The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

Levison Wood just finished walking the full length of the Nile. Walking, that is, when he wasn't running from charging buffalos, elephants and crocs or wading through python infested swamps, or dodging bullets... Yet for this seasoned explorer it was well worth the risk, not only for the exhilaration of being the first, but also for the richness of the experience. Often the biggest obstacle was not escaping the perilous but enduring the mundane. Wood describes how he developed the grit to push through.Lessons:1. Manage risk; don't avoid it. No risk no reward.2. We need much less stuff than we realize. Simplify your life.3. You're the only one who determines what you're capable of, so persist through the naysayers.

The span of Tyler Wren's 13 year pro cycling career included a time when doping was rampant. Giving in to the status quo, while risky, could almost certainly have landed Wren a coveted spot in the Tour de France. He was too well grounded in his values: To him success was not about his position relative to others, but becoming the best person he could be. Learn about his journey which has taken him, currently, to directing bucolic, community oriented cycling events, the next of which takes place at the birthplace of Spartan Race in Pittsfield, Vermont.Lessons: 1. Success is personal. It's about focusing on and achieving your own goals without being diverted by other's opinions.2. Align your values with your actions by writing them down and hanging them in easy view.3. Just stepping out the door is simultaneously the simplest and hardest action you can take in service of success.

Howard Chang was a karate champion at 17, but he derives more satisfaction from being bad at something than he does from being a master. At 17 he completely switched gears to endurance racing, a sport which he admits no natural affinity towards. He eventually excelled at that as well. Learning to fail and get back up, Chang believes, is the key to success in any endeavor, and he is eager to practice this at every opportunity. Not content with the everyday challenges of life, Chang seeks out adversity. This gritty strategy has propelled him to high places. He is currently CEO of a Toronto ad agency which is renowned for its high standards of environmental and social responsibility.Lessons:1. The fast track to growth is to take on a challenge you're not necessarily good at and let adversity be your teacher.2. The ability to fail, pick back up and rebuild is essential in business.3. Don't coddle your kids. Teach them a work ethic while still allowing them the freedom to have adventures. Don't shield them from difficulties.

Carl Quintanilla, weekend NBC Nightly News anchor, decided to make the jump from The Wall Street Journal to Television when the future of print looked uncertain. Though he has secured a coveted position, he initially paid his dues by always saying yes to opportunities, including reporting in Iraq, where by that time, fortunately, hostilities were on the wane. The resilience he built up in such an ambitious career track explains why he coasted through the Spartan course prior to the interview. Joe and Carl discuss what they have learned through their interactions with the successful as well techniques that have helped them in their own lives.Lessons:1. Set a limited time to reflect on failure (3 days max) then move forward.2. In general, yes is the best answer. Don't build walls.3. The key to success is surviving long enough to get lucky.

Dr. Galasso has, in his work with developmentally disabled Spartans, motivated some 2000 gritty children across the finish line. This endeavor is a great model for the no less formidable challenge parents face in setting a worthy course for their own kids. In this episode Galasso describes a strategy framed by hope, healing, empowerment and connection. Celebrate Father's Day by striving to be the type of parent that enables his children to thrive in the face of life's obstacles.1.Support children in a way that instills the belief that they are capable of anything.2. Notice the things you like about your kids, even in the teen years.3. Being a strong father figure is the will increase the chance that your children follow a righteous path.

Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter, is an extreme example of the high school reunion paradox. We all have seen it. Homecoming kings and queens who have sunk into mediocrity while awkward "nobodies" have somehow made it big. Costello, the one who was always picked last for the team, is now CEO of Twitter. He describes how he used his perpetual outsider status to scrap his way to the top. His strategy is surprisingly simple; it's only the execution that's difficult.1. With enough perseverance even the most unlikely to succeed may find themselves on top.2. Simply being willing to put yourself in uncomfortable situations is the best way to build resilience.3. Success in business is like forestry management: you may be surrounded by wildfires, but the key is to identify and extinguish the most urgent ones first.

The Underground Strength Training crew is about to be subjected to a 24 hr. workout, but as entrepreneurs they are well accustomed to that dynamic. They have some great insight (Like the failsafe man in the mirror test) on what it takes to navigate through the hard times in service of a passion. http://www.spartanuppodcast.com/038 Lessons:1. Look at sacrifices made for success as an investment.2. If you can delay gratification, you will be more successful in all areas of life.3. Find your why by telling it to yourself in the mirror since it’s almost impossible to lie to yourself this way.4. Surround yourself with supportive people of a like mind, if they can’t be found in person find them in books and podcasts.

Dan Richards, Global Rescue CEO, is here to remind you that there’s a fine line between pushing through adversity and putting yourself in unreasonable peril. His company Global Rescue rescues those who walk that line then somehow slip, any place in the world. He shares stories of some of those rescues and what they taught him. http://www.spartanuppodcast.com/037Lessons:1. Never underestimate the environment.2. You need to correctly calibrate your perception of risk to the environment you're entering and not just try to push through adversity. 3. The law of numbers will catch up with you, so scout out risks beforehand by analyzing the situation.

How far would you take a dare, especially one that started as a joke? These guys took it all the way up Mont Ventoux, the iconic slog of the Tour de France, on a clunky cumbersome rental bike built for flat city lanes. They attempt the same feat up Mt. Washington. Why? Because others were calling it impossible. They were also driven by a worthy cause, Macmillan Cancer Support. Faced with adversity every step of the way, they pushed forward, always eking out a solution. Their achievement epitomizes the adage "Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid." http://www.spartanuppodcast.com/036Lessons:1. People saying it's impossible makes it all the better.2. Keep going even when it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Things will often pull together at the last moment.3. Just start it.

Professor Robert Sternberg, psychologist and psychometrician thinks schools have been testing and teaching the wrong qualities for the last century. What if we've been frittering away vast amounts of human potential in that same time frame? Cornell Professor Sternberg has found that success in academics and in life is more closely tied to creative and practical thinking, wisdom and ethics than it is to IQ and memorization, the measures currently in use. He's on a mission to shake things up. Sternberg also has some invaluable advice on perseverance and seeing through our passions, and he speaks from experience as his path stretches all the way back to elementary school.http://spartanuppodcast.com/035Lessons:1. The most valuable qualities for success are not tested for in schools: creative and practical thought, wisdom and ethics.2. Keep going in the face of obstacles; persevere, but also realize when you're in the wrong race.3. Achieving success is not always getting to your original goal. Sometimes the path was right but the goal was wrong or the goal was right but the path was wrong. Constantly reexamine your path and your goal.