Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness

by Steve Magness

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.

Toughness has long been held as the key to overcoming a challenge and achieving greatness, whether it is on the sports field, at a boardroom, or at the dining room table. Yet, the prevailing model has promoted a mentality based on fear, false bravado, and hiding any sign of weakness. In other words, the old model of toughness has failed us.

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:

Pillar 1- Ditch the Façade, Embrace Reality
Pillar 2- Listen to Your Body
Pillar 3- Respond, Instead of React
Pillar 4- Transcend Discomfort

Smart and wise all at once, Magness flips the script on what it means to be resilient. Drawing from mindfulness, military case studies, sports psychology, neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, he provides a roadmap for navigating life's challenges and achieving high performance that makes us happier, more successful, and, ultimately, better people.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Personal Development, Audiobook, Leadership, Productivity

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2022

About the author

Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance, coauthor of Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success and The Passion Paradox: A Guide to Going All In, Finding Success, and Discovering the Benefits of an Unbalanced Life, 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.

Magness has served as a consultant on mental skills development for professional sports teams, including some of the top teams in the NBA. He has also coached numerous professional athletes to the Olympics and world championship level. He has coached seven athletes to top Top-15 finishes at a World Championship, twelve athletes to births on the World Championship or Olympic teams, and guided more than twenty-five Olympic Trials Qualifiers. He helped guide Roberta Groner, a forty-one-year-old full-time nurse, to 6th place in the marathon at the 2019 World Championships.

Magness was a columnist for Running Times magazine and is now the co-host of two podcasts: The Growth Equation podcast, with Brad Stulberg, and On Coaching with Magness and Marcus, with Jon Marcus. His writing has also appeared in Runner’s World and Sports Illustrated. In addition, Steve's expertise on elite sport and performance has been featured in The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Men’s Health, The Guardian, Business Insider, and ESPN The Magazine.

Steve received his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston and a graduate degree from George Mason University. He currently lives in Houston, Tx with his wife Hillary. Once upon a time, he ran a mile in 4:01 in high school, at the time the 6th fastest high school mile in US history.

Reviews

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavy on anecdotes, very light on the science, highly conversational style, no genuinely new insights.

[megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was genuinely one of the best books I have ever read. I might be biased because as a runner and someone who works in mental health this book was somehow extremely relevant to both aspects of my life. I have been a fan of Steve Magness' perspective on Twitter for a long time and respect how he spoke out against Alberto Salazar and left Nike back when that scandal was going down. What I especially enjoyed about this book - and what drove me to write a review on this website that I doubt anyone will read but whatever - is that it is very practically applicable in a person's own life. I have already been able to use a lot of this book in my work with clients and in my own life and I really appreciate that about any kind of self-helpy book. 5/5 :)

[Shelby Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magness found the perfect mix of personal narrative, studies and evaluation to round out this book. He included his experience as runner, but did not just rely on his own ideas. He backed up his ideas with supporting stories and research articles. It read well through out.
I liked how the book is structured to explain a concept and also have take aways. It was slightly athlete focused, however he does give examples from other areas so it’s still relevant for everyone.
My favorite quote from the first chapter that really sets up (and summarizes) the book: “Real toughness is experiencing discomfort or distress, leaning in, paying attention, and creating space to take thoughtful action. It’s navigating discomfort to make the best decision possible.”
The ideas presented will move you away from “tough it out” and into tuning into your body and mind to make the hard decisions.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperOne for the ARC.
Also posted on www.shelbygreads.wordpress.com

[Samcwright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 2.5 stars. One of those books that you read and quickly forget. It’s not that there aren’t interesting ideas or good stories. It just wasn’t that memorable. Could be half as long. Understand who you are and your capacity, bravado won’t save you, be in the moment, learn to grind, root your effort in larger meaning.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truly nothing new here. There's little science (many anecdotes) and what science is included is lacking in depth. Read literally any of Matt Fitzgerald's books instead.

