16 Wise Truths To Improve Your Life - George Mack

[@ChrisWillx]

One of my favourite episodes this year - enjoy! Here's the timestamps: 00:00 Is Optimism a Scam? 07:42 How to Reframe Cynicism 15:02 Why is it Important to Have High-Agency? 24:55 How to Spot High-Agency People 35:17 Productivity Vs Creativity 45:30 How Rick & Morty Taught George to Live a Great Life 55:31 Why You Shouldn’t Brag 59:00 The Lack of Authenticity on Instagram 1:02:00 The Key to Not Caring What People Think of You 1:06:32 Society is Ruled More by Chance than Conspiracy 1:09:31 Principles for Thinking More Long-Term 1:18:05 How to Know if You’re Early or Late to a Trend 1:23:49 What is Neglected by the Media but will be Talked about by Historians? 1:39:44 KZbin is the New TV 1:48:09 Learning from the Aviation Industry 1:52:28 Why Humans Listen to Music Repeatedly 1:56:12 The Milestone of 25-Years-Old 1:58:59 Where to Find George

[@scottpalmer1023]

I think my favorite was 55:17-55:26 lol

[@yeetdeets]

Chris, a few of the recent pods have had top level production quality. This episode the audio master is a bit off. I think it's the mids being too low or highs being too high on your mic. Not my area of expertise, but I can hear something is a bit off. Hope you keep up the improvement trend. The construction site episodes were some of the highest production standard I've seen/heard in podcasting. Truly impressive, kudos. Would love to see more collabs with the Aporia podcast cluster of hosts and guests. I also think you can tap the Simone and Malcolm collins well some more - a lot of interesting ideas there.

[@tylerhill40]

Must've been fun bouncing ideas off an intellectual equal :)

[@MRSketch09]

Thank you. I came here from the clip... "talking about most people die at 25 and get buried at 75" b/c that was such an intriguing concept.. and it pissed me off I couldn't save that "short" to my "great podcast" section on YT, so I REALLY appreciate the time stamps.

[@davisduncan5600]

I’ve been “leveling up my character” all day now. Chemistry homework just got fun. This podcast never ceases to amaze and impress. You’re doing to me what JP did to you

[@ChrisWillx]

WAGMI

[@funygameur]

​@@ChrisWillxWhat does that mean ?

[@Michaelnjuguna1]

@@funygameur We're all gonna make it

[@funygameur]

​@@Michaelnjuguna1Touching! For real it warms my heart!

[@rdherps4247]

truly, there’s nothing better than a podcast that makes you think of examples from your own life and apply the principles told in the pod. Amazing conversations like this make you rethink how you approach even your daily life.

[@Akovdan]

When i first listened to Chris i thought he was too automated. Two years later, im looking for a new podcast from him every other day wanting for more. You're doing absolutely amazing and i love the array of topics you cover. Thank you for everything my brother

[@ChrisWillx]

Thanks for sticking around!

[@JulieSwenson_MortgageBroker]

I have to listen to this again with my journal! One of my favorite thought provoking podcasts ever! As I approach my 9 months of sobriety, I’m finding myself nerdiing out over stuff like this. Super appreciate the content and discussion between you both!

[@dawnfmEnthusiast]

congratulations on your progress💯 great idea with the journaling 💯

[@TeddyKGB-u6v]

Calm down bro

[@fabiosuccess2895]

If this helps someone so be it. Personally I have found that a healthy balance of optimism and realism is key. Overly pessimistic leads you down a path of self-destructive behavior (depression, addiction, anxious, afraid, etc); a path of overly optimistic leads you down a path disappointment (having high expectations of results then having a drop lower than baseline, can be manipulated easily, etc.). Realistic optmism: Yes, you have goals and you work on achieving them, you also find joy in the small day-to-day; understanding stillness (not anxiously trying to be "in the moment" but just being); sometimes you have a shitty day and that's OK you allow yourself to feel "negative emotions" (fear, sadness, anger, frustration, etc.) AND allow them to pass by; rather than running away from those feeling running towards them, feeling them and allowing you to come back to baseline. Essentially being able to see a problem (large or small), focusing on finding and executing on solutions and having an internal locust of control.

