#397 - Dr Benjamin Hardy - A High Achievers&#x27; Guide To Happiness

Will Storr

his new book the status game's fucking phenomenal and he talks a lot about just how ingrained are comparisons between us

Benjamin Hardy

i launched my first book willpower doesn't work and this is like the fulfillment of my life

BJ Fogg

But when it comes to the actions on the daily basis, so like big vision, but small steps, you know, it's kind of like tiny habits or atomic habits.

Guest: Benjamin Hardy

Episode summary

Dr Benjamin Hardy is an organisational psychologist and an author. Many high achievers are unhappy because the same motivation which drives exceptional performance often also leads to feelings of insufficiency, jealousy and comparison. So how can driven people reframe their worldview to come from a place of gratitude and happiness, whilst still keeping that competitive edge? Expect to learn how comparing your performance to your potential is a recipe for disaster, why success without happiness is a pointless pursuit, Ben's best triggers for realising when you've fallen into The Gap, how to protect yourself against complacency when feeling happy with your performance and much more...

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Will Storr

The host mentions 'The Status Game' to highlight the importance of understanding our social comparisons and how they…

Benjamin Hardy

The host discusses the importance of measuring personal progress rather than comparing oneself to others, referencing…

BJ Fogg

The host discusses the importance of breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable actions, referencing the con…

Who Not How

Benjamin Hardy

The host mentions 'Who Not How' to emphasize the importance of shifting focus from problems to progress. This book pr…

Essentialism

Greg McKeown

The host references 'Essentialism' to emphasize the importance of focusing on what truly matters for personal happine…

Be Your Future Self Now

Ben Hardy

The host discusses the importance of being true to oneself and how external measures of success can be misleading. Th…

Gap in the Game

Ben Hardy

The host discusses the concept of success and personal fulfillment, referencing 'Gap in the Game' to emphasize the im…

10x is Easier Than 2x

Dan Sullivan

The host mentions '10x is Easier Than 2x' to emphasize the importance of aligning one's goals with personal values ra…

happiness and success(1)measuring personal progress(1)measuring success(1)measuring success and fulfillment(1)personal growth strategies(1)personal success and fulfillment(1)small daily actions(1)status and self-actualization(1)

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Summary, books mentioned, transcript quotes, and timestamps for #397 - Dr Benjamin Hardy - A High Achievers' Guide To Happiness on Modern Wisdom.

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The conversation centers on happiness and success.
A second recurring theme is measuring personal progress.
Referenced books include The Status Game by Will Storr and Willpower Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy.
The strongest audience signal points to high achievers seeking personal fulfillment and Individuals seeking personal development and motivation.

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Which books are mentioned in #397 - Dr Benjamin Hardy - A High Achievers' Guide To Happiness?

The Status Game by Will Storr, Willpower Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy, and Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg are the clearest linked books in this episode, each tied back to transcript timestamps and quote cards.

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Deep Dive(7)Highly Recommended(1)

Audience signals

high achievers seeking personal fulfillmentIndividuals seeking personal development and motivationIndividuals seeking personal development and goal achievement strategiesIndividuals seeking personal development and goal achievementHigh achievers seeking fulfillmentIndividuals seeking personal growth and alignment with their true values

Books Mentioned

The full list below is ranked by how useful each mention is to a listener: stronger recommendation language, clearer quote context, and better timestamp support rise first.

Will Storr

Best for high achievers seeking personal fulfillmentOften cited around status and self-actualization

“The podcast mentions Will Storr's new book 'The Status Game', which discusses the ingrained comparisons between individuals and the dominance hierarchy.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: status and self-actualization

For: high achievers seeking personal fulfillment

Key quote: “his new book the status game's fucking phenomenal and he talks a lot about just how ingrained are comparisons between us”

The host mentions 'The Status Game' to highlight the importance of understanding our social comparisons and how they affect our happiness and success. The book is presented as a resource for high achievers to learn how to value their own progress rather than relying on external validation.

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Benjamin Hardy

Best for Individuals seeking personal development and motivationOften cited around measuring personal progress

“Benjamin Hardy discusses his first book, 'Willpower Doesn't Work', and reflects on the fulfillment of writing it and the feelings of failure when it didn't hit the New York Times bestseller list.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: measuring personal progress

For: Individuals seeking personal development and motivation

Key quote: “i launched my first book willpower doesn't work and this is like the fulfillment of my life”

The host discusses the importance of measuring personal progress rather than comparing oneself to others, referencing the book 'Willpower Doesn't Work' as a pivotal moment in their journey. They emphasize how this mindset shift has allowed them to find intrinsic motivation and avoid the pitfalls of external validation.