[Cav · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Everybody goes through shit in their life. Nobody escapes obstacles.”
-Rich Roll

Do Hard Things was an excellent book. To be honest, I was not quite sure what to expect from this one going in. I am happy to report that it exceeded any expectations I may have had. This is my first from the author, but likely not my last...

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.

Steve Magness:


The book is a mixture of performance science, psychology, social psychology, Buddhist philosophy, and self-help. It is written in a straightforward, down-to-earth manner that should have no trouble holding even the finicky reader's attention.

Despite the title sounding somewhat like it would be talking mostly about grit, it is more of a broad-based look, that focuses on self-betterment and performance; across all endeavours.
Magness presents a ton of valuable as well as actionable advice in these pages.

I found the formatting of the book to be very well done, as well. The writing is broken into well-defined chapters, and each chapter into segmented writing with relevant headers at the top. There are also summaries at the end of every chapter, to help the reader reinforce what has just been covered. I really like books formatted in this fashion, and find that this presentation style really helps me retain the information covered. Good stuff!

Magness kicks the book off on a good foot, with a well-written introduction. He also issues a challenge to the conventional concept of "toughness," which is centered around machismo and bravado:

"...“Soft.” Female genitalia. Questioning manhood. All actions that clue us in on Knight’s actual definition of toughness, one founded on showing no weakness, bulldozing through obstacles, and utilizing fear to establish authority and control. A version we would now call old-school in an attempt to place distance between such barbaric practices and the present. But it’s an idea that still dominates the playing fields and performance halls of our present. We have a fundamental misunderstanding of what toughness is. And it pervades far more than the basketball courts..."
"...For too long, our definition of toughness revolved around a belief that the toughest individuals are ones who have thick skin, fear nothing, constrain any emotional reaction, and hide all signs of vulnerability. In other words, they are callous.
Compounding our confusion, we’ve resorted to tying toughness to masculinity and an ethos of machismo. The mentality to never show weakness, grind it out, play through the pain. Our vocabulary is telling. We tell our sons and daughters to “man up” or, in much cruder terms that are heard on playing fields across the country, “stop being a pussy.”

The main problem with this disciplinary style (if we refrain from commenting on the ethics of it) is that is ineffectual; says Magness:

"Even in terms of discipline, the area that you would think a demanding style would be successful, it falls short. In one study of over 1,200 parents, authoritarian parenting was linked to a much higher rate of child misbehavior. It even fails in places where it seems a natural fit: the military. In the Israeli military, those who grew up in an authoritarian environment adapted to and coped with the challenges of military life much worse than their peers who grew up in a nurturing environment. The authoritarian style creates the appearance of discipline without actually fostering it.
Somewhat ironically, teaching, parenting, or coaching for this version of “toughness” creates fragile and dependent individuals. What does a child who was taught to follow the rules unquestioningly out of fear do when a parent isn’t there to dictate his behavior? What does an adult who was taught to rely on fear for motivation do when left to her own devices in the real world? What does a football player who learns to push himself only when a coach is screaming in his face do when it’s him alone on the field?"

After covering the pioneering work of Dr. Martin Seligman and his concept of learned helplessness, Magness discusses the importance of attaining a small amount of control over your situation to reduce your levels of despair:

"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.
Small signals that you are in control, that you can have an impact, will be enough to turn our prefrontal cortex back on."

Some more of what is talked about in the book includes:
• Alex Honnold; his lowered amygdala activation.
• The "threat vs challenge" dichotomy.
• The self-esteem movement.
• Martin Seligman's learned helplessness.
• Psychogenic death, aka "Give-up-itis;" War POWs.
• The importance of rituals in performance.
• The power of self-talk.
• The benefits of meditation.
• Focus; zooming in and zooming out.
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs; self-transcendance.
• Social cohesion in organizations.
• Viktor Frankl, his famous book Man's Search for Meaning, and his Logotherapy. Post-traumatic growth (PTG).
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); the author's personal struggle with it.

