#004: How to Bend Reality to Your Will and Become Unstoppable - Moran Cerf

From robbing banks to earning a PhD in neuroscience, former hacker Moran Cerf has unique perspective on what makes people tick. In this episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, Moran explains the brain science of how self-narrative determines our reality.

Moran is a fascinating blend of a wide variety of disciplines, and this diversity has led him to explore some promising, albeit nontraditional ways of investigating the brain, namely cracking open the skull and peering inside whilst the person is still living. His discoveries have made him a much sought after speaker and leading thinker who's influencing academia and business in equal measure. His innovative theories about the brain have been published in Nature, the highest-ranking journal in the world, and he consults regularly for hit shows such as Mr. Robot and Limitless.

His education is a wondrous grab bag of joy and includes a PhD in neuroscience from Caltech and both an MA in philosophy and a BSc in physics from Tel Aviv University. He's a visiting faculty member at MIT's Media Lab, and was named one of the 40 leading professors under 40.

Moran is the Alfred P. Sloan professor at the American Film Institute where he teaches a screenwriting course on science and film. He holds multiple patents and is a multi-timed national storytelling champion whose talks have garnered him millions of views. He is the professor of neuroscience and business at the Kellogg School of Management and the neuroscience program at the Northwestern university.

In this episode, Moran and Tom investigate the hidden powers of the brain and how they can be harnessed to achieve greatness.

SHOW NOTES

[2:35] Moran recalls the four times that he physically robbed a bank.

[7:40] Moran discusses why we don’t actually make our own decisions.

[12:17] Tom and Moran talk about the multiple puppeteers in our brains.

[16:07] Moran expounds on how to move past the point of giving up.

[20:48] Moran admits how making a big mistake changed his life.

[26:56] Tom and Moran talk about how you can rewrite your past.

[31:31] Moran describes how you can get more motivation.

[35:48] Moran shares how you can literally change overnight.

[42:10] Tom and Moran talk about how to use self-deception as a tool to push forward.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

[4:00] British molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist Francis Crick, who co-discovered the structure of the DNA molecule - http://bit.ly/2ixGwB3

[21:55] Neuroscientist Yukiyasu Kamitani - http://bit.ly/2iWyGBQ

[23:50] Limitless TV series - http://bit.ly/2jwRbQz

[25:41] The brain substance Myelin - http://bit.ly/2jmYoP5

[39:33] Galileo Galilei - http://bit.ly/2icifTk

[53:59] Moran story on The Moth, one of the 10 most popular Moth Stories of all time: http://bit.ly/2jwKApn

[52:31] www.morancerf.com