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It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life
by
Foreword by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
From a top mental conditioning coach—”the world’s best brain trainer” (Sports Illustrated)—who has transformed the lives and careers of elite athletes, business leaders, and military personnel, battle-tested strategies that will give you tools to manage and overcome negativity and achieve any goal.
Trevor Moawad is a me ...more
From a top mental conditioning coach—”the world’s best brain trainer” (Sports Illustrated)—who has transformed the lives and careers of elite athletes, business leaders, and military personnel, battle-tested strategies that will give you tools to manage and overcome negativity and achieve any goal.
Trevor Moawad is a me ...more
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Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
February 4th 2020
by HarperOne
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Showing 1-30

Start your review of It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life

Um what is this book even about except a hodgepodge of his clients best hits and a mumble on maintaining neutrality like a robot no matter what? I thought it would get to a plan or series of exercises. But it just didn’t do I bailed. I’m thankful my compulsion to read this book was satisfied by a library checkout as opposed to my wallet.

Eh. One thing I liked about this book is the author did an experiment to see how he would feel if he watched a bunch of cable news, garbage reality shows, and listened to talk radio to see what his mental state would be like. Of course it just makes you a more angry and depressed human being. “Deep Work” by Cal Newport explains this better. Other than that, this is not a book I would recommend, especially since there is a lot of sports talk.

"It takes what it takes" struck me as a self-evident and hollow platitude, and it fittingly turns out to be an apt title for the book.
There's nothing new here, rather an amalgamation of cliches you've already heard if you've read any of the self-improvement genre.
Also, this is a "bro" book, perhaps best read in conjunction with a Tucker Max book(?). It wasn't particularly off-putting to me, but it did detract from how serious I took the author.
What I definitely found lame was the amount of shame ...more
There's nothing new here, rather an amalgamation of cliches you've already heard if you've read any of the self-improvement genre.
Also, this is a "bro" book, perhaps best read in conjunction with a Tucker Max book(?). It wasn't particularly off-putting to me, but it did detract from how serious I took the author.
What I definitely found lame was the amount of shame ...more

Oh folks...I wanted to like this book. As someone who loves how Russell Wilson approaches football and life, I wanted to really unlock the secrets of the guru he considers indispensable. What I got instead (outside of a plea for neutral thinking), was a glimpse at the life of a professional mindset coach, an incredibly unprofessional amount of f-words (seemed to be the only adjective, verb, and noun of choice for this author), and a completely undefined "it".
This book is titled brilliantly. The ...more
This book is titled brilliantly. The ...more

Who hasn't heard of "the power of positive thinking", but this concept of neutral thinking was something I hadn't considered before. A very enjoyable read with do-able practical applications. Good stuff.
...more

It Takes What It Takes: Russell Wilson by Trevor Moawad
It Takes What It Takes: Russell Wilson by Trevor Moawad is a book written by a mentor of mental health (Trevor Moawad) for professional athletes like Russell Wilson. In the book, he talks about his experiences with Russell Wilson and how he helped him keep his mind clear with a growth mindset so he can play to the best of his ability. Russell Wilson battled through struggles at the start of his career like not performing the best or going t ...more
It Takes What It Takes: Russell Wilson by Trevor Moawad is a book written by a mentor of mental health (Trevor Moawad) for professional athletes like Russell Wilson. In the book, he talks about his experiences with Russell Wilson and how he helped him keep his mind clear with a growth mindset so he can play to the best of his ability. Russell Wilson battled through struggles at the start of his career like not performing the best or going t ...more

It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your LifeTHIS BOOK IS FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE 100% SKIN IN THE GAME. It's for people who see no option or have no option but to succeed and perform at a high level every single day. This book is the blueprint for the mindset of how the greats sustainably do it. Some of the reviews on this book are unfair and I assume it's because those people do not have to continuously perform at a high level under crushing demands.
I'm a business o ...more
I'm a business o ...more

Positive thinking not working?
Negative throught spirals the enemy?
Insert, Trevor and his clear, accessible, and relatable perspective on every day success.
Success is built brick-by-brick. Choices are the bricks and mindset is mortar. Laying one brick, with the correct mortar, and then the next is the key. Simple? Yes. Easy? No. Again, insert Trevor and his world-class friends dropping world-class advice bombs.
I loved this book. It's going on my immediate recommendation list for people who ha ...more
Negative throught spirals the enemy?
Insert, Trevor and his clear, accessible, and relatable perspective on every day success.
Success is built brick-by-brick. Choices are the bricks and mindset is mortar. Laying one brick, with the correct mortar, and then the next is the key. Simple? Yes. Easy? No. Again, insert Trevor and his world-class friends dropping world-class advice bombs.
I loved this book. It's going on my immediate recommendation list for people who ha ...more

