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NEWSLETTER & ARTICLES

The Growth Equation Newsletter

Receive weekly insights on the art and science of success from Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness. Join over 40,000 subscribers and unlock your full potential with our weekly newsletter. Every Thursday, we share original articles and links on cultivating a more enduring and fulfilling kind of success and excellence, along with practical tips for day-to-day application.

ARTICLES Archive

Letting It Happen Versus Making It Happen

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Sometimes the best thing you can do is get out of your own way. I like to think about this as transitioning from making it happen to letting it happen—whatever the proverbial “it” may be. Making it happen, or pushing…

Success That Doesn’t Crush Your Soul

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In the summer of 2019, I began to notice a concerning trend among my coaching clients—high-ranking executives, successful entrepreneurs, physician leaders, and elite athletes. Whereas I used to spend most of my time with them discussing high-performance habits and routines,…

What I Learned From Being Out of Shape

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I did my first real workout in years this past weekend. It was not impressive. It was “slow” by all measures of my past performance as an elite runner. And it hurt. A lot. The workout: four times three minutes…

How to Create Space Between Stimulus and Response

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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…

Are You Nervous or Excited? It’s Up to You

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In the 1960s, two intrepid researchers took their subjects and injected them with adrenaline. They saw the typical physiological effects: an increased heart rate and an increase in tremors or “jitteriness” from the participants. All to be expected. Next, the researchers…

The Secret to Innovation is Knowing Where to Look

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Innovation is one of those buzz words that conference speakers and charismatic CEO types shout from the rooftop. “Innovate! Be on the cutting edge!” These are well-worn refrains, meant to somehow nudge workers or clients into doing something different or…

Even the Best Are Really Bad at Part of Their Job.

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   What does it take to be the best in your endeavor? An extreme work ethic and dedication? Ability to handle pressure? Grit? Determination? Internal Motivation? Resilience? A growth mindset? Strength? Intelligence? These are just a few characteristics that great…

Tony Romo and Deep vs. Superficial Understanding

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Over 53 million people watched last weekend’s NFL playoff games. Tony Romo was one of those. Situated in the TV booth, Romo was providing color commentary for the viewer’s enjoyment at home. In theory, we were watching the same game.…

The Secret to Resilience? A Good Story.

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Imagine something unexpected and negative just happened. Perhaps you performed poorly in an interview, blew up in a big athletic competition, got laid off, or worse yet, lost a loved one or suffered some other horrible tragedy. Why is it…