Here's The Point with Kaiden Kelly

The theme of today's episode revolves around a few aspects of discipline and how it is essential if you want success making any improvements in your life. We read quotes from Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday, as well as passages from Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. 

We covered several quotes and themes from Donald Robertson's How To Think Like A Roman Emperor including how to have better values, the importance of awareness,  the connection between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Stoic philosophy, and more. 

The Ramsey Personality Dr. John Delony writes "A Not-So-Complicated Approach to Relationships, Mental Health, and Wellness" in his book titles Own Your Past, Change Your Future. Learn simple and practical ways to gain a better perspective at your life and circumstances and what to do about them through this truly not-so-complicated book. 

The New Year brings big goals and resolutions but we often don't know what to do differently to reach our goals or improve our lives. James Clear illustrates a clear and proven system to developing new good habits and eliminating bad habits in his book Atomic Habits. Incorporate his methods and your chances of success will greatly increase!...I've created a free Self-Improvement worksheet to help you accomplish what is most important to you. You can find a PDF version by going to my blog, kaidenkellysblog.Wordpress.com, click the “The Self-Improvement Worksheet” link, and click the PDF at the bottom of the page.

If you're like me and most people, you'll make New Year Resolutions and set big goals to accomplish through 2023. If you're still like me, you won't revisit or reach your goals by the end of the year. The problem is hardly your fault. We often don't set ourselves up for success. The intention with this new segment of the podcast is to create effective systems to live by every day and week, evaluating their success or failure at the beginning of each new month, and taking complete responsibility of our circumstances. The ball is in your court; what are you going to do for 2023? 

There are two ways to influence a persons behavior according to Simon Sinek in his book "Start With WHY" and they to either manipulate or to inspire. Simon takes a wide scoped perspective to the consequences of utilizing manipulative tactics and inspiring tactics in leadership. 

We revisit Mark Manson's "The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck" because his wisdom is timeless and, well, frankly, we don't give a f*ck that we've already covered it. There is too much to give our attention and time to in todays world, Manson helps us consider what we should actually pay attention to to live better lives and what we shouldn't give a f*ck about. 

Yuval Noah Harari compiles yet another provoking piece of work concerning how human behavior has been shaped through evolution, what that could mean for our future, and most importantly in this novel "21 Lessons for the 21st Century", how we should tackle problems we face today as a globe.

Through a compilation of tweets and interviews from Naval, an Indian-American entrepreneur and investor, author Eric Jorgenson shares Naval's best advice on wealth and happiness in the book, "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant." 

History is filled with countless examples of success and failure ranging from individuals to entire nations. Massimo Pigliucci focuses on two people in particular in his book "The Quest For Character," Socrates and Alcibiades, a philosopher and a politician. We discuss how philosophers influence their politicians, how that affects the politicians jurisdiction and decision making, and whether or not arete, or excellence or virtue, can be taught and instilled in other people. 

Humans have evolved to create a little voice in our heads, but that voice can cause a lot of problems for us if we aren't aware of it. Ethan Kross examines the influence this inner voice has on us in his first book "Chatter" and describes ways that we can take control of the chatter so we can live happier, more peaceful lives. 

There is only one perpetrator of evil on the planet and it is Human Unconsciousness. Eckhart Tolle teaches in his book "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" that Awakening is the solution to this problem. He shares how you can Awaken and what that will do for your life. 

Do you feel like Capital M Meaning has been lost in the world? Jaime Wheal makes this case and discusses solutions in his book "Recapture the Rapture." In a world seemingly devoid of Meaning, it has never been more important for the Human Race to come together to repair past damages and work to create a better future. 

Millennials are on track to retire 5-9 years later than previous generations. Erin Lowry believes it is because of a general lack of basic financial literacy. She breaks down the world of finances in simple and humorous terms in her book "Broke Millennial" in an effort to better educate Millennials of how to be responsible with their finances and to fear them less.

Scott Galloway is a professor, writer, and YouTube series host who has covered a lot of ground on what happiness looks like and attempts to compile the lessons he has learned in his book "The Algebra Of Happiness." 

The Stoic Philosophers emphasized Four Cardinal Virtues: Courage, Temperance, Justice, and Wisdom. Ryan Holiday is on a mission to compile four books covering these four cardinal virtues with this second installment, "Discipline Is Destiny." This book covers what it means to be temperate and disciplined in body, mind, and spirit by sharing real life examples and sharing ancient wisdoms. 

The 21st Century has introduced a plethora of new ways to connect with friends, family, and strangers. Why do we continue to feel lonely? Edward Brodkin, MD & Ashley Pallathra, MA, two social neuroscience experts, discuss how we can deepen our connections with other people and alleviate feelings of loneliness by strengthening our Attunement in their book, "Missing Each Other."  

When it comes to life's biggest and most mysterious questions like, "Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where will I go when I die?", renowned theoretical physicist Lawrence M. Krauss takes to science to answer these questions in his book, "The Greatest Story Ever Told - So Far." He follows the first theoretical physics discoveries through a chain of discoveries to uncover just why the universe is the way it is. 

