596: Arthur Brooks - The Art & Science of Happiness, Defining Your Purpose, Working with Oprah, Living Authentically, and Building The Life You Want

18 August 2024 · 1h 2m

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

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Read our book, The Score That Matters https://amzn.to/3XxHi7p

Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com

Notes:

Arthur grew up with one goal - To be the world's greatest French horn player. He learned that striving for something was fungible across all fields of life. It was a great laboratory for learning.
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic motivation - Intrinsic motivation comes from an internal desire to accomplish a goal, while extrinsic motivation comes from external rewards and praise.
"Misery comes from excessive auto-focus." Misery comes from thinking about yourself too much and not enough about helping others.
The curse of the strive... All happiness comes from progress.
- The arrival is not the goal.
How to be happy while striving:
- Be grateful - Write it down. Do it daily.
- Always look to help others.
"All research is 'me-search.'"
The Four Idols:
- Money, Power, Pleasure, and Prestige/Fame. We talked through ours… What are yours?
The Four Focus areas to help with happiness
- Faith
- Family
- Friendship
- Serving Others
Define your purpose. Write it down. Understand why you're here. Mine = "To inspire others to value and pursue excellence." Too many people are ok with mediocrity. We should strive for more.
Oprah Winfrey is the same person everywhere she goes. She is genuine and authentic to all.
Arthur's column helped Oprah stay positive and happy through the pandemic. So much so that she called him and asked to meet. And eventually, write a book together. That book became a #1 best-seller.
#1 Life Hack: "Don't lie ever."
Arthur is jacked (in great shape).
- Taking care of your body helps with unhappiness.
- Wake up 1.5 hours before dawn. Work out hard. Lift weights. Do challenging cardio.
Life/Career Advice:
- Don't worry too much about the first job out of college. Don't sacrifice relationships.
- Bring love to every relationship and be great at what you do. Be excellent.
  - Emanate love and show excellence.

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