[@starbucksvillas5151]

Hello Chris Williamson and George Mack, The reality is we have authentic voices inside of us. They know the truth of our abilities and there is a difference between delusion's and the authentic evaluation. Churchill and Arnold followed an authentic voice that lead them to each step of the way. Churchill prediction was more an understanding of economics and history than mystical. I'm in monk-mode. Alone in the Woods. Thanks for the steady content. I wish i could comment more but I listen before work. On downloads I do at work. It's good. I got a cabin, waterfall view. A shitty car to get me there and back. A generator. A single room with all the fixings. Slant board. Free weights to 35lbs. A bench. A huge piece of steal that's a bar. Machete work outs and I'm a mason. I just took a job close to camp. It's good. thanks for motivation

[@tannerrasco5436]

I have never heard of George Mack, however this was better than all the other episodes I have seen with someone I knew about.

[@BilboniousBagODonuts]

Found this podcast 2 days ago because of the CBum interview, this is like the 10th one I've listened to and I feel like I've learned a shitload. Now I just need to retain some of it. Phenomal work mate 👌

[@RaffiDiranBassclef]

what's a nice bilbo like you doing in a comments section like this?

[@ChrisWillx]

We're gonna try and create a tool that helps people to retain this stuff. Hold on tight

[@c2thap950]

The conversation I needed to hear today.

[@myactivecommunity5510]

I'm currently growing a personal training business, and it's so enjoyable. Having this content to reassure me that it's going to take a while before I see some big success. It's been 2 years, and I'm loving what I do, but most days, there's a little voice in my head that tells me it's HARD, and I should QUIT. There's also a voice that's getting gradually louder telling me that this is what it's meant to feel like and to keep going ! "This is hard, hard feels shitty and this is why most people quit." Love it

[@christineshah7330]

My "screen time" is while I am working. I own a pest control business and spend a ton of time walking around alone. Interesting conversations on podcasts are a boon for me.

[@prestoncreed8736]

Thank you for this. Absolutely fantastic The diversity of guests & topics and the flow of your interviews is having me go down the rabbit hole of your channel. Challenging & stimulating on a rare level. Shared this conversation with 5 people already

[@sjm8510]

The carry suitcase made you strong and helped you defocus from your main task, giving you a moment of refreshing. Maybe the wheeled suitcase was the beginning of the end.

[@ManZle]

dude, life-changing indeed! I took a lot of things away especially in the first half of your conversation. High-agency, the golden question, thinking and anxiety cost, opposing metrics, peace of mind dashboard, spinning wheel app...I could go on and on 🙂 Keep it up, please! Btw I love how people can see you thinking while trying to find the right words. Something I first noticed in Jordan Peterson which is such a powerful skill. I'm trying to get better with that too.

[@d_bribe]

I love the conversation and the ideas. Another one I thought of that fits well in this is: We can only see what we have a story of. There are many invisible processes in existing systems of our world that are the cause for our current state and trajectory. But we don’t have an attribute to measure to identify them by it, nor do we have a name or idea about them. Nowadays we explain the world by using data and history. And this is a bias, because some of the processes might have a pattern of predictible systems that are yet too complex to boil down.

[@laurynfroman2794]

The teachings on this channel are always top notch so informative and easy to understand, it's very hard to find good content online these days. Be happy with the productive decisions about your finances mine changed my life forever. I have been in the financial system for over a decade now, I have never seen anyone as talented as Pellpt Stephanie , I must confess that he is the only one I trust my investments with.

[@shelleygower9843]

It guys like yourselves that have restored my faith in the future .... im a 52yr old married white woman and I lost 'it' for a while there!🙂

[@whirloffire]

1:41:45 I drive around all day listening to KZbin I'm literally working while I'm listening to you that's where the squeeze is coming from

[@whirloffire]

Going back to event nodes, 1:54:12 going back to major events that happened that affected the world and then listening to the podcast allows you to understand how well a podcaster can conceptualize events going forward

[@OriBengal]

This one was superb. I had to rewind a few dozen times to make sure I didn't miss a word.

