Welcome to the second of a multi-part series where I cover brief and not-so-brief highlights from many of my favorite podcast guests!

Learn about Gretchen Rubin’s 4 Tendencies (Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, and Rebel), hear a major life lesson from my 107-year-old barber, and another one from Seth Godin, who reminds us to “turn that s*it off!” when faced with distraction. You’ll hear from Ray Sidney, Google’s fifth-ever employee, on the importance of pure motivation, why Mark Manson says “self-worth is an illusion”, and that our purpose in life is to “create a string of hope narratives.”

I share key advice from John Assaraf on how to rewire your brain for success, as well as important words from Dr. Ron Sinha, who warns us of the dangers of rumination and consumerism—the “hedonic treadmill.” You will also hear from Dr. Robert Lustig, who describes the “hacking of the American Mind” with corporate-driven instant gratification dopamine hits, Dr. Judson Brandeis on sexual health, and learn how to improve your eyesight with Jake Steiner.

Finally, William Shewfelt offers a powerful perspective on having a resilient success mindset and Jeff Kahn explains the sleep bank account.

TIMESTAMPS:

In her book, Gretchen Rubin categorizes four main categories that people fall into with their behavior patterns. They are the upholder, the questioner, the obliger, and the rebel. [00:49]

Here's what the research shows. The population, 41% of the population are obligers. 24% are questioners, 19% are upholders, and 17% are rebels. [12:55]

The world’s oldest barber, at 107, gave Brad a haircut and inspired Brad’s longevity aspirations. [13:40]

Seth Godin talked about persevering especially in athletics. [17:24]

You must motivate yourself for the right reasons. [19:50]

Mark Manson says that self-worth is an illusion, and it's actually a form of persistent low-level narcissism. You can learn to merge your thinking brain with your feeling brain. [23:11]

The brain-training expert, John Assaraf, talked about the obstacles to rewiring our brain. You need to take baby steps. [30:31]

If you are on the treadmill of the rat race of trying to achieve more and more, you are sacrificing your health and mental well-being. [33:57]

When you ruminate about the past, that generally promotes depression and ruminating about the future, generally promotes anxiety. [37:08]

Dr. Brandeis contends that 95% of erectile dysfunction problems are psychological. There is nothing wrong with the plumbing. [40:51]

Jake Steiner is an expert on vision is challenging some of the foundational premises of using corrective eyewear. [42:47]

William Shewfelt talks about having a plan, locking in that mindset and just never giving up. [44:26]

Jeff Kahn, sleep expert suggests that you treat your sleep like a bank account. When you experience a deficit for whatever reason, strive to make that up. [48:48]

In the last 40 years, government legislation and subsidies have promoted an ever- available temptation combined with constant stress, with the end result of an unprecedented epidemic of addiction, anxiety, depression, and chronic disease. [51:29]

LINKS:

B.rad Highlights #2: Personality Tendencies, Focus, Motivation, Decisions & Actions, & Rewiring The Brain