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The Growth Equation

Weekly ideas about living a good, meaningful and high performing life in a chaotic world from Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness. Best selling authors of PEAK PERFORMANCE, DO HARD THINGS, and THE PRACTICE OF GROUNDEDNESS.

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On Raising Excellent Kids

Reflect: Define Who Matters Too often, we let other people into our heads. We play on repeat the comments from the anonymous troll or the offhanded critique of someone on the sidelines. We can't let it go. It becomes that voice in the back of our head that gives credence to the normal doubts we all face.We are wired for warnings. And our brain doesn't do the greatest job of discerning which voices to listen to and which to let go. We often talk about defining what success means to you. We can...

Reflect: Rules for Life Try hard. Care deeply. Put yourself out there. Don’t be scared of coming up short; it’s how you grow. Be patient. Realize good things tend to take time. Never sacrifice your health. Walk. Run. Lift. Swim. Dance. Cycle. Depression hates a moving target. Ask for help when you need it. Help others, too. Learn from failure. Learn from success. But also embrace a next-play mentality. The past is in the past. The future is in your imagination. You’ve only got the moment you...

Reflect: Excellence Excellence is not hustle-culture bullshit. It is not waking up at 4 AM to cold plunge and telling everyone about it. It is not a restrictive diet. It is not a chest thumping act of look how great I am. It is not sacrificing your soul or bending the knee to make as much money as possible. Excellence is throwing yourself fully into things that support your values. It is caring deeply and giving your all. It is making the most of your unique gifts. It is hard work. Creating....

Reflect: Actual vs. Pseudo Competitiveness Just after Faith Kipyegon won the gold medal in the 1,500m at the world athletics championship, the TV cameras focused in on a lady in the crowd with tears of joy streaming down her face. It was Beatrice Chebet, a fellow Kenyan athlete. A few days later, Chebet and Kipyegon went head-to-head in an epic battle in the 5k, with Chebet just edging out Kipyegon. When it comes to competition, we often think we need to hate our opponents, to make them our...

A quick heads up! Win the Inside Game is part of a 50% off promotion at Barnes and Noble. Get the hardcover for only $14. It's the lowest price it's ever been. Grab your copy today. Reflect: The Biggest Life Hack Perhaps the biggest life hack is to ignore all the shortcuts and hacks and simply show up, get started, nail the fundamentals, stay patient, and give yourself a chance. The Valley Before the Breakthrough Click here to read on the GrowthEq site Eight weeks ago, one of us (Brad) was...

Reflect: Stop Searching for Perfection There is no single best diet. There is no single best workout plan. There is no single best routine for productivity. Anyone who says otherwise is usually trying to sell you something.Don't take them seriously. Ninety percent of plans and programs for most things are marketing snake oil. Ten percent can be effective. Find something amongst the latter ten percent that works for you and stay consistent. That's the name of the game for nearly everything....

Reflect: Doubt is Normal. Accept It. If your mind is filled with thoughts of wanting to quit, it doesn’t mean you are weak. It means you are normal. Even the best in the world feel a strong urge to quit sometimes. What matters is taking those doubts and urges along for the ride: instead of freaking out and reacting to them, you accept them and get on with the show. We all have insecurities. They never fully go away. You just don't want to let them limit your potential. Think: This is normal....

Reflect: What We Get Wrong About Balance The best type of "balance" is dynamic, not static. It's the type of balance you find riding a bike. If you're stationary, you won't go anywhere and you'll tip over. But if you're pedaling persistently, you can make micro-adjustments when you notice you've gone too far in one direction, find equilibrium, and move toward your destination, all the while enjoying the ride. From time to time, you may feel a bit out of whack. This happens to all high...

Welcome to my monthly Science Digest.This month we're going deep on what allows for teams to work well together, the fascinating science of altering your perspective, how focus alters our ability to take actions, and much more. As always, these monthly digest pull from the most interesting research I've come across and are designed to keep you informed, and provide some actionable insight. -Steve If you haven't checked out my latest book WIN THE INSIDE GAME, it's 20% off for 4th of July! Grab...

What is excellence, actually? The number one piece of feedback we love to hear is how our material is a breath of fresh air amidst all the noise of hustle-and-grind culture and performative B.S. that's out there. Wake up at 4:00 AM. Stare at the sun. Sprint until you can’t. Develop and stick to the perfect five-hour morning routine. Only eat meat. Drink raw milk. At best, it’s exhausting; at worst, it’s harmful. Our goal is to be the antidote. To give you big ideas, practical advice, and...