[@marckayumba4174]

Chris dude you are one of the fucking goats. This podcast actually embodies the name Modern Wisdom. As hard as it can be to not formulate fixed opinions on things. Your ability to detach from agendas/your personal views and probe your guests in the quest to find clarity in the attempt to get to the truth is different level. As Naval says "The more intelligent you become, the quieter you become." Really resonated with the bragging. Enjoyed this one for real.

[@Daniel-Bones]

Pre 1960s: Try pulling your wheeled suitcase down cobble stone, brick, gravel or dirt. Before small plastic wheels were readily available.

[@markstone2153]

True, but people were still lugging suitcases without wheels around till the late 80s

[@Daniel-Bones]

@@markstone2153 The guest made it seem like wheeled suitcases should have been an obvious solution to a problem (in hindsight) but no one thought of it before 1970s. I think I was trying to make a point about how it probably wasn't invented because cheap plastic wheels weren't easily mass-produced back then. And I imagine the infrastructure of many airports, train stations, and sidewalks weren't suitable for rolling small-wheeled luggage around. Do you suppose the folks still lugging luggage around into the late 80s were just using their old luggage? Or that New Wheeled-Luggage was expensive? I'm still behind on most trendy inventions. I still have an iphone xs and drive a 2003 car without a backup camera.😆 My original comment was kind of of dumb because this interview was really fantastic and there were hundreds of great nuggets to chew on. I don't know why I even took the time to dwell on his luggage analogy.

[@erikpaterson1404]

It's refreshing to a couple of decent English lads talking sense. Thank you. I loved this topic.

[@totorishop]

Would love to hear and see more of George Mack ❤.

[@carrotsandrunning]

Happiness is the surpassing of expectations. The difference between optimists and pessimists is that optimists gain their happiness from the belief those future expectations will be surpassed, and pessimists gain their happiness when they were surpassed. Imho though it's better to plan for things to go poorly, because then they actually do go well more often. I'm much happier as a pessimist and my life has gone a lot better overall once i embraced that. Nothing ensures failure quicker than a room full of optimists. Optimism is great for visionaries, not so much for execution.

[@imanisteele1920]

I always think of humans' ability to cooperate on a grand scale when driving. In California, people drive erratically like anywhere, of course. Still, there are so often those days when everyone complies; everyone seems to follow the laws of the road, and has proper manners and patience with one another impeccably. It makes me think of the choreographed dances from watching Fantasia as a child. I love it!

[@stacyjamesnear]

I would like to know how Chris understands meditation. I don't know if meditation is strictly changing the mind with the mind. The way I was trained to practice meditation is to synchronize body breath and mind. It always begins with the body posture and bringing the mind to the body sensations, then resting the mind with the breath and the physical sensation of the breath in the body. And when the mind wanders from the breath, returning to that physical sensation. And if the mind is too busy returning to the whole body. After some time body breath and mind are synchronized (though not always) into a state of calm mindful awareness. Perhaps there's a point when the body falls away and one moves into a state of pure mental absorption, but that's different, that's a meditative state rather than a practice of meditation. In relation to this conversation the software uses the hardware as an anchor to work with the software intentionally. For instance once I sat to practice and found I was highly agitated, my mind was very negative. I did the practice of bringing attention to the body, resting the attention with the breath, still the agitation persisted. Then after some time I went through a traditional Buddhist practice to cultivate equanimity. Which uses the mind and words. However the phrases used are linked to the phases of inhalation and exhalation. At the end of the practice the agitation was gone, the negativity was gone, and I had a sense of peace that endured for hours. I think the synchronization of the software with the hardware was key to producing the peace, the change in experience of my software But then again meditation means different things to different people so without a definition from Chris I don't know what meditation means to him.

[@JeremySayers38]

25:45 What people behave differently when the boss is in the office!!! What what what!!! Wow what insight!!!.

[@emotionalignition]

Just dropping in to say, thanks. It's so great that we get to listen in on these conversations and take on board so much useful and actionable advice. Cheers

[@PascalF001]

This episode is underrated!

