7 Painful Paradoxes of Self-Improvement that Create More Problems Than They Solve
Searching and finding can be different things - How do we balance the art of wanting to improve whilst also wanting to live in contentment with ourselves
Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement · Sam Webster Harris | Growth Mindset Psychology
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Show Notes
A lot of the self-improvement industry and advice is backwards. The more books we read the further away from our goals we become.
Ultimately we want to be happier yet we are accruing more and more things to fix before we are happy with ourselves.
In this episode, we explore the biggest paradoxes where the work we do can make us more brittle and breakable:
- Effortlessness Paradox - The harder we try the harder we make it
- Happiness Paradox - Pursuing Happiness instead chases it away
- Validation paradox - Seeking external validation prevents internal validation
- Emotions paradox - Suppressing emotions makes them overwhelm us
- The Shadow - Rejecting our flaws makes them worse
- Planning Paradox - Overplanning reduces adaptability
- Self-Improvement Paradox - The more things you find to fix the more broken you feel
Searching and finding can be different things.
We learn a more subtle approach to self-improvement that spends more time building wisdom and focusing on smaller immediately actionable steps with less chasing and running in circles.
We find answers to the question "How do we balance the art of wanting to improve whilst also wanting to live in contentment in the present?"
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Growth Mindset Psychology:
Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.
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🛜 Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com
Chapters:
00:00 The Effortlessness Paradox
03:08 The Messy Reality of Self-Improvement
04:23 Introduction to the Growth Mindset Psychology Podcast
05:14 The Paradox of Pursuing Happiness
07:49 The Paradox of Validation
10:52 The Paradox of Emotions
12:53 Carl Jung and the Shadow Concept
13:49 Acceptance Over Rejection
15:07 The Planning Paradox
16:29 Understanding Uncertainty Tolerance
16:47 Steve Jobs' Journey of Adaptability
17:27 Embracing the Unexpected
18:06 The Paradox of Self-Improvement
18:44 The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Self-Help
19:49 The Slow Process of Real Change
22:12 Balancing Self-Improvement and Acceptance
25:22 The Timid Cat Analogy for Happiness
26:33 Final Thoughts and Farewell
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