The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk 247: Benjamin Hardy - The Best Self Improvement Book Of 2018
Mar 5, 2018
Benjamin Hardy, organizational psychologist and author of Willpower Doesn't Work, condenses high performance into practical habits. He explains how forcing functions, investing 10% of income in yourself, and creating peak moments push growth. Learn why environment, commitment devices, and platform-building tactics matter for sustained progress.
54:32
Design Environments That Force High Performance
- High performers create external conditions that force them to rise to the occasion instead of relying on inner willpower.
- Benjamin Hardy notes they take on responsibility, put themselves where stakes are higher, and design environments that make success likely.
Pianist John Burke's Forcing Function
- Pianist John Burke forces creative output by booking studio time months ahead and publicly announcing a new album.
- Benjamin Hardy describes Burke paying the engineer, blocking daily creation time, and telling fans to create financial and social pressure.
Invest 10% Of Income To Commit To Growth
- Invest at least 10% of your income in yourself to upgrade mindset, environment, and commitment.
- Hardy explains money shatters subconscious limits, creates self-signaling, leverages sunk cost, and escalates commitment to goals.
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Intro
00:00 • 3min
What high performers do differently
02:43 • 2min
Forcing functions: examples and mechanics
04:32 • 2min
Personal examples of external pressure
06:49 • 2min
Why invest 10% of income in yourself
08:44 • 5min
Investing in coaches and peak moments
13:52 • 8min
Spending advances to improve craft
22:13 • 4min
Platform building: marketing plus craft
25:50 • 5min
Converting readers to subscribers
30:35 • 3min
Three keys to great writing
33:59 • 6min
Writing process and structure first
40:07 • 3min
Visualize process, preplan adversity
42:42 • 4min
Morning routines for momentum
46:32 • 4min
Core takeaway: control your environment
50:03 • 3min
Outro
53:24 • 1min
#48
• Mentioned in 253 episodes
So Good They Can't Ignore You
Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
Cal Newport
In this book, Cal Newport challenges the conventional wisdom that following one's passion is the key to career happiness.
Instead, he argues that passion often follows mastery and that developing valuable skills and expertise is essential for creating work you love.
Newport presents four rules: Don't follow your passion, Be so good they can't ignore you, Turn down a promotion, and Think small, act big.
He supports his arguments with case studies from various professionals who have found satisfaction in their careers through hard work and skill development.
#846
• Mentioned in 42 episodes
Letting Go
David Hawkins
#859
• Mentioned in 41 episodes
The Power of Moments
Chip Heath
Dan Heath
In this book, Chip and Dan Heath explore why certain brief experiences can have a profound impact on our lives.
They argue that our most memorable positive moments are dominated by four elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection.
The authors provide practical advice and numerous examples on how to engineer these moments, whether in professional settings, educational environments, or personal life.
The book delves into the psychology behind why we remember certain experiences and how we can intentionally create more meaningful moments rather than leaving them to chance.
#27857
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Write It Down, Make It Happen
Knowing What You Want and Getting It
Henriette Anne Klauser
In 'Write It Down, Make It Happen,' Henriette Anne Klauser explains that writing down your goals is a crucial step in achieving them.
The book delves into the psychological and universal mechanisms that are activated when goals are committed to paper.
Klauser discusses the importance of clarity, commitment, and action, and provides techniques such as 'Rapidwriting,' writing near nature, and daily affirmations to help readers overcome obstacles and stay focused on their goals.
The book includes examples from successful individuals like Scott Adams and Jim Carrey, who attribute their success to writing down their goals.
#1562
• Mentioned in 27 episodes
Willpower doesn't work
Benjamin Hardy
In 'Willpower Doesn't Work,' Benjamin Hardy argues that willpower is not a reliable tool for achieving success.
Instead, he advocates for the power of environment in shaping behavior and outcomes.
The book provides strategies on how to create an environment that supports your goals, such as removing distractions, investing in personal growth, and using 'forcing functions' to ensure desired behaviors become automatic.