[@oh-dizzy8791]

Chris! Congratz on 1M+ subs! 🔥I have been following you for quite some time now and I appreciate this conversation not only because brilliant minds come together and explicate more on modern life, but also to see men in my generation wielding so much wisdom! Whoah!!! Older generation's insights and platforms are incredibly useful and powerful of course. But to see you guys galvanize compelling and wholesome ideas is meaningful and inspiring! I hope more young men follow and emulate your great examples. Thank you Chris!🌻 More power Chris and George! 🌻🌻🌻

[@basedmathh]

Thank you for the points on optimism people have forgotten to go after good enough rather than ridiculous and unattainable. Pessimism is actually a bias in and of itself, grounded in innumeracy and heuristics often (heuristics often can be a selfish manifestation).

[@catherinehume9193]

Hello fellow Teessider! Great to hear this podcast. It has given me things to think about. Just a wonderful conversation from two northern boys. Thank you.

[@BEMi_James]

Request for content: I’m a huge fan of this podcast, but while listening I found myself reflecting on some cherished friends and family who could be characterized by some of the terms and descriptions mentioned (eg, the clues about who is high agency or not), and this was vaguely uncomfortable. The recent Guardians movie had a funny line, “you only care about intelligence and competence, but he [drax] makes us laugh, and he loves us …”. I have some friends and family that could never articulate deeper thoughts or nuances, but at the same time they are profoundly good people, silently just doing instead of talking. And the other reality I’ve experienced is the capability to articulate deep thoughts and nuance doesn’t necessarily translate to action. I’ve contracted with a woman over the past 5 years to help develop her teams, and our conversations about development are amazing. She’s well read, smart, and accomplished. But this year she opted to join as a participant in the development herself, and it’s clear that her deep intellect and awareness evaporates when interacting with people who are still developing but struggling. She is actually a contributing factor to why her teams need development in the first place. So I’m really keen to hear a discussion about profoundly good, moral, dependable people who might come off as lacking if you asked them to articulate their beliefs. How to raise awareness of their existence, and learn potentially important life lessons (somehow) from those who don’t say profound things. Regardless, love the channel 🤩

[@WTHPOPL]

Wow just like the one 4 years ago.... GREAT WORK!

[@RippinLyons]

Only half way through and really enjoying this podcast so far.

[@AnnaLam-y8w]

The legendary people who made positive declarations and manifested them DID SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY! Arnie talks about it. Don't you wan to dig deeper into that rather than just dismissing it out of hand?

[@Dom.-.]

20:00 great book called ‘the escape artist’ which highlights the story in more detail

[@funygameur]

This was oosted the day of my birthday, and it's incredible gift !

[@aisamsonreal]

What was the spin wheel app for idea prompts? I can't find it

[@winickp]

What a fantastic podcast. Thank you Chris and George.

[@thefatlosscode365]

What a brilliant podcast. I’ve now got a phone for every App. I’m typing this on phone no 13 😂. All joking apart, I loved this. Thank you Chris and George

[@unanielson8837]

The Secret is not about manifesting from your chair wishes you have, it's about immersing yourself in goals you want to achieve, surrounding yourself with everything that moves you in that direction and working to get there. This never happens over night. And this is what I think manifestation is about. You become what you think about.

[@wakjob961]

Rick & Morty Season 2 Episode 2 is my all time favorite. Krombopulous Michael is a legend.

[@simplylive2466]

Regarding aviation, I agree it is remarkable it's as safe as it is. But if you are going to compare fairly with car travel, surely you would need to compare RATE of death per human flying hour vs driving/in car hours? There are only a privelged few who fly, let alone fly regularly vs billions of hours weekly of driving or being in an car. With regards to the other topics all very interesting perspectives. I hope both Chris and George watch this again when they are 50yrs old and see if they feel the perspectives were valid even in this moment, or whether it is seen this way through lack of lived lifetime experience of alternatives. Both incredibly intelligent, articulate and interesting men, thankyou

[@_xBrokenxDreamsx_]

we can travel across the ocean in a day.. there's good reason to be optimistic about the future as long as we stick to reason and science to solve our problems and not faith and superstition.

[@alphadarling]

Great talk. I’m almost done listening for the second time. ❤

[@HendoHendo-ft6sr]

This is one of my favourite episodes of the show

[@MrTurkgod]

Dude what a conversation! Not even halfway through 🙏 Legends!

