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Ryan Alford
Warning. The following ZipRecruiter radio spot you are.
John Asaraf
About to hear is going to be.
Ryan Alford
Filled with F words when you're hiring.
Unknown
We at ZipRecruiter know you can feel frustrated, forlorn, even, like your efforts are futile. And you can spend a fortune trying to find fabulous people only to get flooded with candidates who are just fine. Fortunately, ZipRecruiter figured out how to fix all that. And right now you can try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com Zip with ZipRecruiter you can forget your frustrations because we find the right people for your roles fast, which is our absolute favorite F word. In fact, four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.
Ryan Alford
Fantastic.
Unknown
So whether you need to hire four, 40 or 400 people, get ready to meet first rate talent. Just go to ZipRecruiter.com Zip to try ZipRecruiter for free. Don't forget that's ZipRecruiter.com Zip finally, that's ZipRecruiter.Com Zip if your job at a.
John Asaraf
Healthcare facility includes disinfecting against viruses, you know prevention is the best medicine. And maintaining healthy spaces starts with a healthy cleaning routine. Grainger's world class supply chain helps ensure you have the quality products you need when you need them. From disinfectants and cleaning supplies to personal protective equipment. So you can help deliver a clean bill of health. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Show me your daily practice of how you are expanding your mindset, self talk and emotional regulation for the level you want to play at.
Unknown
This is Right about now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast Network production. We are the number one business show on the planet with over 1 million downloads a month. Taking the BS out of business for over 6 years in over 400 episodes. You ready to start snapping necks and cashing checks? Well, it starts right about now.
Ryan Alford
What's up guys? Welcome to Right about now. We're always helping you get right now. What does that mean? We could talk about last year. We can talk about five years from now, which we might venture a little bit. I will say that, but that's just because of who the guests we have. But it's about making action, taking action and making it happen right now for you through business and life. Because that's where we're headed today. It really starts with the brain. It starts with the mind, it's all there. No matter what we want to do, we can get purposeful. But if you don't have your head right, you can't get there. That's why we go to the export. He is the master of the mind. He is John Asaraf. What's up John?
John Asaraf
Hey Ryan, great to be with you and your wonderful guests and audience.
Ryan Alford
Appreciate it, John. He is an expert in mindset and coaching and teaching actionable steps to help get businesses scale because it does start in the mind. John, this crosses a lot of boundaries for me that like I host another show called Vibe Science and I might have to get you on that show as well because it is about mind, body and energy to get us where we need to go. It seems to be what, what you live, breathe and coach every day. Am I right?
John Asaraf
You are 100% right. I like, I like understanding the, what I call the neuromechanics. You know, what's going on in my own head so that I can understand why am I doing what I do, why am I not doing what I want to do, know I should do and can do and combining, you know, a neuroscience and neuropsychology into trying to perform at the highest level I can than teaching what I learned to others.
Ryan Alford
They called that self mastery. When I hear you say those things and not that we ever. I try to be honest and not pretend that we master anything to perfection because it's always an evolution. But it really is like to know thyself. Then a famous philosopher say that.
John Asaraf
Yep, absolutely. You know, the idea of self mastery, I think first should start with self acceptance. And not a lot of people invest any time on, you know, this is who I am right now. And before we start getting into I'm not good at this and I could be doing more of that and, and I should this and you know, as Tony Robbins, you know, said many years ago, should have all over yourself. What about self acceptance first saying, hey, I was born with, you know, a genetic predisposition for certain things and character traits. I've been given some things that are easy for me to do or not do. And then there's other things that are harder and require some effort. And the whole idea first is to not judge, not blame, not shame, not feel guilty for who you are right now. Because every moment is perfect. And if we come at life from the perspective every moment is perfect. Some things may not be too perfect. My taste and where I'd like to grow and develop and I'd like to do have, be, achieve and feel are all little journeys that we could take and you know, get on the path to achieve whatever it is that we're looking for, whether it's a mental achievement, emotional achievement, a financial, physical, spiritual achievement. One of my beliefs is, especially now, how to fill in the blank. Anything. How to have deeper spiritual connectedness. We know how to do that. How to 3x my income in my business. We know how. How to get 500 more leads today or this week. We know how. So the issue isn't that we don't know how. One, a person may not know how, but in general, how to is the easiest part of the equation. The real question is why am I not doing what I could easily find out how to do? Now we're dealing with what's going on inside, you know, my brain or you know, my, my heart, you know, my gut, etc. And we know a lot more about that today that we can tap into.
