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Alright, get ready because today we're going deep, really deep into habits and mastery.
We've had a ton of requests to explore Chapter 20, you know, the downside of creating good habits and, well, that's exactly what we're going to do today.
We'll hit all the important stuff, you know, theories and research and how it all applies to the real world.
Think of this as your, I don't know, your ultimate guide to this chapter.
Yeah, I think it's super interesting how that title right off the bat makes you think, right, like we always think good habits are like the ticket to success, but we'll see.
There's like a whole other side to them that we really need to get.
Yeah, definitely.
And, you know, the chapter starts off by saying that habits are really the, like the foundation for mastery.
Yeah.
You think of someone like a chess grandmaster.
They don't have to think about every single move, right?
It's all automatic so they can use their brain power for the strategy.
Exactly.
But that's where the possible downside comes in, you know.
When stuff becomes automatic, we can get kind of mindless, you know what I mean?
Like imagine driving home from work and you barely remember the drive.
The brain just goes on autopilot and that can be good and bad.
Right.
So that mindlessness might be good for like, I don't know, brushing your teeth, but the chapter says it can actually like slow you down when you're trying to learn something complex.
You don't notice your mistakes as much.
It's like your autopilot's missing important stuff.
And they illustrate this really well with with basketball players, you know, like dribbling without thinking.
Yeah, that's a habit you need.
But if you're only ever dribbling on autopilot, your technique won't improve.
You need deliberate practice, like focused, intentional effort to get better and, you It's like you're, I don't know, building on top of that habit foundation and the chapter actually has a visual for this showing how mastery is like a constant climb, not just a plateau you reach and like that's it.
Right.
And that's where that equation comes in.
Habits plus deliberate practice equals mastery.
Just forming good habits isn't enough.
We got to constantly work on them, you know, refine them, push ourselves further.
Like think about a surgeon.
They have to do basic stuff automatically, but also keep getting better, you know, being precise, being able to adapt for the tough cases.
That reminds me of that case study in the book, the 1985, 1986 Los Angeles Lakers and their coach, Pat Riley.
He did this like totally new program called Career Best Effort or CBE to get his team playing better.
Yeah.
And what's cool about CBE is that it wasn't about the usual stuff, like, you know, how many points you scored.
It was about measuring effort, the the things that don't always get noticed, like diving for loose balls, setting screens, really hustling on defense, all those things that matter but don't always show up on the scoreboard.
Yeah.
And the book actually breaks down Magic Johnson's CBE for a game.
They added up his assists, steals rebounds, gave him points for those like hustle plays and then took away points for turnovers.
It really shows how those, I don't know, those small consistent efforts can really add up to something huge.
And the impact was pretty clear.
The Lakers, you know, with that focus on effort and improving, they ended up winning the NBA championship that year.
What really stuck with me is how Riley connected this back to the, you know, to the downside of habits we were talking about.
By keeping track of their effort and thinking about it, the players had to, like, be more aware of what they were doing.
Even the stuff that had become a habit, it was like breaking free from that autopilot.
Yeah, it's a great example of how thinking about what you're doing can help you keep getting better.
You know, it's not just about athletes either.
The chapter talks about people from all sorts of fields doing this.
Like Eliud Kipchoge, the guy who holds the world record for the marathon.
He goes over his training logs super carefully, always looking for ways to improve.
And Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, she keeps really detailed notes too, analyzing her stroke, her mindset, everything.
Even Chris Rock, the comedian, he uses a decision journal to think about his jokes, you know, which ones worked, which ones bombed and why.
It seems like this dedication to reviewing is something a lot of top performers do.
And speaking of review, the chapter talks about two specific types.
An annual review in December and an integrity report in the summer.
The annual review is basically taking a look at how you did over the year.
What went well, what could be better, what you learned.
It's a time to, like, celebrate your wins and figure out what you want to focus on next year.
And the integrity report is more about, like, your values and actions.
It asks you, you know, what are my core values and am I actually living by them?
It's a good way to make sure you're, you know, walking the walk.
And this leads to another really interesting idea that our beliefs, when we're too stuck on them, can actually hold us back.
The chapter uses this great comparison to overwatering a plant.
Yeah, just like a plant needs space to grow, we need to be open to change and new ways of thinking.
If we hold on too tightly to, I don't know, to who we think we are, it can be stifling.
There's this perfect quote from Lao Tse, the hard and stiff will be broken, the soft and supple will prevail.
It's a good reminder that being flexible and adaptable is so important for growth and, you know, just dealing with life's ups and downs.
It really makes you think, doesn't it?
Are there beliefs we have that might be, like, limiting us?
That's something we'll get into more later on.
But for now, let's just take a minute to absorb all this, you know.
We talked about the downsides of good habits, the power of deliberate practice, the importance of being flexible in who we are, and even how our beliefs can sometimes hold us back.
Welcome back to our deep dive.
Before we go any further, I think it's important to say that, you know, this chapter isn't saying habits are bad.
I mean, they're really important, right?
It's more about, like, knowing when they might actually be holding us back.
Yeah, that's a good point.
It's not about getting rid of habits.
It's about, like, knowing when to switch off autopilot and, you know, really focus on what you're doing.
And that actually connects really well with what we were talking about before, with beliefs and being too rigid.
The chapter goes into how, you know, clinging to those fixed ideas of who we are can really limit our potential.
It's almost like we build these, I don't know, boxes around ourselves, like, I'm an accountant, or I'm a parent, or I'm a musician.
And those labels are part of us.
But the problem is when we get, like, too attached to them, you know?
Right, exactly.
When our whole identity is just one thing, it makes it harder to change and try new things.
