371: Eric Barker – Determining Success, The Myths of Success, & How to Create The Life You Love

Summary

Eric Barker’s humorous, practical blog, “Barking Up the Wrong Tree”, presents science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life.

Over 290,000 people subscribe to his weekly newsletter and his content is syndicated by Time Magazine, The Week, and Business Insider. He has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, and the Financial Times.

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In this episode we discuss how to define success in order to live with purpose. With the view that the advice we’ve been given about success and achieving it is logical, earnest and wrong Erik reveals the science behind actual success and how anyone can achieve it. We also talk on productivity, balance and other thought on living life that matters.

Discussion Topics

Myths of success.
How to determine your definition of success.
Gratitude practices and thoughts.
Strategies and thoughts on how to become more productive.
Why happiness matters and how to go about living a life that brings in greater happiness.
Balance in life as it matters to one’s values.
Focus on our skill strengths.

Quick round questions

Do you have any routines and rituals that you believe contribute to your success?

Routines and in particular morning routine. Determining main priority and setting my attitude for the day.

What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?

Find balance between grit and quit.

What is the meaning of success?

To keep learning and growing.

What is your number one productivity advice?

Spend a week tracking your time.

What advice would you give someone that needing/wanting to make change?

Build habits and implement those change that matter. Seek the Minimal Viable Effort MVE in order to make change.

Favourite Food

Cheeseburgers

Favourite Leisure Activity

Reading

Favourite Book

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong by Erik Barker

Favourite Quote

“The future is already here it’s just not evenly distributed.” William Gibson

Do we all have a why?

We need to make one. Science gives us the how – we need to determine the why.

What does living with passion and purpose mean?

Doing what excites me, what am I good at and how can I best spend my time so I can be happier. Happiness creates more effectiveness and that is when I can give more value to others. Passion that leads to greater purpose.