Ryan Alford
I love that because that's getting into what the first thing you said, John, we were doing the pre, pre episode talk a little bit is, you know, you go, you were quick to go. I'm a mindset, you know, a master mindset. I understand the mind, but I make it actionable. And I think that's the key. So you often speak about the inner game for success. How can, you know, people listening, sort of balance that are, you know, we have a lot of high level executives. How do you coach people like balancing profit people and pressure to sort of master that inner game?
John Asaraf
Sure. First we have to understand what is the inner game. Right. And it's a lot more complex than people think. Carol Dweck wrote a great book called Mindset. And in the book, the synopsis of the book is that we either have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. Most entrepreneurs, I think, would have a growth mindset, meaning they're willing to grow and learn and stop stuff and start stuff. But when we're looking at profits, people pressure. Talk about pressure first. Because pressure is a form of stress. Right. And so if we ask ourselves this question, does the same pressure activate the stress circuit in every human's brain under that pressure? And the answer is no. So the stress circuit or the amount of pressure required to trip you up may be totally different than to trip me up. So the question should be, how do I increase my capacity to deal with the pressure of my current, let's say business, my current life, and how do I expand my ability to handle the pressure at the next one or two or Three stages. And so when we're talking about stress and pressure, there's circuits in the brain and what activates, for example, your fear circuit may not activate mine. So when we talk about mindset, it's a much more intricate discussion than one size fits all. And you may not have the identity right now and the beliefs required to reach your next level of business success. And so we ask ourselves, well, what is identity? Identity is your feeling of certainty about who you are and what you deserve to have and achieve. So think about this. Is it possible to generate $50 million a year in business? For most of the people that are listening in their niche, it's possible, but not likely. Well, hold on a second. Well, let's first deal with it's possible. Because if we ask ourselves if it's possible, then how do we make it likely? So in my business, you know, I'm in the coaching business, right? And there are people in our industry, coaching industry, that make, you know, thousand dollars a year. And there's people like Tony Robbins in the coaching industry making 180 million a year. What's the difference? And the first part is Tony is looking at the game at a much different level. International game, multiple languages, a totally different infrastructure that began with him wanting to build something of that stature and then building the identity, the beliefs, the habits, the strategies to achieve that goal. And most people get at their current level of achievement and when they set their goals for that next level, they set goals based on what they think they can achieve versus what is possible to achieve. And they don't like to think about what's possible to achieve because either, A, they don't believe they're smart enough, good enough, or worthy enough to achieve it. B, they don't believe it's possible for them or it's not possible in their niche. C, it would be fears. Fear of failing, fear of being embarrassed, ashamed, ridiculed, judged, rejected, disappointed. And that's what stops them from actually going after the biggest version of the success that they may want to achieve. And right now I'm just sticking to business.
Ryan Alford
Yeah, that's really interesting. And it makes me, John, I'm thinking like two things. Two words are bubbling to the top of my head. One of them is potential and one of them is headroom. And I feel like it's like you're increasing both, like when you master this inner game, like, you know, because, you know, like I. Anyone listening? I've got a. My hand over my head. Like where you hit your head. Because I think John, just Said a lot more eloquently than, than my diagram. But you know, like, you've set these limits that are there and I think when you, you both extend the limit. But it's one thing to extend the limit, John, but we have to also. And this is where the inner work I think that you focus on, which is the potential. Because I have to become different than I am today to reach that head.
John Asaraf
Of course, of course.
Ryan Alford
Yeah.
John Asaraf
Let's maybe back up for one second. Let's just understand a couple of things most people don't know about the human brain. Number one, just like almost every electric car in the world runs the same way, and every gas powered car runs the same way, every brain functions exactly the same. So the fear circuit in your brain works just like the fear circuit in my brain. And what triggers it is different, but how it works is the same. How your habits were developed are the same. But the habits you develop, the beliefs you develop, the self image you develop, the things that cause you stress and may not cause me stress, how they were developed are the same. So when we're looking at increasing capacity, now we're entering the domain of neuroscience and asking ourselves this. Let's say you're in Hollywood for just a moment and let's say you're sitting at a coffee shop or, you know, tea shop in Hollywood, and one of your favorite actors, male or female, you know, taps you on the shoulder and says, hey, I've been looking at you from the corner over there and you look like you would be amazing at this role that we're filming in some six months, you're about what, about 6, 6, 250, 60 pounds? Like this role would be amazing for you. If we pay you a million dollars and we coach you on this role, would you be willing to work with our coaches to learn how to add this role to who you already are and then we'll film in six months? Ryan, what would you say?
Ryan Alford
I'm in.
