69: Steven Kotler - How to Achieve a State of Flow and Improve Your Creativity

"Fear is your friend. Your greatest joy, success and happiness are on the other side of the things that scare you most."  In this compelling episode, Steven Kotler, best-selling author of Stealing Fire, as well as one of the world's leading experts on high performance, shares the secret habit that all individuals who achieve 'the impossible' have in common. He talks about the neurological reactions behind the 'flow state', and its effects on performance as well as the future of humanity and the importance of empathy to save the planet.  Some Questions I Ask: What was your path to become a writer? Did you always want to do it? Is creativity a gift you're born with or can it be taught? What exactly is flow? Why is it important for performance? Are there any specific routines that you have to be more productive? Was there a time where you felt like giving up? What kept you going during that dark period of time? As you look at the world today, what scares you, what concerns you and what excites you most?  In This Episode You Will Learn:  One key habit that will help your creativity. 3 crucial things that happen in your brain during flow and how it impacts your performance. 4 important keys that trigger flow.  How to move through the need for external validation. The importance of empathy for the future of humanity. One key habit people who have accomplished the impossible have in common.