Summary of Steve Magness's Do Hard Things

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Toughness is typically defined as the ability to overcome obstacles, and for the most part, Knight’s teams lived up to that definition. However, not everyone was thriving.

#2 We have a fundamental misunderstanding of what toughness is. It exists in many forms, from the basketball courts to the playing fields, and it dominates far more than just the basketball courts.

#3 The four main parenting styles are authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglectful. Authoritarian parents don’t trust their children to make good decisions, and they rely on fear and threats to ensure that they make good choices.

#4 The just right Goldilocks fit occurs when expectations are high, but so is support. High demand accompanied by warmth and understanding. When there is an extreme mismatch between demand and support, problems arise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jul 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822546929

IRB Media

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Insights on Steve Magness's Do Hard Things

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

toughness is typically defined as the ability to overcome obstacles, and for the most part, Knight’s teams lived up to that definition. However, not everyone was thriving.

#2

We have a fundamental misunderstanding of what toughness is. It exists in many forms, from the basketball courts to the playing fields, and it dominates far more than just the basketball courts.

#3

The four main parenting styles are authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglectful. Authoritarian parents don’t trust their children to make good decisions, and they rely on fear and threats to ensure that they make good choices.

#4

The just right Goldilocks fit occurs when expectations are high, but so is support. High demand accompanied by warmth and understanding. When there is an extreme mismatch between demand and support, problems arise.

#5

Our definition of toughness is broken. We’ve confused it with callousness and machismo, of being manly and stoic. The old model of toughness is represented in the Bobby Knight school of coaching, authoritarian parents, and the callous model of leading.

#6

The extreme workout in the name of developing toughness is alive and still causing harm. It leads to lower independence, more aggressive behavior, and a higher likelihood for substance abuse and risky behaviors. It even fails in places where it seems like it would be successful, like the military.

#7

The old-school model of toughness is to push yourself to the limit when no one is watching, and it is proven to create fragile and dependent individuals. There are better ways to develop toughness.

#8

Real toughness is not about blindly powering through adversity or pretending that punishing yourself yields results. It’s about experiencing discomfort or distress, leaning in, and paying attention. It’s maintaining a clear head to be able to make the appropriate decision.

#9

Real toughness is about providing the tool set to handle adversity. It’s teaching. Fake toughness creates fragility, responding out of fear, suppressing what we feel, and attempting to press onward no matter the situation or demands.

#10

toughness is about navigating discomfort, not bulldozing through it. It is about having the grit to act under discomfort, not just the ability to grind through it.

#11

The Don