John Asaraf
You're in. They give you a check for $100,000. Now they give you a script. You've never seen the script. There's just a bunch of writing on the script. That your role, what would you do to become this new role?
Ryan Alford
Gotta memorize that script, baby. How would you get it?
John Asaraf
How would you do it?
Ryan Alford
Reading it over and over again.
John Asaraf
How many times?
Ryan Alford
I have a photographic memory, so I probably at least three times.
John Asaraf
So you do it three times. Would you take your mobile phone and record it so you could listen to it? Would you?
Ryan Alford
Yes, I would, Yeah. I have my AI Actually, my little recorder on my phone that trans. You know, it does all of that. And I'd give myself footnotes and all of that. So I would, you know, so every.
John Asaraf
Time you would read it, would you add emotion to it as if you are playing the role so you can practice it until it becomes permanently known to you?
Ryan Alford
Yes, in A and B, like the role that they gave me. And then, hey, this is a little spin I put on it. If you like it, great.
John Asaraf
So you would practice and what would happen during these practice sessions? You're basically firing the neurons in your brain. They're creating connections. The neurons that fire and wire in a repetitive pattern become more permanent. Otherwise known as an expansion of your capacity and capabilities. So when we talk about, you know, an entrepreneur, and here's something that I ask, you know, a lot of, A lot of people show me your daily practice of how you are expanding your mindset, self talk and emotional regulation for the level you want to play at.
Ryan Alford
It'd be a lot of quiet.
John Asaraf
It's always a lot of quiet. I coined the practicing of that inner size. Right. So just like we can strengthen our bicep or shoulders or chest or quads or legs through cardiovascular work or weight training or yoga or pilates or hiking or hockey or whatever. Whatever. We can train the different parts of our brain, the neuro muscles, I call them, to expand my identity. No, differently. We expand our identity to be able to play this role. Why not imprint? Create the beliefs you need to create in order to affect how your brain sees the world. What most people don't know, Ryan, is this. We don't see the world as it is. Our brain creates, okay? What we see based on the internal beliefs and identity and map that it already has.
Ryan Alford
Yes. You know what I call that, John?
John Asaraf
What?
Ryan Alford
What you just described is you got to believe it before you see it. And most people need to see it before they believe it, and that's why it doesn't work.
John Asaraf
That's exactly right. So here's the question. In the brain, right? What is a belief?
Ryan Alford
That's a norm, I guess.
John Asaraf
Well, unfortunately, with any beliefs, you've got four boys. Were you born. Were they born with any beliefs?
Ryan Alford
No.
John Asaraf
0. Were they born with any fear?
Ryan Alford
No.
John Asaraf
Were they born with a self image? I'm smart enough, good enough. I'm confident. I'm not.
Ryan Alford
No. It's all the world that's conditioned them.
John Asaraf
So you condition them. Your spouse, partner, condition them, their school, each other, condition them. So think about this from a pure Brain perspective. You know, we have about 85 billion brain cells like marbles. Those marbles activate and connect to other marbles. Brain cells, the connections that are reinforced become dominant patterns. The dominant patterns around our self talk become the norm. The dominant patterns around how we react or respond to stuff becomes the norm. The dominant patterns of what we expect becomes the norm. The dominant habits become the norm. And then we just reinforce patterns from the age of literally 13, 14 till we die. So most people watching or listening to this podcast are not 13 or 14. They're probably 25, 35, 45, 55, probably in that range. Now we already have our map. We already have these patterns that have been reinforced that our brain is just playing the game based on the patterns that are already ingrained and reinforced and conditioned like software. So what I've gotten fairly good at doing is helping people re fire to rewire for whatever the next levels of success is and understanding how to do that, you know, based on neuromechanics of the brain. And that's why people have a very, very hard time with hyper growth. And they usually go from, you know, X to 100,000 to 250 to 500 to a million. But how often do you see someone go from a million to 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 million? Rare, but it's possible. So if it's possible, why not possible for me? And now we have our story that we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna say now we're gonna get into the story that justifies our current set of results.
Ryan Alford
Can you talk about the intersection between visionary thinking and sort of the, the neural part here you're talking about like how, how do leaders expand what they believe is possible for their companies?
John Asaraf
You know, because, because of what you said earlier, I'm going to dive into the world of, you know, spirituality for just a moment without going off the rails too much.
Ryan Alford
That's fine.
