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

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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. Do Hard Things tasks us with re-thinking the ingrained ideas we have about the traditional model of toughness, while at the same time, providing us with the mental tools to develop real toughness. In Steve Magness’ new book, Do Hard Things , he deduces that this old, time-worn model of toughness hasn’t worked; that our model for existing toughness or what Steve describes as, “bulldozing through” oftentimes, “leads to a worse outcome.

At the mere mention of masks, CRT, or safe spaces, perhaps your mind jumped into “protect and defend” mode. The meditators do this by sitting with their inner world, learning to let thoughts float on by, and not assigning excess importance to any feeling that might arise while they are meditating. Or we lose our mind convinced that a mask is causing oxygen deprivation and carbon dioxide poisoning. My summary can't replace the way Magness weaves story and science together to change who you are as a person.It’s time to move to a definition based on navigating discomfort by creating space to take thoughtful action. Take calculated risks: “Do Hard Things” encourages readers to take calculated risks and not be afraid of the unknown. I find mental toughness and the ‘harden up’ mentality so unhelpful and feels rather outdated when it is actually mental flexibility that helps athletes thrive in both performance and wellbeing. They experience discomfort or an inner world that trends toward chaotic, and they learn to not scratch the itch. They discussed drugs and drinking, but when it came to the s-word… err… inappropriate behavior… err… bad stuff… err… sexual activities… They sounded like a couple of embarassed twelve year olds.

Do Hard Things is one of those books that you read and think "Wow that was amazing, I learned so much".

and see the examples are relatable and the lingo is relatable and the sheer positive enthusiasm is relatable (and contagious). Magness's outstanding critique of the traditional/harsh/calous view of toughness, with clear reasoning as to why it doesn't breed true success. 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.

Ebooks fulfilled through Glose cannot be printed, downloaded as PDF, or read in other digital readers (like Kindle or Nook). Compounding our confusion, we’ve resorted to tying toughness to masculinity and an ethos of machismo. It’s training the mind to handle uncertainty long enough so that you can nudge or guide your response in the right direction. Ditch the Façade, Embrace Reality (My psychologist head would label this acceptance) – this section has a great description of why and how our brain tries to protect us and the influence of our identity.

Steve's been thinking about these issues for years, and this book presents a fascinating and, more importantly, extremely helpful new perspective on toughness and how to build it. Elite endurance athletes see their inner voice and the feelings that come with it as information, not a personal sign of who they are.