Before The Bestseller BTB82: Don't Believe Everything You Think | Joseph Nguyen
Dec 4, 2023
Joseph Nguyen, author of Don’t Believe Everything You Think and self-help writer, distills how thought patterns shape suffering and success. He recounts immigrant family roots, leaving college to help his family, and learning marketing. Conversations cover letting go of stories, when to seek therapy, setting inspiration-based goals, and feeling desired emotions now.
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Family Escape Shaped Early Responsibility
- Joseph Nguyen's father escaped Vietnam on a tiny dinghy with about 100 people, most of whom didn't survive.
- That origin story shaped Joseph's early responsibility, making him leave college to help his family's finances and run his mother's bridal business.
Success Starts With An Internal Definition
- Joseph defines success as internal: doing what he loves and sharing it, which creates a daily measure of success independent of external metrics.
- He argues internal success compounds outwardly, so tiny daily wins (e.g., writing five minutes) drive long-term external achievement.
Reduce Thinking To Remove Suffering
- Do reduce thinking because excessive thinking uses past experiences to predict threatening futures and creates unnecessary fear, anxiety, and depression.
- Joseph recommends removing the story behind events (e.g., 'my parents didn't love me') to stop suffering and see events as neutral facts.