John Asaraf
We have a brain, right? Electromagnetic switching station that, that receives and sends out energy in formation, right? So we've been given a faculty called imagination. And our imagination is part of our brain that's, that can imagine what's possible or what we would like to achieve and for anything that we want to achieve. The vision is part one of this. We want to get into what I call resonance, coherence and flow. So we want to align the vision, the idea, right, with the emotion, the energy in motion of my hundred trillion cells. Now when I have a vision for, you know, an outcome that I want to achieve for my Company And I am like, emotionally like, yeah, let's do this. And I engage my team, all right? And they buy into the vision and the mission and the why that we want to do this. When you create a vision that is strong, big, it's energetically like charging you, and you get team involved in that, you're increasing the amplitude of your energy of what you and I and everybody else is now part one. So we get that alignment right, and that is called sympathetic resonance in quantum physics. But there's also something called destructive interference. So destructive interference is, let's say, I say, Ryan, let's start this business and let's you and I build this thing and help a lot of people and let's grow and let's make a difference in the world, have impact and influence and let's make a ton of money and give a bunch of charity. And then you have another partner or somebody on your team that goes, well, that can't be done. Destructive interference when beliefs do not match vision. Destructive interference when habits do not match vision. Destructive interference when fear runs the show. Destructive interference in the world of manifestation and growth. We want to create sympathetic resonance around the vision, the goals, the why, part one. And then the strategies, the tactics, the timelines, and the tools and resources. Now we have an entire sequence, no different than what they do to put a human on the moon and bring them back home safely. All systems go. So we have to have the mindset, we have to have the emotions. And then we have to have the right strategies in the right order done at the right time. Now we have coherence, harmony and flow. Most entrepreneurs do not take the time to create the sympathetic resonance that is required, even though we know exactly how to do it.
Ryan Alford
Why?
John Asaraf
Well, first, yes, it's hard. If it was easy, everybody would do it. So let's understand. Why do some people, you know, not do it? Their story. They tell themselves a story. It's not the right time. I don't have the money, I don't have the knowledge, I don't have the skills. I don't have the team. I don't have, I don't have, I don't have have, or I don't know how, or I don't deserve it, or I'm not worthy of it. So there's a self image and story disconnect. Part one. Part two is they have beliefs that limit them, right? And we either have empowering, constructive, positive beliefs that build us up constructive, or we have disempowering, destructive beliefs that tear us down. But a belief is nothing more than a neural pattern that's been created and reinforced in, in the brain. And ask ourselves this question, what has to happen in order for me to create and reinforce an empowering belief that would allow me to achieve that goal? And then if I discover what would have to happen, then if I ask myself this question, how long does it take to create a new identity, to create a new habit, and to create these new beliefs that would actually affect positively my behavior? And here's the answer most people don't want to hear. Based on some research done at University of Toronto. 66 days to 365 days of spaced repetition. Now when you tell most people 66 days, 3 months, 100 days, they're like, nah, I want the shortcut. I go, okay, good luck. I'm giving you the science. You want to do it a little bit differently. Keep trying your way. Now, can you, can you have somebody you know take action today based on motivation? Of course you can. But the key is not about motivation today. It's about consistency of a new pattern that overrides the old habit pattern, etc. And it just takes a little bit of time. There is no way that somebody who takes the right action in the right order, at the right time consistently will not achieve their health, wealth, relationships, career, business, financial goals. There's just no way. It's impossible.
Ryan Alford
The biggest eye opener for me that I want the audience to get, you've got to get past the motivation. Motivation today isn't enough for the consistency over time.
John Asaraf
That's right.
Ryan Alford
And you know, as entrepreneurs, we don't like to wait. But if you're going to build it and make the change, like you said, like especially inside your own brain, it's, it's that repetition. It's over and over again.
John Asaraf
If people would get into their heads, if I, if I do for a hundred days what most people are not willing to do, I will live the life of my dreams. And this is why it's not the smartest, the fastest. It's the ones that are willing to delay gratification, they're willing to delay the gratify. It's not that you can't have something success immediately, right? Like listen, if I go, you know, for example, on social media right now and I do a live session and I know how to create a call to action and I have something that's a really good offer, sure I can make money today, but if I don't do it again tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day. If I don't do this podcast consistently and then market it and get, I'm not going to grow the audience and achieve the potential for it. So in instead of thinking, you know, what am I going to do today or this weekend, I like to teach people to think in 100 day blocks. What can I accomplish with extreme, you know, focus and deliberate planning over 100 days? And then can I develop myself enough to build the habit that controls 95 to 98% of what I think, feel and do every day?
Ryan Alford
Yeah. The parallels with building a brand and what you're talking about, like everybody love performance. Marketing has become all the rage. Right. Because they want to sell today. I want to sell today. I want to sell today. But you got to build the brand over time.
John Asaraf
That's right.
