How to Build Free Will & Self-Control [Psychology of Default Behaviours]

Developing the freedom to choose how you respond to situations in life is a core part of building a growth mindset.

A fixed mindset approach leaves you at the mercy of events in life that will make you angry or sad and blame your circumstances with no control from you.

A growth mindset allows you to build the space to determine how you react in any situation and be the person you want to be rather than the person the world pushes you to be.

To achieve that we examine:

• The nature of Free Will and desire
• The role of our consciousness as an observer and actor
• Unconscious thought processes and behaviours
• How to master control of our responses in any situation
• How to observe physical and mental pain with curiosity

This episode touches on some very important concepts deep in the fabric of our experiencing self as a human being. By understanding internal processes we can better control our actions and outcomes in life.

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Books

• Upside of Irrationality - Dan Ariely
• Free Will - Sam Harris
• Conscious - Annika Harris
• The Map is Mostly Water - David Foster Wallace
• Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor Frankl

Recommended Episodes

• Thinking Fast and Slow: How to make better decisions - 12th July 2024
• Ego Blindspots: 9 Cognitive Biases to avoid - 7th May 2024
• 5 Stoic Principles for Creating Happiness Now - 5th Nov 2023
• 10 powerful Stoic Questions (for a full life) - 6th Feb 2024

Meet Sam

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Growth Mindset Psychology:

Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.

• Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset)
• Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com
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• Newsletter - Expansive Thinking

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Personal Growth and Free Will

01:59 Understanding Fixed and Growth Mindsets

02:08 The Complexity of Psychology and Mindsets

03:34 Episode plan - Diving into Consciousness and Free Will

05:12 Habits and conscious and unconscious behaviour

06:44 Case Study: The Sleepwalking Killer + The Compulsive Gambler

11:44 Understanding the Limits of Free Will

15:35 The Role of Desires and External Influences

18:24 Conscious vs Subconscious thoughts and memories

21:50 Building Free Will and Autonomy and issues with Fixed mindset

25:38 Victor Frankl's Insights on building Free Will in everyday life

28:17 Understanding Emotional Triggers

30:25 David Foster Wallace on Thinking and Free Will

33:10 The Psychology of Revenge

38:33 Pain and Free Will - How meditation helps us control our reactions

45:29 Applying Free Will in Daily Life

47:02 Conclusion and Further Reading

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