Instant Gratification and the Death of Mastery: How to Refocus Your Life

Make time your secret weapon. Our success and happiness are often eroded by the 7 habits of highly impatient people. We are losing the ability to focus and glorify instant success. Thus we lose the ability to stick with anything and create meaningful work. This episode goes through the psychology and philosophy of taking a slower and deeper approach to life: Understand the causes behind our poor attention spans Create resilience in your work Grow lasting momentum instead of bursts of speed From ancient stoic philosophers to the latest neuroscience. The signs are all put together in the episode that will help you focus your life and make time work towards your success. Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Sponsors: 💼 LinkedIn Jobs - The largest professional network in the world Advertise your job for free - LinkedIn.com/growth Get in Touch 👋 Free Call - Schedule Link - https://cal.com/samwebster/mindset 📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com 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 - Growth Mindset Show: Growth Mindset, psychology of self-improvement Episode: Instant Gratification and the Death of Mastery: How to Refocus Your Life Chapters: 00:00 Slowing down as a key to success 01:45 The allure and pitfalls of instant gratification 03:56 Building momentum 06:40 Optionality diminishes focus and inertia 10:35 Michael Jordan vs. high school star 12:03 Modern dating and the problem with optionality 12:54 ADVERT 13:03 Social media fuels our addiction to speed 15:38 Marcus Aurelius on the power of slowing down 16:53 Evaluating daily choices that speed you up or slow you down 17:38 Slowing down for happiness and growth 20:04 Realizations of ADHD 20:45 Going "all in" builds momentum 21:26 Send off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Most self-help advice is guesswork dressed up as wisdom. We dig into psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science to find what actually changes lives. WHY LISTEN? Over 8 million downloads because we answer the questions that matter: How do I build mental strength? What creates lasting motivation? How can I understand my own mind well enough to work with it, not against it? This podcast is for curious skeptics who want frameworks backed by psychology studies, not Instagram quotes. Whether you're navigating procrastination, building self-discipline, or designing your own philosophy for a life well lived—we explore the hidden psychology behind real change. WHAT YOU'LL GET Mental models and simple techniques from cognitive psychology, positive psychology, and ancient wisdom traditions like Stoicism and Buddhism. Being a human can be confusing, learning about it doesn’t have to be. We cover everything from emotional intelligence and habit formation to brain health and the nervous system. WHAT YOU DON’T GET No pseudoscience. No oversimplified "hacks." No hustle porn. Just practical insights on mindset improvement, self-development, and human psychology that respect your intelligence and mental health. THE APPROACH Instead of telling you what to think, we explore how thinking works. Armed with psychology studies, social science research, and relentless curiosity, we uncover the mechanics of belief change, attitude change, and personal development. Success is personal. You might want to leverage your neurodiverse strengths, build a business, or simply discover how to be happier. We provide the mental frameworks to pursue your definition of success with mental strength and self-care that fits your life. YOUR HOST I'm Sam Webster Harris—a lifelong learner with ADHD and an obsession with finding answers to hard questions. After launching businesses, traveling the world, and nearly dying a few times, I concluded that psychology and science are where real wisdom lives. This show is my excuse to dive deep into health and fitness research, behavioral psychology, and cool science while helping you build genuine self-discipline and motivation. PREMIUM Go ad-free and access exclusive content, AMAs, and our community Discord. Growth Mindset Premium PAST SERIES Previous guests include Olympians, Scientists, Billionaires, and Sam's Mum. Past series: — Psychology vs Stoicism — Time Management for Busy Mortals — Independence and Knowing Yourself — Cognitive Biases and Rational Thinking — Psychology of Connection and Relationships — Carol Dweck and the Multiverse of Mindsets — Addiction and Behaviour Change — Nervous System Mastery and Polyvagal Theory — Mental Strength and Self-Discipline