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From Chad
Your thinking is bad. I can help. These quick daily messages aim to upgrade your mental game by helping you tell a better story. The most powerful story in the world is the story you tell yourself. You can download my book at fromchad.gumroad.com. Email me at fromchadsmith@gmail.com or visit www.fromchad.com for episode transcripts.
Episodes
From ChadThe Most Powerful Tool #508
Habits, controlled by the basal ganglia, are powerful tools that can be harnessed for positive change. Understanding the three-step habit loop—cue, routine…
From ChadAn Autobiography In 5 Chapters #507
Portia Nelson’s poem, “There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk,” illustrates the journey of self-discovery through five chapters. The poem uses a metaphorical hole in…
From ChadYour Competition #506
The Johari Window, a framework for self-understanding, divides the self into four panes: public, blind spots, private, and unknown potential. This model…
From ChadOuch! #505
The “best-selves exercise” encourages self-reflection on potential and the importance of living up to it. It’s never too late to make positive changes and…
From ChadA Quick Trip To Hell #504
Many people regret not taking risks and living up to their potential. Brian Johnson envisions a version of hell where the person you could have been meets the…
From ChadYou're Dead #503
The funeral exercise helps clarify identity by imagining one’s funeral and reflecting on the eulogy virtues that truly matter. Live by what you value most…
From ChadDirection Determines Destination #502
Direction determines destination; every step matters. Keep taking steps in the right direction to arrive at the right place.
- From Chad
Obstacles Make Me Stronger #501
Life’s obstacles, though challenging, can be reframed as opportunities for growth and strength, similar to how muscles are strengthened through breakdown and…
- From Chad
Focus Where Your Feet Are #500
In this imaginary letter, Mr. Rogers emphasizes the importance of being present, or “focusing where your feet are,” in daily life. He explains that…
- From Chad
Fierce Focus #499
Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, never had one in his office to avoid distractions. Concentration, a skill that can be developed through…
- From Chad
The Easiest Quick Fix #498
Willpower, a key predictor of success and well-being, can be boosted by slowing breathing to 4-6 breaths per minute. This technique, as suggested by Kelly…
- From Chad
Everything. Always. #497
Marcus Aurelius, facing immense hardships, found solace in journaling and embracing Amor Fati, believing in a grand design to everything. This mindset, rooted…
- From Chad
Potential Power #496
Discipline is about controlling energy, not just rules. Harnessing your energy, like Niagara Falls, can lead to great things, but it requires discipline…
- From Chad
Act Like One #495
Marsha Linehan’s principle, “act your way into a feeling,” emphasizes the power of action over emotion. Motivation is a myth; choose your identity and let it…
- From Chad
Join the Party! #494
Using Twitter/X’s AI tool, Grok, this message looks at ten tips for cultivating stillness of mind.
- From Chad
It Takes Intentionality #493
People often prioritize external noise over internal stillness, even when it leads to misery. This preference for constant stimulation, as highlighted by Ryan…
- From Chad
This Is the Key #492
In his book Stillness Is the Key, Ryan Holiday writes, "That space between your ears—that’s yours. You don’t just have to control what gets in, you also have…
- From Chad
Conforming Vs Creating #491
Everything is first created mentally before manifesting in reality. Conformity, driven by external influences and hinders creativity. To break free from…
- From Chad
The Magic Pill #490
The Serene Fifteen Challenge, a 15-minute daily meditation, is likened to a “magic pill” for its numerous benefits, including clarity and improved well-being…
- From Chad
Brush Your Brain #489
The Serene Fifteen is a relaxation workout for the parasympathetic nervous system, akin to brushing teeth. Just as we don’t grade our toothbrushing, we…
- From Chad
Imaginary Friends #488
The Serene Fifteen is a relaxation workout for the parasympathetic nervous system, akin to brushing teeth. Just as we don’t grade our toothbrushing, we…
- From Chad
Are You Serious #487
The Serene Fifteen Challenge involves 15 minutes of quiet meditation daily, based on the idea that investing 1% of your day in personal peace and serenity is…
- From Chad
Serene Fifteen #486
The Serene Fifteen Challenge invites participants to spend 15 minutes daily doing nothing, inspired by Pascal’s belief that humanity’s problems stem from the…
- From Chad
Weekly Recap #485
This week’s "Daily Messages” focused on cultivating positive habits and mindsets for success. Key ideas included the power of daily routines and consistency…
- From Chad
Interpreting Fears #484
Nerves, doubt, anxiety, and fears can trick you into thinking you're on the wrong track. More often than not, they are signals that you're doing something…
- From Chad
Peace Through Pressure #483
Desirable difficulties, or pressure-filled times, can create powerful and peaceful individuals by providing a knowledge base of past experiences. Malcolm…
- From Chad
Terrible Things #482
Terrible things will happen, but worrying about them is unproductive. Acceptance of what has and will happen is the first step in overcoming worry and moving…
- From Chad
The Best Gift #481
Presence, achieved through focus, is a powerful gift in our distracted world. Focus is a skill that can be developed through practice, as demonstrated by tools…
- From Chad
Do the Worst First #480
Tackle the most difficult task first, like eating a frog, to avoid procrastination and make the rest of the day easier.