Ryan Alford
And like I coach brands like this is what I do. I help brands build brand over time, which is playing the long game and doing what you need to do that to build your reputation, build your foundation, all these things. But we're so hyper obsessed on the results today.
John Asaraf
If we ask of the reason, like why are we so hyper focused on the results today? It's usually because we're not achieving the results we want today. Yeah, but the results today are not because of what's happened today. The results today are because of what you didn't do a hundred days ago or 60 or 30 days ago. Whether people like it or not, we live in a world of effects. And for every effect there is a cause or more causes. And the inner game is the cause of all of your effects. So just like you wouldn't go to a mirror, you know, and scratch out your hair in a mirror hoping that it would move off of the image that you're seeing. You know, you shouldn't focus on the effects too much. Focus on the cause. Effect will take care of itself. And the cause of my behavior is everything to do with my self image, my beliefs, my habits and my emotions. Inner game stuff.
Ryan Alford
Inner game it is. I have a show on ours, you know, that's about the empowerment. But empowerment, you know, you gotta empower yourself the right habits, techniques of working with people like John Asrf. Hey John, I know you, you coach a lot of executives, other people pivoting a bit. It as we must do.
John Asaraf
Sure.
Ryan Alford
Because I want, we have the value of your input. So I'm going to leverage it.
John Asaraf
Let's do it.
Ryan Alford
You talk AI, you know, it's, it's the buzzword of business these days. And in everything there can be a lot of inner games with that too, because, you know, reframing. What, oh, what am I? You know, your identity in a lot of ways. So two parts to kind of kick you off a little bit. John, how should be people thinking about this? What are you seeing? What are the trends? Where are things headed? And then we can kind of get on the inner, the inner game of all that.
John Asaraf
It's been coming fast for two and a half years, but most people have just gotten on the bandwagon. Now, AI in general is the greatest shift in humanity's history. Since the first human walked on Earth, there's been 110 billion humans that have walked on earth. This is greater than the Renaissance era. I'm agricultural revolution, industrial revolution, computer age, Internet age, electricity and fire. This is bigger than all of them. So what does that mean? It means that we have to learn how to reinvent ourselves. There are now AI tools. There's 177 large language models and over 40,000 tools as of last week. So first and foremost, we're in a, in a sea of overwhelm and confusion. And a brain that's an overwhelm and confused confusion by the way, just means new concepts getting fused. But when new concepts are getting fused, we're in a state of stress. And when we're in a state of stress, we either fight it, we fight, we flee, run away, or we freeze. So a lot of people have gotten onto the initial bandwagon of generative AI. You know, use ChatGPT to create this word document for me, or to analyze this, or write a poem for me, or create a business plan for me, or a marketing plan for me. The next Generation is AgentIC AI is actually having agents who are doing the work for you. The challenge we have for most people is when the change is so big and requires a lot of cognitive capital. Most people don't know how to break it down into bite sized chunks to be able to say, okay, for the next 30 days I'm focusing on this, this problem, these agents, these workflows, these sequences, this testing. And then I'm going to move to the next one and the next one and the next one. So we've moved from generative AI only to agentic AI, which is ages that are do the work for you, to general AI which will actually think you just talk to it and it'll go and do it and execute it for you and analyze itself and give you the results that you want. That's where it's all going. And that's going to be you know, within next six to 12 months. So there's, there's a massive learning curve right now that requires cognitive capital. We call it brain power, thinking power. And the good news is we can all do it. The challenging news is this. The brain's number one priority is safety and security to protect what I have to stay safe. Number two, it's to avoid any pain or discomfort. Well, this change is painful and this is uncomfortable. And then number three priority of the brain is conserve glucose energy. So now I need more cognitive capabilities. I need to go through, through this change pain that what we call is to a transition from what is to what will be. And our brain considers that painful and uncomfortable. It doesn't want to do that. It requires energy to get to. The fourth priority of the brain is the benefit and the win. So I have to challenge myself to override my brain's natural propensity through this overwhelming confusion using rapidly changing time. And most people don't have the skill set or the habit to manage change effectively. And that's why they're drowning in watching some other people doing it. And then the other problem we have is there are people, you know, on social media, you know, showing these graphs of, of this AI agent connects to this AI agent and all you need to do is drag and drop and this and that. And that's just a bunch of bullshit right now that they're, they're making these promises, but they don't understand all the underlying work that actually really has to happen in order for it to work. So people are being sold a bunch of blue skies that can be done, but it's a lot more work than they're laying laying out the foundation for.
