The Great Updraft

Let’s look have a comprehensive look at James Fowler’s 7 Stages of Faith Development, which describe how we satisfy our basic need for meaning in ever more elaborate ways as we grow and mature. Learning what James Fowler discovered can seriously alter how you view yourself, others and human culture. One of James Fowler’s greatest contributions was to show us that faith is not necessarily religious...

If you want to reach high performance in your pursuits, you'd do very well to apply the 10,000-hour rule ASAP.What is the 10,000-hour rule? How can we use it to get really damn good in our pursuits? And what are some the common pitfalls involved with this way of looking at excellence? We cover all these questions in this episode. The four learner types Master your learning mentality My article on...

It's time to debunk these four damaging meditation myths once and for all. These aren't just cute little cultural myths that have no real impact on meditators – they will stop you dead in your tracks as you attempt to build a daily meditation practice. In fact, they will prevent you reaching deep territory with this practice, leaving you stuck and frustrated, believing that you simply aren't up to...

A crucial part of learning how to learn is becoming acutely aware of the obstacles that block our path to excellence. Here we look at three dysfunctional characters – the Dabbler, the Hack, and the Obsessive. These are the three learner profiles you want to avoid. Together they’ll give you a spookily accurate assessment of how you prevent yourself reaching true competence and expertise. And in my...

It's time to debunk these four damaging meditation myths once and for all. These aren't just cute little cultural myths that have no real impact on meditators – they will stop you dead in your tracks as you attempt to build a daily meditation practice. In fact, they will prevent you reaching deep territory with this practice, leaving you stuck and frustrated, believing that you simply aren't up to...

A crucial part of learning how to learn is becoming acutely aware of the obstacles that block our path to excellence. Here we look at the Beginner's Hump – the early period in the learning journey when we feel clumsy and incompetent. Our new pursuit seems impossible, and we wonder how we'll ever get there. Know that this is temporary. You will get through it, and we'll look at some tried-and-teste...

In this video, we’re going to look at practical habits for maintaining a healthy mind and cover incredible insights into how the mind works. In watching this, you’re becoming a student of your own mind! These cover some of the best tips you’ll find out there from the best teachers. AND I have a tonne of case studies. I reached to folks on social media and they shared their wonderful stories of the...

If you're a newbie meditator, this breathing meditation is a great practice. That said, this technique works wherever you are in the journey, and it has endless depth for advanced meditators. Before you do the meditation:– Setup: It's best you find a quiet spot so you can hear the instructions and fully focus on the exercise.– Mouth Position: keep the mouth relaxed, with the lips gently touching....

What is the ego? Is it real or illusory? If it is illusory, how does it perpetuate itself? We'll explore these questions and more as I take you on a whirlwind tour of your ego's biggest self-deception mechanisms. These make you inauthentic, obnoxious and forever unfulfilled. We also cover very practical solutions you can begin to implement right now to free yourself from the ego's seductive grip,...

Spiral Dynamics is a simple but powerful theory describing how human beings evolve through eight major stages, both historically, individually, and collectively. Learning this theory has permanently changed how I view and treat myself, others, and the world at large. What really is Spiral Dynamics? What levels of human development does it propose? How do we skillfully apply it to our lives? We loo...

This is an introduction to the AQAL framework from Ken Wilber in the context of self-transformation. We cover the four quadrants, lines, levels, states and types, along with how my work fits into this model. This is the most holistic model of reality and human psychology I know of. Learn the pillars of Wilber's AQAL framework from Integral Theory and how you can use it to boost your self-improveme...

Let’s talk about the subjective benefits of meditation. What I mean is the kind of benefits we can see in our lives, rather than the neurological benefits, although they are really two sides of the same coin. I’ve met dozens of people who say that meditation has transformed their lives. And there is mounting gold-standard scientific evidence that confirms their reports. I too have experienced dram...

Could the conservative side of you be preventing you from taking action? Do you believe that growth is possible or that you’re bound to be a certain way forever? In this article, we’ll unpack a crucial concept for self-mastery: that of the growth mindset and fixed mindset. These two mentalities are archetypes guiding how we view ourselves and our abilities. Knowledge of them will help you identify...