PDF Summary:The Art of Impossible, by Steven Kotler

How is it that some people can achieve seemingly impossible feats? And how can we emulate them to make our dreams more attainable? In The Art of Impossible, bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and peak performance expert Steven Kotler draws on extensive neurobiological research to demystify the path to breakthrough success. He presents a step-by-step process for developing peak performance habits that will help you achieve your most ambitious goals.

Our guide walks you through Kotler’s process. You’ll come away knowing how to:

• Align your long-term goals with your interests
• Create a clear path from where you are to where you want to go
• Amp up your motivation, focus, and productivity
• Develop resilience to sustain your momentum

We’ll also supplement Kotler’s research and methods with scientific and psychological research, as well as actionable ideas from other peak performance experts.

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• Write down 25 things that you’re interested in learning more about. Narrow down your interests so that they’re as specific as possible. For example, instead of “gardening,” write: “the specific conditions required to grow cherry tomatoes all year round.” Instead of “solar energy,” write: “the process that allows solar panels to convert energy into usable power.”

(Shortform note: If you’re struggling to come up with 25 interests, Stanford professors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans (Designing Your Life) offer a practical way to hone in on what drives you: Track what activities make you feel joyful, engaged, and energized. Then, zoom in on the details of each activity you’ve logged to identify what specifically engaged your interest. Pay particular attention to who you were with, what you were doing, where you were, and what you were interacting with (for example, people, objects, or a machine). If your current schedule doesn’t offer much in the way of variety, reflect on past experiences that stand out as positive or engaging.)

Step #2: Connect Your Interests Together

Once you’ve identified your interests, find ways to link your interests together. According to Kotler, this helps your brain form connections between different ideas, which generates more dopamine and increases your motivation.

• Look for areas where two or more of your interests share common ground or complement each other. Then link them together to create a new area of interest. For example, link “the specific conditions required to grow cherry tomatoes all year round” with “the process that allows solar panels to convert energy into usable power” to create this combined interest: “the possibility of using solar power to grow produce all year round.”

(Shortform note: If you’re having trouble linking your interests together to come up with new areas of interest, create a mind map to generate more ideas. Mind mapping employs the creative side of your brain by converting your initial ideas into a visual diagram that encourages you to make associations between disparate ideas. Every new idea you add stimulates additional ideas that trigger further associations—resulting in ideas that you wouldn’t normally consider.)

Step #3: Explore Your New Areas of Interest

Once you’ve created connections between your interests, set aside time each day to learn more about your new areas of interest. Kotler argues that absorbing new information every day feeds your brain a continual stream of information while giving it time to naturally make connections between what you already know and what you’re learning. This generates more dopamine, which further increases your motivation to learn more.

• Spend 30 minutes every day learning more about your new areas of interest. Use a variety of media. For example, to explore “the possibility of using solar power to grow produce all year round,” you might listen to a podcast about sustainable living, read an article about how solar batteries work, or take notes from a book about indoor gardening.

How Your Brain Learns New Things

Neuroscience research expands upon Kotler’s explanation of how your brain creates connections between what you already know and what you’re learning. Specifically, it explores the molecular activity that occurs inside your brain when you take in new information.

The more you learn, the more you change the physical structure of your brain by strengthening specific neural pathways. Here’s a very brief overview of neural pathways:

• The brain consists of a dense network of pathways made up f of neurons, or information messengers.

• Synapses transmit sensory information through this network of neurons.

• This sensory information gets stored in your short-term memory while your brain compares it to the memories you’ve stored in your long-term memory. This allows your brain to judge how relevant the new information is to what you already know (the processes stored in your long-term memory) and determines whether it should be kept or discarded.

Neuroscientists believe that your memory and recall rely upon the relationship that your neurons have with each other. Each time you learn something new, your brain applies conscious effort and attention to form new neural connections and pathways. The more you practice recalling specific information, the stronger the relationships between the corresponding neurons in your brain, and the more likely your brain is to store the information in your long-term memory—thus converting it into knowledge.

Step #4: Seek Out Social Reinforcement

As you work through the process of exploring your interests, share what you’re learning with other people. According to Kotler, including other people in your exploration garners positive feedback and social support. This positive attention generates a combination of dopamine and oxytocin. This makes your progress feel more meaningful and boosts your motivation to continue learning more about your topics.

• Regularly discuss what you’re discovering with other people. Talk to friends, join groups devoted to the subject, or start an online community.