Ryan Alford
Yeah, we're building agents as well. And I can attest to that. It's, it's a lot of work. It's not plug and play and. But it's going to be plug and.
John Asaraf
Play, but right now it's not.
Ryan Alford
Yeah, yeah. I mean, what does this mean? You know, we talked a little bit pre episode. It's going to replace a lot of jobs and we are drip hundreds of hundreds. Yeah. And so when knowledge is cheap and no longer a value source, and now we're moving, like you said, into this agentic world where it's not just the knowledge is cheap, the knowledge and ability to use it. How do people make money and how do they have self identity?
John Asaraf
Yeah. So I think we have to shift how we're getting our rewards. So we shift how we're getting our rewards. A lot of us Entrepreneurs, I have this identity, like, this is my business, this is what I do. Therefore, this is the value that, that I derive from being this. And I like to suggest that the way you derive your value right now is this. Understand that in times of change. This is an Eric Hoffer quote. In times of change, he said, the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with the world that no longer exists while the learners inherit the earth. So for those of us who are willing to learn to change, to let go of what was, to get used to understand how to take advantage of what is. 95% of people will not make the shift right now. You know, the early majority is going to be slower than ever. There's the early adopters whenever there's change. And you, Ryan, are one of them, I'm one of them. But then there's the early majority. The early majority is taking way longer time right now because it's much more complex. And if you don't know how to use technology, for example, then even using, you know, Lindy make pably or Zapier is like, what, what am I supposed to do with this? Right. So it's, it's going to be, you know, for those who are willing to make the shift and be comfortable in this highly uncomfortable stage of our development, a, will make a lot more money, be able to help a lot more people, but B, somebody is still going to have to, for the time being, for the foreseeable short future, 1, 2, 3 years, manage what is happening with the AI. We don't yet have the systems of AI being able to manage themselves and have supervisor AI agents, even though we already have them. We have to have people who are managing the supervisor, managing the agents, which it's like, if you think about it, like, what the hell is he even talking about? Supervisor agents, Managing agents. Like, yeah, I'm managing little robots is what I'm managing that are going to be humanoid, you know, in the next five to 10 years. It's like, get your head around this because this is a change of biblical seismic proportions that I'm not going to fight, I'm not going to, going to learn how to ride this wave versus being crushed by it. And so the first thing from a mindset perspective is I'm going to learn how to surf this wave.
Ryan Alford
Yeah.
John Asaraf
And in order to surf this wave, the first thing you learn in surfing is the first thing you have to do. Yes. You paddle out there and you have to point your surfboard towards the beach. So everybody, where is the beach? Where is this all going, you need to know. And then you got to pick your surfboard, your tools so that you can use it for your personal Life. Whether it's ChatGPT, Llama, Ms. Troll, whichever LLM or two or three you're going to use, whichever tools you're going to use. None of us needs 50 tools. We need five to 10 tools. Like, like your tool chest for your, in your garage. You know, you don't need 150 tools. Most of us use five tools. A hammer, a wrench, couple different screwdrivers, and we're pretty good to go. You need to choose which are the tools that I need to master now so then I can master five more down the road and reduce it back down to the ridiculous. And think about, you know, how do you fix any of the problems you have in your company using AI and then how do you accelerate what you're doing doing using AI? Because it's faster, cheaper, easier and better. Even before this call, Ryan, I created this brochure for an event that I'm going to have in September and I sent it to my lead neuroscience expert. His name is Mark Waldman. He's also written books like I have. And he read, he goes, john, this is like scientifically perfect. He says, how long did it take you, you to write it? I said, 15 minutes is what, what do you mean 15 minutes? I said, yeah, it took me another 15 minutes to get the images in there. It was like 15 page brochure. His jaw just dropped. When I would pay him to write this kind of stuff, it was literally $500 an hour and he would take five to seven hours to create what I sent him that created in less than 30 minutes this past weekend.
Ryan Alford
It's powerful, man. I did the same thing. I, the show notes, like everything we do with podcasting, everything to do with growing like social media and everything else, like, if you aren't using these technologies, it's like you're just, I don't know what to tell them. But I, but I will say, you know, you know, entrepreneurs, generally speaking are, it's. People ask me all the time, okay, what are the keys to success? And I think you would agree with this one, John. Highly curious and willing. That learner thing really hit me with me because I think about like myself over the years and like, what differentiated me from my friends. And look, I mean, they have, some of them are more successful for me, not, not, not many, but some. And, but I, and I, it's not because I'm, I'm not The smartest guy in the world. I'm a learner, man. I'm a learner. I. I love learning. I'm curious as hell.
John Asaraf
Yeah.