A series of cliches with a pinch of braggadocious stories binding them. Trevor Moawad seems like he could be an interesting guy, but communicates like he only has access to a sound panel of platitudes, to be repeated until you're almost convinced you've learned something new. There's almost something here, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. See, I can do it too. Pass.
...more

This book has some powerful messages. Way, way, way back in my athletic career, I never gave any credit to the mental conditioning side of things. Usually, the people I saw using it were people’s who I considered mentally weak.
I’m learning now what I wish I would have learned a long time ago...Your own thoughts are the most powerful driver behind your actions. This is meaningful for every single person, not just athletes, and not just sales people.
I’m learning now what I wish I would have learned a long time ago...Your own thoughts are the most powerful driver behind your actions. This is meaningful for every single person, not just athletes, and not just sales people.

I am not a fan of books that use sports as analogies, as life is so much more complicated than sport. I like that Trevor calls that out in the book. Hard to argue with the premise. Think about what you want, develop a plan, and work on controlling your actions and thoughts—good reminders but nothing revolutionary. If you like sports and want to have some useful insights packaged around sports metaphors, this is for you; if not, there are better books out there. Joe

The whole premise doesn't even make sense! Russell Wilson and other great athletes - when you listen to them speak - talk positively and optimistically NOT "neutrally."
...more

I appreciated the deeper insight into the mind of one of my biggest sports heroes, Russell Wilson. This book helped me see where his mindset comes from, on the field and off. I have to admit that after the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots, Russell's attitude frustrated me. I thought he was blowing off what happened and was moving on, long before I was ready to. After reading this book and learning about how Russell took control of that situation, it all makes sense. I am even more amazed by him.
...more

I am not a sports lover, but I enjoyed reading about how players at high levels of their sports think. This book is perfect for anyone wanting to take control of their current way of thinking. Positive thinking is great, but doesn't fit every situation. Negativity will always affect you negatively. But you can take your current situation and look at it from a neutral perspective. Trevor shows you how.
...more

Aug 09, 2020
Tom Talamantez
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
self-improvement
This book offers a lot of excellent principles to consider to mentally prepare yourself to achieve your goals and address barriers that we encounter along the way. There are twelve chapters and each chapter offers a unique angle to consider. I had a lot of good take-aways from the book such as how to truly understand your choices when pursing an objective, having a true self-awareness, having discipline with your thoughts and words, eliminating negative thinking, and the importance of using your
...more

I heard Trevor talk on Impact Theory, and it was fantastic. His points were clear, concise and motivational. The story we tell ourselves is crucial; and we need to make sure we’re limiting the negative conversations, and getting neutral. We shouldn’t be lying to ourselves with optimism, but we instead need to be continuously assessing the situation and moving forward. Very useful content, and a great listen.
The book itself was a little more of a grind to get through. It was fairly repetitive and ...more
The book itself was a little more of a grind to get through. It was fairly repetitive and ...more

Read it! This should be a class taught in schools, especially inner cities. May have too much sports "lingo" for some but the message and actions that can be taken are CLEAR!!!
...more

“No matter where I work, the same truth keeps emerging. Neutral thinking is the key to unlocking a set of behaviors that can turn also-rans into champions and champions into legends.” - Trevor Moawad from It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life
“It’s what you do, not how you feel, that gets things done. We can do our way into feeling the way we need to. It’s hard to feel our way into achieving a damn thing.” - Trevor Moawad from It Takes What It Takes: How to ...more
“It’s what you do, not how you feel, that gets things done. We can do our way into feeling the way we need to. It’s hard to feel our way into achieving a damn thing.” - Trevor Moawad from It Takes What It Takes: How to ...more

Mar 23, 2021
Dylan Grossutti
added it
So i have been reading “it takes what it takes” By Trevor Moawad, For about 2 weeks now and this book teaches you how to neutrally think and work through adversity like it was never there in the first place. This book really touches down on what to think and how to think in those moments of adversity or uncertainty. I have learned a lot from this book in my last 2 weeks reading this book. Trevor is a licenced mental conditioning coach and he works with the pros in college and NFL to help them ov
...more

I'm familiar with some of the book's philosophy having read Nick Saban's "How Good Do You Want To Be" and seeing it discussed in Coach Saban's interviews. Trevor Moawad has worked with Coach Saban and the Crimson Tide as well as other successful college and professional programs and players. The focus of the book is not to embrace positive thinking when rejecting negative thinking, but to embrace neutral thinking.
Neutral thinking is best described by Dr. Christine Porath in a Psychology Today re ...more
Neutral thinking is best described by Dr. Christine Porath in a Psychology Today re ...more

