Thinking about the work is not the same as doing the work. Excitement about the work is not the same as doing the work. Talking about the work is not the same as doing the work. Only DOING the work is doing the work.

Decrease blood pressure. Lower stress hormones. Enhance respiration. Improve sleep. Promote creativity. Dampen anxiety. Strengthen humility. Restore perspective. No drug can do all of this. Spending time in nature can.

Anyone can work a ton of hours. It can be a sign of dedication but it can also be a sign of insecurity and lack of confidence. Performance has little to do with how MANY hours you work. It's about what you do IN those hours. Quantity independent of quality is nonsense.

To stay on the LONG path of progress you've got to hold (and harmonize) competing ideas at once. This is so important. Stress AND rest Seriousness AND fun Self discipline AND self-compassion Solitude AND community Success AND failure Caring deeply about goals AND non-attachment

MOVE YOUR BODY. Aim for at least 30 minutes every day. More is better. Walk. Run. Lift weights. Dance. Garden. If possible, do some of this outdoors. Whatever you do, don’t be a hero. Start small. Consistent effort compounds over time. Inertia is real—it works in both directions.

Hard work is supposed to be hard. That's the point. What you work on works on you.

Be intentional about the people, places, and things with which you surround yourself. They have a massive influence on what you do and how you'll be.

Toughness is about doing the hard thing because it’s the right thing. Sometimes this means putting your head down and grinding it out. Other times this means backing off and asking for help. Toughness lives on the inside. People who don’t act tough may be toughest of all.

There are people out in the world doing amazing, inspiring things. Climbing big mountains and winning races, yes. And also couples staying together through think and thin. Single parents raising their kids. People conquering fear by being themselves. All kinds of strong. 💪

If you want to be really good at something you have to be willing to fail. Being will to fail is easier when you have a strong sense of self. Having a strong sense of self requires not identifying with the outcomes of your efforts.

Something few people understand is that peak performance generally comes from a place of love not fear. A big, fierce, and open heart lends itself to breakthrough.

Arrogance sits on top of insecurity. Confidence sits on top of evidence.

If you want to have the strength to go hard you must also have the strength to go easy. Over the long haul, consistent efforts compound in whatever you do—whether it's running, writing, or managing a team. No need to be a hero. Gradually increase the load. Adjust as you go.

5 mental habits that work great—until they get in your way: 1) Grit—until quitting makes sense 2) Trying really hard—until it becomes a barrier to flow 3) Routine—until you get overly attached 4) Discipline—until you need a break 5) Self-monitoring—until it spoils fun of living

Pro tip: make a "Bullshit List." Take some time each month to write down all the stuff in your life that is bullshit—of little to no value. Then, commit to cutting it. This might be hard at first, perhaps even cause angst. But over time saying NO to dumb stuff is a great.

The best coaches are almost always humble, understated, and mildly suffer from impostor syndrome. They coach toward independence, not dependence. The worst coaches are almost always arrogant, loud, and suffer from egomania. They coach toward dependence, not independence.

Read more books. Become wiser and more empathetic. Gain knowledge. Practice deep focus in a world full of distraction. Be entertained. Improve your critical thinking. Increase your creativity. Write better. Learn about concepts that will help you day in and day out.

It's hard to be a human. We're the only species that knows we are going to die, among other things. Buying stuff, using substances, and distractions all provide short term relief, but that's it. Getting outside yourself—doing good work, connecting with others—is deep relief.

48-hour rule after failure AND success. Give yourself that much time to feel really bad or really good—then get back to your craft. In neuroscience terms this is all about triggering dopamine (motivation) from doing the thing, not from talking or thinking about the thing.

We live in a culture that promotes mental illness not wellbeing or flourishing. What the culture values: -Delusion -Distraction -Speed -Stoicism -Efficiency -Optimization What mental health values: -Acceptance -Presence -Patience -Vulnerability -Community -Movement

6 foundational daily practices with far-reaching benefits that compound over time: 1. Physical activity 2. Avoid processed foods 3. Time with people you care about 4. Meditation, reflection, contemplation 5. Reading 6. At least one block of deep-focus, distraction free work

A thought, feeling, or event happens. You are not that thought, feeling, or event. You are the awareness of it, the observer. The more space between you—awareness, observing self—and the thought, feeling, or event, the more discerning your response. This space is everything.

95 percent of coaching is helping people get out of their own way: •Overthinking •Comparison to others •Self-doubt •Not doing the thing you ACTUALLY want to do •Trying to make things happen when what's required is time and space (you know this!) •Fear of walking away

The people with whom you surround yourself shape you. Plus: we're all going to die anyways, so don't waste your time on assholes.

How to play the long game: Don’t worry about being the best. Worry about being the best at getting better. Don’t aim to be consistently great. Aim to be great at being consistent. Ignore hacks, trends, and fads. Focus on nailing the basics over and over again. Sleep at night.

Sustainable progress in a nutshell: -Show up most days. -Have a solid plan but be willing adjust. -Think consistency over intensity. -Surround yourself wisely. -Put in the appropriate amount of work. -Pay close attention. -Rest when you are tired. -Repeat.