Ryan Alford
Like, I'm just. I gotta know, you know, Like, I want to know. And I got. And I'm a practitioner. Like, I don't just, you know, there's something about those attributes, isn't it?
John Asaraf
Yeah, it's interesting. Many years ago, I was on Larry King about seven, eight times, and on one of the episodes, I actually got a chance to interview him. A video of me in with Larry King glasses and his straps. And I was interviewing him for one of our shows that he came down to San Diego for. And I said, larry, because I met him and he was just like an ordinary guy and said, like, what do you. What do you think, like, has made you so successful? I'll never forget his answer. He said, john, I'm just more curious, you know, than the average person on. On what, why, how? And I really, I'm just curious. He said, I'm just a voracious learner. And he says, and that. That has helped me become really good at what I do. And so I think that's one of the greatest skills. The other thing that it does, Ryan, is when we're curious, there's. There's something in the. The brain called the neuroplasticity switch. So remember earlier we talked about growth, mindset versus fixed mindset? And a fixed mindset is, this is the way things are. This is how I am. This is why this is. That's a closed mindset, and we're basically not open to growth when we're born. This neuroplasticity switch, the brain's ability to create new patterns, reinforced patterns, is 100% on. The reason babies are sleeping 20 hours a day, 22 hours a day, is their. Their brain is creating, you know, through the sight, the sound, the tactile, the smelling, the eating, and all this stuff, it's creating these patterns, a map of reality. By the time we're 13, this. This neuroplasticity switch turns off, and then we're reinforcing these patterns. But for those of us who remain curious, it flips on the switch again. So anytime you're reading, watching this podcast, taking notes, improving, implementing, talking about it with your friends, going to AI and say, how can I use this? And you get curious. You're activating and reinforcing this success pattern of curiosity. And if you're asking the right questions now, your brain starts to say, okay, I've Just learned this, I discovered this. I could do this, I could do that. Now how do I implement this? Now you're growing, you're back into this growth mindset. And for those of us who don't just passively listen, but we listen, we take notes, we, we make plans for what we're going to do. We learn from what we've done. How do we change it? We're deliberately and consciously evolving ourselves and that is where the prize is.
Ryan Alford
I have taken about 15 personal notes from this John and already have like action in my brain like spinning. I know our audience does. John, we could talk for hours, man. And I really appreciate your wisdom. Where can everybody learn more about what you're doing, how they might could work with you, et cetera?
John Asaraf
Sure, you can hop onto johnasseref.com and I got a lot of free stuff on there and there's audios, videos, blogs that I write on social media, my Instagram page, I'm on there every day, obviously YouTube videos. And then myneurogym.com is my company name. And then any of my, I've got a few New York Times best selling books, Having it All, the Answer and Inner Size. And then the final one is my Inner Size app. If you want to get, you know, to be a better entrepreneur, there's brain training inner sizes using the best methods. You just go to innersize.com it's like a hundred bucks for a year to get access to 600 brain training inner sizes and videos on really mastering your mindset and your emotions and your habits. Habits.
Ryan Alford
We'll have all of that in the show notes, all of those links and let me tell you, I spent some time on a few of these things and there's, you know, there's times where I go to things and I feel like because I am curious, I go down the rabbit hole sometimes. It's a lot of value you provide, John.
John Asaraf
Thank you my friend. Appreciate you.
Ryan Alford
You're doing a lot for the world. I really appreciate all that you do and for coming on the show.
John Asaraf
Thank you Ryan. Great having you. Great being on your show.
Ryan Alford
Hey guys, you know, to find us ryanisright.com hey, I'm right because I know guys like John who are providing value insights and telling you like it is because you've got to work on the inside to get what you want on the outside. We'll see you next time. Right about now.
Unknown
This has been Right about Now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast network production. Visit ryanisright.com for full audio and video versions of the show or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities. Thanks for listening.
Podcast Summary: Innercise: John Assaraf is Helping Rewire Minds for Unstoppable Success
Podcast Information
Introduction to the Episode
In this compelling episode of Right About Now with Ryan Alford, host Ryan engages in an in-depth conversation with renowned mindset coach and entrepreneur, John Assaraf. The discussion centers on the pivotal role of mindset in achieving business success, the neuroscience behind habit formation, and the profound impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the future of business and personal development.
1. The Foundation of Mindset in Business Success
Timestamp: [02:08]
Ryan Alford opens the conversation by emphasizing the importance of taking action "right now" in business and life, setting the stage for John Assaraf's expertise in mindset and coaching.
