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When the US army examined results from their survival training courses, they found that the soldiers who experienced doubt and expected the training to be difficult performed much better than the soldiers who thought the training would be a ‘piece of cake.’ As a wise and experienced military friend once told Steve Magness, “An ounce of doubt keeps me sharp.” How can you attain this level of toughness? Well, studies show that even four days of mindfulness training can vastly improve outcomes for coping with negative stimuli. An even simpler solution? Stop trying to push through pain. Ironically, this creates a double-down effect. If you’ve ever been told to chill out when you’re incandescent with rage, you’ll know how completely useless – and even infuriating – that advice is. Yet this is a move we pull on ourselves all the time when we’re in pain. While we’re on the topic of listening to your body, let’s talk about the voice in your head – the one that sometimes says you’re not good enough, or you should have one last drink, or it’s raining so you should skip that jog. Should you listen to that voice?
This book would be great for coaches or parents looking to find ways to foster toughness and grit in their players/kids. People who choose to do what nobody else wants to do are often very productive and successful individuals. They tend to take charge, and get things done. Just because it’s hard, doesn’t mean it has to take forever. You will learn to put your mind on the task at hand and push through until completion. 7. You Will Be Valued Set authentic goals for yourself. When you’re all about image, you set goals designed to impress other people: I’m going to run a marathon or I’m going to marry the most attractive partner I can find. But if these superficial goals don’t resonate with your actual desires, you’re unlikely to meet them. When we satisfy our (psychological) needs, we are allowed to fulfill our potential, (because) our drive comes from within, so fear and pressure no longer consume us.”– Steve Magness Summary Steve Magness possesses an incredible range of wisdom and knowledge about the science, psychology and practical sides of sport performance. REAL TOUGHNESS is a master class in how to develop resilience, persistence and confidence under pressure.”Reappraise: When we take a test, we can interpret nervousness as a sign we are not prepared for a test, or we can see it as a sign the test is important, and our body is providing us with additional energy to focus. When we reappraise, we identify ways in which discomfort is beneficial. The more we reappraise, the more likely we are to deal with discomfort in a productive manner (rather than running from it or ignoring it). Why does interoception give professionals in tough fields the edge? Well, being able to engage with and identify your emotions can also help you control them. It can even help you change them. Let’s say you’re experiencing sweaty palms. If you attribute that sensation to anxiety, you actually heighten any anxiety you may be feeling. But if you attribute it to excitement, you can actually transform a potentially negative emotion – anxiety – into a positive one. Pretty neat, right? Do Hard Things is the Harris twins' revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential. We’re able to make meaning out of struggle, out of suffering. Meaning is the glue that holds our minds together, allowing us to both respond and recover. It stalls the jump from difficulty to complete despair, from fear and anxiety to full-blown freak out.”
Steve Magness, a performance scientist who coaches Olympic athletes, rebuilds our broken model of resilience with one grounded in the latest science and psychology. In Do Hard Things, Magness teaches us how we can work with our body – how experiencing discomfort, leaning in, paying attention, and creating space to take thoughtful action can be the true indications of cultivating inner strength. He offers four core pillars to cultivate such resilience:
Alex and Brett capture the passion and potential of our generation perfectly in this book. In Do Hard Thingsthey encourage us to go above and beyond the status quo in everything from schoolwork to serving the poor. This is a truly unique and sorely needed book." When life feels like it’s spinning out of control, or like the task you have in front of you is insurmountable, it’s easy to default to hopelessness. To “What’s the point?” That’s natural. Your body evolved to conserve energy. We need to train hopefulness. To clear the path to continue. It doesn’t take big heroic efforts to train hope. Malcolm Gladwell. Author of Outliers and Talking to Strangers and host of the Revisionist History podcast. Author Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance, coauthor of Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, and The Passion Paradox: A Guide to Going All In, and the author of The Science of Running: How to find your limit and train to maximize your performance. Collectively his books have sold more than a quarter-million copies in print, ebook, and audio formats.
From beloved performance expert, executive coach, and coauthor of Peak Performance Steve Magness comes a radical rethinking of how we perceive toughness and what it means to achieve our high ambitions in the face of hard things. POSSIBLE RESOURCES: teacher, textbook, notes, peers, tutors, Google, Google Images, YouTube, school library database, grandpa. If you’ve been procrastinating on a task for a reason other than because it’s hard, then start with the other resources in this Anti-Procrastination Series. Other resources in this Anti-Procrastination Series Every post in this anti-procrastination series begins with a list of 6 common reasons most people avoid completing tasks. Tim Pychyl identified that we procrastinate on a task when it is one of the following: Counseling, Popular Applied Psychology, Popular Psychology Personality Study, Success Self-Help, Personal Development, Leadership, Productivity, Business, Science, Mindfulness, Happiness, Sports Journalism Table of ContentsThis book is a wake up call to a generation that is down in the dumps. It’s like a coach screaming from the sidelines, ‘You can do it!!!’. I’d recommend it to anyone, young or old.” I can do things you cannot. You can do things I cannot. Together we do great things." Mother Theresa This post about how to do hard things is one of many resources in my anti-procrastination series. I’ve included links to the other resources throughout this post and at the end. Steve Magness has established himself as a leading voice in performance optimization and achieving one's personal best, arete as the Greek's say. In Do Hard Things, Magness questions longstanding beliefs that toughness is developed through hubris and infallibility. What he reveals is both hopeful and reassuring. Do Hard Things is essential reading for anyone looking to cultivate inner strength in a genuine and authentic way." This is an important book. And not just for those wanting to launch successfully into adulthood, but also for discontent twenty- and thirty-somethings who long to be catapulted into significance.”