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Cheat Codes
Cheat Codes
Cheat Codes
This is one of the seminal works on the science of self-control, and Roy is referenced so many times
it’s almost impossible to read a self-improvement book without seeing him mentioned. There’s a
Major Lessons:
The time it takes to complete a task expands to fill the amount of time allotted to it
Train yourself to face worse conditions than you will ever actually face
certain temptations
Tell yourself you can have some unhealthy food later if you pass up on it now
Giving in does not replenish your willpower
I am a Steven Pressfield evangelist. The man inspires me daily to do my best work, and he’s written
four of my favorites. The War of Art introduces us to the idea of the “Resistance”, or basically
anything that stops us from achieving something great. I read this way back in 2014 and I believe it
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Resistance will say anything and do anything to prevent you from doing your work
There will never be a moment when we are unable to change our destiny
Taking a few blows is the price of standing in the arena and not on the sidelines
Resistance is like a telemarketer: Once you so much as say hello, you’re finished
It’s better to be in the arena getting stamped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or in
“Whatever you can do, or believe you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and
Dreams and inspiration are as common as dirt. So are sunrises. But that doesn’t make
If we were born to throw off the order of injustice and ignorance of the world, then it’s
Ask, “If I were the last person on earth, would I still do what I’m planning to do?”
Cue –> Habit –> Reward. This means that when we experience a certain cue, say, driving by a fast-
food restaurant, we execute a habit. The reward associated with that habit is grease in this example.
But you can change your “habit loop”, as Duhigg calls it, into anything you want. This book
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Use the same cue and the same reward but a different routine
Mentally rehearse how to respond and deal with failure and setbacks
Plan for setbacks and don’t let them get you off track
Once you diagnose the cue, routine, and reward, you gain power over your habits
Have you heard about this book? I hadn’t. I was traveling to a work conference and read pretty
much the entire book on the plane. I wasn’t expecting there to be so much wisdom here, but I guess
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The enemy is our self concept which was based on past performances and our beliefs
A heart built on the love of temporary things will have insecurity as a constant
companion
Winning doesn’t necessarily mean that you were great, or even good
experiences
It may be only through eyes rinsed with tears that we can see who we really are
When you’re attached to something you can’t control, you live in constant fear of losing
hold of it
Beauty and presence as well as focus are always there regardless of whether you choose
The more you look for beauty, the more you will find
Take a break from work every hour and a half to really see and feel and be present
Pressure comes from what we think about the situation and not the situation itself
Living your dreams means loving what you’re doing and not the outcome of what you’re
trying to do
Be grateful when your opponents do well or fight hard
Accept every circumstance that comes your way just as if you chose it
Everything happens twice: first in your mind and then in your life
Winning is dangerous because we don’t learn anything, or at least it is easier not to learn
anything
Master the in-between moments of life by realizing that nothing is more important than
Leo runs one of the most popular self-improvement blogs on the internet, called Zen Habits. He’s
been around for a while, and has made a name for himself out there in the sea of mediocrity
otherwise known as the real world. Zen Habits is all about simplicity, and it’s something I’ve
always appreciated in my own life. I make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. His is a
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Only have commitments in your life that give you joy and value
You may have been wondering when we were going to get into some Tony Robbins! He’s one guy
that has known what he’s been talking about for decades. He’s read even more books than I have (at
the time of THIS writing, anyway!), and the scope of his knowledge is simply awe-inspiring. He’s
the best in the business, and there’s a legitimate reason for that. Personally, I find his book titles
dumb as anything, but you can’t argue with the results that his books have helped me to achieve.
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Decide whether you are absolutely committed to achieving your goals that you set
Spend 90% of your time on the solution and only 10% on the problem
Act congruently with your values
Scarcity is an illusion
Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others
You want MORE from Tony Robbins? Well ok, he’s more than able to deliver. Unlimited Power
(again, dumb title, in my opinion) has changed more lives than Netflix. If you have time to devote
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Remember the guy who started Chicken Soup for the Soul? Well he’s packed this book with useful
advice and game-changing insights. I was actually extremely surprised by how much I took away
from this one, and it seemed like I was taking notes on every page. There is some major substance
here, and Jack knows how to get an idea off the ground at all costs. Get past the title, and draw
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“If we did all the things we were capable of, we would literally astound ourselves”
Provide more service than that for which you are being paid
Use the end of the day to reflect and plan because that is what the unconscious mind
doing it
When you’re happy doing what you love, you’re already successful
Everything that you need to solve any problem, or achieve any goal, is already inside of
you
—
#9) Eat That Frog, by Brian Tracy
For those of you who haven’t heard that phrase before, it comes from Mark Twain. Basically, the
idea is that if you eat a live frog at the beginning of the day, then you can go the rest of the day with
the comfort of knowing that the worst is behind you. Do you see how you can relate this to your
most dreaded tasks and activities? Brian Tracy is literally one of the superstars of the productivity
and discipline space, and I’ve read a large number of his books. They really got me into the idea of
taking massive action. It’s still something I’m working on, of course, but that’s what great books do.