John Assaraf introduces the concept of neuromechanics, a blend of neuroscience and neuropsychology, which he uses to understand and optimize human behavior for peak performance. He asserts, "The real question is why am I not doing what I could easily find out how to do?" [03:38], highlighting the internal barriers that prevent individuals from leveraging their full potential.
2. Self-Acceptance as the First Step to Self-Mastery
Timestamp: [03:55]
John emphasizes that self-mastery begins with self-acceptance. He states, "The first part is to not judge, not blame, not shame, not feel guilty for who you are right now." [03:55]. This foundation allows individuals to embark on personal growth without being hindered by negative self-perceptions.
He further explains that understanding one's genetic predispositions and character traits is essential. "Before we start getting into I'm not good at this and I could be doing more of that... every moment is perfect." [03:55]. This mindset fosters a non-judgmental approach to self-improvement, enabling continuous growth.
3. The Inner Game of Success: Managing Stress and Building Capacity
Timestamp: [06:43]
Ryan probes deeper into the inner game of success, asking John how individuals, especially high-level executives, can balance profit and pressure through mindset mastery.
John Assaraf delves into the complexities of the inner game, referencing Carol Dweck's Growth vs. Fixed Mindset. He explains, "The stress circuit or the amount of pressure required to trip you up may be totally different than to trip me up." [06:43]. This highlights the personalized nature of stress and pressure management.
He introduces the concept of identity, defining it as "your feeling of certainty about who you are and what you deserve to have and achieve." [06:43]. John challenges listeners to expand their identity to align with their business goals, using strategies to shift beliefs and habits that support higher levels of success.
4. Neuroplasticity and Habit Formation: The Science of Consistency
Timestamp: [11:13]
The conversation shifts to the science behind habit formation and neuroplasticity. John explains that repetitive actions "fire and wire" neurons in the brain, creating lasting connections that expand one's capacity and capabilities [13:48].
He emphasizes the importance of consistency over motivation, stating, "Motivation today isn't enough for the consistency over time." [23:31]. John advocates for structured approaches, such as 100-day blocks, to build and reinforce new habits that lead to sustained success [23:56].
5. Visionary Thinking and Neuroscience: Aligning Goals with Emotion
Timestamp: [17:57]
John discusses the intersection of visionary thinking and neuroscience, introducing concepts like sympathetic resonance and destructive interference. He explains that aligning a strong, emotionally charged vision with team efforts creates a powerful energy that drives success [18:19].
Conversely, when beliefs and habits do not align with the vision, it results in destructive interference, hindering progress [18:19]. John stresses the necessity of coherence and flow in implementing strategies that support the overarching vision [21:06].
6. The Impact of AI on Business and the Inner Game
Timestamp: [27:08]
Addressing the rapidly evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI), John highlights AI as the greatest shift in humanity's history. He outlines the transition from Generative AI to Agentic AI, where AI agents perform tasks autonomously [27:32].
John warns of the overwhelm and confusion many face with AI advancements, emphasizing the need for mindset shifts to manage this change effectively. He advises breaking down AI integration into manageable chunks and mastering a select few tools to avoid cognitive overload [31:48].
He remarks, "It's impossible [to not achieve goals] ... if you don’t do this podcast consistently and then market it and get, I’m not going to grow the audience and achieve the potential for it." [23:56], drawing parallels between personal consistency and AI adoption in business strategies.
7. Embracing Curiosity and Lifelong Learning
Timestamp: [38:02]
Ryan shares his personal experience with curiosity, aligning with John's belief that curiosity is a fundamental trait of successful individuals. John recounts an interaction with Larry King, where King attributed his success to being "a voracious learner" [38:03].
John elaborates on the concept of neuroplasticity, explaining that curiosity activates the brain's ability to create new neural patterns, fostering a growth mindset. He encourages listeners to remain curious, take deliberate actions, and embrace lifelong learning to continually evolve and achieve their goals [38:12].
8. Practical Steps and Takeaways
Throughout the episode, John provides actionable insights:
Conclusion and Resources
As the episode wraps up, Ryan and John emphasize the importance of working on the inner game to achieve external success. John directs listeners to his resources for further learning:
Ryan encourages listeners to visit ryanisright.com for full audio and video versions of the show and to subscribe for more insightful episodes.
Notable Quotes
Final Thoughts
This episode provides a deep dive into the intricate relationship between mindset, neuroscience, and business success. John Assaraf's insights offer actionable strategies for individuals and entrepreneurs aiming to rewire their minds for unstoppable success. By focusing on self-acceptance, consistency, and embracing new technologies like AI, listeners can harness their inner potential to achieve remarkable outcomes.