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

BJ Fogg

Best for Individuals seeking personal development and goal achievement strategiesOften cited around small daily actions

“The excerpt mentions breaking down some tiny habit recipes from BJ Fogg in the book about practicing, emphasizing the importance of measuring oneself backwards.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: small daily actions

For: Individuals seeking personal development and goal achievement strategies

Key quote: “But when it comes to the actions on the daily basis, so like big vision, but small steps, you know, it's kind of like tiny habits or atomic habits.”

The host discusses the importance of breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable actions, referencing the concept of 'tiny habits' to illustrate this point. They emphasize that while big visions are motivating, daily commitments should be achievable to maintain momentum and progress.

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Who Not How

Benjamin Hardy

Best for Individuals seeking personal development and goal achievementOften cited around personal growth strategies

“The speaker reflects on their past beliefs and mentions applying mental models like 'Who Not How', indicating a shift in their perspective and approach.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: personal growth strategies

For: Individuals seeking personal development and goal achievement

Key quote: “I didn't apply, apply a month mental models like who not how, you know, I was making, 10 X or less, you know, 10 X less money than I am now.”

The host mentions 'Who Not How' to emphasize the importance of shifting focus from problems to progress. This book provides insights on how to approach personal goals by leveraging the right people and resources rather than getting stuck in negative thought patterns.

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Essentialism

Greg McKeown

Best for High achievers seeking fulfillmentOften cited around happiness and success

“The conversation references Greg McKeown's book 'Essentialism', discussing the importance of defining what matters to you in order to achieve success.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: happiness and success

For: High achievers seeking fulfillment

Key quote: “What is the point of achieving all of this success that you're chasing after if you're miserable along the way?”

The host references 'Essentialism' to emphasize the importance of focusing on what truly matters for personal happiness rather than merely chasing status. They argue that true growth comes from seeking fulfillment in the journey rather than just the end goals.

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Be Your Future Self Now

Ben Hardy

Best for Individuals seeking personal growth and alignment with their true valuesOften cited around personal success and fulfillment

“Ben Hardy talks about his upcoming book 'Be Your Future Self Now' which is set to be released in May next year.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: personal success and fulfillment

For: Individuals seeking personal growth and alignment with their true values

Key quote: “It doesn't matter all of the things I do, if what I really want is something else.”

The host discusses the importance of being true to oneself and how external measures of success can be misleading. They mention Ben Hardy's book 'Be Your Future Self Now' as a resource for those looking to align their ambitions with their true values.

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Gap in the Game

Ben Hardy

Best for Individuals seeking personal growth and understanding of true successOften cited around measuring success

“Ben Hardy mentions his book 'Gap in the Game' and discusses its importance in relation to measuring success.”

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Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: measuring success

For: Individuals seeking personal growth and understanding of true success

Key quote: “It doesn't matter all of the things I do, if what I really want is something else.”

The host discusses the concept of success and personal fulfillment, referencing 'Gap in the Game' to emphasize the importance of aligning one's achievements with true desires. They argue that external measures of success are meaningless if they do not reflect an individual's genuine aspirations.

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10x is Easier Than 2x

Dan Sullivan

Best for Individuals seeking personal growth and alignment with their true valuesOften cited around measuring success and fulfillment

“Ben Hardy mentions the next book in the series by Dan Sullivan titled '10x is Easier Than 2x'.”

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: measuring success and fulfillment

For: Individuals seeking personal growth and alignment with their true values

Key quote: “Why help someone 10x their income or their podcast or whatever, if they're going to just measure in the gap?”

The host mentions '10x is Easier Than 2x' to emphasize the importance of aligning one's goals with personal values rather than societal measures of success. They argue that achieving greater success is meaningless if one is not true to themselves and remains in a mindset of comparison and inadequacy.

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The Status Game

Modern Wisdom · 14:44

his new book the status game's fucking phenomenal and he talks a lot about just how ingrained are comparisons between us

Willpower Doesn't Work

Modern Wisdom · 5:56

i launched my first book willpower doesn't work and this is like the fulfillment of my life

Tiny Habits

Modern Wisdom · 39:31

But when it comes to the actions on the daily basis, so like big vision, but small steps, you know, it's kind of like tiny habits or atomic habits.

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Mentioned at 14:44

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Will Storr

The host mentions 'The Status Game' to highlight the importance of understanding our social comparisons and how they affect our happiness and succe…

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Mentioned at 5:56

Check price Jump to mention

Benjamin Hardy

The host discusses the importance of measuring personal progress rather than comparing oneself to others, referencing the book 'Willpower Doesn't W…

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Mentioned at 39:31