Good advice is rarely anything you haven’t heard before.
That’s the challenge for coaches. Their unique blend of tricks and advice may work in a live session, but when they try to package it into a book, it loses its magic. Readers are likely to shrug their shoulders and say, “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”
I picked up Greg Harden’s book Stay Sane in an Insane World for a couple of reasons.
First, I want to hear from the guy who coached our top-performing athletes. And second, that title! We do live in an insane world. If you’ve got advice for overcoming the odds, I’m in.
Stay Sane didn’t disappoint. Granted, most of the advice Harden shares is stuff I’ve heard before, or even said myself. But the total package — the tips, stories, and heart — are greater than the sum of the parts. Here’s why I think this book is worth the read.
About Greg Harden
Greg Harden, dubbed “Michigan’s Secret Weapon” by 60-Minutes Sports, is a peak performance coach, motivational speaker, and executive consultant.
He’s best known for his work with seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady, Heisman Trophy winner and Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard, and 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps. But in his 30+ years at the University of Michigan, he built 400 future professional athletes, 50 NFL first-round draft picks, and 120 Olympians from over 20 countries.
With numbers like that, it’s clear Hardon’s advice can make a difference.
My Takeaways
I’m going to say it again. If you’re looking for radically new advice that will unlock your peak performance, you’re going to be disappointed. Harden shares what he teaches — and what works. And you’ve probably heard it before.
So it’s important to unlock why Harden is so successful. From what I’ve gathered reading between the lines, the difference is Harden himself.
This is a man who had to overcome his own blocks to success:
“It was a tumultuous time in this country, and ‘the hate that hate made’ tried to consume me every day. I wasn’t just negative, miserable, and depressed. I was angry at the whole world. I was truly and profoundly my own worst enemy, and the only thing that exceeded my ignorance was my arrogance.”
For Harden, Stay Sane isn’t a bunch of pretty words. It’s his own process, one he used and validated in his work with countless high-achievers.
He tells you to believe in yourself. Because if you don’t, why should anyone else? He tells you to practice, train, and rehearse. Because that’s how self-belief becomes automatic. He tells you to control the controllables. Because you have more control than you think.
Individually, these could come off as pre-packaged self-help sound bites. But Harden explains why they matter and how to apply them. He also shares story after story of someone who heard that piece of advice and used it to unlock their potential. Your job is to find at least one lesson that will unlock your future.
One thing that stood out to me was Harden’s thoughts on how we motivate ourselves to achieve success. He narrowed it down to four things that we actively seek, no matter what we do:
- Attention
- Affection
- Approval
- Acceptance
This rang true — and unlocked a few things in my own business. I actually had to put the book down for a bit so I could follow this rabbit trail. New business ideas coming soon!
What I love about Harden is that he doesn’t offer a step-by-step, one-size-fits-all program. Ultimately, success is a choice.
You must believe in yourself.
You must choose yourself.
You must decide what you want.
You must give 100%, 100% of the time.
It’s not rocket science. But it’s not easy. Otherwise we’d all have celebrity status at whatever we do.
Things will go wrong. You’ll doubt yourself, feel frustrated, or blame someone/something. Harden gives you one-tenth of a second to wallow. Then, you need to adjust and get back to work.
“To become a peak performer, you have to retrain, reprogram, reengineer yourself not to obsess over ‘triumph and disaster’ and learn (to quote Rudyard Kiplinng) to ‘treat those two imposters just the same.’”
You can’t control your circumstances, but you can control YOU. And that’s the magic behind Harden’s lessons. He doesn’t give anyone the keys to success. He helps you dig deep and find the key within yourself.
That’s why I recommend Stay Sane in an Insane World. We need the reminder of what we already know. And we need the kick in the pants to actually do what we know.
It can feel like tough love. But it’s exactly what we need.
***
Want to read along with me? Join the Business & Growth Book Club. Each month(ish), we read a book that will help us grow both professionally and personally.