The chapter actually tells some really interesting stories about people who really struggled when their main identity changed.
Like military veterans or people used to be entrepreneurs.
Their whole lives were about those roles.
And then when that ended, they felt lost, almost like a part of them was, I don't know, missing.
Yeah, and the chapter says that to deal with those changes, you need to, like, shift your perspective.
It's not about I'm a soldier.
It's more like I'm the kind of person who does well in structured environments, who values discipline and is good at teamwork.
So it's about, like, recognizing those qualities that go beyond specific jobs or labels, right?
Think about it.
If you only see yourself as a lawyer, you might not try something new, like, I don't know, painting or volunteering, because you think, well, that's not what a lawyer does.
But if you think of yourself as someone who's driven, who likes analyzing things and enjoys helping people, well, those qualities can be used in all sorts of ways.
It's like opening up a whole world of possibilities, yeah.
And that brings us back to that quote, the hard and stiff will be broken, the soft and supple will prevail.
Being able to adapt and change instead of holding on to old definitions is what helps us get through tough times, you know, and come out stronger on the other side.
The chapter also talks about how our sense of self and the habits we have are connected.
Like our habits can become so much a part of who we think we are that changing them feels like we're, I don't know, changing who we are.
Imagine someone who thinks of themselves as a, like, a hard worker.
They might have this habit of working really long hours, even if it's not good for them.
And changing that habit would feel like they're, you know, betraying who they are.
It's like we need to really look at our beliefs and why we do the things we do.
Are we doing them because they're important to us or are they just, like, leftover pieces from an old version of ourselves that, you know, doesn't really fit anymore?
And that's where thinking about things comes in again.
Taking the time to step back, look at our beliefs and, you know, question the ones that might be limiting us.
It's a process.
Always changing.
Always learning about yourself.
Yeah, and the chapter says we should be proactive about this.
Don't wait for some crisis or big life change to force you to rethink things.
Make reflecting on your life a regular thing, whether it's journaling, meditation, or just, like, taking a few minutes every day to think about what you do and why you do it.
And remember, it's not about finding all the bad stuff or where you messed up.
It's also about seeing your strength, celebrating the good things, and realizing how much you've already accomplished.
It's about seeing the whole picture, you know, both the progress and the things you learned along the way.
The chapter has this really good analogy.
It says it's like checking in every so often to see if your old habits and beliefs are still working for you or if they've become, like, poison.
And the way to deal with that poison, like we've been talking about, is being aware of yourself.
By regularly thinking about our actions and beliefs, we get to know ourselves better and we can make better choices about, you know, how we want to live our lives.
So before we move on, I want to leave you with something to think about.
Remember the Lakers and their Career Best Effort program.
What if you made your own CBE program for your life?
Yeah, what are those things, those little efforts that no one really sees, that if you did them all the time, could really help you grow, both personally and professionally?
Maybe it's really trying to be present when you're talking to people, spending 15 minutes a day, learning a new skill, or even just, you know, taking the time to tell people you're grateful for them.
Those small things, the ones that often go unnoticed, can make a huge difference in the long run.
And remember, mastery isn't like a finish line you cross.
It's a journey, always growing, always getting better, always adapting.
And if you put in the effort and take the time to reflect, you can keep changing and shaping your habits and beliefs to create a life that's, you know, really fulfilling and means something.
All right, so as we wrap up our deep dive into this chapter, let's, like, shift gears and talk about, you know, the practical stuff.
We've covered a lot, habits, deliberate practice, being flexible in who we are.
But how do we actually use all of this, like, in our everyday lives?
Well, one of the most helpful things they talk about in the chapter is actually using those two types of reflection.
You know, the annual review and the integrity report, making them a regular thing.
Right, it's like scheduling a checkup for yourself, you know, for your personal and professional growth.
The annual review helps you see how far you've come, celebrate the good stuff, and figure out what you can improve.
And then the integrity report helps you, like, make sure your actions match your values.
Those tools are like a, I don't know, a structured way to think about things.
But even something simple like journaling or just taking a few minutes each day to be mindful can be really helpful.
The important thing is to make reflection a habit, like a consistent thing, not just something you do once, but an ongoing process of, you know, observing, analyzing, and adjusting.
And remember, it's not just about finding your weaknesses or where you messed up.
It's also about recognizing your strengths, celebrating your wins, and seeing how much progress you've made.
It's about, like, looking at the whole journey, you know, appreciating both the progress and the things you've learned along the way.
The chapter uses this really great metaphor.
It says it's like checking in every so often to see if your old habits and beliefs are still helpful or if they've turned into, like, poison.
And the way to deal with that poison, like we talked about, is being self -aware.
By taking the time to think about what we do and what we believe, we understand ourselves better and then we can make choices about how we want to live, you know, more consciously.
So as we finish up this deep dive, I want to leave you with one last thing to think about.
Remember the Lakers and their career best effort program?
What have you created your own CBE, like, for your own life?
Yeah, what are those little things, the things that often go unnoticed, that if you did them consistently could really help you grow, you know, in your personal life, your career, everything.
Maybe it's really focusing when you're talking to someone,
spending 15 minutes a day learning something new, or even just, like, taking the time to tell the people in your life that you're grateful for them.
It's those small, consistent actions, the ones that nobody really sees, that can really make a big difference over time.
And remember, mastery isn't a finish line.
It's a journey, always growing, always getting better, always adapting.
And with effort and reflection, you can shape your habits and beliefs to create a life that's fulfilling and meaningful.
Thanks for joining us for this deep dive.
Until next time, keep exploring, keep learning and keep reflecting.