- [Brandon] Top 10 Lessons I Learned from 300 Books.
Lesson 10, nobody has it figured out.
Why we exist has been up for debate since the dawn of time.
And we've never been able to agree on a single answer.
For some, this question doesn't faze them
and they go about their day,
as if existence isn't absolutely bizarre.
But for others, they can be lead
into a maddening existential depression
where they battle with the same questions
as the great thinkers do.
Such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Freud.
"No Excuses" by Robert Solomon was the last book
I read on existentialism, until I realised I had no choice
but to create my own meaning for existing.
I hadn't figured it out, but I was able
to make peace with my existence.
Lesson nine, lucid dreaming could be the next superpower.
Everyone is talking about colonising Mars.
But few are talking about colonising the unconscious.
To lucid dream, is to be aware that you are dreaming.
It was first scientifically proven
in 1975 by Dr. Keith Hearne.
After he recorded the predetermined eye movements
of a subject while they were dreaming.
It is thought to be a way to access your unconscious mind.
In a lucid dream you have experiences
that are nearly identical to reality,
but there are no consequences,
which is what gives it incredible potential.
For example, I could jump off a building
to experienced flying without risk of dying.
I could also practise public speaking
without being ridiculed.
One of my favourite activities
is to eat boatloads of donuts, without having to worry
about the physical heath consequences.
But that raises a question, that by abusing my health
in a lucid dream, could it cause me to reinforce
reckless behaviour in real life?
I don't have the answer yet, but I do know
that if the world's population maintained a lucid dream
for one hour a night, every night for one year,
it would add two trillion, 804 billion, 288 million
and 53,685 hours of potential productivity to the world.
Lesson eight, the distribution revolution is here.
Sally has lots of stuff that was made
during the industrial revolution, but it's too much stuff.
So the problem is not having stuff,
it is distributing the stuff.
And that's what ultra successful companies today
like Airbnb and Uber have figured out.
Uber realised there was already tonnes of drivers
driving around with spare seats,
so they found a way to distribute those seats,
the company is now worth 48 billion.
It's the same story with Airbnb,
except they created a system to distribute spare rooms
in people's homes instead of passenger seats.
Use this idea to crush a business.
Lesson seven, life is really simple.
The other day I went to he bar for a digital nomad meetup.
I approached a man in the corner and sparked up conversation
I asked him what he was good at, then proceeded to ask
what the next three years looked like for him.
He mentioned that his mission
was to expand human consciousness.
I then replied, what does it mean
to expand human consciousness?
And at this he was slightly startled,
it got him thinking deeply,
and the more and more I questioned him about,
the more and more it seemed he had no clue.
Before we knew it, we were diving deep
into his emotional issues about his relationships,
upbringing and his family,
and his frequent trips to therapy.
His face then burst into a stunted smile,
and he said quizzically,
"Are you a life coach or something?"
I laughed at the idea as I'm only 23,
but the point is that this man could not get over the fact,
that I seemed to have it all figured out.
And I told him that life is really simple,
but we insist on making it complicated.
For example, people in the health industry are confused,
how do I be healthy?
Do I do the Keto or Slow Carb?
Do I do kettlebells or crossfit?
Do I take this supplement or that supplement?
To be healthy, all you need to do
is get seven to nine hours of high quality sleep.
Stay hydrated, eat healthy whole foods,
don't eat processed crap, and exercise five times a week.
Do that and you're 90% there.
Lesson six, perhaps someone who can't save himself,
can save others.
"Suppose I have the key to your chains,
"why should my lock and your lock be the same?"
Friedrich Nietzsche.
The contrary wisdom has always been
that you can't save others if you can't save yourself.
I don't think there is a black and white answer,
what do you think?
Can we really help someone
even if we can't help ourselves?
Lesson five, the solution to contradictory advice.
Gary Vee says, "Work Hard."
Tai Lopez says, "Work Smart."
who the heck do you listen to?
Well the answer is that all the advice
is usually useful, it's just different people
tend to emphasise different things.
So balance it out between listening to those
who have a result you want to achieve,
and listening to yourself.
Lesson four, your life is a product of your environment.
Get born in an Islamic dominant country,
and you'll probably become a Muslim.
Get born in a Jewish dominant country
and you'll probably become a Jew.
This is the power of environment on your life.
Another example is the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment.
The prison environment undoubtedly had an effect
on the participants' erratic behaviour.
So forcing yourself to fall asleep at 9:00 p.m
every night, will be a difficult task
if your environment isn't designed to support that.
You may live in an area where artificial lights
are booming into your room that suppresses your melatonin,
the chemical that helps you fall asleep.
You may be in a room where the temperature
interferes with your body's thermostatic functions
that help you fall asleep.
So design your environment so that it supports
a lifestyle you want to live,
and the person you want to become.
I make my bed every day,
because it creates a clean environment.
It affects the cleanliness of my thoughts
and the way I conduct my life in general.
Which leads to the next lesson,
how you do one thing is how you do everything.
Paul is in the process of hiring his first employee.
He goes to his mentor Dave for his best piece of advice
to hire the right guy for the job.
Dave looks at Paul and says without hesitation,
"On the day of the interview, go out to the parking lot
"and look at the state of his car."
Paul felt confused, "What do you mean Dave?"
"Look at the state of his car, messy car, messy life.
"Messy life, messy employee.
"Messy employee, messy business."
So start of your days by making your bed in the morning
and you'll see a dramatic change in your life
over the next few months.
Lesson two, focus on one thing.
Distraction, the single biggest reason why you feel stuck
and never achieve your goals.
Picture this, Henry wants to be the number one
bodybuilder in the world.
Each day he has eight units of energy to spend.
He puts one unit into watching inspirational YouTube videos.
One unit into working out at the gym.
Two units into watching Netflix.
Two units into having a beer with his mates.
And two more units into researching another business idea.
This is chaos.
Henry will never become the number one bodybuilder,
if he spreads his units thin.
He must dedicate eight units every day
into tasks that directly relate
to becoming the number one bodybuilder.
It's such a simple concept, yet most people get distracted
by social media, chase the next opportunity
or have no clear goal in mind,
so they run around like a headless chook.
And finally, lesson one, reading is a waste of time.
What, a waste?
Yes, I read 134 books before realising
I had no real results in my life.
I was still stuck at university studying something I hated
and I wasn't travelling the world like I wanted to.
I was just fouling myself that I was becoming better
by learning a bunch of random things.
Ironically, when I started reading less,
my success went through the roof.
How does that work?
Well you have to do the right things.