I was pretty excited when I started this book. I love competitors like Russell Wilson, so I was intrigued to see that Wilson had written and performed the introduction. It was well-done and seemed like it was setting the scene for the rest of the book nicely.
From there, Moawad jumps in and takes the reader on one sports story journey after another. Being a sports fan, I enjoyed the inclusion of these stories. Being a self-help fan, however, I slowly started to feel like these stories were just t ...more
From there, Moawad jumps in and takes the reader on one sports story journey after another. Being a sports fan, I enjoyed the inclusion of these stories. Being a self-help fan, however, I slowly started to feel like these stories were just t ...more

I was introduced Trevor Moawad on my iFit device and he spoke about this book in a short walkig series on the treadmill. While walking with him, he spoke to many of the themes that I found in the book including neutral thinking a very interesting and useful concept. I bought the book to explore a little further this idea of neutral thinking.
The approaches and the ideas put forth in the book are fantastic in of themselves. Although there's way too many examples of pop culture references, the theo ...more
The approaches and the ideas put forth in the book are fantastic in of themselves. Although there's way too many examples of pop culture references, the theo ...more

It Takes What It Takes is a book that examines the benefits of the principles of Taoism and mindfulness in improving professional sportspeople's mentality and performance on the field of play. The author brands the Taoism principle of non-judgment as neutral thinking - a mindset that does not judge or discriminates based on past experience but seeks to look at all experiences as what they are.
WHY I LOVE THE BOOK
I have always felt mindfulness has its place within all areas of life, sports include ...more
WHY I LOVE THE BOOK
I have always felt mindfulness has its place within all areas of life, sports include ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

I am in complete agreement with the central message of this book: get away from negative ASAP, and since positivity doesn't always work, move to a neutral mindset. My son is 13 years old. He's been playing flag football since the 3rd grade. He is very competitive and didn't always handle losing well. I would often tell him that you can't dwell on losing or a poor performance. He would retort with something along the lines of, "So I'm just supposed to be happy about losing?" Of course not. But we
...more

It Takes What It Takes; How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life by Trevor Moawad is a how to about thinking with clarity and purpose. Mr. Moawad is President of Moawad Consulting Group and the CEO and co-founder of Limitless Minds, a mental conditioning coach for elite performers. The process was originally conceived for sports performers who are referenced throughout the production, but the training is applicable for all people at all stages of their lives. He presents a compelling
...more

A useful book if the reader can wrap their mind around the concept of "neutral" thinking, which truly is a brilliant approach to molding one's mindset; unsure why some reviewers outright dismiss the idea, as it embrace a simple (though not necessarily easy) strategy: acknowledge mistakes, but neither dwell upon or respond angrily to them; be positive, but steadily channel that positivity in the form of determining -- and taking action toward -- the next step necessary to achieve an objective.
I w ...more
I w ...more

Trevor has built a successful career in building high performing athletes. It was intriguing to get a glimpse on this world.
Here are my takeaways.
It’s clear that Trevor is not a writer. The chapters struggle to stay to 1 clear point and flow. Though, It’s still enjoyable. The largest issues I find are:
[CONS]
1) Trevor is a name dropper
2) Lack of quantitative data and research
3) Justification based on analogy
4) No low level discussion on human psychology.
5) Lack of practical exercises
He doesn’t ...more
Here are my takeaways.
It’s clear that Trevor is not a writer. The chapters struggle to stay to 1 clear point and flow. Though, It’s still enjoyable. The largest issues I find are:
[CONS]
1) Trevor is a name dropper
2) Lack of quantitative data and research
3) Justification based on analogy
4) No low level discussion on human psychology.
5) Lack of practical exercises
He doesn’t ...more

Two of my favorite quotes from this book:
“You are what you do, and you’ve become what you’ve done. But who you can and will become lies in who you are next, and that will be determined by what you do next and how you address the roadblocks on the immediate road you’re traveling.”
“No one can live your life for you. Maybe they can live it through you, in some way, but the doing is still up to you. That’s what this book is all about. It’s not a free pass on your past. You are responsible for that. ...more
“You are what you do, and you’ve become what you’ve done. But who you can and will become lies in who you are next, and that will be determined by what you do next and how you address the roadblocks on the immediate road you’re traveling.”
“No one can live your life for you. Maybe they can live it through you, in some way, but the doing is still up to you. That’s what this book is all about. It’s not a free pass on your past. You are responsible for that. ...more

Neutral thinking is a good way to get away from positive thinking as one can be overly positive and negative thinking keeps you down on the ground.
However, this book made me lose even more respect for John Stossel, a man who Trevor mentioned in his book as an interviewer of his late father. John tried to act as if success was the greatest boost for self-esteem, except he forgets all the people who have burned out after having success or needed to be with enablers and then had lower self-esteem d ...more
However, this book made me lose even more respect for John Stossel, a man who Trevor mentioned in his book as an interviewer of his late father. John tried to act as if success was the greatest boost for self-esteem, except he forgets all the people who have burned out after having success or needed to be with enablers and then had lower self-esteem d ...more
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