Hardy draws on psychological theories and the experiences of successful individuals to illustrate how adapting to and designing one's environment is crucial for personal and professional success.
#1182
• Mentioned in 33 episodes
Dotcom Secrets
Russell Brunson
DotCom Secrets is not just another 'how-to' book on internet marketing.
It focuses on the science of funnel building, helping businesses identify and fix their 'funnel' problems.
Russell Brunson, the CEO and co-founder of ClickFunnels, shares his expertise gained from running tens of thousands of split tests.
The book provides actionable blueprints on how to build sales funnels, increase traffic and conversions, and transform your business into a profitable sales and marketing machine.
It emphasizes the importance of understanding your dream clients, creating a value ladder, and implementing effective follow-up funnels to keep customers engaged.
#824
• Mentioned in 43 episodes
Power Vs. Force
The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior
David R. Hawkins
In 'Power vs.
Force,' David R. Hawkins explores the nature of true power and force, arguing that power is whole, positive, and wholesome, while force is partial, selfish, and negative.
The book introduces a hierarchical scale of consciousness, ranging from 1 to 1000, where levels below 200 are considered negative and those above 200 are positive.
Hawkins uses concepts from particle physics, nonlinear dynamics, and chaos theory, as well as Applied Kinesiology, to support his research.
The book is divided into three parts, discussing the process of achieving one’s ultimate potential, the distinction between power and force in various aspects of life, and the evolution of human consciousness.
It emphasizes the importance of integrity, understanding, and compassion in enhancing one’s level of consciousness and leading a more fulfilling life.
The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: Since 2015, Benjamin Hardy has been the #1 writer on Medium.com. He is pursuing his PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Clemson University. Ben's writing focuses on self-improvement, motivation, and entrepreneurship. His writing is fueled by his personal experiences, self-directed education, and formal education. Ben's work is read by millions of people every month.
Show Notes:
- Commonalities of leaders who sustain excellence?
- They continually put themselves in situations that demand a lot of them. They put themselves in high stakes situations
- They invest in themself
- They create conditions for success to happen
- Pianist John Burke (Grammy nominated)
- He puts external pressure on himself ("I will release an album a year"). It forces him to get to work to fulfill those expectations he puts on himself
- Being socially invested is a forcing function
- Signing up for the race like Parker Mays -- A date on the calendar to prepare for. "If I don't prepare, I will fail miserably"
- Why you should invest 10% of your income in your self
- The best self improvement book Ben has ever read? Letting Go
- "Willpower doesn't work." You must create the environment to be successful -- Upgrade your mindset
- Self signaling - How you view yourself is not permanent. Start to alter your behavior, you start seeing yourself differently
- You can shape your personality
- How to upgrade yourself? -- "When you invest money, you are committed"
- Why all high performers invest in a coach
- Peak moments -- how to change your life for the better
- Cal Newport - "Be So Good They Can't Ignore You"
- Investing in relationships (Jeff Goins and Ryan Holiday)
- How to build a platform
- Learn marketing
- Learn how to write viral headlines (Use numbers, matching, focused on outcomes)
- Want To Become A Multi-Millionaire? Do These 15 Things Immediately
- Understand structure - subheadings, short/snappy sentences and paragraphs
- Have a call to action at the end
- Create a landing page for email capture
- Learn marketing
- What is great writing?
- Be a good teacher: Communicate effectively. Convey & connect. Weave stories in and out: Story --> Science --> Story --> Science --> Story --> Science
- Head knowledge: Know your space.
- Have heart: Emotional rigor, intense stories
- How to become a master of your craft
- Your decisions determine your destiny
- Visualize the process, not just the outcome
- Create environments for optimal implementation
- Pre plan for adversity to strike and how you will respond
- Morning routine:
- Write in journal --> "Write it down, make it happen" --> Read --> Work out. Create momentum for yourself.
"Willpower doesn't work. You must create the environment for success to be achieved."
Social Media:
- Follow Ben on Twitter: @BenjaminPHardy
- Read: WILLPOWER DOESN'T WORK
- Connect with me on LinkedIn
- Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community
- To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12