92: Dr. Douglas Brackmann, Author and Psychologist

Daniel Giordano

SUMMARY:

Dr. Douglas Brackmann wants to help you figure out whether you’re a member of his tribe: The Driven. In this turbocharged All-In Podcast conversation, Doug defines the neurological as well as sociological and temperamental differences between “hunters” and “farmers.” Commonly seen in entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, inventors, adventurers and Navy SEALs, research has shown that certain genes can manifest resilient, highly focused people who also tend to be impulsive and easily distracted. While these traits enabled our ancient ancestors to survive, in today’s climate they can create havoc. But what the world tells you is a disorder like ADD or OCD may in fact be your biggest gift.

As an author and entrepreneur, Doug has put his dual psychology doctorates to work by developing content, tools and a community of support for the Driven. He wants those of us who are wired for hunger, curiosity and a desire to see what’s over the next hill to understand why. Instead of self-sabotaging or suffering imposter syndrome, feeling out of sync or unrewarded, he wants his fellow “hunters” to learn how their brains work and why. He uses his psychological expertise to explain what it means to be driven, as well as practices to help you stay present and fully focused in the now. Driven, says Doug, is the difference between dreaming and doing. He’s sharing tools designed to recognize your most authentic identity, harness your gifts and banish counter-productive shame. He provides a template for the difference between “farmers” and “hunters” as well as some of the traits that define the latter:

High tolerance for risk.
Ability to think about multiple concepts simultaneously.
High quotient for resilience and hard-charging.
Eyes constantly on the horizon.

Sound like any driven entrepreneurs you might know?

You can take Doug’s “Are You Driven?” assessment here. Click here to learn more about Doug’s book, “Driven: Understanding and Harnessing the Genetic Gifts Shared by Entrepreneurs, Navy SEALs, Pro Athletes, and MAYBE You.”

KEY TOPICS:

Doug shares a little bit of his background, including early experiences as a high school drop-out that prompted a desire to understand himself and drove the pursuit of dual PhDs in psychology.
About the human genome’s development as well as the advent of the fMRI, both of which have offered transformational insights into how we’re all individually wired.
How and why Doug came to write “Driven: Understanding and Harnessing the Genetic Gifts Shared by Entrepreneurs, Navy SEALs, Pro Athletes, and MAYBE You.”
Doug explains the hunter-farmer dichotomy, in which the vast majority of humans are genetically predisposed to be content with routine, even boredom, while a small percentage of the herd is hard-wired to bolt.
The neural wiring among “hunters,” whose dopamine receptors drive them to pursue whatever is over the next hill, predestine them to be wanderers.
Where “farmers” are neurologically hard-wired to be satisfied by performing repetitive tasks and following executive functioning to reinforce identity, the brains of “hunters” are geared toward eyeballs-on immediacy and risk.
Doug shares the origins of his meditation practice, which traces back to his imposter syndrome, chronic discontent and multi-thinking brain.
The literal and metaphorical ways in which long-range shooting is grounding; demands total focus that forces our “monkey mind” to be fully present.
For Doug, meditation isn’t relaxation. It’s a state of being present, a state of grace in which you experience internal calm and peace in relationship to everything else.

KEY QUOTES:

“I always felt there was something missing or wrong in my life. It’s called boredom … In a farmer’s world, I look crazy.”
“Mindfulness doesn’t mean that you’re relaxed. It means that you’re ready either for someone to punch you in the face or give you a flower.”
“(Being driven) is a gift and a curse because this is a farmer’s world. It has never been safer, never been easier. Ever.”
“This is a farmer’s world, designed by farmers and built by farmers. The school system was based upon creating good employees for Ford, assembly line workers.”
“Take responsibility (for being a hunter). You can’t force the world to take care of your needs.”
“Hunters tend to use emotions as the basis of identity. Farmers don’t. They use logic and are rational.”
“The ego saboteur lives in your body. It doesn’t live in the brain.”
“With humility – which is the capacity to be honest with yourself – and a process, you can do anything.”
“Meditation has nothing to do with relaxation. It’s the present and being in the present moment.”

About Doug:

Dr. Doug Brackmann is one of the leading psychologists to some of the most successful and Driven entrepreneurs, pro athletes, executives, and other top performers. After earning dual PhDs in psychology in 2002, Dr. Doug has devoted the last 15 years to working with the Driven population in order to help them focus their gifts to achieve personal and professional success. By combining the components of meditation, long-range shooting, and therapy, Dr. Doug helps those with Driven characteristics (often wrongfully diagnosed as ADD, ADHD, OCD, or other) to harness their hunter abilities so they can stop self-sabotaging, find fulfillment in life, and achieve the ultimate success

Contacts for Douglas:

Website: www.drdougbrackmann.com

Podcast: The I Am Driven Podcast

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@LinkedIn

About the All In Podcast Show:

The All-In Podcast Show presents top Entrepreneurs, Innovators and World Changers willing to share their breakthrough moments and how they are changing the world. Focused on being “All-In” on the four areas of life: faith, family, finances, and health, host Daniel Giordano invites mentors who exemplify balance and a commitment to building a bold life of excellence.

Previous episodes of the The All-In Podcast can be found here.