lapse in concentration can break the flow state. If this happens, you need to restart the cycle from the beginning to regain flow.
What to do next?
To fully understand this concept and how it can be accessed, a deeper dive is required - we recommend spending some time reading or listening to the full book here.
Podcast:
On todays podcast: Simon Sinek is an author and public speaker, and one of the most interesting thinkers on business in the world today. His books ‘Start With Why’, ‘Leaders Eat Last’ and ‘The Infinite Game’ have sold millions and millions of copies.'
Latest Golden Articles:
Ready to take your skills to the next level? Look no further! Our team at the GC has scoured the web to bring you the latest and greatest tips and tricks.
Check out this week's articles, full of valuable information that's guaranteed to give you that competitive edge. Don't miss out, click now and discover what everyone's talking about!
Until next time, stay golden!