Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success

by Brad Stulberg

Her outlook was this: Stress is bad

A 2010 study found that the small portion of Americans who view stress as facilitative have a 43 percent lower chance of premature death than those who view stress as destructive.

Could something as simple as one’s attitude about stress truly contribute to extending life?

a large body of evidence showing that how we view stress weighs heavily on how stress influences us.

a “challenge response,” is characterized by viewing stress as something productive,

Just like our mindset about milkshakes changes our deep biological profile, so, too, does our mindset about stress.

chronically elevated cortisol levels are associated with lingering inflammation, impaired immune function, and depression.

if you frame stressors as challenges, you’ll release more DHEA than cortisol.

you’ll actually experience health benefits instead of health detriments.

These mindsets increase our health and longevity.

Few, if any, Olympians appear to be anxious.

weekend warriors trying to run at an 8-minute-per-mile pace are nervous and stressed out . . . all while racing for a finisher’s medal they’ll be given regardless of their performance.

The difference was that the nonelites viewed stress as something to avoid, ignore, and try to quiet.

The elites, on the other hand, interpreted the stress and the sensations that came with it as an aid to their performance;

instead of trying to calm yourself down, “reappraising pre-performance anxiety as excitement” is often advantageous.

When you try to suppress pre-event nerves, you are inherently telling yourself that something is wrong.

simply telling yourself “I am excited” shifts your demeanor from what they call a threat mindset (stressed out and apprehensive) to an opportunity mindset (revved up and ready to go).

The sensations you feel prior to a big event are neutral—if you view them in a positive light, they are more likely to have a positive impact on your performance.

they also all said that rather than try to push the stress away, they welcome and channel it toward the task at hand.

“Fear [perhaps the most potent form of stress] is there for me in every aspect

I don’t hide from it or try to ignore it. I feel the sensation and channel it to help me focus,

the right mindset opens up the possibility for growth to occur.

I’m sure this applies to a willingness to take rest when it’s needed. Athletes and others who refused to recover are exhibiting a lack of self-confidence, believing that if they’re not stressing themselves every single day, they will not progress. When in fact the opposite is true. I have been guilty of this. A lot.

We explored how stress, when it is at the right dose, serves as a powerful stimulus for growth;

how skills come from struggle and productive failure;

the value of actively seeking out just-manage...

We also learned how to stress ourselves: in blocks that last under 2 hours, with deep focus, deliberate practice, and with our...

we saw how our mindset affects not only how we perceive stress, but also...

In a paradoxical twist, the second half of the growth equation, rest, can be even harder.

Stephen King, “For me, not working is the real work.”

he and his team must first figure out, among many other things, how to teach an inanimate object moving at 70 miles per hour to differentiate between a stray plastic bag and a stray deer.

Google has nailed the recipe for stress. But the company understands that’s only half the battle.

Without rest, Google wouldn’t end up with innovation.

Google nails rest by looking back to an ancient Eastern practice.

Google was growing fast, but Tan had the wisdom to realize that this style of work—stress without rest—was unsustainable.

mindfulness meditation, a Buddhist style of sitting meditation in which the practitioner focuses solely on the breath.

He also found that it opened his mind to otherwise hidden insights.

Googlers who went through Tan’s class were raving about its benefits.

They were able to unplug at the end of the day and even detach enough so that weekends and vacations became truly rejuvenating.

the benefits of Search Inside Yourself, either. Their employees were healthier, happier, and more productive.

Brandon Rennels,

Upon first meeting Rennels, we couldn’t help but notice that he is fully present. None of his movements are without intention.

the job wasn’t good for him. Rennels noticed himself chasing external rewards and craving status.

He found it hard to focus—

and he could never calm his r...

He committed to meditating regularly, starting with 1-minute sessions every day.

He became more aware of himself and his emotions, and more cognizant of how those emotions precipitated certain actions.

he began to feel more in control of himself and no longer at the behest of the world around him.

When you meditate, you are strengthening your mindful muscle.

It’s a simple practice: •Sit in a comfortable position, ideally in a quiet space. •Breathe deeply for a few breaths, in and out through your nose.

focus on only the sensations of breathing, noticing the rise and fall of your abdomen with each breath;