#035 Eric Barker on How Your Personality Can Sabotage Your Success

Eric Barker is redefining the rules of success. Leaving behind an illustrious career as a screenwriter for Disney and Fox, Eric turned his passion for fact-finding into one of the most popular blogs on the Internet. His insatiable curiosity drives him to question everything and, in turn, publish science-based insights that reveal real and usable secrets to success. He’s spoken on these secrets at prestigious institutions like West Point, Yale and MIT and his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, and Business Insider. Watch Eric Barker explain why everything you know about success is (mostly) wrong in this jam-packed episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu. PULL QUOTES “Peer pressure affects us our entire lives. We are always influenced by our context and by the people around us. The biggest danger is we don’t realize it.” [15:50] “It’s so hard to bring up your weaknesses. You see much greater gains by trying to double-down on your strengths.” [19:41] “Work’s not work if you enjoy it.” [22:56] “We’ve all had successes; we’ve all had failures. But which ones do we choose to define ourselves by?” [31:57] “If you have trouble changing your story, first change your behavior.” [36:42] “The more stuff you quit that isn’t delivering value to your life, the more resources, time, and energy you have to really become good at something.” [39:06]   SHOW NOTES Eric speaks out about why feeling powerless at work can kill you. [3:55] Tom and Eric discuss the “prisoner’s dilemma” and whether nice guys still finish last. [7:07] Eric talks about behavioral strategies and lengthening the shadow of the future. [12:02] Eric offers advice to those who are givers in every area of life. [15:01] Eric debunks how bad behaviors can be good in the right context. [18:00] Tom and Eric go deep on what drives him and how he’s reinvented himself. [22:16] Eric explains why the Navy’s research shows self-talk was a critical component of their training. [26:21] Eric speaks on the power of personal narrative and the evolving story of the self. [30:18] Eric addresses why stories are edited and inaccurate and why your story follows your behavior. [33:53] Tom and Eric dive into knowing when to quit and how to manifest your dreams. [38:39] Eric describes how to use little bets to develop passion and asking questions to spark curiosity. [43:22] Eric reveals three keys to producing great content and uncovers the struggle with happiness. [47:22] Eric breaks down work-life balance and the four things that everyone needs to consider in life. [52:02] Eric defines the impact that he wants to have on the world. [54:38] MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE BOOKS Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong - http://amzn.to/2wXGjyu [0:57] Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries - http://amzn.to/2w9CnwX [43:28] FOLLOW ERIC TWITTER: http://bit.ly/2uFlLNH FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2uKxvdV INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2i0vc4q WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/1l97koO