- From Chad
Don't Break the Chain #479
Jon Sutherland’s 20,000-day running streak and Jerry Seinfeld’s daily joke-writing habit illustrate the power of consistent habits. Small, daily actions, like…
- From Chad
Special AI Edition #478
Today is a recap of this week's morning messages. This is message 478 and this message is dedicated to Steven Johnson, part of the team at Google creating an…
- From Chad
How Hope Is Built #477
Hope for the future is built through daily actions and progress, not just wishing. Taking tangible steps today, no matter how small, brings you closer to your…
- From Chad
The Pareto Principle #476
Alfredo Pareto’s 80-20 principle, where a minority controls the majority, applies to various aspects of life. Identifying the key activities driving results in…
- From Chad
Minimize #475
Problems can be overwhelming, but breaking them down into smaller, manageable tasks makes them less daunting. Taking small steps towards a solution is more…
- From Chad
Patience #474
Impatience is a major obstacle, as exemplified by the Chinese stone sculptors who allowed time and nature to perfect their work. Bill Walsh, a successful…
- From Chad
Failure #473
Failure is not final and can be a learning opportunity. Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA, believed in learning from mistakes and encouraged employees to be…
- From Chad
Life Is Good #472
The “Life Is Good” brand, founded by Bert and John Jacobs, embodies optimism and encourages embracing mistakes as learning opportunities. Treat yourself and…
- From Chad
Positioned #471
Success comes from consistent practice and discipline, not just luck or one-time efforts. Even small, daily investments in various aspects of life, like saving…
- From Chad
Keep Rising #470
Keep learning. Keep gaining knowledge. Then apply what you’ve learned. Pass it on. Teach someone else. Then you will continue to rise.
- From Chad
Perspective #469
Perspective is everything, as illustrated by the story of three stonecutters. Changing your perspective can change your outlook and the impact of your work.
- From Chad
Compounding #468
Small, consistent choices can have a significant impact over time, as illustrated by the three small but different decisions made by three friends.
- From Chad
To Not Thru #467
Tough times are challenging, but what matters is not what you're going through, but where you’re going to.
- From Chad
The REAL Difference Makers #466
You matter and can make a REAL difference in a lot of lives!
- From Chad
Attitude of Gratitude #465
Gratitude, like water from a pump, requires effort to surface. Use the HAGL statement—“I have, I am, I give, I love”—to pump up gratitude.
- From Chad
Be Still But Active #464
Do your best and leave the rest. Become balanced. Be still but active, not anxious, arrogant or apathetic.
- From Chad
How Should I Act? #463
A mindset acrostic, a list of scripts and storylines, is used to create a multiple-choice test about how to act. The test presents three answers: act as if it…
- From Chad
Heap of Habits #462
Habits cut both ways. The Sorites Paradox, or the “heap paradox,” illustrates how small, repeated actions can lead to significant changes over time.
- From Chad
You Are Not Wine #461
Time alone does not add value; it’s what you do with your time that matters. Invest in your days, make them masterpieces, and fight against entropy.
- From Chad
Start Drinking #460
Knowledge without action is useless. Stop accumulating information and start applying it.
- From Chad
Because Of This #459
Thomas Edison, despite being partially deaf, channeled his unique perspective into groundbreaking inventions. His story serves as a reminder that our attitude…
- From Chad
Turn the Key #458
A single idea, like a key, can unlock a whole realm of possibilities. Thoughts determine desires, but actions determine outcomes.
- From Chad
Drop the Illusions #457
The illusions of choice, control, and creation are sources of energy depletion. Embracing limitations, such as choosing excellence and accepting what cannot be…
- From Chad
Feel Bad #456
Negative feelings, though often avoided, can be positive indicators of growth and progress. Just as pain is necessary for childbirth, other unpleasant emotions…
- From Chad
The Most Useful Trait #455
Five words can change everything: “Act differently than I feel.” When commitment outweighs feelings, desired results are achieved.
- From Chad
Search #454
The concept of motivation is a myth, according to Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and psychotherapist. Frankl argues that true motivation comes from…
- From Chad
Can't Wait #452
I am grateful for the day! It is a privilege to be alive and experience the opportunities provided each day.
- From Chad
Don't Wait #451
Motivation is a myth, but momentum is real. Just get started, because action precedes feeling and produces it.
- From Chad
Why Wait? #450
Make positive changes immediately, rather than waiting for arbitrary dates like the New Year.
- From Chad
Silence #449
Being still is a superpower in a noisy world. Tame the noise addiction to embrace silence and prioritize inner peace.