<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;-- To Access All Bonus Material Mentioned In This Series, Visit &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://gobeyondcurious.com/files" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;gobeyondcurious.com/files&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; -- &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last week, I announced a new series being released on Beyond Curious® called &lt;strong&gt;The 4% Files&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this 11-part series, I’ll surface the most powerful, high-leverage insights buried inside 334+ hours of interviews with some of the most curious minds on the planet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The inspiration?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 80/20 rule… but on steroids.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because 80/20 is fractal, you can 80/20 the 80/20 — which means just 4% of efforts are responsible for over half your results (64% to be exact).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So this means the same is true for my podcast…&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buried within the 267 previously released episodes, there lies 4% of the content that is the most valuable and potent.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AND… because I love you…&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Within this series, I’m going FAR beyond simply replaying my most powerful episodes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I’m sharing it within an overarching framework and pattern I’ve developed that took me THOUSANDS of hours to develop.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In The First File, I reveal this mega framework, and how we’ll be exploring it through the theme of video games.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To say I’m excited to share this with you is a massive understatement…&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As I started poring over all of my content, it's almost as if suddenly the thousands of hours I've invested into creating this show all began to click into place.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I can’t wait for you to open the first file!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stay Curious,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brandon&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;P.S. Not only am I creating this series, but I’m also giving away EPIC bonus material to help implement it all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you truly want to make the most out of this series, you’ll want to &lt;a href="https://gobeyondcurious.com/files/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;check it out here&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;P.P.S. If you want to see the mini 8 Bit Brandon series I had too much fun creating using Sora (in that GIF you see above) it’s also &lt;a href="https://gobeyondcurious.com/files/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;on that link&lt;/a&gt; :)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Show Notes Generated With The Help of AI!&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h3&gt;00:00 – Introduction to Beyond Curious with host Brandon Fong&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brandon introduces the "4% Files" — a special 11-part series within Beyond Curious. He shares that this series distills the most impactful insights from over 334 hours of published episodes to help listeners surface their own unique brilliance and consciously design their lives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;00:36 - Growing up Zillennial and the video game metaphor&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brandon reflects on being born in 1996 and feeling like part of a unique "zillennial" generation. He shares nostalgic stories of playing Super Nintendo with his brother and friends, humorously recalling their odd method of fixing cartridges, then connects it to a powerful metaphor: the “game” of modern life is freezing — and it’s time to choose whether we’re playing consciously or unconsciously.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;02:02 - Why the “game” of work and life is freezing&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brandon explains how linear societal programming prepares us for predefined roles — or “games” — such as doctor, lawyer, or entrepreneur. But with AI rapidly transforming industries, even entrepreneurs aren't immune to unconscious patterns like chasing success for external validation. The key is choosing to play consciously.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;03:57 - Are you playing your own game… or someone else’s?&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brandon dives into the importance of playing a game you’ve &lt;em&gt;intentionally&lt;/em&gt; chosen. He warns against blindly following the frameworks of “gurus” and emphasizes a new paradigm: you’re already whole, and the growth journey should come from your truth, not a place of lack.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;05:43 - Learning to listen to your own wisdom&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brandon highlights how many external programs subtly suggest you’re “not...</description>

Beyond Curious ®

Brandon Fong

#269: The First File: Know Your Player

DEC 9, 202551 MIN
Beyond Curious ®

#269: The First File: Know Your Player

DEC 9, 202551 MIN

Description

-- To Access All Bonus Material Mentioned In This Series, Visit gobeyondcurious.com/files --

Last week, I announced a new series being released on Beyond Curious® called The 4% Files.

In this 11-part series, I’ll surface the most powerful, high-leverage insights buried inside 334+ hours of interviews with some of the most curious minds on the planet.

The inspiration?

The 80/20 rule… but on steroids.

Because 80/20 is fractal, you can 80/20 the 80/20 — which means just 4% of efforts are responsible for over half your results (64% to be exact).

So this means the same is true for my podcast…

Buried within the 267 previously released episodes, there lies 4% of the content that is the most valuable and potent.

AND… because I love you…

Within this series, I’m going FAR beyond simply replaying my most powerful episodes.

I’m sharing it within an overarching framework and pattern I’ve developed that took me THOUSANDS of hours to develop.

In The First File, I reveal this mega framework, and how we’ll be exploring it through the theme of video games.

To say I’m excited to share this with you is a massive understatement…

As I started poring over all of my content, it's almost as if suddenly the thousands of hours I've invested into creating this show all began to click into place.

I can’t wait for you to open the first file!

Stay Curious,

Brandon


P.S. Not only am I creating this series, but I’m also giving away EPIC bonus material to help implement it all.

If you truly want to make the most out of this series, you’ll want to check it out here. 

