Steven Kotler || Creativity, Skill-Mastery, and Aging

Today we welcome Steven Kotler, the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is an award-winning journalist and one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. Steven is the author of eleven bestsellers including The Art of Impossible, The Rise of Superman, Bold, and Abundance. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, translated into over 50 languages, and has appeared in over 100 publications. His latest book is called Gnar Country: Growing Old, Staying Rad.Our moderator for this live discussion was Dr. Torrie Higgins, the Head Coach of the Flow Research Collective. Dr. Higgins is a deeply passionate, empathetic peak performance coach, consultant and educator whose coaching philosophy is rooted in the deep-seated belief that everyone has the potential to achieve success and growth. In her private practice, she has had the opportunity to coach a diverse range of clientele, from mountaineers preparing to summit Mount Everest and K2 to business leaders of Fortune 500 companies.In this live discussion, I talked to Steven Kotler about creativity, skill-mastery, and aging. Our society views aging as a process of decline, with our physical and mental capabilities worsening over time. Steve Kotler invites us to challenge our preconceived notions about aging by engaging in “impossible” activities that cultivate mastery and creativity. When we are able to incrementally push past our limits, we change our mindset about growing old which ultimately prolongs our longevity.  We also touch on the topics of exploration, play, social connection, flow, neuroscience, wisdom, and embodied cognition.Website: stevenkotler.comTwitter: @steven_kotler Topics04:55 Gnar Country: Growing Old, Staying Rad10:46 Challenging our limiting beliefs16:12 Narcissism vs mastery19:40 Curiosity and exploration as motivators22:24 Approach fear incrementally27:18 Why we need “replacement friends”38:44 Finding a training partner42:54 Creativity and Aging: What We Can Make With What We Have Left49:38 Intelligence, expertise, giftedness52:31 “The pursuit of wisdom thrives on joy”1:02:13 Dynamic deliberate play1:11:25 Learning through embodied cognition1:17:06 Flow and peak experiences1:23:45 Creativity as a way of beingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.