He ends the book with this bit of writing:
"While much of this book focuses on developing toughness in the individual and team, the greater issue is how we conceptualize toughness as a society. We prop up the brazen and boisterous, providing a platform for those who scream the loudest. We promote those who are brash and overconfident, even though their work and results don’t merit the bravado. We support politicians who write books with titles promoting admirable values such as resilience, fortitude, healing during division, truth, and self-reliance, yet when it comes to acting in accordance with those proposed notions, our political elite ditch those oh-so-esteemed values. And then drive back and forth over them as long as they get their payday or accolades. We prop up the companies that create slick-looking ads promoting values of inclusion and diversity, all while the inner workings of those companies are littered with cultures of abuse, hostility, and harassment.
We’ve fallen for the appearance without the substance. We’ve chosen the glitzy Instagram-filter version of toughness. One that is staged, distorted, and dependent on choosing to live in a fantasy instead of embracing reality—acknowledging the struggles, the failure, the doubts, the insecurity. Real toughness is coming to terms with who we are and what we face, and making sense of and finding meaning in that struggle.
It’s time to leave the old-school notion of toughness behind. The external and fake version might give us the momentary feeling of strength and power when we lead via fear and control. But it’s temporary. It quickly fades away. And as I’ve shown over and over again, when it really matters, it fails. We’ve copied the early twentieth- century football coach and drill sergeant model for far too long. We know where it leads. To something that looks like toughness on the outside, but upon closer inspection falls apart. It’s time to turn away from a false idol and hold up a different kind of toughness. Society desperately needs us to emphasize the internal, not the external.
Real toughness is living in the nuance and complexity of the environment, bodies, and minds we inhabit. There is no one standard pathway to inner strength, no formula for making difficult decisions or dealing with the extremes of discomfort. Real toughness is about acceptance: of who you are, what you’re going through, and the discomfort that often comes with it. It’s living in that place of tension so that the needed space can be created to find the best path forward.
It’s time to embrace a better, real kind of toughness. One that acknowledges our common humanity and slays the myth that oldschool toughness promotes. My hope is that this book is a small step toward a major course correction, one that teaches our children that acting tough isn’t the same thing as being tough. That being vulnerable and honest isn’t a sign of weakness but a sign of strength. It’s time to redefine toughness. It’s more important now than ever before. Ditch the facade and the external. It’s time to focus on true inner strength.
We’re all capable of developing such inner strength, even those who might be labeled as weak or failures. Here’s to embracing reality, being secure in who we are, embracing our feelings and emotions as information, fulfilling our basic human needs, and finding purpose and meaning in life to carry us through life’s challenges. As biographer Joshua Wolf Shenk wrote about the man who had to figure out how to help the country he loved navigate its toughest period, “Lincoln, by whatever combination of habit and choice, took his own path. He did not pretend to be anything other than he was.”
Be who you are. That’s real toughness."

***********************

As mentioned at the start of this review, I really enjoyed this book.
If you are interested in self-betterment, and/or high performance - then this one needs to be on your to-read list.
5 stars, and a spot on my "favorites" shelf.

[Mike Dennisuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Magness takes us on a journey toward redefining “toughness”. This is an interesting, science based examination of the concept of “toughness”. “Old School” tells us to persevere and push through. If you don’t, you are weak. Having coached high school athletes for 30+ years, this never rang true for me. Magness offers a different perspective that rings true to my personal experience.

One passage, near the end of the book, encapsulates his thinking:

“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.”

