NEWSLETTER & ARTICLES
ARTICLES Archive
The education system in the US often gets a bad rap. We complain endlessly about how we’re falling behind, about how students aren’t taught the right things, or how students are stuck in a classroom that doesn’t look much different…
The day you launch a book feels like sprinting an all-out mile. The only thing is this: at the end of the all-out mile, you find yourself on the start-line of a 5K, which is launch week. So you keep…
One of the biggest stories of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was mental health. From Simone Biles to Naomi Osaka, more and more athletes were speaking up about mental health. And for good reason. It is hard, if not impossible,…
At the age of 21, an outfielder burst into the big leagues, drilling over 30 home runs in his rookie season. He wasn’t a sure-fire prospect, having been drafted in the 15th round. But by the age of 24, he’d…
One thing I remember about middle school gym class is that the cool kids never tried. Though I could sense the reason then, I did not have the vocabulary that I do now. The cool kids didn’t try because they…
Core to our work at the Growth Equation is looking for patterns across different areas of research, literature, history, and practice. We are interested in uncovering principles that are universal, or at least close to it: that is, they can…
Perfection. It’s a daunting task, to have everything line up, to go as planned. It was the final day of the NCAA championship and we were staring at a need for perfection. To get to this point, the stars had…
The space between stimulus and response is an important one. Philosophers have said it is in this space that our freedom lies. When something unexpected happens—for example, an accident, a pandemic, a competitor acting unpredictably, and so on—people generally go down…
“Can we have two golds?” After clearing every height on their first attempts all the way up to 7 feet, 9 and a quarter inches, 2020 Olympians Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi were tied for the lead in the high…
When Simone Biles withdrew from the team gymnastics competition after one event, there were two reactions: empathy on the one hand and proclamations that she was “weak” and “letting down her teammates” on the other. The latter are wrong.…
Climate change, transgender athletes competing in various classes, immigration reform, police funding, critical race theory, whether or not Sha’Carri Richardson should be banned from the Olympics for breaking a rule and smoking pot, and so on… Chances are as you…
In the midst of the NBA finals, following a string of awe-inspiring performances, 26-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked during a press conference how he keeps his mind right. His three-part answer, in his own words: “Focusing on the past is…
This past weekend, England fell short in capturing the European Championship with a heartbreaking loss against Italy. England has never won the European Championship. After 120 minutes of soccer, the game remained deadlocked at 1-1. That meant turning to the…
I’ve written about constraints in the past (some links are below) but I think the concept is becoming increasingly important. Here’s why: In a world where technology is accelerating, you have access to what, for all intents and purposes, is infinity…
Venture onto Facebook, Twitter, or any online forum, and you are littered with people taking firm stances on the latest controversial topic. They espouse their views—for this, against that—all the while condemning the other side. Such rants are increasingly filled…
Essential Reading
What is The Growth Equation—and Why You Should Pay Attention.
Redefining Success So It Doesn’t Crush Your Soul.
We've Reached Peak Wellness—Most of it is Nonsense; Here's What Actually Works.
When a Stress Expert Battles Mental Illness.
The Best Routine, According to Science.
Performance, Health, and Well-being are Contagious.
Practicing the Mastery Mindset, a Path to Long-Term Progress.
Consistently Good Enough Beats Occasionally Great.
We Make Fitness Way Too Complex and That is Dumb.
Languishing and the Art of Showing Up.
Quit Being So Hard On Yourself: Self-Compassion and Peak Performance.
The Key to Sticking to An Exercise Program? It’s Supposed to Feel Easy!
How To Build High-Performance Habits.
