Ben Hardy - Willpower, Discipline, and the Hidden Keys to Success
Mar 12, 2018
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Ben Hardy, a top writer at Medium.com, discusses shifting from willpower to creating conducive environments for success. Topics include preventing burnout, high performance, and work-life balance. He shares his journey from trauma to transformation through a humanitarian mission, emphasizes the impact of environment on willpower and success, and highlights the importance of rest for productivity. The conversation explores how behavior and environment influence personal growth and identity transformation.
Create environments that support success to minimize reliance on willpower for achieving goals.
Balancing high-stress challenges with rest periods is crucial for sustained personal growth and success.
Optimal rest and recovery play a vital role in enhancing productivity, creativity, and overall well-being.
Deep dives
The Influence of Environment on Success
The podcast episode discusses the significant impact of one's environment on personal success. Ben Hardy, the guest on the episode, emphasizes how an individual's surroundings play a crucial role in shaping behavior, beliefs, and values. Hardy's personal experiences highlight the distinction between individuals who dream of success and those who take actions to achieve it, termed as 'dreamers versus doers.' By sharing his journey and research on entrepreneurs, Hardy underscores the importance of creating environments that facilitate success and minimize the need for sheer willpower to achieve goals.
Challenging the Notion of Willpower
Ben Hardy challenges the traditional view of willpower and its efficacy in achieving success. Highlighting his book's premise, 'Willpower Doesn't Work,' Hardy delves into the limitations of relying solely on willpower for long-term success. He explains that willpower is unsustainable and ultimately ineffective in driving lasting behavioral changes. Instead, he advocates for creating environments that support success and minimize the need for constant self-control, emphasizing the importance of external factors in shaping behavior and outcomes.
Balancing High Stress and High Rest
The episode explores the concept of balancing high stress with periods of high rest. It underlines the necessity of subjecting oneself to challenging, high-stress situations that push individuals beyond their comfort zones for growth. At the same time, it stresses the significance of incorporating adequate rest and recovery periods to allow for reflection, creativity, and optimal mental and physical rejuvenation. By alternating between high-stress, high-performance environments and restful, rejuvenating experiences, individuals can achieve a harmonious balance conducive to sustained personal growth and success.
Creating Optimal Environments for Growth
Ben Hardy emphasizes the critical role of creating optimal environments for personal growth and success. He discusses the importance of enriched environments that demand individuals to rise up, setting challenging expectations and fostering growth. Additionally, Hardy highlights the value of environments that prioritize rest and recovery, allowing individuals to recharge and channel their energy effectively. By aligning behaviors with desired environments and making deliberate choices to shape surroundings, individuals can establish the conditions necessary for continuous growth and success.
Impact of Rest and Recovery on Productivity
The podcast sheds light on the transformative power of rest and recovery in enhancing personal productivity and well-being. Ben Hardy underscores the correlation between optimal rest periods and heightened creativity, clarity, and cognitive function. By sharing insights on detaching from work and fully immersing oneself in restful experiences, Hardy emphasizes the importance of conscious disengagement to enable subsequent re-engagement at peak performance levels. Implementing restful practices and creating environments conducive to deep relaxation and restoration are key components in fostering sustained productivity and personal fulfillment.
Benjamin Hardy is the number one writer at Medium.com. His work has been read of 50 million times. He is nearing the completion of his PhD, in organizational psychology. His book, Willpower Doesn’t Work comes out March. He and his wife have been the foster parent of 3 kids for 3 years.
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