Gretchen Rubin is a NYT bestselling author who has sold over 3.5 million copies of her books, some of those titles which include Outer Order, Inner Calm, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project, Happier at Home, and the book that we discuss in-depth in today’s conversation: The Four Tendencies.
In my 10+ years of research, study, and implementation with productivity, focus, and human behavior and psychology, The Four Tendencies is quite possibly the most impactful and actionable concept I’ve come across. As we talked about in this conversation, understanding and using The Four Tendencies to better understand yourself (as well as those around you) is like becoming Neo and being able to see through the endless random numbers to read the Matrix of human relationships and behavior. Just be warned: In this episode I’m giving you the choice between the red pill or the blue pill, because once you understand The Four Tendencies, there is no going back. You will see the world and every single interaction in a completely different way.
If you’re interested in understanding why you can or can’t take certain actions, why you procrastinate, or why you do or don’t get along with your friends, family, spouse, or colleagues, learning The Four Tendencies is literally a GAME. CHANGER.
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Here’s What You’ll Learn:
- Gretchen’s circuitous path towards professional writing
- Why there are “four tendencies” of human nature and not “four types”
- Understanding how the four tendencies makes your work and relationships better
- Using your tendencies to help move your career forward
- Learning the nuances of the tendencies as well as when categorization is doing more harm than good
- Techniques for narrowing down your tendency if your feel torn between defining yourself as more than one
- Knowing how your personal ways of sharing information can shut off other tendencies from having healthy motivation
Useful Resources Mentioned:
Optimize Yourself Coaching & Mentorship
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Guest Bio:
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Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the block-buster New York Times bestsellers, Outer Order, Inner Calm, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project, Happier at Home, and The Four Tendencies. She has an enormous readership, both in print and online, and her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. She makes frequent TV appearances and is in much demand as a speaker. On her weekly podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, she discusses good habits and happiness with her sister Elizabeth Craft. Rubin started her career in law and was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor when she realized she wanted to be a writer. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.
Show Credits:
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared and published by Elyse Rintelman. The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).
Note: I believe in 100% transparency, so please note that I receive a small commission if you purchase products from some of the links on this page (at no additional cost to you). Your support is what helps keep this program alive. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Zack Arnold
Zack Arnold (ACE) is an award-winning Hollywood film editor & producer (Cobra Kai, Empire, Burn Notice, Unsolved, Glee), a documentary director, father of 2, an American Ninja Warrior, and the creator of Optimize Yourself. He believes we all deserve to love what we do for a living...but not at the expense of our health, our relationships, or our sanity. He provides the education, motivation, and inspiration to help ambitious creative professionals DO better and BE better. “Doing” better means learning how to more effectively manage your time and creative energy so you can produce higher quality work in less time. “Being” better means doing all of the above while still prioritizing the most important people and passions in your life…all without burning out in the process. Click to download Zack’s “Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Creativity (And Avoiding Burnout).”