The Matt King Show: Episode 039

Guest: Sahil Bloom | "You’re Consuming Information But That’s Why You’re Not Changing"

Date: December 16, 2025
Host: Matt King (GoBundance)

Episode Overview

This powerfully introspective episode features writer, investor, and thought leader Sahil Bloom, who dives deeply into the difference between consuming knowledge and taking meaningful action. With candor, Matt and Sahil examine what closes the gap between who we are and who we want to become, tackling subjects from the "permission myth" and the habits of high performers to the need for friction and accountability in modern life. Drawing from Sahil’s experiences writing a bestselling book, parenting, and navigating the myths of self-improvement, the discussion is both personal and practically actionable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Two Types of Priorities

• There are the priorities we claim to have, and those our actions actually reflect. Success is measured by closing the gap between the two.
  • Quote: "There are two types of priorities in life. There are the priorities we say we have, and there are the priorities our actions show we have. And oftentimes there's a big gap between those two. Your life improves alongside your ability to close that gap."
    (Sahil Bloom, 00:00)
• Self-honesty and conscious reflection on one’s real priorities are essential steps to self-improvement.

2. Information vs. Action: Closing the Gap

• Modern society’s addiction to information gathering often replaces real change; gathering info gives dopamine without progress.
• High performers act quickly on new information rather than just consuming it.
  • Quote: "Dopamine from information gathering is a dangerous drug. That is the dopamine that you get from reading the first five pages of a book. You're like, oh, I'm smart now... But you haven't done anything yet."
    (Sahil Bloom, 08:50)
• The challenge: Shrink the gap between learning and doing.

3. Micro-actions and the Myth of the Big Start

• Change starts with the smallest consistent actions—the "microhabit" approach.
• People often overvalue dramatic first steps and undervalue tiny, repeatable ones.
  • Quote: "You need to figure out what the tiniest daily action is that you can take that you can just go and do over a consistent, let's say 30 days... The big barrier that people have is they think the tiny action is inconsequential."
    (Sahil Bloom, 00:48 / 10:12)
• Doable, minimal habits cultivate discipline and compound over time.

4. The Permission Myth and Going All In

• Many people wait for external permission before pursuing big life changes.
• Actually giving yourself permission to pursue your highest ambition is key; holding back is often self-protection from failure.
  • Quote: "A lot of the times the reason we don't give 100% towards something is because we're worried about what will happen if we do give 100% and it doesn't work out... You want that little excuse in the back of your mind."
    (Sahil Bloom, 02:17)
• Picking select endeavors to go “all in” on—fully, vulnerably—is essential for extraordinary outcomes.

5. Writing a Bestselling Book: Virality, K Factor & Social Sharing

• Sahil breaks down the concept of "K factor"—how many people a reader recommends a book to—and its parallels to viral apps.
• Success is determined not just by launch, but by the residual recommendation effect.
  • Quote: "Books are no different. It's like every new reader of Atomic Habits probably recommends two people to go and buy and read Atomic Habits... I think that there are a handful of things that can improve that K factor in the actual process of writing the book."
    (Sahil Bloom, 04:12)
• Front-load your best material: people share what hits them early (first 20 pages). Emphasize sharable content like images for social media traction.
• Writing advice: Go all-in, optimize for spread, and accept you can only control so much post-launch.

6. Delayed Gratification, Friction, and Modern Convenience

• Delayed gratification is a hallmark of high achievers; the modern world is designed to minimize friction, which ultimately removes meaning.
• Teaching children delayed gratification is challenging in a frictionless, instant-gratification era.
  • Quote: "If you reduce too much friction from your life, you can optimize the life out of your life. You've sucked so much friction out that you live like that movie Wall-E."
    (Sahil Bloom, 15:41)
• Intentionally choose friction when possible (walk instead of moving walkways or escalators).
• Meaning and appreciation arise from overcoming struggle, not avoiding it.