A solid read

[M]

Audiobook. Authoritarian parents. Machismo. Sports. I wasn’t interested in where this was going. Did not finish.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magness’ thesis seems to be an amalgamation of other people’s work. Many of these books I have already read (Man’s Search for Meaning – Frankl; The Happiness Hypothesis – Haidt; Why Buddhism is True – Wright) and feel that Magness cherry picked some of the ideas then wedged them into his kinder-gentler version of developing mental toughness. My main critique is that he focusses more on positive attitude and less on personal discipline. So maybe the book should be re-titled Do Hard Things… You Know, If You Feel Like It. haha

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good, actionable info here. I didn't need a lot of the stories, but they can be very helpful/interesting for many readers, so I see their value. There are lots of additional approaches (Buddhism for example) that readers may want to explore in addition to the helpful ideas here. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

[Amy Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reconceptualization of what embodies true strength of mind and the will to persist. Magness shows how we can reframe our mindset to emphasize cognitive flexibility, an understanding of purpose, and a focus on the whole person and relationships to drive our success and satisfaction.

[Hayden Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting new data/ideas, but not really well written and not well organized

[Kumail Akbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I wrote for another review this year, I try to pick up at least one self-help guidance book every year and try to incorporate at least one key take away from it in my life. This approach works from a life improvement perspective but may not be ideal from book review perspective, as my reviews can get colored by what I can extract from and incorporate from the book. Fortunately for the author, this book’s review will be similarly colored, and so the reader is advised to take whatever I have to say with an even larger than usual grain of salt.

I found this book recommended amongst your usual strand of life improvement, self-help social media and podcasts. The title suggested that the author would be discussing both how people get resilience wrong, and the ‘surprising science’ of real toughness. Unfortunately for the author, who clearly cannot be expected to look at examples from just outside his cultural landscape, the resilience part of the book was incredibly banal, at least in my part of the world. And the surprising science of real toughness did not seem to have much rigorous science quoted and discussed at length, only select studies cherry picked and quoted which confirmed the author’s priors.

However, the book was actually pretty decent, once you keep aside expectations set by the title and by grandiose online claims. Magness’ anecdotal advice, especially when they involve marrying ideas from Buddhism as well as self-help and discipline combined with basic biology, provide very reasonable guidance for individuals looking to better their lives, and confront reality on a more sound footing. This was specifically true when he talked about taking back control of small parts of your life when things seem to go completely out of control “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. Small signals that you are in control, that you can have an impact, will be enough to turn our prefrontal cortex back on.”

As someone who has repeatedly faced this in life, and especially so in the last few years, and as someone who used a combination of aggressive and disciplined workout regimens and mindfulness practices to take back a little bit of control of my own life, and to set in on a more sound footing despite external circumstances, I can very strongly relate with his suggestions. In fact, over the past few years I have repeatedly advised the same to people off and on myself.

Magness’ discussions on reframing threats as challenges, on psychogenic death (that is notions of giving up), on the power of self-talk and meditation, on zooming in and out of not just problems but also pain (even during extreme exercises) and most surprisingly, his discussion of Viktor Frankl’s life changing work ‘Man’s search for meaning’, were all discussed in a comprehensible and context relevant manner.

At some point in my life I wish to be able to build on what he has presented here, and write something which does not make as many grandiose claims, but also provides more specific actionable insights. But until then, this one would have to do as a pretty decent self-help book for most people.

Rating 3.5 of 5 rounded up to 4 of 5

[Miles Urban · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of things to chew on with this book. Listing below my favorite quotes and takeaways.

Pillar 1: Ditch the Façade, Embrace Reality

Real toughness is experiencing discomfort or distress, leaning in, paying attention and creating space to take thoughtful action
How we see the world shapes how we respond to it
If an overconfident student choose a book that is too hard he or she might stop reading after a few pages and let it sit on a bookshelf. In contrast, a more self-aware student is more likely to finish an easier book and continue reading more books……Cultivating fake confidence crates insecurity for our minds to exploit
Lower the bar. Raise the floor.
The way to greater confidence is not to reassure ourselves of our own dignity; it’s to come to peace with our inevitable ridiculousness
Trust but verify 😊
We often equate toughness with persistence, but in some cases, it’s the exact opposite

