1: Grit is “the intersection of passion and perseverance,” University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth tells us.  

Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle’s observation three hundred years ago is even simpler: “No pressure, no diamonds.”

We all know the path to consistent high performance is a bumpy road with many rocks, boulders, and unexpected hairpin turns.  

In his book, The Art of Impossible, author Steven Kotler identifies three indigents required for … continue reading

Are we approaching life with zest or avoiding it? Is our real goal hoping to avoid challenge and failure? Put another way: do we see obstacles as threats or as challenges to get better?

This week we’re looking at some of the lessons from Brian Johnson’s Optimize course. The big idea for today is: happy people are open to life’s experiences. Brian encourages us to adopt a playful attitude towards … continue reading

Yesterday, we talked about Rule #1 from Brian Johnson’s Optimize Program: Expect challenges. Brian tells us that when life knocks us down, our goal should be to challenge ourselves to bounce back. Quickly. Turns out this skill is something we can practice, something we can get better at. The most successful people are not those who never fail, but rather those who learn to recover fast.

In her book Grit… continue reading