(Shortform note: While social reinforcement can provide support and useful feedback, it can also reduce your motivation to pursue your interests. Psychological studies find that social reinforcement makes you feel like you’re making progress even when you’re not. This feeling of progress feels good but it’s based on a false sense of achievement that causes you to lose sight of what you need to do to move forward. For example, receiving positive feedback about your idea to use solar power to grow produce makes you feel like an expert on the topic even though you’ve only read one book. Because you already feel like an expert, you lose the incentive to expand your knowledge and actually become an expert.)

Step #5: Define Your Seemingly Impossible Goal

The more you learn about and share your interests, the easier you’ll find it to define your seemingly impossible goal—by exploring how your interests might solve a global problem.

According to Kotler, believing that you’re involved in something that has the potential to make a massive positive impact on the world shifts your attitude from “exploring something interesting” to “working toward something important.” This attitude shift transforms your exploratory work into a meaningful purpose that generates even more reward neurochemicals—resulting in decreased stress levels and increased levels of motivation, productivity, resiliency, and focus. Consequently, you find it easier to sustain long-term momentum and achieve your goal.

• Write down 15 global problems that you would love to see solved. Be as specific as possible. For example, instead of, “End world hunger,” write: “Increase access to farming skills and technologies.” Then, consider how your personal interests could potentially solve one of these global problems. For example, your interest in using solar panels to grow produce all year round might lead to a solution that involves establishing a distribution network for agricultural solar technologies.

(Shortform note: Daniel H. Pink (Drive) clarifies why connecting your goal to a global problem increases your motivation: You’re biologically wired to want to help other people. Therefore, goals that don’t contribute to the well-being of others feel less meaningful—because they don’t align with your natural inclination to help others. Further, scientific research confirms that actively contributing to the well-being of others makes you happier: When you act with the intention of helping others, you activate the same parts of your brain that are stimulated by pleasurable activities such as eating good food or having great sex. This implies that goals feel more pleasurable the more people they serve—thus, validating Kotler’s approach.)

Phase #2: Define Your Strategy

Once you’ve completed the five steps to define your seemingly impossible goal, you’ll have created enough intrinsic motivation to work on the second phase of the process: defining a strategy to achieve your goal. Defining your strategy will give you a clear idea of what you need to do to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Kotler presents three steps to help you define your strategy.

Step #1: Break Your Seemingly Impossible Goal Down Into Challenging Tasks

The first step toward creating your strategy involves breaking your seemingly impossible goal down into achievable tasks. Kotler argues that this process helps you prioritize your time and focuses your attention on what you need to do to make progress.

• Break your life mission down into large, ambitious goals. Then, break these large goals into a series of challenging but achievable daily tasks. For example, your first daily task toward achieving your goal to set up a distribution network for agricultural solar technologies might be to define what resources you’ll need to move forward. Your second task might involve creating a plan to acquire these resources, and so on.

(Shortform note: Brendon Burchard (High Performance Habits) expands on Kotler’s method with in-depth advice on breaking your goal down into productive tasks. First, write down five major steps you need to take to achieve your goal. These are big steps that require many smaller tasks to achieve. For example, if your goal is to become a published author, one of your five major steps might be to get a literary agent. Then, under each of your five major steps, write down a list of tasks you need to complete to accomplish that step. For example, to get a literary agent, your tasks might include researching agencies and crafting writing samples. Finally, create deadlines for each of these tasks and factor them into your daily schedule.)

Step #2: Set Your Schedule

The second step toward creating your strategy involves scheduling time for the tasks required to achieve your seemingly impossible goal. Kotler argues that setting aside blocks of time to accomplish your tasks and improve your skills produces the neurochemicals necessary to practice full engagement and amplify your focus and productivity.

This is because each time you complete a task, you’ll trigger a dopamine spike that will increase your motivation and concentration. In turn, this will make you want to improve your performance and tackle increasingly challenging tasks. As a result, you’ll rapidly gain momentum toward achieving your seemingly impossible goal.

• Set aside at least 90 minutes of uninterrupted time each morning to accomplish your daily tasks.

(Shortform note: Psychological research offers additional insights into how scheduling uninterrupted time increases motivation and productivity. When you only give tasks partial focus—by multitasking or giving in to distractions—you interrupt your brain from accessing and applying information stored in your mind. This slows down your progress and makes your task feel laborious—thus, slowing down your momentum. On the other hand, intense, full focus helps your brain effortlessly sift through and apply information stored in your brain, speeds up your progress, and makes your task feel enjoyable—thus, increasing your momentum.)

