Reef Karim on Instant Gratification and Self-Sabotage

EDITORS’ NOTE: Reef Karim — television personality, international speaker, author, and osteopathic physician — discusses his insights on self-expression and creativity, Social Media, Instant Gratification and self-sabotage, challenges in the South Asian community, and relationships in the Digital Age.

Interview Questions

Journey through Self Expression and Creativity — Time Index: 1:01 (Based on the Audio)

1. Let’s start by talking about your journey. You say you’ve dedicated your life to creative self-expression and helping people tap into their creative powers to lead a mission-driven and express life. Can you share how you’ve gotten to where you are today?

Financial Security and Creativity — Time Index: 8:30

2. In today’s economy in today’s world, it seems I think there’s more opportunity than ever to be creative, of course, but then there’s more opportunity to also be unstable and, you know, not secure financially.

Social Media — Time Index: 10:19

3. There’s so many options and so much to explore and develop, I think it’s great. I think it’s great that we have those chances to explore in this globalized world, right? The knowledge, the resources, they’re kind of all out there. But then again, you’re competing, as you mentioned, with, I think social media, which has been if you’re the loudest, and you make noise, and you’re controversial, and you’re sensational, then you don’t really have to be skilled, and you can find opportunities to share anything really, right?

Relationship Between Fulfillment and Unique Qualities — Time Index: 15:11

4. I think the better word for me at least is fulfillment in the sense that I think happiness is used in the short term. And I think fulfillment I use in the long term, right? It’s in the macro, where you face all those things that you mentioned in the middle, you know, loss, pain, suffering, rejection, all those different things, that really what it means to be human, including joy. I want to connect the two, how do you help people become their own unique person and then still reach this state of fulfillment? I think it’s quite interconnected, right?

Self Improvement and Sabotage — Time Index: 22:01

5. What are the things that really help or, you think, hurt people (or self sabotage themselves) in terms of their creativity and their cognitive power?

Relationships in the Digital Age — Time Index: 33:48

6. I want to shift the conversations to relationships. I believe that relationships have changed so much in the digital age, right? There’s so much we can talk about here. But I think just the idea of kind of maintaining relationships differently, is so affected in the digital age. What have you found in all your studies?

Challenges in South Asian Community — Time Index: 37:44

7. I want to talk about the South Asian community in terms of the different aspects facing them, particularly in America. What do you think are some of the biggest challenges that we have as a community? Is it still the same things we discussed earlier about the whole creative aspects of, you know, being a doctor or an engineer? Of course, we’re facing other challenges mixed in that everybody else is facing. But are there certain things that you see as a community we need to be vigilant of?

Next Steps in Career — Time Index: 42:23

8. The last thing I want to ask: you mentioned some of the projects you’ve been working on: the podcast, you have the book coming up. What’s your next step? Do you have a dream or goal you’re hoping to accomplish?

About Reef Karim

Dr. Reef Karim, a transformational neuroscientist, medical physician and creative artist, believes we are in an epidemic of conformity, where visibility is emphasized over credibility, where the chaos and noise of digital stress has diminished our creativity and originality, where self sabotage has risen.

Reef guides companies, and the people in them, to overcome conscious and unconscious blocks and build a more effective and powerful leadership style of originality, creative vision, authenticity and vulnerability. He is an advisor, thought leader and content creator – providing the wisdom of how to lead a better life. In addition to advising and consulting high impact corporate executives and high performing entrepreneurs, Forbes writes: “Reef Karim has treated a who’s who list of celebrities, royalty and politicians”.

He is a double board certified psychiatrist, addiction medicine physician and relationship expert who served as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience for over a decade and was the founder and director of The Control Center in Beverly Hills, a Mental Health treatment center centered on overcoming mental health issues, the Opioid Epidemic, Self Sabotage and Escapism Behavior.

Reef is a highly sought after speaker and is well known in the media with appearances on: Oprah, Dr. Oz, Larry King Live, Dr Phil, Anderson Cooper 360, Nightline, The Today Show and Chelsea Lately in addition to hosting the shows: Broken Minds (Discovery) and House of Clues (Court TV/Tru). His work has been profiled in Time, Business Insider, Forbes and Oprah.com. He guest hosted the popular radio show “Loveline” with Adam Corolla and guest hosted KFI news in Los Angeles. For his work in neuroscience, mindset and media, Dr. Reef was voted one of People Magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” and “One of LA’s Most Fascinating People”.