MTPs are along the lines of “discover sustainable ways to end world hunger,” while a high, hard goal (HHG) is a major step along that path, such as “Get a degree in nutrition” or “Create a nonprofit that uses insect-based proteins to feed the world in a more sustainable fashion.”

The technical language that surrounds a subject is the second place to put your attention. Why? Jargon, while annoying, is annoyingly precise.

This also means that these goals are my first filter. If a project comes my way, if it doesn’t advance these three missions, then it’s not for me. This is critical. It doesn’t do much good to do all this work to increase motivation, only to squander it on the frivolous. MTPs, utilized properly, aren’t aspirational, they’re filtrational: they weed o

need to know our needs—that is, our intrinsic motivations—before we can utilize goals as a way of fulfilling those needs. That’s why this book started where it did. With passion and purpose properly stacked atop autonomy and mastery, we’re now positioned to get the maximum benefit from goal setting.

In order to send this message, the brain relies on four basic components: neurochemistry and neuroelectricity, which are the messages themselves, and neuroanatomy and networks, which are the places those messages are sent from and received.

The easiest way to start stacking intrinsic drivers is with a list. If you have the option, write this list in a notebook rather than on a computer. There’s a powerful relationship between hand motion and memory, which means, for learning, pen and paper triumph over laptop and keyboard every time.

By stacking motivations, that is, layering curiosity atop curiosity atop curiosity, we’re increasing drive but not effort. This is what happens when our own internal biology does the heavy lifting for us. You’ll work harder, but you won’t notice the work. Also, because dopamine provides a host of additional cognitive benefits—amplified focus, bette

Dopamine specializes in driving all the various manifestations of desire, from our sexual appetites to our quest for knowledge.

The big point: Impossible is always a checklist. Do every item on your checklist today, do every item on your checklist tomorrow, and repeat. This is how clear goals become high, hard achievements, which become milestones on the way to massively transformative purposes.