One of the best ways to get out of a cognitive block is to change your surroundings—people, places, and things. What happens inside your head has much more to do with the outside context than most people think.

What we're sold: You are not enough. Do (and buy) all this stuff and then you'll be enough, maybe even live forever. The truth: You are enough, even though you may not feel like it. It's okay, most of us are that way. It is hard to be a human. The secret is there is no secret.

Some things I wish I would have learned in school: Hard work AND rest Self-discipline AND self-compassion Solitude AND community Mind AND body You are enough right now AND you can get better Happiness AND sadness Strength AND flexibility Not either-or, but hold both at once.

6 factors that cause burnout: 1. Lack of autonomy 2. Lack of mastery 3. Lack of belonging 4. Meeting overload 5. Unrealistic deadlines 6. Assholes If you are contributing to any of these you're part of the problem!

The secret is there is no secret: Move your body regularly. Eat whole foods, not too much. Build community and belonging. Pursue meaningful endeavors. Optimize for control over your time and energy, not money or things. Be patient, play the long game. Sleep when you are tired.

Stress + Rest = Growth. Too much of the former you get injury, illness, burnout. Too much of the latter you get boredom, complacency, stagnation. Need both.

5 well-meaning pieces of advice that research shows are useless at best, harmful at worst: "Think positive thoughts." "Never give up." "While you are sleeping someone else is working." "If you practice for 10,000 hours you can be great at anything." "Find your passion."

Process mindset: 1. Set a goal. 2. Figure out the steps to achieving it that are within your control. 3. Mostly forget about the goal and focus on nailing the steps instead. 4. If you catch yourself obsessing about the goal, use it as a cue to get back to doing the work itself.

Before enlightenment, chop wood carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood carry water. What I love most about this Zen aphorism is that it points toward the truth that there is no arriving. You’ve got to show up and pound the stone. Doing and being go hand in hand. 🪓🪣🪓🪣

Process over outcome. Process over outcome. Process over outcome. 99.999 percent of life is the process. Outcomes are fleeting, the destination a mere moment in time. Focus on the path. That's where life is lived and excellence is forged.

Don't worry about being the best. Worry about being the best at getting better. All you can control is your effort. You've got no idea what is going on in the lives of other people and vice-versa. Focus on continual improvement. Let the chips fall where they may.

The problem is not ambition. The problem is too many dumb jobs, too many dumb metrics, and too many people connecting their self-worth to external validation and the approval of others. We need people fired up about meaningful pursuits. Progress depends upon it.

People overestimate what they can accomplish in a day and underestimate what they can accomplishment in a year, let alone a decade. Progress is non-linear. It includes peaks, valleys, and plateaus. This is why consistency and patience are crucial.

Perhaps single most important characteristic for high quality work and emotional satisfaction is caring. You’ve got to CARE about what you do. And yet, caring is risky. The things you care about—well, they eventually break your heart. The highs are high and the lows are low.

Stop comparing yourself to other peoples’ perfect plans and perfect pictures and perfect workouts. Ninety-nine percent of that stuff is performative and fake. The road to genuine excellence and well-being is windy and messy and often boring. This is just how it goes. Embrace it.

It is easy to show up when you are at your best and everything is clicking. It is hard to show up when you are in a hole and the current is going against you. Everyone can do the former. But it's the latter that has a huge impact on long-term performance and success.

Don't forget to experience joy. This sounds self-evident, but it's not. The risk of being super focused on progress and growth is that you get so caught up in where you are going you forget to relish moments along the way. No Zen on mountain tops. Only Zen you bring up there.

Trying hard works until it gets in your way. 4 stages of competence: 1. Unconscious incompetence 2. Conscious incompetence 3. Conscious competence 4. Unconscious competence (flow) Lots of people realize you can get stuck on #1, but you can also get stuck on #3. Relax and win.

Research shows 5 major factors or resilience: 1. Accepting reality even if it's hard. 2. Asking for help. 3. Being patient; knowing what feels like forever in the moment is not. 4. Narrative that you'll grow from struggle. 5. Routine—helps to activate and provides predictability.

Keep your easy days EASY and your hard days HARD. This is how you avoid getting stuck in the murky middle—going through the motions but not really getting anywhere.

Hardiness is a psychological trait that can be developed. It has 3 prongs: 1) Commitment: Accept situation. Don't turn away, lean in. 2) Control: Figure out what you can do. Take productive action. 3) Challenge: View life as an ongoing process in which change is inevitable.

I got rejected from journalism school. I pitched small outlets for years with no luck. My first book was turned down by 21 publishers. I kept going. Now I write regularly for my favorite publications. My books have sold over 350K copies in 5 years. Don't stop trying.

If you put too much emphasis on achieving a goal you are likely to feel empty—whether you achieve it or not. The peaks of mountains are beautiful, but all the life is on the sides. Learn to enjoy the striving: The work. The community. The mastery. That’s what keeps you going.

Cheat sheet on sustainable success: Be patient Focus on the process Pursue meaning not happiness Surround yourself wisely Work hard Rest hard Ignore “hacks” Get coaching Be OK with failure Practice self-discipline Practice self-compassion Know where you’re going Be where you are