#49: Going Deep with Simulation Series Host Allan Saakyan

Allen Saakyan is a man with many Super Powers. He is the host of Simulation Series, a live show and event series that approaches global topics with leading minds in our world. Today he speaks about what inspires him personally to work towards a better future, his beliefs about interconnectivity, the expansive conversations he has had that have opened up a new dimension of thought and widened his perspective helping make sense off life on this pale blue dot we call Earth.

Takeaways:

[4:47] Allen’s mom and uncle had a large part in his love of learning, curious nature, and active imagination. Together, they showed him that a strong connection to knowledge can be fostered at any age and he became interested in understanding the world and then executing within it.

[7:12] The internet can be the most interesting place in the world but we’ve all been guilty of mindlessly scrolling on social media or wasting time on other sites. When Allen catches himself in that behavior, he redirects and refocuses to source out high-quality knowledge.

[10:13] Allen shares how his passion for entrepreneurship led him to drop out of college after his sophomore year, and pursue a life in Silicon Valley where he could dedicate time and energy to learning about maximizing human potential.

[15:08] Allen’s insatiable curiosity and love for highlighting others for their purpose and contribution led to the creation of Simulation Series. We all have a mixture of extroversion and introversion within us, and it’s okay (even encouraged!) to sit alone and read one night and go out to connect with others the next.

[19:39] The Simulation Series features some of the greatest scientists, technologists, entrepreneurs, and educators of our time. Allen is our beacon of creativity through the process, asking them profound and deep questions to encourage them to communicate their thoughts and ideas to the viewers.

[21:06] One central theme Allen has found in the series is interconnectivity between ideas, people, and technology. The butterfly effect can range from small-scale up to mass-scale, and the interconnection between humans and between humans and technology is what will get us to and beyond the next level.

[26:07] Polymaths draw upon a multitude of different topics and intersect them into a wide range of knowledge and learning.

[27:35] To make a beneficial impact on the world, it takes hard work. Allen has seen that “hard work” is easy to do when you love what you do and it pushes to a better world to benefit people.

[31:28] A common thread of Allen’s guests are individuals who pursue high-level thinking and a big-picture view, with an inclusive conversation. They adapt to new ideas and are open to discourse and dialect from all angles.

[32:24] One big step for our civilization is becoming interplanetary. Another is figuring out how attaining or achieving something doesn’t preclude someone else from having something.

[38:27] Our Superpowers change over time, and our essence augments as we grow and learn.

[39:17] Allen encourages us to think in a big-picture lens and to move above the surface-level conversations to really connect. Use your eyes, body language and eyebrows to show you are listening — they have evolved for that very reason!

Quotes

“Read a book! It will help advance your life so much.”
“Read like hell.”
“You have full control when you sit down behind a computer. You are either able to browse mindlessly, or specifically find a very high-quality source of knowledge.”
“I look in the mirror and have a conversation with myself on how I can be better today and then I go and aim to do that.”
“If you find work that feels like it’s part of your life, then why not dedicate time to building that?”
“Go deep, whether it’s from an intellectual point of view, an emotional view, or an intersection between them.”
“Enough with the surface-level stuff!”
“You can’t be angry and grateful at the same time.”

Mentioned in This Episode: