Start by mastering yourself. Here’s a breakdown of how I approach lifelong self-improvement—and why your mindset is still the lever that moves everything else.

This is the episode I hope my kids find someday. Because it’s not about tactics, hacks, or hot takes. It’s about how real self-development happens: slowly, quietly, and consistently. I walk through the forgotten roots of personal growth and the daily disciplines that will shape the next version of you—not the internet’s version.

Here’s what I cover:

• Why mindset is the 80% that most people skip

• The surprising origin of the self-development movement (hint: Great Depression)

• The best historical resources for building belief, not hype

• How improvement eventually becomes “boring”—and why that’s a good sign

• The 5 practices I use to stay sharp without burning out

Core Concepts:

• Mindset as the Foundation: Before skills or strategy, belief and perspective drive growth

• Learn → Move → Practice → Create → Teach: A 5-part daily loop for compounding improvement

• The Quiet Path: Growth isn’t loud—it’s structured repetition done privately

• Pursue Mastery, Not Dopamine: Why depth beats novelty in long-term fulfillment

• Teach to Learn Deeper: Passing knowledge sharpens your own thinking

This isn’t about motivation. It’s about doing the slow work. Every day. Forever.

Try harder. Then try in silence.

Timestamps:

00:00 A message for my kids (and you)
00:30 How I stumbled into self-development
01:00 What self-improvement really means
02:00 Why mindset is 80–90% of the game
03:00 The Great Depression and the birth of self-help
03:45 Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill's lasting impact
04:30 Belief as the true force behind success
05:00 The power of positive thinking (literally)
06:00 Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins — who actually matters
07:00 Stephen Covey and the 7 Habits revolution
08:00 Why personal development exploded post-1990s
08:30 Self-improvement gets boring… and that’s good
09:00 The 5 disciplines that keep you growing
10:00 Move: physical momentum creates mental momentum
10:45 Practice: pursuing mastery in a single domain
11:30 Create: why you need to output, not just consume
12:00 Teach: the highest form of understanding
13:00 Final advice: don’t get stuck on mindset—build habits that last