The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer

Steven Kotler is brilliant in his peak performance work! Highly recommend...

Quick review ---I'm about 75% through this book. This book does make a difference in your life, I think it offers a lot of things that can be agreed with where the reader is nodding along. It's a pretty engaging book and the author captures attention. It kinda breaks down the human psychology and neuroscience formula to achieving big things.Although the book can be a bit heavy on the neuroscience mumbo jumbo (I don't think we need to know every single little brain chemical detail) for every human action etc. I get why he included it in the book, to "validate" it via science. But after a while I just skimmed past it.What I like about it is it's very method based. So if you are a method-based type of learner, I think you'll find value from this book. But also I would've liked to see more specific real-world applications to offer the reader from the insights. At the same time, I think he provided enough of a foundation and method-based insights that any reader can kinda fill in the dots for themselves to see how these methods can be applied to their own life and situation. I've already done that, especially with the "stacking all the motivations" thing - which has already started to make a difference.My goals are bigger after reading this book, and I attribute that to some of the things learned in this book. Genuinely commit to big goals, "impossible" goals, and you'll be surprised how much that starts the process of actually pursuing them in a realistic way.I haven't read a book in full for a Long time (I usually learn through blogs, videos, web sites, etc). So just the fact that I'll finish this book is an accomplishment and credit to the book itself haha.Overall, it's a very good book (I also bought it as a gift for friends/family), it checks off a lot of boxes -- engaging, clearly and well written, thoughtful, thorough, descriptive/explains everything well, method-based, and satisfies what many want from books like these -- something to give more insight, knowledge, etc and something that is useful that we can apply to our lives, ourselves, our business/job, etc.

Amazing book!

Such a great read with valuable insights

Kotler spends a lot of time evangelically proselytizing a high flow lifestyle and lays out a lot of lifestyle conditions that will maximize your time in flow. There is a LOT of good advice in those conditions, advice I've heard from other sources that I trust and it was interesting to see it all brought together in one place. However, he never really answers the question of why flow beyond the "high performance" and "doing the impossible" - which are great answers for entrepreneurs and pro athletes, people who can dedicate their being to achieving their focus, but the rest of us with 9-5s, mortgages, and family obligations who are just trying to be better are sitting here thinking… ok but why? If I'm going to quit my job and completely rearrange my life to "maximize flow”, I need more the then vague you'll accomplish the impossible and be happier. Also, the book at a certain level seems to function as a commercial for the Flow Research Collective, which if you go to their website is immediately trying to sell you perk-performance training and coaching - feels a little used car salesman.There are several missing pieces to this book. First, it doesn’t make clear how to tell you’re in flow, while it says flow is universal, the reader is left to assume they’ve been in it before. Kotler spends a lot of time describing chemicals in the brain and networks which are very helpful for understanding flow, but spends very little time with practical descriptions - especially when it does to micro flows. I also found it confusing that your first steps in order to achieve flow are to line up your curiosity-passion-purpose to motivate you towards flow but that you might go into flow during that process. Clearly there is more to flow than just flowing the steps. Next, the author never fully compares flow in a normal life to flow in a high-performance life except for the claims about being 600% more productive! Presumably we all end up in flow sometimes - how does that happen when you’re not trying to do it like a peak performer? Overall, the author neglects where most people are starting from and perhaps if he proved he had a better understanding of the rest of us his advice would land with more impact, instead most of his examples draw from his own experience as writer or generic athlete like examples.I don’t mean to come off sounding jaded, I do want to re-iterate there is a lot of good, solid advice in this book and I don’t regret reading it. However, I’m just not sold on completely rearranging my life and risking ruin to chase after flow, and I can’t say I gained a good grasp of what it actually is.

This is a must read. I Love how Steven Kotler writes and this book is based on solid scientifically researched principles.If you have read Steven's other books, you will know he is World Class writer. He articulates concepts beautifully and he also brings in the practical aspects of personal development.This book outlines the four aspects of Motivation, Learning, Creativity and Flow and how you can leverage your Neurobiology to get a state of peak performance. Steven is an expert when it comes to understanding flow and his main line of business is to research and support people in attaining these levels of performance.The book title is very appropriate - The art of Impossible. He defines what impossible means in the context of what people are doing and brings to life the science of Neurochemicals in the body - Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins, Norepinephrine, and Anandamide. How the combination of these form different states e.g. Play = Dopamine and Oxytocin, Passion = Dopamine + Norepinephrine and Flow is a combination of all six. He brings to life the differences between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and shows how you can build the Full Intrinsic Stack.Each element of Motivation, Learning, Creativity and Flow is packed with information helping you understand behaviours and most importantly what you can do to get into that state. The book, whilst going through technical details is easy to read and understand and it inspires by showing a clear pathway and formula. Steven shows that the art of impossible is a formula and the book clearly outlines all aspects of the formula and how to use it.This is going to be my go to guide to help with all aspects of Peak Performance. It is not your typical self-development book which rehashes concepts and ideas or uses anecdotes to throw half-baked or non-validated ideas at you. This is a scientifically backed book with proven ideas to support you to become the best version of yourself and achieve what may be impossible to you right now.I highly recommend this as something you should read a core part of improving these four aspects of Peak Performance. I have bought several copies of these to give to friends, family and clients. It is a book I will be referring to often

This book is a work of genius.It makes the complex simple. Steven provides you with the scientific, philosophical and human underpinnings of all the vital elements of performance .Too often we see people online talking about an aspect of performance that is , perhaps , 1% of the solution . This book will give you total clarity and is a lexicon and instruction manual for how to think and act to achieve flow and the other facets of high performance. You don’t need to read any other book. Believe me, I’ve read them.

Great to read

Learnt so much about learning, the brain, behaviour and high performance. Incredibly well-written. I couldn't put it down.

Very few books that live up to the hype. Highly recommended.