P.P.S. If you want to see the mini 8 Bit Brandon series I had too much fun creating using Sora (in that GIF you see above) it’s also on that link :) 


Show Notes Generated With The Help of AI!

00:00 – Introduction to Beyond Curious with host Brandon Fong

Brandon introduces the "4% Files" — a special 11-part series within Beyond Curious. He shares that this series distills the most impactful insights from over 334 hours of published episodes to help listeners surface their own unique brilliance and consciously design their lives.


00:36 - Growing up Zillennial and the video game metaphor

Brandon reflects on being born in 1996 and feeling like part of a unique "zillennial" generation. He shares nostalgic stories of playing Super Nintendo with his brother and friends, humorously recalling their odd method of fixing cartridges, then connects it to a powerful metaphor: the “game” of modern life is freezing — and it’s time to choose whether we’re playing consciously or unconsciously.


02:02 - Why the “game” of work and life is freezing

Brandon explains how linear societal programming prepares us for predefined roles — or “games” — such as doctor, lawyer, or entrepreneur. But with AI rapidly transforming industries, even entrepreneurs aren't immune to unconscious patterns like chasing success for external validation. The key is choosing to play consciously.


03:57 - Are you playing your own game… or someone else’s?

Brandon dives into the importance of playing a game you’ve intentionally chosen. He warns against blindly following the frameworks of “gurus” and emphasizes a new paradigm: you’re already whole, and the growth journey should come from your truth, not a place of lack.


05:43 - Learning to listen to your own wisdom

Brandon highlights how many external programs subtly suggest you’re “not there yet.” Instead, he urges listeners to trust their own wisdom and filter external advice through the lens of their own game. This becomes the foundation for the 4% Files.


07:30 - Architect vs. Player: The foundational concept

Brandon introduces a defining analogy: there’s a Player version of you (who acts) and an Architect version (who designs the game). Inspired by a conversation with his wife and a Google Doc called “personality test synthesis,” this concept reframes how we should approach personal growth.


11:14 - The video game-themed structure of the 4% Files

Brandon lays out the framework for the 4% Files series:

  1. Know your player
  2. Design your game
  3. Use the power-ups
  4. He introduces the idea of “player” and “architect” power-ups — insights that have created disproportionate results in his own journey.


13:03 - The "Find Your 4%" process explained

Brandon begins walking through the “Find Your Four” framework — a distillation of the Pareto Principle. He explains how 4% of your actions drive 64% of your results and outlines how to uncover your 20%, 4%, and 0.8% layers of impact and joy.


17:40 - The 3 layers of the 4% Framework

Brandon introduces the three nested layers:

  • 20%: Your environment — where your genius naturally emerges
  • 4%: Your potent actions and qualities — often unconscious
  • 0.8%: Your core identity and beliefs — the energetic foundation powering everything


22:02 - The power of "Plus Two" castaways and creating your ideal environment

Brandon shares the Plus Two energy framework from episode 238, explaining how to identify and surround yourself with people who elevate your energy and co-create trust-based, expansive feedback loops that support growth.


28:43 - Brandon’s personal 4%: Energy, thinking, and clear transmission

Brandon breaks down his 4% into three core elements and shows how they appear in real life:

  • Clear energy — the felt experience people have with him - A blend of curiosity, love, enthusiasm, appreciation, and resonance. He often hears “I love your energy” and treats it as meaningful feedback. He shows up with high presence, asks thoughtful questions, reflects people’s strengths, and intuitively tunes to the room.
  • Metacognitive synthesis — how he thinks and builds solutions - He breaks complexity into simple mental models, recombines patterns into new frameworks, and uses precise questioning to turn ambiguity into clarity. This includes his “fractal” 4% thinking and constant optimization to increase leverage.
  • Clear transmission — how his ideas land with people - He blends storytelling with structured frameworks so ideas land both logically and emotionally, making them immediately usable.

He notes this understanding came from many iterations (he jokes he’s on “version 42”) and from others helping him “read the label on his jar.”


35:07 - The 0.8%: Why your core beliefs create over 50% of your results

Brandon introduces the final layer: your 0.8% core identity. He shares his values, shaped by guest Darius Mirshahzadeh (ep. 121), and explains how beliefs like childlike curiosity and conscious storytelling fuel every action.


41:13 - A journaling process to uncover your 4% with ChatGPT

Listeners are guided through a powerful self-inquiry process using a custom GPT designed to extract their 20%, 4%, and 0.8% layers. Prompts include:

  • Tell a story of a meaningful and fulfilling accomplishment
  • Share a challenge you solved uniquely
  • Name three people you admire and why


47:23 - Final reflections and next steps

Brandon wraps the episode with encouragement: finding your 4% is not the end, but the beginning of a new journey. He shares that your brilliance doesn’t need to be earned — it only needs to be expressed. File Two will explore how to design your own game based on the 4% insights.


Links & Resources: