MM#142--Deeper Flourishing

Hey folks, David here. We get it that you're crunched for time. And you're running pillar to post for your family, for your friends and your work obligations. So there's no time to sit down and read anything, much less a book, we understand we get it. So that's where we here at the Mojo Academy has stepped in to help. Please check out our very affordable Academy Review membership program, where you will get two books reviewed for you in 25 to 45 minutes, you will get the top ideas from those books and audible format. And you will get very quick practical steps so you can put those theories into action. You know, most of us barely read four books a year. So just in a matter of a couple months, you will have the top ideas and solutions from the great books so you will feel that you're functioning at the top of your game. We call that flourishing. Come join us now at T Mojo academy.com.


Welcome to the theory to action podcast where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time to help you take action immediately, and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now, here's your host, David Kaiser.


Hello, I'm David and welcome back to another Mojo minute. Way back in Mojo minute 100. We celebrated that achievement by chatting about flourishing, what it is meant to flourish. Well, today let us go deeper into flourishing and one of its most important traits. And in fact, way back in Mojo minute 100 For our guide on the road to those nuggets of wisdom we used Martin Seligman ins monumental book flourish, a new visionary, a visionary, new understanding of happiness and well being. So let us turn to him again. Specifically, let us go to part two of that book, the ways to flourish and even more specifically, let us let us grab chapter six, grit, character and achievement, a new theory on intelligence. Let's go to our book for our first poll quote. 

Quote, Erickson has argued that the cornerstone of all high expertise is not give God given genius, but deliberate practice the amount of time and energy you spend in deliberate practice. Mozart was Mozart not primarily because he had a unique gift for music but because from toddlerhood, he spent all his time using his gift. World class chess players are not faster of thought nor do they have unusually good memories for moves. Rather, they have so much experience that they are vastly better at recognizing patterns and chess positions than less lesser chess players. And this comes from the sheer amount of expertise, world class piano soloist log 10,000 hours of solo practice by age 20, in contrast to 5000 hours for the next level of pianist, and in contrast 2000 hours for merely serious amateur pianist. The prototype of deliberate practice is one of Erickson's graduate students, Chow Lu, who holds the Guinness Book of World Record for the amazing number of digits of pi. He memorized. Get this digits of pi. He memorized 67,890. Wow, that advice the well rather the advice that flows is straightforward. If you want to become world class at anything, you must spend at least 60 hours a week on it for 10 years. What determines how much time and deliberate practice the child is willing to devote to achievement? Nothing less than her character and of quote. If you want to become world class at anything, you must spend 60 hours a week on it for 10 years. 

Wow, that is a nugget of wisdom. So you might remember we covered Erickson and his book on well actually, we covered Erickson in a book called Talent is Overrated. So be sure to checkout those Mojo minutes 33 and 72 If you're so feeling it, and as you know, I get super excited when these great authors cover and overlap in Their discovery of the truth and helping all of us get closer to the truth and closer to flourishing. But here's some more goodness. Let's go back to the book and Seligman continues. 

Quote, this project was Angela's first year thesis and I encouraged her to submit it for publication, which she did. I'm an old hand at publishing journal articles, but this one was the first time in my experience that I saw an acceptance by return mail from a top journal and with no request for major revisions any major revisions, Angelou concludes the article with these ringing sentences. This is from the article quote, underachievement among American youth is often blamed on inadequate teachers, boring textbooks, and large class sizes, we suggest another reason for students falling short of their intellectual potential, their failure to exercise self discipline, we believe that many of America's children have trouble making choices that require them to sacrifice short term pleasure for long term gain. And that programs that build and the programs that build self discipline may be the Royal Road, to building academic achievement, and of quote,

the royal road to academic achievement. And we know this the virtue of self discipline could be the missing link in helping all of our kids succeed in school and in life. What a great virtue to have. In fact, what a great virtue to learn and practice in even us adults. We need to listen up. So how about you? How's your good example of self discipline? Working out for you and for your kids? Are you showing a good example of self discipline to your kids? You know, that old phrase, the best teacher shows, rather than says, being a good example, is always the best way to show. So if not, let's use this as a gentle reminder. Let's get on that. Now back to our quote. Did you catch the woman's name? Angela, that was mentioned in the quote was nonetheless than our old friend Angela Duckworth, the author of grit, the power of passion and perseverance. 

Again, that was Angela Duckworth, the author of grit, the power of passion and perseverance. We covered them in Mojo numbers, 60 and 61. Actually, it turns out that Angela was a student of Martin Seligman, so that's pretty cool. And if that wasn't enough goodness for one Mojo minute, let's close with just one more quote going back to the book. Quote, if we want to maximize the achievement of children, and we need to promote self discipline, my favorite social psychologist Roy Baumeister believes it is the queen of all the virtues the strength that enables the rest of the strengths. There is, however, an extreme trait of self discipline, grit. Indeed, Angela went on to explore grittiness, the combination of very high persistence and a high passion for an objective. Though a modicum of self discipline we have seen accounts for considerable achievement. Whoa, we got another good author Roy Baumeister, I haven't explored him yet, but I love when new authors are introduced to us. A real quick Chika real quick check.

 Sorry about that real quick check of Baumeister his books offer us some pretty interesting titles. One is called willpower, rediscovering the human the greatest human strength and the self explained why and how we become who we are. Which it looks like it was just released in 2021. So that's pretty cool. Be on the lookout for one of those titles to pop up in a mojo minute theater near you. So in today's Mojo minute, let us take our lead from Martin Seligman, Angela Duckworth and Roy Baumeister and let us put theory into action by resolving to lead by example, and with some grit, and with some persistence, and with some old fashioned hard work, little elbow grease, knowing full well that those are the virtues needed for success and more importantly for living, a flourishing lifestyle.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this theory to action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at T Mojo academy.com where we have everything we discussed in this podcast as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on