• Commit to this schedule even when you’re feeling stressed out or exhausted. This will train you to maintain focus during uncomfortable or difficult circumstances.

(Shortform note: Like Kotler, Brian P. Moran (The 12 Week Year) argues that you’re more likely to achieve your goals if you train yourself to work through your discomfort. Giving into excuses not to work on your goals leads to unproductive habits that slow down your momentum. On the other hand, committing to work on your goals no matter what helps you develop the necessary self-discipline and persistence required to maintain your focus over the long term.)

Step #3: Expand Your Knowledge and Capabilities

The third step toward creating your strategy involves expanding your knowledge and skill set so that you can continually exceed your capabilities and move closer to your goal. As we’ve discussed, Kotler claims that regularly learning new things encourages your brain to form connections between different ideas. This improves your problem-solving skills and your ability to come up with creative ideas. Further, the process of learning boosts levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in your system, making it easier to practice full engagement and build momentum toward your goal.

• In addition to your scheduled 90 minutes of uninterrupted time for task completion, spend 25 minutes a day learning something new or improving your skills. This could include reading about new topics, improving your areas of weakness, or practicing new skills.

Efficient Methods to Expand Your Knowledge and Skills

If you’re not sure how to use your 25 minutes to effectively expand your knowledge and skills, consider adopting the following two methods.

According to Jim Kwik (Limitless), you’re more likely to retain the information you learn and expand your knowledge if you take effective notes. He provides a three-step process to achieve this:

• Before you start a learning session (for example, reading or watching a presentation), ask yourself what you’re specifically hoping to learn from it.

• Keeping your goal for the session in mind, filter through the information you’re getting, and write down only what’s relevant to that goal.

• Once your session is complete, highlight the most valuable information and make an outline of the key points.

Angela Duckworth (Grit) argues that you’re more likely to stretch your skill set if you break each skill down into different components and focus on mastering one component at a time. She provides a four-step process to achieve this:

• Focus on a specific component of the skill you want to improve or learn. For example, if your goal is to learn how to play guitar, focus on mastering a single chord. Give that specific component your undivided attention.

• Once you think you’ve mastered that component, ask others to evaluate your progress. Pay more attention to what you did wrong than what you did right.

• Reflect on the feedback you received and continue to give that single component your undivided attention until you master it.

• Repeat the process until you’ve mastered all of the different components of your chosen skill.

Phase #3: Adopt a Positive Attitude to Sustain Your Momentum

The third and final phase of the process to achieve seemingly impossible goals involves cultivating a positive attitude. Kotler argues that staying positive promotes a continual release of reward chemicals that alleviate stress and help you develop the resilience you need to overcome obstacles and sustain your momentum. Additionally, a positive state of mind expands your perspective, making it easier for you to notice and absorb new information. This new information inspires creative ideas and solutions to help you achieve your long-term goals.

Kotler recommends six methods to cultivate a positive mindset:

Method #1: Practice Mindfulness

Spend at least five minutes each day observing your thoughts without judging them. According to Kotler, this process increases awareness of your habitual thoughts and how they make you feel. This awareness makes it easier for you to identify, interrupt, and reframe the negative or unhelpful thoughts that prevent you from maintaining a positive state of mind.

(Shortform note: Mental health practitioners confirm that practicing mindfulness increases self-awareness, encourages positive thoughts about yourself, your circumstances, and others, and improves your mental well-being. Consequently, mindfulness practices also help you manage the symptoms of many stress-related health issues such as high blood pressure or tension headaches. In Mindfulness in Plain English, Bhante Gunaratana recommends establishing a schedule to turn your mindfulness practice into a habit. Begin by setting aside 10 to 20 minutes each morning or evening to observe your thoughts, lengthening your time as you get more comfortable with the process.)

Method #2: Be Grateful

Each day, write down 10 things you’re grateful for and take the time to feel good about each item on your list. Kotler argues that taking time to feel thankful makes you feel more positive because it keeps you focused on what’s going well in your life. It also trains you to seek out positive information—a skill that helps you reframe problems and find solutions to overcome any challenges you face.

