Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement The Psychology of Never Feeling Good Enough (Even When You Clearly Are)
Mar 20, 2026
They unpack why hedonic adaption, perfectionism, and the inner critic erase your wins before you notice. Stories include ignoring a 65 km ultramarathon and small daily progress that goes unseen. Practical moves covered: noticing the “already moved on” reflex, separating experiencing vs remembering selves, and building tiny recognition habits to preserve joy.
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Celebrate To Boost Experiencing And Remembering Selves
- Distinguish between the experiencing self (moment-by-moment happiness) and remembering self (overall life satisfaction).
- Spending time recognizing wins boosts both forms of happiness, per Sam referencing Kahneman.
Perfectionism Hides Real Value
- Perfectionism blinds you to value because you compare output to an ideal only you can see.
- Sam Webster Harris stopped blocking output by releasing work at ~90% and discovered listeners still found it novel and useful.
Imagine Your Audience Isn't In Your Head
- When stuck on perfection, imagine your audience isn't in your head and value what you deliver to them.
- Sam found simpler releases still introduce new concepts because listeners lack his background familiarity.