[@suzannadwyer3706]

Love the line die at 25 but not get buried until they are 75. Yep.

[@ickster23]

The error is assuming people think. Most people just react emotionally.

[@alessioesposito2377]

Best guest you've ever had. Easy

[@Coachrupertwilson]

This guy is amazing. I am gonna be wheels on suitcases for days❤. Hardware over software too🎉

[@brianjones9780]

I'm happy to hear the two-phone idea is so beneficial. I've been considering the idea myself for about a month though I'm not in the position to buy another phone line at the moment. It just makes a lot of sense to me to separate out the device so you have a "splurge" device and a "function" device

[@PlayshotKalo]

If you’re on iPhone, you could create different focus profiles and allow different notifications and apps on each profile. I have a separate focus profile for sleep, workout, work and leisure and they all show different apps on my home screen and allow different notifications from select people and apps. I don’t know if there’s anything similar on Android but I imagine they would have their own version as well

[@sandymojo4126]

Better than tv .. thanks 😊

[@RebeccaCoultish]

This was super compelling. Thank you both!

[@BernardS4]

thought on optimism , 'There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind. quote of C S Lewis

[@erikacruz4296]

We definately can't pigeon-hole people into previous stereo-typical roles these days💯👍

[@paulaht]

Very enjoyable and stimulating, what a great product! Obviously others agree, congrats on the (wry grin & shake of the head) One million subs (repeat wry grin & shake of the head) Very special!

[@funygameur]

47:10 *Depersonalizing* _See your life at third person not first._ JP: treat yourself like youre someby responsible for helping Rogan : treat your life like your the hero of your story. 53:00-56:00 *Thinking about doing versus doing* _Not waisting time and changing the narrative from : I'm worthless I haven't done it and just, I've fucking done it it's OK now, move on._ 01:09:31 *Méditation : Mind blowing scenario to meditate about ; tool on : how to change the narrative of your life by meditating, very practical.* 01:42:27 *The Cocaine Phone& The Kale Phone*

[@benwright233]

Such a great thought provoking podcast

[@funygameur]

10:19 *The Cynisism safety blanket* _Comfort of fatalism framed as cynisism to not have to face realism_ 35:17 *Productivity VS Creativity*

[@mattk.9377]

Literally read that story about Rockefeller in Ego is the Enemy five minute before watching this video. The universe is trying to tell me something.

[@lillianmallinson2296]

Many conversations around optimism misses the adjacent "older brother" of optimism - hope. High hope people have high agency/strong internal locus of control and also are realistic about the current state so they can start making tangible steps towards their future goals. The late Dr. C.R. Snyder, a pioneer researcher in the science of hope, model of hope is "hope is willpower (agency) + waypower (pathway) to work towards a goal". Hope is a higher predictor of success than optimism.

[@robertkennedy5753]

Fantastic podcast! Classic CW!

[@oneworldonehome]

If you're interested in a life-changing book about wisdom, incredibly deep wisdom, I recommend reading - Wisdom from the Greater Community, Volume I & II by MV Summers. You won't find that kind of stuff anywhere else. And the best part, the author made it available online for free, imagine that!

[@johnchapman5125]

Thanks!

[@PumperPanda95]

That sounds like a lot of bullshit tbh

[@jordanmcdermott6596]

Team Chris, please clip the Rudolf Vrba story for the world. I need to share it with my friends. Awe.

[@mrblackdx]

My argument for Cynicism (and it's not a argument for complete Cynicism, you need a healthy balance of every disposition). In the UK we've had bad ideas try to integrate into our culture. The UK is now known as TERF island. This could not happen in a place like America. If Optimism or the belief that if you can try, you should, bad ideas can spread quicker. In a more cynical society, bad ideas struggle to disperse within the larger populace because we are fearful of taking on new ideas. I see Naivety as the bad side of the Optimism coin, and Cynicism as the bad side of the Skepticism coin.

[@steffighter144]

What I think about is that I am scared to share my thoughts and society is becoming less free and difference of opinions is not accepted anymore.

[@noahrowe9908]

Gold whoop goes hard

[@ChrisWillx]

This is ROSE gold baby

[@baustin11111]

I watch youtube about 40-50 hours per week, I watch youtube at work almost exclusively. I would have been listening to music or podcasts, now I'm watching podcasts and other videos. I kind of did find new time.

