Dr. Jim Loehr on Mental Toughness, Energy Management, the Power of Journaling, and Olympic Gold Medals (#490)

Tim,

Long time lurker – first time poster.

I truly enjoyed this episode. I had been listening to it on my walk to and from the farmers market and upon my arrival back home stared at the kitchen wall whilst trying to digest everything – as always, you have delivered several insights through an eclectic array of stories. Thank you, it is much appreciated.

I have been listening to your podcast for an incredibly long time, and without a doubt the insights I have gathered through your thoughtful interviews have helped me become (through many struggles) the human I am today. Not only that, but I have learned an incredible amount from the way you interview folks, a skill I am honing in on in my own job. For this, I cannot thank you enough. Today however, I write to address an omnipresent itch that I cannot scratch myself.

In Jim’s closing statements, he says “the impact you’ve had is stunning […] and you’re interested in getting to the nitty gritty of issues”. This is not a point that I would even consider arguing against, as it is something I whole-heartedly agree with; from depression, anxiety, and trauma (and the treatment of such ailments with psychedelics), to the reality of life sex workers; from the benefits of fasting, mushrooms, sleep, and exercise, to overcoming self doubt and being the best person you can be, you have ticked an incredibly diverse amount of boxes… The omnipresent itch I cannot scratch though is that of the absence of a particular issue that in my mind is the most important issue we as a collective society are facing today.

The evidence is mounting that we are in over our heads, that we are in deep trouble, and that if we don’t start acting immediately, our children and their children will not be able to even attempt to reach self-actualization as they will be stuck fighting for their basic needs, hierarchically speaking. The issue I speak of is climate change and the inherent ecological collapse associated within. I will give you credit, this itch was tickled by your interview with Dr. Jane Goodall, yet this tickle made that itch more intense. I understand that maybe there are political reasons as to why this issue is not broached and could even be considered divisive in your audience which is obviously not ideal, and if this is the case I ask you to challenge the morality of such a stance.

So much what you do pertains to the overcoming of pain – but what about the pain that our planet is in and the fear associated with our spine of life crumbling to ashes? This is not to say that I feel you should focus on the problems and the doom and gloom, quite the opposite in fact – everyone knows that focussing on the problems is counterproductive and will inevitably sow more inaction through overwhelm. People need to know that there are solutions, that there are people out there who are all-stars, high achievers, all working around the clock to tackle these immense issues. This can provide hope for those who have these fears and instill a sense of purpose that something can in fact be done, and that anyone can and to be frank, should have agency in what the outcome of our planet is.
Tim, if you’ve read this far, I challenge you to consider expanding the breadth of your interviewees to include some of these all stars and people who have overcome so much and are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. In doing so, you will learn so much, I promise you that. Besides, I know how much you love mycology, nutrient dense food, and grass fed beef – all of which have important roles to play in the future.

If you’re interested, contact me.

Warmest of regards,

Mitch

This is an advanced topic at the edge of our human understanding which is what makes it so special and so edge-like because not many people understand it and harness it yet, so those that do use it currently have a massive advantage over those that don’t know about it or ignore it as woo-woo.

What I’m talking about is the intersection of three different Tim Ferris podcasts with three different people but I believe that they are all talking about the same thing and touching on the very same topic which is not yet well understood by mainstream science but it does work. So why not use it, because it does work, even though we don’t know why or how it works yet, because our science hasn’t researched it enough yet.

What I’m talking about is these 3 episodes:

• Scott Adams interview where he talks about using affirmations and that he doesn’t know how it works, but every time he sets an affirmation and writes it down 16 times per day on a piece of paper, until he internalises it, eventually he will achieve it in his life.
• Matthew McConaughey where he talks about the voice inside your head is the only person who you will never be able to get rid of in your life, so you had better find a way to get along with this guy inside your head and get on good terms with him and make good handshake deals with him so that he will serve you rather than harm you & bring you down.
• Dr Jim Loehr who has been coaching athletes for decades and noticed that they all have a voice inside their heads and he has been able to run experiments to elicit what that voice in their head talks to them about when they have a setback at their sport such as missing a shot in tennis. Does the voice hate them, tell them that they are shit, or is that voice kind and loving to them and pushing them towards their goals, and towards greatness. Over time, athletes can change that voice to make it kind and helpful and those that do change it will end up performing much better and they won’t have all these mental blockages that stop them from success due to this negative internal voice.

So this is about using affirmations and working on your internal voice to make it kind, helpful, loving, grateful and to make it guide you towards your dreams that you want. It is about changing your internal voice so that it doesn’t put you down. Nobody knows where this voice comes from or why it is there, but it is obviously very important to your life & your performance.

Tim, your conversation with Jim Loehr is one of my favorites. As an executive performance coach, I appreciate the practical value and game changing heuristics that he distilled into your dialogue.

The highest leverage coaching tools for developing positive neuroplasticity are those that are deceptively simple yet powerful. He gave us some gold:

* Written affirmations that are straightforward and challenging
* Self coaching to reframe the voice in our head
* 6 profound describing words exercise
* 10 minute daily journaling ritual
* Shining a light on our hidden scorecard

Sincere thanks to Dr. Loehr for these valued contributions!

Robert Adducci

Dear Tim (and Jim),

I am on day 62 of Jim’s Journal and enjoying the somewhat challenging (understatement) journey that process has been. I’ve journaled (doodled) for several years (something I have you to thank for) and this has added a new dimension and purpose to that part of my day.

I wanted to write my ‘thank-you letter’ – as part of Jim’s Journal – to you. I have been on something of a wellness journey for five or six years, trying to harmonize diet, sleep, exercise, mindfulness, breath work and all of the other facets of a more meaningful and purposeful life – with a fair amount of success and more importantly, fun along the way. Your podcasts, books and the Five Bullet Friday have been invaluable starting points and resources throughout.

While I have lost count of the vast array of different things to ‘thank-you’ for, two things do come to mind: One was your recommendation to look at ‘Headspace’, which eventually lead me to ‘Waking Up’ and the best ten minutes of the day, pretty much everyday. The second also gets daily use, but in a different way – in one of the first Five Bullet Friday’s I read, you recommended an egg boiler which, as I say, is now a part of daily life :-).

Thank you Tim, for all you share.

I would like to offer two small tokens in return. The first is a recommendation – have Peter Crone on your show. The second is an open invitation to come and scuba dive the Philippines (see domain name in my email in the unlikely event this actually reaches you).

Thanks again,

Andy