7. Vision, Accountability, and Transformation (Especially at the New Year)

• Have a clear vision of the person you want to be—imagine life in “flow” a year from now and specify daily actions and feelings.
• Accountability partners, not public declarations, drive sustainable change.
  • Quote: "People get a dopamine hit from saying they're going to do a thing and that disincentivizes you from doing it. I am a big believer that saying it to a person... that you're going to go on this journey with in some way is a huge accelerant."
    (Sahil Bloom, 20:29)
• “Text thread of accountability”: message "done" daily to a chosen partner.

8. Consistency, Failure, and Self-Critique

• The most common pitfall in staying consistent: trying to “make up” for missed days with extra effort, leading to exhaustion and abandonment.
  • Quote: "Misses happen... All you need to do is just get back on the wagon."
    (Sahil Bloom, 29:40)
• High achievers may carry a measure of negativity, anxiety, or even delusion—traits that, though double-edged, often fuel extraordinary success.
  • Quote: "Stress and anxiety are attacks on extreme ambition. If you have extraordinary ambition, you are going to feel a lot of stress and anxiety on the journey."
    (Sahil Bloom, 31:39)

9. Drugs, Psychedelics, and the Double-Edged Sword of Healing

• The conversation explores psychedelics and founder mythologies around ayahuasca: healing trauma can sometimes “fix” the drive that propelled extreme achievement.
• Both Sahil and Matt express reluctance to disrupt their internal drivers if those aren’t causing harm externally.
  • Quote: "Your brain is so unbelievably complex... one little misfiring... and this whole thing that my whole life is built around that right now feels in flow..."
    (Sahil Bloom, 37:27)

10. Reflections on Success, Ripples, and Living Authentically

• The biggest unforeseen benefit of Sahil’s bestselling book: opening doors and catalyzing meaningful connections.
• Books (unlike tweets/newsletters) are permanent and can touch diverse lives from 18 to 80.
  • Quote: "Tweets, newsletters, social media posts, they're sort of there and then like 48 hours later, they're gone...You gift a book, it's permanent, it's there, it sits on someone's shelf..."
    (Sahil Bloom, 39:22)
• Sahil keeps grounded through the honest feedback of those closest to him, particularly his wife.

11. Looking Back from Transformation

• If speaking to his former, unhappy self, Sahil would emphasize honesty about the gap between stated and lived priorities, creating a clear vision, and catalyzing action sooner.
  • Quote: "You can't close that gap until you look yourself in the mirror, hold yourself to the fire, and acknowledge that it exists in the first place."
    (Sahil Bloom, 45:58)
• Regrets? Sahil wouldn't change the journey but wishes the struggle had impacted others (family, wife) less.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "There's no such thing as a loser who wakes up at 5am and works out." (Sahil Bloom, 12:20)
• "You can reinvent your life as many times as you need." (Sahil Bloom, 42:14)
• "The only difference between a rut and a grave is how long you choose to stay there." (Host, 29:27)
• "I'm shameless about it. I pretend like I'm looking at it [in airport bookstores] and then I put it right there." (Sahil Bloom, 48:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:18 – Priorities: Theory vs. Action
• 02:17–04:45 – Going All-In, Vulnerability, and Book Launching
• 06:45–07:40 – The "K Factor" and Viral Content for Books
• 08:50–11:58 – Dopamine from Consumption vs. Action
• 12:20–15:41 – Morning Habits, Delayed Gratification & Values
• 15:41–19:20 – Friction, Technology, & Meaning
• 20:29–23:48 – Vision, Accountability, and Transformation
• 29:40–31:00 – Consistency and Avoiding Burnout
• 31:08–38:51 – Ambition, Self-Critique, and Psychedelic Risks
• 39:22–42:48 – Impact of Authorship: Legacy and Connections
• 45:58–47:53 – Advice to Past Self: Vision and Integrity

Resources & Where to Find Sahil

• Book: The Five Types of Wealth (Amazon, airport bookstores)
• Newsletter & Socials: SahilBloom.com
• Social handles: @sahilbloom

Episode Tone

Candid, practical, motivational, self-reflective, with a blend of warmth and tough-love realism.

By the end, listeners are left not only with frameworks for change but a call to action: Shrink the gap between knowing and doing, take ownership of your narrative, and let even the smallest actions compound into new, extraordinary trajectories.