Book Recommendation: The Art of Impossible by Steven Kotler
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Want to up your motivation, learning, and creativity? Steven Kotler thinks he’s got the inside scoop on peak performance—and he shares it in The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer.
Dr. Tiffany Vora recommends the book The Art of Impossible by Steven Kotler.
Kotler has spent decades studying seemingly impossible human achievement. In this book, he melds insights from peak performers (including athletes and innovators) with cutting-edge science about how our brains are structured and operate. If you’re intrigued by the latter, The Art of Impossible is a great place to start a deep dive into neuroscience; I was impressed by how accessible the explanations are in this book.
But what you really want is advice, right? How can you up your own performance? Kotler and his team at The Flow Research Collective describe internal and external triggers of flow, environmental factors, and routines that stack into a peak-performance plan that they believe works with your neurobiology.
I’m not going to lie: as a woman with a family and several demanding (but rewarding!) jobs, I’m not going to start getting up at dawn to squeeze in some surfing before I sit down at my computer. At this moment in my life, a lot of the advice in this book is, well, aspirational.
But that’s ok. I found plenty of lower-stakes insights that I can incorporate into my daily life, as well as lots of justification for continuing several of my current practices … such as the importance of silent alone time for thinking as well as the importance of knowing when to say no.
I recommend checking out The Art of Impossible because it’s an unusual combination of inspiration plus concrete to-dos. If you’re looking for some insight into why you do what you do—and how to make changes—then this book is a great place to start.
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Dr. Tiffany Vora speaks, writes, and advises on how to harness technology to build the best possible future(s). She is an expert in biotech, health, & innovation.
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