(Shortform note: Though the mood-boosting benefits of gratitude are well-known, it can be difficult to practice focusing on what’s going well, especially when things aren’t. Like Kotler, many psychologists suggest overcoming this difficulty by establishing a daily gratitude practice, such as keeping a gratitude journal. This creates a habit of thinking grateful thoughts. Some self-help practitioners also suggest using visual reminders to trigger thoughts of gratitude. For example, use a gratitude quote as your screensaver or place a picture of something you’re grateful for by your desk.)

Method #3: Connect With Friends and Family

Spend at least two hours each week developing positive relationships that you can rely on for emotional support. According to Kotler, the quality of your relationships directly impacts your mental and physical health and overall life satisfaction. Therefore, the better your relationships, the healthier and happier you feel.

(Shortform note: Shawn Achor (The Happiness Advantage) adds further insight into how the quality of your relationships impacts your health and happiness. Positive relationships provide critical physical and mental health benefits that boost your overall life satisfaction: They improve your general health and increase your life expectancy by boosting your immune, cardiovascular, and neuroendocrine systems. They also make it easier for you to overcome stress, maintain a positive state of mind, and achieve success by increasing your levels of energy, engagement, productivity, and resilience.)

Method #4: Confront Your Fears

Identify your fears and practice overcoming them. While this may sound like an uncomfortable process, engaging in behavior that’s outside of your comfort zone—and therefore feels risky—triggers dopamine spikes. This means that you’ll experience pleasure each time you attempt to overcome your fears. Kotler claims that this process will train you to move forward and remain psychologically stable even when you’re feeling uncomfortable—resulting in proactive behavior that accelerates your progress.

(Shortform note: While Jay Shetty (Think Like a Monk) also argues that overcoming fear is essential to maintaining a positive state of mind, he explains that before you can identify your fears, you must first get to the root of them. Though your fears may appear to relate to a specific subject, they often arise from a broader, unconscious fear. He suggests that you should keep asking why you’re afraid of something so that you can identify the fear at its root. For example, you’re afraid of talking to experts about your idea. Why? Because you don’t feel confident enough? Why? Because you don’t feel like you know enough? Why? Continuing with this line of questioning will provide clues about what specific actions you can take to resolve your fears.)

Method #5: Get in the Zone

Spend two to six hours each week pursuing recreational activities that fully engage you so that you can benefit from the pleasurable advantages that all six reward chemicals offer. According to Kotler, the more you practice being fully engaged when you’re not working toward your goal, the easier you’ll find it to be fully engaged when you are working toward it. For example, you feel fully engaged when you hike through the woods, complete jigsaw puzzles, and bake cakes. You spend two hours each week pursuing each of these three activities—totaling six hours of full engagement.

(Shortform note: It’s true that the more you practice being fully engaged, the easier you find it to attain this state of mind. This is because it employs six of the most addictive reward neurochemicals at once—making it an addictive mental state. However, since being fully engaged continually pushes you outside of your comfort zone, it can create serious negative consequences—especially if your full engagement activities center around activities that involve a high degree of risk, such as base jumping or cave diving. Numerous extreme-sports athletes have lost their lives in the pursuit of chasing the thrill that full engagement offers. Therefore, proceed with caution: Focus on activities that don’t hinge on mastering death-defying stunts.)

Method #6: Exercise Regularly and Sleep Well

Spend three hours exercising each week and try to get at least seven hours of sleep a night. Kotler argues that staying active and sleeping well alleviates symptoms of stress and anxiety and increases your ability to maintain a positive state of mind.

How Staying Active and Sleeping Well Promotes a Positive State of Mind

Scientific evidence confirms that good physical health promotes good mental health, thus backing up Kotler’s method. Neurobiology research shows that in addition to improving your physical health, regular exercise releases the neurochemicals GABA, serotonin, BDNF, and endocannabinoids. These chemicals help maintain a positive state of mind by stimulating cognition, regulating emotions, and enhancing self-esteem.

Regular sleep promotes healthy brain chemistry by flushing out toxins that impair the flow of information between neurons. While you’re awake, your brain and body burn sources of energy such as oxygen and glucose. This process creates metabolic waste that accumulates in your system and leads to feelings of fatigue, stress, and irritability—impeding your ability to maintain a positive state of mind. Sleep allows your body to flush this waste out of your system and restore your energy sources—thus improving your state of mind.

You’re more likely to maintain a healthy exercise and bedtime routine and improve your brain chemistry if you set realistic goals that complement your daily schedule and energy levels. For example, if you naturally rise at 6 am, start your bedtime routine at 10 pm. If you have more energy at midday, schedule this time to go for a brisk walk or a run.