Navigate Discomfort to Make Better Decisions and Do Hard Things

Book reviewevent summary
Written By Dina Venezky

Session resources based on the book Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness by Steve Magness (Jun 2022).

Key Takeaways

  • Recognize discomfort as a challenge 

  • Create space to make better decisions (Try a 30-day Pause challenge)

  • Increase confidence by developing realistic expectations 

Tips

  • Match your goals to your abilities

    • Know your strengths, weaknesses, and what you like to do

    • Know how much time you have

  • Frame stress and discomfort as challenges

  • Try zooming in and out (focus and distract)

  • Recognize when you are hungry, angry, lonely, and tired

  • Let go of what you can’t control

  • Interpret signals and feelings, label them, decide on a response

  • Reframe expectations - aim to raise your average

  • Learn to pause - spend time with your thoughts and practice pausing

  • Choose gratitude over self-pity

To Reflect on

  • In what ways does what you are currently doing align with what you would like to be doing?

  • What strategies do you use to manage small amounts of discomfort? 

  • What strategies do you use when you feel overwhelmed?

  • Does it help to move back and forth between focusing and distracting yourself? 

  • How does it feel to focus on raising your average instead of constantly aiming for personal bests?

  • How often do you find yourself wanting to control something?

  • How often do you aim for your personal best?

  • Do you distract yourself with music or podcasts while doing mundane tasks?

  • Can you label how you felt last time you didn’t meet your expectations in a positive way?

Additional Resources and Thoughts

Dina Venezky
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