Michael A. Singer imparts his extraordinary wisdom on the "self" in his book "The Untethered Soul" and how we should view life and the "self" to live a happier, more peaceful life. 

Grant Sabatier gives a thorough explanation to his path to financial freedom in his book... "Financial Freedom." The biggest takeaway to his message is not how to make millions of dollars, it's how to reclaim your time; a far more valuable resource than money. Join this conversation and learn what steps you can take to gain your own financial freedom.

An unusual episode for Book Club; the latest book was "Surrounded By Idiots" by Thomas Erikson. Some controversy was discovered around the book and the author upon further reading and this episode is a wild conversation regarding what we found.Moral of the story: if something helps you be a better person, stick with it, even if it is kind of nonsense. 

We hold ourselves to extraordinarily high standards in this day and age. We set a high bar for ourselves with work, hobbies, health, and more. If you're someone like me, you may be unkind to yourself when you fall short of your goals. Madeleine Dore tackles the productivity guilt struggle in her book "I Didn't Do The Thing Today" and shares rich insight to help navigate the bumps we all face in life that get in the way of our goals. 

One of the most notable Stoic Philosophers was a Roman Emperor named Marcus Aurelius. His life and decision making  exemplified Stoic Values and is dissected by Donald Robertson in "How To Think Like A Roman Emperor." Learn what values Stoic Philosophers teach and practice and how the most powerful man in the world at the time used them himself.

Follow J.L. Collins' practical wisdom in his book "The Simple Path to Wealth." Whether you prioritize having "F-You Money" or more time on your hands to do what is most important to you, Collins shares practical steps you can take today to get there.

True belonging is something you carry with you, not something you achieve. It is being your authentic self whether everyone around you is with you or not. Discover how to feel true belonging and gain courage to stand along in Brene Brown's book, "Braving The Wilderness." 

Robert Greene breaks down the complexity that is Power in his book, "The 48 Laws of Power." Power is amoral and is explicated as such in this book. Follow along to learn how to gain, observe, and defend against Power. 

Jay Shetty shares what he learned from his time spent as a Monk in his book, "Think Like A Monk". After his dedicated time, he now works to spread the wisdom that monks develop; specifically, how to experience deep peace and purpose in every day life. 

For those of you seeking early financial freedom, Scott Trench breaks down the necessary steps in his book, "Set For Life." If you want to reclaim your time to focus on things that are most important to you, or to simply be more lazy (although I find it paradoxical that anyone who wants financial freedom will work for it just to be lazy), follow this discussion on how to get ahead.

Ever wonder why people can't get along? Why religion and politics are so divisive? "The Righteous Mind" by moral psychologist Jonathan Heidt takes us through a comprehensive understanding of where human morality originates, why it divides us, and what we can do to work better together.

"The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle is a powerful elaboration on how to find peace in this life. 

Ryan Holiday expounds ancient strategies to experience peace and find success in this life in his book, "Stillness Is The Key." Learn how to experience stillness in the mind, spirit, and body in this discussion. 

I have read a different non-fiction book almost every week for the last year. Today is a compilation of the most important and repeated messages from people way smarter than me on how to improve your health, wealth, wisdom, and peace.

Angela Duckworth has discovered a reason why some people are successful in her book, "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance." Join the conversation to learn what you can do to be a high achiever yourself and reach new levels of success.

Malcom Gladwell describes at great length the irony of why outliers in our society like Bill Gates, The Beatles, and Canadian hockey players aren't really outliers in his book called, you guessed it, "Outliers". 

Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez write, "Your Money or Your Life" in an attempt to change your relationship with money in 9 steps.

Cameron Hanes is considered one of, if not the best, bow hunters on the planet. He explains his mentality to make reach this status in his book, "Endure: How to Work Hard, Outlast, and Keep Hammering"

No matter what you work to accomplish, you will face resistance. Steven Pressfield works through how to break down these barriers in his book, "The War of Art" and encourages you to create, innovate, and build in ways that are meaningful to you. 

Epictetus (c.A.D 55-135) was a Graeco-Roman philosopher and Stoic. Some of his lectures and writings have been preserved and translated into a book for us to dissect. His words have tremendous affect on those who are seeking peace and meaning in life. Follow this conversation to hear my favorite excerpts from his work.

HTP: People say, "You are what you eat." If that's true, then you are also what you think. Jennie Allen describes techniques to turn negative and toxic thoughts into positive ones in her book, "Get Out Of Your Head." Although this book is targeted towards Christian women, there are useful practical tools to help you stop the spiral of toxic thoughts. 

Gino Wickman breaks down the Entrepreneurial Operating System in his book, "Traction" to help you understand how to create and propel a successful business. I explain the components he presents in simple terms for you to directly apply to your next endeavor. 

Steven Pinker argues that the world is actually progressively becoming a better place to live year by year in his book, "Enlightenment Now: The Case For Reason, Science, Humanism, And Progress." Despite how much bad news you hear, science and data reveals that all aspect of human life is improving. 

I cover lengthy non-fiction books in 20 minutes or less that focus on personal development to be happier, healthier, wealthier and wiser. This podcast is a supplement to my main podcast, "Book Club with Kaiden Kelly" where I dive into more depth on each book that is covered.