James Clear

Well, first, I think I'm probably similar to you in the sense like exercise has always been on the easier side for me. Nutrition has always been on the harder side, which is kind of interesting there. I don't know exactly what that reveals, but it's just interesting to think about where you have certain inclinations and maybe not others. With respect to free will, I understand the argument.

Once you start to walk through, it's like, okay, yeah, there's this very long chain of atoms that are essentially colliding and leading us inevitably to the next action or the next thought or whatever. And if we could map them all out, then perhaps we could just predict everything that's about to happen. I get that as a thought experiment.

Once you start to walk through, it's like, okay, yeah, there's this very long chain of atoms that are essentially colliding and leading us inevitably to the next action or the next thought or whatever. And if we could map them all out, then perhaps we could just predict everything that's about to happen. I get that as a thought experiment.

I tend to, when I'm living my daily life, fall in the same space that it sounds like you fall in, which is, well, I'm going to continue to act as if I have free will. And ultimately, the more that I think about it, I usually come down on that side where it's like, listen, the truth is nobody knows the answer one way or another. We have good arguments perhaps for each, but nobody knows for sure.

I tend to, when I'm living my daily life, fall in the same space that it sounds like you fall in, which is, well, I'm going to continue to act as if I have free will. And ultimately, the more that I think about it, I usually come down on that side where it's like, listen, the truth is nobody knows the answer one way or another. We have good arguments perhaps for each, but nobody knows for sure.

If it is all predetermined, then it kind of doesn't really matter. I'm going to do this anyway. And if it isn't predetermined, I might as well choose the thing that I think best serves me. So whether I'm making that choice that best serves me or whether it was predetermined that I'm going to make the good choice, it kind of doesn't really matter to me. Like I might as well choose to act that way.

If it is all predetermined, then it kind of doesn't really matter. I'm going to do this anyway. And if it isn't predetermined, I might as well choose the thing that I think best serves me. So whether I'm making that choice that best serves me or whether it was predetermined that I'm going to make the good choice, it kind of doesn't really matter to me. Like I might as well choose to act that way.

So I don't know. I would be very curious to hear what Sam's thought on that is. But I from a practical standpoint, I don't see a reason to not choose the best option that you can. In the event that you do have free will, you'll be glad that you chose it. In the event that you don't have free will, you didn't get a say anyway. So who cares?

So I don't know. I would be very curious to hear what Sam's thought on that is. But I from a practical standpoint, I don't see a reason to not choose the best option that you can. In the event that you do have free will, you'll be glad that you chose it. In the event that you don't have free will, you didn't get a say anyway. So who cares?

Yeah, a couple thoughts to add on to that. I thought of this when you first brought this up a few minutes ago. I don't know if you're familiar with David Epstein, his work on sports gene and range and so on. David's great and a good friend of mine, a really nice guy, and just very thoughtful with the way he puts arguments together, which I always appreciate.

Yeah, a couple thoughts to add on to that. I thought of this when you first brought this up a few minutes ago. I don't know if you're familiar with David Epstein, his work on sports gene and range and so on. David's great and a good friend of mine, a really nice guy, and just very thoughtful with the way he puts arguments together, which I always appreciate.

And I was having a conversation with him about some of this stuff.

And I was having a conversation with him about some of this stuff.

And he said one of the things that surprised him when he was researching the sports gene is that characteristics that he thought would be mostly genetic strength and speed and things like that turned out to be heavily influenced by training and choice and a lot of other stuff and qualities that he thought would be a choice like grit and perseverance and desire to train turned out to have a much higher genetic component than he realized.

And he said one of the things that surprised him when he was researching the sports gene is that characteristics that he thought would be mostly genetic strength and speed and things like that turned out to be heavily influenced by training and choice and a lot of other stuff and qualities that he thought would be a choice like grit and perseverance and desire to train turned out to have a much higher genetic component than he realized.

I always love the example. I think this is in Sports Gene. He talks about Steffi Graf just happened to be in a tennis study when she was young. She was like 14 or something, and she was part of this cohort of young Germans that were being studied.

I always love the example. I think this is in Sports Gene. He talks about Steffi Graf just happened to be in a tennis study when she was young. She was like 14 or something, and she was part of this cohort of young Germans that were being studied.

And she not only tested the highest for physical abilities like strength and speed and quickness and so on, but also tested the highest for competitiveness and desire to train and all these other things. I just love when combinations like that come together. Like think about how pointless this is to compete against her. Not only is she better than you, she also wants it more.

And she not only tested the highest for physical abilities like strength and speed and quickness and so on, but also tested the highest for competitiveness and desire to train and all these other things. I just love when combinations like that come together. Like think about how pointless this is to compete against her. Not only is she better than you, she also wants it more.

So I do think that there's a heavy genetic component to some of the mental characteristics that would make you more likely to train some of these aspects or more interested in some things than others. To your point about Phelps, whether he had ever been dropped in the pool or not, on the surface, it seems like something that would make you less motivated. You would say, oh, well, why even try?