Alex Denne is one of the most curious people I have ever met. He has an uncanny ability to break things down and gamify self-improvement as well as pretty much anything else.I worked with him co-running Basecamp, a business accelerator for students at Bristol University where we learnt a lot about start-ups and young entrepreneurs.
On the show, we cover a lot about start-ups... Also, lots of business ideas and strategies for self-improvement and fun times travelling. He has a great view of the world that I think you’ll enjoy.TOP TIPS1. Gamify Self-improvementI love the way he breaks things down and works out how to improve them, t’s good to always step back and be mindful and curious about what you’re doing and what you want to achieve.Wherever possible try and make the process more fun by gamifying elements of it or setting targets, rewards or budgets that you can monitor and acknowledge achievements.Note — Learn to Type Fast!2. Cycle Touring is AwesomeI need to do more cycle touring with my life, everyone should try it. It’s such a great way to see the world. It can be done really cheaply and is a fun healthy way of exploring with a good amount of challenge.3. Work with people who complement youJust because you and a potential partner are both interested in an idea and get along, doesn’t mean you are the best business partners. You need to find someone that seeks out and solves the problem that you can’t, otherwise you are just double working and can actually cause conflict.People that do the same job as you should just be the employee’s that you hire whilst you find new problems that you can solve. People that solve things you can’t comprehend are your partners.BOOKSPeak By Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0099598477/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=samharris48-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0099598477&linkId=1c98598c611f126099f511453d9fc429)This book really embodies the growth mindset and explains how you can improve and master and any skill. You don’t necessarily need innate talent to be brilliant. Have you ever wanted to learn a language or pick up an instrument, only to become too daunted by the task at hand? Expert performance guru Anders Ericsson has made a career studying chess champions, violin virtuosos, star athletes, and memory mavens. Peak condenses three decades of original research to introduce an incredibly powerful approach to learning that is fundamentally different from the way people traditionally think about acquiring a skill.Tim Ferris 4 Hour Work Week (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0091929113/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=samharris48-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0091929113&linkId=aedd06f7c832dcf330de702072716460)Great book on how to live your life and be more successful. One of the best books you can ever read to think more strategically about your life and how you want it to work and giving you the tools to get there.His other books are also worth reading but take the 4-hour body and 4-hour chef with a grain of salt and he makes some overwhelming statements that aren’t exactly accurate.Sapiens: A brief History of Humankind (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0099590085/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=samharris48-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0099590085&linkId=f07a43f7c6c2863b03561dcc100a6fd5)In Sapiens, Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical — and sometimes devastating — breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions.Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology and economics, he explores how the currents of history have shaped our human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we become happier as history has unfolded? Can we ever free our behaviour from the heritage of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come?Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1847947158/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=samharris48-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1847947158&linkId=b4e952584258a522fea81eb9c696e33b)Everyone would benefit from seeing further into the future, whether buying stocks, crafting policy, launching a new product, or simply planning the week’s meals. Unfortunately, people tend to be terrible forecasters.Superforecasting offers the first demonstrably effective way to improve our ability to predict the future — whether in business, finance, politics, international affairs, or daily life — and is destined to become a modern classic.SuperIntelligence: Paths, Dangers and Strategies — Nick Bostrum (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0198739834/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=samharris48-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0198739834&linkId=c78e5a956a0a5718eb0e47818d7bcd14)What happens when machines surpass humans in general intelligence? Will artificial agents save or destroy us? Nick Bostrom lays the foundation for understanding the future of humanity and intelligent life.If machine brains surpassed human brains in general intelligence, then this new superintelligence could become extremely powerful — possibly beyond our control. As the fate of the gorillas now depends more on humans than on the species itself, so would the fate of humankind depend on the actions of the machine superintelligence. But we have one advantage: we get to make the first move.Growth Mindset Summary (https://namastenourished.com/growth-mindset/)Learn more about the Growth Mindset and how to encourage one with this really informative blog.CONTACTBoth very happy to discuss any of the idea’s mentioned in the show or anything else =]Alex:Twitter (https://twitter.com/alexjdenne)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/alexjdenne/)me@alexdenne.comSam:Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/samjamsnaps/)Quora (https://www.quora.com/profile/Sam-Harris-58)Twitter (https://twitter.com/samharristweets)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharris48/)Show notes (https://medium.com/growth-mindset-podcast/12-mastering-anything-519718369ec)Subscribe!If you enjoyed the podcast please subscribe and rate it. And of course, share with your friends! Special Guest: Alex Denne.
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