EconTalk — Jordan Peterson

On: 12 Rules for Life.

Episode: N/A

Date: February 2018

Background: Clinical psychologist, professor of psychology, author of “12 Rules for Life“.

Key Subjects:

  • Need for goals in life:
    • Happiness and impulse gratification are not good goals.
      • Happiness is not a default state or helpful pursuit; be ready for plenty of times without it.
      • Impulse gratification is not a long-term, sustainable strategy.
    • Forming good habits is a more helpful goal.
      • Habits that are good for you now as well as over time.
      • Good as in good for you, your family and your community.
  • Parenting:
    • Establish an individual relationship with the child, so that what they are can develop and maximize.
    • Establish simple rules and a partnership among parents.
    • Importance of developing social individuals.
  • Conversation can bring about a state of flow: when you’re outside your comfort zone, listening.
  • Importance of sacrifice:
    • Give up something of value today to obtain / build something of greater value in the future.
    • Trading with yourself (future you) or others.
  • Power of narrative / communication to bring about order (good and bad) from chaos / potential.
    • Literature provides outlines of common patterns.
    • Stories analyze problems that take you apart and put you back together in a better way.
    • Things that work (comedy) and things that don’t work (tragedy).

Key Takeaways:

  • Form good habits: that deliver immediate returns and build even greater value long-term (for you, family, community).
  • Establish relationship that allow what the other person is to maximize.
  • Give up today to build something of greater value in the future.
  • Learn from common patterns: take apart, rebuild.

Worth Listening:

8/10

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