They bulletproof their TBTF, Tight Bubble of Total Focus. In previous podcasts, I’ve encouraged you to build the around yourself, in this age of dramatic distraction. You can be distracted. You can do iconic work. You just don’t get to do both.
And so, the most productive people on the planet, and the people with the greatest impact in the world, they all have this metaphorical Tight Bubble of Total Focus that they build around their Mindsets, their Heartsets, and their work routines.
And so, to generate massive amounts of confidence, you almost have to bulletproof yourself, so nothing toxic, nothing distracting, no interruptions can get in.
And then, what happens is, you literally start to drop into transient hypofrontality. That’s the
neurobiological phenomenon that happens when you drop into solitude, and you get out of distraction.
And you get into this monomaniacal focus, where you slow down the cortisol flow, which is the fear hormone. And you increase serotonin, and you increase dopamine, which is the inspirational neurotransmitter. And your prefrontal cortex, which is the seat of reasoning, and that chattering mind that goes on all day, actually gets silent for a brief burst of time. And that’s why they call it transient hypofrontality. For a short period of your time, your prefrontal cortex becomes really, really quiet. And that drops your brain from beta waves to alpha waves.
And researchers, like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, call this the flow state. When you were playing
basketball, and you’re really in the moment, in the flow of life, hours go by in minutes. And all of a sudden, you find these super human abilities. Maybe you’re at work, and you’re just jamming on a project with your teammates, and you’re actually having fun, while again, the whole day goes by and you did your best work, that’s flow. And how do you get to flow? By protecting and bulletproofing your Mindset, your Heartset, and you doing your best work.
Another way to bulletproof your Mindset and create this Tight Bubble of Total Focus is really
understanding the importance of reading great autobiographies, listening to great podcasts.
There are heroes on the planet. There are so many kind people out there. There are so many people building remarkably awesome businesses. There are so many people scaling great non-profits. There are so many people out there in your own community, living these great lives in their own unique way.
Start reading great autobiographies, so you understand you will have your Robben Island moment or season or year or, maybe, even a decade.