[@cng2009]

This was really fascinating and stimulating!

[@asdfasdf154]

The optimism discussion in the beginning is basically taken from Scott Adams on how to fail at everything nd still win big

[@sindreandersen9114]

Very good episode

[@steverossiter_]

hell of an episode guys!

[@djcontech]

Just the episode I needed to give myself a kick!!

[@ElvinMunoz]

GOLD!

[@jonbaker2102]

I watched a PhD talk his shop- then I watched you guys- your show much more interesting.

[@scrubfive9239]

Fucking Fantastic Conversation! I'm going to re-listen to this. So much gold in here! 🏅

[@PPYTAO]

Great chat, thanks for sharing. And thanks for speaking like Ali G on neutropics 🎉

[@stewartraesidem4473]

I totally respect a guest who drinks beer while talking about ideas.

[@abdullahnaim10]

Wow an amazing episode!!!!

[@daveSoupy]

Wait Chris are you into Saosin or Circa Survive??? If not you'll love them!

[@StefaniAndino-e8k]

I'm at 14:25sih... I just came across this video, I had never listened to Chris before-- but not the other gentleman. I have 100% disagree with his opinion on manifestation. Manifestation has literally changed my life. I have never seen "Secret" but have listened to Bob Procter and Joe Dispenza who believe in manifestation and talk about it and I have to say by experience. It is definitely real.

[@legs_11.82]

if it takes you 4 weeks to find out your mums ill, you're the problem, not the lack of a smartphone. I see my mother twice a week, she knows not to call me in an emergency because i probably dont have my phone on me and if i do it stays on silent.

[@RMoore713ify]

Survivorship bias is the issue with "The Secret"

[@igobyplane]

And confirmation bias...

[@TheMightyMidget]

He mentioned that almost as quickly as he laid out the premise of the book. Do you listen to podcasts or wait until you can jump to the comments and ignore the message beyond more than something being mentioned

[@evamirikantor]

Great podcast 👏

[@CJB333]

27:15 ohhhh Chris has the tunes. I'm imprinted by Linkin Park forever.

[@quithollerin7276]

No more upgrades. There's only so much you can squeeze out of an old Buick.

[@ericdraven3654]

Cocaine phone😮 My god, this is brilliant. Great ideas and insights.

[@mattmalloff7377]

Chris, I think you're great and love the podcast, but why don't you end with "peace" anymore???

[@VikingSummer]

This was a premium content episode

[@jackraymond5009]

The significance of the exercise statistic depends on the research. It could be that the fittest people are the ones with the most energy and the best health to begin with, and therefore are able to exercise a huge amount. People who have chronic illness from childhood or who are on the verge of poor health will not have the capacity to exercise. Without accounting for that the research is next to meaningless.

[@zohrehrostami9683]

All examples you mentioned here they didn’t know for sure, only afterwards by reading too much into a wishful thinking

[@rachelWDV3485]

Loved this

[@pushparghyakuila4533]

To add to the Kale / Cocaine phone comment. Try a flip smart phone. On the outside Screen you can only use utility apps but on the inside screen you can use the fun apps. And opening the phone is enough friction to give you a mindful reminder of which phone you're using

[@MeTheRareBird]

thats is a conversation I'll revisite I like the words used

[@Ricky-lx6nk]

Can you expand on why millionaire migration has dropped coming to the U.S. Obviously I have my own speculation but I'd like to see it broken down. Thanks

[@Rytxyd]

Now that I think of it, isn't Rudolf Vrba's story the basis for Magneto's origin? Also wasn't a polish soldier Witold Pilecki the first person to report about Auschwitz? Wikipedia says "In 1940, Pilecki volunteered to allow himself to be captured by the occupying Germans in order to infiltrate the Auschwitz concentration camp. At Auschwitz, he organized a resistance movement that eventually included hundreds of inmates, and he secretly drew up reports detailing German atrocities at the camp, which were smuggled out to Home Army headquarters and shared with the Western Allies. After eventually escaping from Auschwitz in April 1943(...)"