Pillar 2: Listen to Your Body

Feelings drive and direct us toward a possible solution
The “power through” mantra makes sense only if you actually take stock of what you are powering through
When we name something, we take back control – converting the ambiguous to something tangible that we can understand, manipulate, and come to terms with.
When it comes to emotions and feelings, most of us act like kindergartners (RE: vocabulary)


Pillar 3: Respond, Instead of React

Burnout trains our brain to react in the exact opposite way that meditation does: a hyperreactive alarm without a “brake” to control the runaway emotional response
The rest of us are responding not only to the actual stressor but also to the anticipation and lingering reverberations of it……a triple dose of pain (before, during, and after)
Respond to reality
A calm conversation is about slowing the world down, creating space between fatigue and freak-out
The skill of being alone in your head is a foundational piece of developing toughness
Top performers figure out when to go broad and when to narrow


Pillar 4: Transcend Discomfort

Tough people are able to adjust and pour their ability to persist into a new worthwhile goal; it’s switching from trying to write a chapter to simply outlining your thoughts
Self-determination theory (SDT) includes the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Or stated another way, to feel in control, like you can make progress, and to belong
The leader acts as a guide, a person who is on the journey with the individual
Being a decent, caring human being is a performance and life enhancer
As a leader, it’s your job to create space for genuine connection to occur
In order to trust, we must first be vulnerable
In a world dominated by social media and the appearance of connection, rather than actual relationships, the need for genuine connection is even more paramount
Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Found This Book A Hard Thing

This was a good book I found it very interesting and helpful for persevering through hardships and getting things done

I still did find it way too focused on sports than on business
Of course this is fine enough but I'm not a big fan of reading about sports - so yeah

Also it kept referring over and over to the book Why buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment (SPOILER ALERT no it's not true) - like why the heck do I need to know excerpts from this book!?

3.6/5

[Kristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

So male centric I couldn't get through it. No thanks. DNF.

[Bilal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking at Western ideologies regarding "toughness, resilience" and how these ideas are hurting, rather than helping.
The author provides a lot of anecdotes in this book, followed by the science (jargon free) and ways of implementing what you learn from the book in your life.

[Kaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. It was mostly a compilation of studies to show you how some people are lil babies and others are not. I guess I was hoping more for some concrete ideas rather than the greatest hits of performance studies from the last 60 years or so. Just be better, like these guys *shrug emoji*

Heavy on physical toughness. Many sports anecdotes. I get that sports are as much about the mental game as anything, but just not what I'm really looking for. Could be a great read for a coach, not so much if you're on a Peloton (like yours truly).

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book loses a tiny bit of steam at the end, as Magness turns to more general ideas and less specific actions. Much of this was new to me, and the mix of stories and science gave it a good mix of applicability and accessibility while making a convincing argument.

I'd be happy if more coaches (and teachers and parents) read this one, and I'm likely to go back through at least my highlights if not a full re-read, especially of the first 3/4 or so.

[Isaac Noren · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most applicable books I’ve read in a really really really long time
It was hard to listen to the audio book because I had to keep rewinding since every other line was a literal bar so it took forever
This book has been on my mind nonstop the entire team I read it - lots of food for thought

Loved it :)

[Richard Krafty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend if you teach or coach.

[Lindsey Hein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve’s work is so well researched with great stories to go along with the topics in his books. This is one of my favorite books by Steve yet! Highly recommend.

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of a man book.

[Charles Cai · Rating 2 out of 5]

The actual concepts were good but the content was fluffy. Feel like I could’ve gotten everything from a one page summary

[Mitra Mirshafiee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A break down of ideas around resilience and true toughness.
I enjoyed the original ideas and examples used. Suggest it anyone who's also read goggings book, can't hurt me.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really such a great book for empowering us to remember that we always have choice and autonomy to make decisions in our lives. Viewed through both cognitive and dialectical lenses, this gives concrete skills for increasing “mental toughness” that lasts.

