

From Chad
Chad Smith
Your thinking is bad. I can help. These quick daily messages aim to upgrade your mental game by helping you tell a better story. The most powerful story in the world is the story you tell yourself. You can download my book at fromchad.gumroad.com. Email me at fromchadsmith@gmail.com or visit www.fromchad.com for episode transcripts.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 19, 2025 • 3min
Non-action #796
Winston Churchill prioritized rest and sleep, believing it conserved energy for what truly matters. While his habits may not be universally applicable, they highlight the importance of understanding one’s work rhythms and accommodating accordingly. Rest and sleep are not laziness, but strategies for recovery and balance, essential for overall well-being and productivity.

Aug 18, 2025 • 3min
Action #795
Sam Walton‘s success with Walmart, surpassing the dominant retailer Sears, exemplifies the power of a bias for action. Walton‘s impatience and emphasis on immediate execution, drove extraordinary results, highlighting the importance of taking action over just having good ideas. This mindset, coupled with momentum and opportunity, is crucial for achieving goals.

Aug 17, 2025 • 3min
Pain #794
Terry Fox, a young Canadian with bone cancer, ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research, inspiring the nation and raising over $10 million. His legacy continues through the Terry Fox Run, which has raised over $850 million globally. The story serves as a reminder to transform pain into purpose.

Aug 16, 2025 • 4min
Fail #793
Jeff Bezos views failure as a necessary part of innovation, emphasizing the importance of a high pain tolerance for losses. Amazon’s “Just Do It” award, given to employees who take risks, exemplifies this philosophy. Winners, according to this perspective, lose more than losers because they persistent trying despite setbacks.

Aug 15, 2025 • 3min
Sights #792
Visualization is a unique feature of human beings. Before something happens in reality, it has to happen in the mind. Everything that is seen is first built in thought.

Aug 14, 2025 • 3min
Until #791
The Arctic expedition of Ernest Shackleton, from 1914–1916, exemplifies perseverance. Despite their ship being crushed by ice, he his crew through extreme conditions, ultimately rescuing all of them. The story serves a reminder that success often comes from refusing to give up, no matter the circumstances.

Aug 13, 2025 • 4min
Questions #790
There is more power in having powerful questions then all the right answers. Good questions are not only an effective way to manage others, but manage ourselves. But giving ourselves time to think is a struggle for many.

Aug 12, 2025 • 4min
Biographies #789
Biographies are a powerful tool for learning from the experiences of others, allowing us to avoid their failures and copy their successes. By reading biographies, we gain insights into the lives and strategies of successful individuals. All lessons are learned by trial and error, but they do not have to be your own trials or errors.

Aug 11, 2025 • 4min
Repeat #788
The discussion explores G.K. Chesterton's belief that God delights in repetition, linking it to a child's joy. Highlighting the importance of repetition in learning and skill-building, it showcases how embracing monotony can lead to innovation. Stories of personalities like Henry Ford and Bill Walsh illustrate the transformative power of repetitive practice, revealing that true growth often comes from consistency rather than constant novelty.

Aug 10, 2025 • 4min
Repeat #787
Vince Lombardi‘s relentless pursuit of perfection, exemplified by his eight hour dissection of one play, highlights, the importance of repetition inconsistency in achieving excellence. This principle extends beyond sports, as seen in the success of businesses like In-N-Out Burger, and Raising Cane‘s, which built their empires through consistent execution of simple, repetitive processes. Ultimately, success lies, and embracing monotony and repetition, as they are the steppingstones to excellence.