How High Performers Build An Unbreakable Mindset - Matthew Syed - #865

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Hello, friends, welcome back to the show. My guest today is Matthew Syed. He's a journalist, author, and former champion table tennis player. To master anything, you have to put in the time. But what else are the key mindset principles that all resilient high performers have? And how can we build them in ourselves? Expect to learn how people can learn more effectively from failure, the skill you need to develop to overcome the fear of risk, whether the 10,000 hours rule is actually the key to mastery. Matthew's new theory on why modern generations are struggling so much and much more. There's no such thing as being in a bad mood. There are only insufficient rounds in the sauna and the cold plunge, which is why I partnered with Plunge. They make the best saunas and cold plunges on the planet. The sauna is phenomenal. It's beautifully designed with floor to ceiling windows and room for up to six people. They can work indoors or outdoors. I've literally had mine in the backyard in one house and now inside of the garage. The same sauna and they're absurdly powerful. You can get up to 230 degrees in just a few minutes. Best of all, there is a 30-day money back guarantee. So you can buy it and sweat in it as much as you want. And if you do not like it after 29 days, they will give you your money back. Right now for all of November, you can get 15% off everything site-wide by going to the link in the description below or heading to plunge.com/modernwisdom. That's plunge.com/modernwisdom. I've been using my 8 Sleep mattress for years and I literally cannot imagine life without it. Having an actively cooled and heated mattress is the game changer for sleep. And now they've launched their newest generation, the Pod 4 Ultra, which can cool down each side of the bed to 20 degrees below room temperature, keeping you and your partner cool. And for those of you who snore heavily, it can detect your snoring and automatically lift your head a few degrees to improve your airflow and stop it. This is literal year 3000 technology. Cools, heats, it elevates, and it is clinically proven to give you up to one hour more of quality sleep each night. Best of all, they have a 30 night sleep trial, so you can buy it and sleep on it for 29 days. And if you don't like it, they'll give you your money back. Plus they ship internationally. Right now, 8Sleep is offering their biggest discount of the year. You can get up to $600 off the Pod 4 Ultra by going to the link in the description below or heading to 8sleep.com/modernwisdom and using the code Modern Wisdom, a checkout. That's E-I-G-H-T sleep.com/modernwisdom and Modern Wisdom, a checkout. Trust really is everything when it comes to supplements. A lot of brands may say that they're top quality, but few can actually prove it, which is why I partnered with Momentus. They make the highest quality supplements on the planet. They're literally unparalleled when it comes to rigorous third-party testing. What you read on the label is what is in the product and absolutely nothing else. And so few other companies can say that. Three of the products that I use to support my brain, body and sleep are Omega-3s, Creatine and Magnesium L3 and 8 Tons of guests on the channel have talked about how important this is for your daily function. When I take these consistently, they do have a massive impact on my cognitive performance and my strength and my sleep. Right now, Momentus is offering Modern Wisdom listeners early access to their Black Friday sale through November 25th. You can get 25% off my brain, body and sleep stack plus a five night trial of their sleep packs by going to the link in the description below or heading to livemomentus.com/modernwisdomusing the code Modern Wisdom, a checkout. This is going to be the biggest discount of the year, so go to livemomentous.com/modernwisdom and Modern Wisdom, a checkout. But now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Matthew Syed.
How do you describe what you do?

**Matthew Syed** (4:04)
What I do now? Well, it's quite eclectic, to be honest. I write columns for the Times and the Sunday Times, two British newspapers. I have a podcast on BBC Radio 4, which sounds quite establishment, doesn't it? The Times and the BBC. I also have a small business and write books, give the occasional talk.
So, I've got quite a diverse career. Coming off the back, by the way, 20 years or so ago, I was a sports person, a different sport to you, but I was a ping-ponger. Actually, you shouldn't call it ping-pong. It sounds slightly offensive to people playing table tennis because it makes it sound like a kind of parlor game, like tiddlywinks. But that was my main thing for most of my early life. Table tennis was everything until I retired in my early thirties, and then that led to a career which has been broadly interested in performance and mindset and how we make the most of our lives.