[Owen Melia]

I don’t think I read the last 20% of the book but got the gist

[Travis Standley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book runs through a lot of topics around toughness and busts the myth of suppressing and ignoring negative emotions and tough situations. The topics range from capacity, training, focus, mindfulness, emotion, thoughts, feelings, framing, inner voices, etc.
It covers a lot of ground but I found the stories and examples relevant snd helpful.

The section on the brain and the inner voices was helpful and something new I’ve walked away with from this book.

[Mason Frierson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where do I begin with this book?

First, the author provided a shallow and superficial summary of the important psychological research on resilience.

Second, he failed to acknowledge to the researchers who actually did the research that he based this book on. This is unacceptable for high school term papers, how was this allowed in a profession publication? All this is is just a rehash of a lot of work done by others/ neither bad nor good.

I've never had to stop a book and quit reading it because it was so ill-positioned to speak on the title. All the science was thrown at me, but it didn't seem to be leading anywhere until the author suggested to "lower the bar", because...reasons.

Somehow, the premise of the book turned to "DON'T do hard things", but accept that things are hard and you shouldn't do any dreaming because you are weak.

I might have been behind this idea, but the presentation and bold-faced lie in the premise and title just turned me off.

Speaking of title, the title itself is misleading. I am assuming the publisher chose the title for this book in an effort to sell more books. Completely false advertising. This book is not even remotely about doing hard things. I struggled to make it half way through the book, hoping the material would improve.

Look, I am not a fan of coaches that bully their players or corporate executives that lead by fear and intimidation, but he complains that coaches like Bobby Knight and those tough-love types were actually wrong. Of course, he has all sorts of "research" to back up his thesis. Only problem is he is literally asking the reader to ignore real world results. So I guess Vince Lombardi, Herb Brooks, and other championship coaches were wrong. This is laughable. This book is perfect for our times though, where we are told to listen to self-proclaimed experts and ignore actual real world results.

In the end, this book is another in a long line of “soft porn athleto-psycho” books that take two-hundred-and-fifty pages to over explore and explain one, small feature of sports, character, culture, and whatever else can be thrown in.

As a subject, “toughness” seems worthwhile to explore. But it doesn’t require a magnum opus—not even a minimum opus. Fifty, tight pages could have told a more thought-provoking, exciting, and memorable story.

If Magness wants to “do a hard thing,” I suggest he remove four out of every five words from the original manuscript and publish that version. It'll be hard, but it’ll also save trees, time on behalf of readers, and bad reviews.

[Stephanie’s Libby Antics · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the best (and most original) advice tidbit from this book in my opinion, as someone who reads a lot of self help books:

Don’t lower the bar, instead raise the floor.

Don’t lower your goal so that it is easier to reach and then slowly raise that bar higher and higher so that each time you must beat your previous “best”.

Instead, establish your baseline and slowly but surely raise the floor - the lowest you’ll accept from yourself.

Examples of this that I’ve implemented in my life:

1) I do the stairs in my building for exercise. I’m quite bad at it…. Anyway, instead of trying to aim towards my personal best flights in 30 minutes every single time, I’m now just making sure I hit over a minimum number of flights in 30 minutes that I know I should almost always be able to reach, and then I’ve been increasing that floor by 2 flights every 2 weeks. Actual progress, but consistency is rewarded over peak performance.

2) I have a habit tracking app. I have 24 habits on it that I track. My new “floor” is I MUST complete 8/24 habits every single day. The 8 can change, but I must hit 8. Even when I’m sick or away I can always hit 8. I’ll be raising the floor to 9….10… so on when I’ve had an entire month hitting 8 every day.

You can’t always perform at your best, but you can (mostly) always show up and perform anyway.

I can think of so many applications of this new rule and truly - it’s way more motivating.

Every other point made in this book was review of things I’ve already been told, studies I’ve already heard of, references to books I’ve read, etc.