Sam Thomas Davies's Blog, page 29

The Adaptation Strategy: What to Do When You Don’t Achieve Your Goals

In 1960, Freddie Roach was born into a boxing family. His father had been a professional boxer, his mother was a boxing judge and his older brother, Pepper, was an up-and-comer, learning the ropes (no pun intended). [1] At six years old, his apprenticeship began under his father, in a gym in South Boston. This […]

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Why This Coach Focuses on Processes Instead of Outcomes (and Why You Should Too)

At 11 years old, “Little Nick” (as he was known in his hometown of Monongah, West Virginia) was paying his dues, working at his father’s service station. In-between customers, he and “Big Nick” – incidentally, the newly appointed Pop Warner football team coach – would pass a football to one another in front of the […]

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The 10% Rule: How to Read More Than 36+ Books a Year

In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject area) who didn’t read all the time – none, zero. You’d be amazed at how much Warren [Buffett] reads – and how much I read. My children laugh at me. They think I’m a book with a couple of legs sticking […]

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What Michael Phelps Can Teach You About Overcoming Adversity

When he met him at eight years old, Bob Bowman knew he had a champion-in-the-making on his hands. Twenty one years later, Michael Phelps would become the most decorated Olympian of all time, winning 22 medals (including 18 gold) and, at the 2008 Olympics, becoming the world record holder for the for most first place […]

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Willpower: How to Overcome Decision Fatigue and Commit to Your Habits

“If only I had more willpower”. “I can’t will myself to do it”. “My willpower is too low”. There are many excuses people use when asked to provide reasons for why they won’t build and commit to new habits, but none are more common than their blaming of willpower (or a lack thereof). In fact, […]

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Don’t Solve Problems, Focus on Bright Spots Instead

In 1990, Jerry Sternin, a worker for the international organisation Save the Children, was asked to open a new office in Vietnam. There was an epidemic of malnourished children and Vietnam invited Save the Children to help fight it (albeit reluctantly). When Sternin arrived, his welcome was far from warm and his presence wasn’t appreciated […]

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A Tiny, Powerful Idea: How to Commit to Your Goals in the Long-Term

In 1997, Professor Gary McPherson decided to investigate a mystery that had plagued parents and music teachers for centuries: Why do certain children progress quickly at music lessons while others don’t? McPherson’s unorthodox approach to answering this question involved taking 157 randomly-selected children and tracking their progress using biometric tests, videotaping their practice sessions and […]

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How to Break a Bad Habit (and Replace It with a Better One)

During the writing process of his New York Times best-selling book The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg (ironically) developed a habit of his own (and a bad one at that): going to the canteen every day and buying a chocolate chip cookie. Duhigg humorously recounts, in his book of the same name, how this bad […]

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The Daffodil Principle: What Happens When You Take One Action Every Day

In Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul, Jaroldeen Edwards recounts the day her daughter, Carolyn, drove her to Lake Arrowhead to visit a daffodil garden. [1] “Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, ‘Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over.’ I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive […]

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The Rule of Five: How to Achieve Your Goals Faster

In 1993, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen had a goal: to get their book Chicken Soup for the Soul to the top of The New York Times bestseller’s list. [1] They sought out the advice of 15 best-selling authors (including John Gray, Ken Blanchard and Scott Peck), but as helpful as their advice was, […]

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