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Pressfield for the win. Again. His books are short (at least his non-fiction ones are), but his ideas cut
to the heart of what really holds us back from achievement. I can’t recommend him enough, and I
urge you to check out both “Turning Pro“, and “The War of Art“. “The Warrior Ethos” is also
incredible.
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The real enemies lie inside whereas the physical opponents are just stand-ins
The hero wanders, the hero suffers, and the hero returns to give his gift. You are that
hero.
—
I listened to this one as an audio-book, which I don’t normally do. But regardless, I stopped the tape
numerous times and took notes. Procrastination is a manifestation of the “Resistance” that Steven
Pressfield talks about, and Neil Fiore has been working on developing an answer for decades. The
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Feeling overwhelmed is natural and should not lead you to believe that you won’t be able
I feel as if Robert Greene doesn’t get enough credit for being the brilliant man that he is. Sure, “The
48 Laws of Power” is the #1 most-requested book in prison libraries, but that doesn’t seem like
enough recognition to me. Mastery breaks down the exact process everyone goes through when
they become really, really good at something. It’s almost poetry, and so it definitely deserves a spot
on this list.
Major Lessons:
You are setting an example for humanity concerning what we can accomplish
Mute your desire to impress and be the focus of attention in favor of learning
Masters are those who have struggled in order to get where they are
Adopt the philosophy of complete and radical acceptance of human nature
It is the choice of where to direct your creative energy that makes the master
Cultivate the ability to entertain two contradictory thoughts at the same time and doubt
Look for that one thing that will yield amazing results when capitalized upon but not at
Cultivate profound dissatisfaction in your work and the need to constantly improve your
ideas
The problem you are working on should always be connected with something larger
The time that leads to mastery is directly dependent upon our level of intensity and focus
Quiet the anxiety you feel when confronted with anything that seems beyond your
capabilities
Your experience of something that occurs in the world physically alters your brain
—
BEFORE WE GO FURTHER, PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT AND CONSIDER JOINING
Another excellent addition to this list from the one and only Brian Tracy. This man is a productivity
genius, and he’s going to affect you in positive ways. Give this book a chance and you’ll be
Major Lessons:
Self discipline is the magic quality that makes all other success possible
Do what needs to be done even when you don’t feel like doing it
To become someone that you’ve never been before means that you have to do something
Your mind can only hold one thought at a time, so make it a helpful one
More gold from Brian Tracy. If you haven’t noticed the trend, it’s that this man can do wonders for
your self-discipline and your willpower. Get him in your corner, and get his ideas working for you,
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There are no limits except for the ones that we place on ourselves
This book surprised me, and I surprised MYSELF by even buying it in the first place. I always kind
of thought of him as this wacky TV-personality that didn’t actually have anything to do with
discipline and self-control. Wrong again, Matt Karamazov! The Big Picture comes across as a well
thought out meditation on asserting control over your actions, and setting yourself up for continued
success. It’s almost intimate, as he’s speaking directly to you about what might work in your life.
He definitely gained a new fan, even though I’ll never watch one of his P90X videos.
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Have a plan
Gradual progressive overload can be used anywhere and even outside the gym
Curveball! You will not find this book in the self-improvement or business section of your local
bookstore. But as with all great fiction, it contains profound truths about what we are capable of,
and what it might look like once we set out on our way. This book is extremely easy to get through,
and I finished it at work, all in one sitting. Granted, it was a slow night at the bar and I spent it with
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It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting
Everybody seems to know how other people should lead their lives, but no idea about
when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the
universe
When you can’t go back, you can only think about the best way of moving forward
Every day is here to be lived or to mark our departure from the world
Dying in the midst of pursuing your personal legend is better than dying like those
endless millions who never even discover what their personal legend is
The world we live in will become better or worse depending on whether we become better
or worse. That’s where love comes in. Because when we love, we strive to become better
than we are.
Finally, we get to one of my favorite authors of all. Seth Godin runs one of the most popular
business blogs on the planet (and we can only assume, the universe), and is mostly revered by all. I
place myself in that group of course. This man’s whole life seems to have been dedicated to getting
people to become remarkable. Different. And he uses short sentences. A lot. For impact. He’s better
Major Lessons:
Stop obeying what you are told and create art that matters
You get paid a lot when there is no choice but to pay you a lot
I’m sure that he doesn’t know that I’m in love with him…but he will. I’m determined to get him as
a guest for Godlike Discipline, but so far that hasn’t happened. I also found out about a speech of
his in my city the day after it happened. Not cool. So who is this guy? Chris is a Canadian astronaut
who has spent time on the ISS. The man knew he was going to be an astronaut before it was even
technically possible for Canadians to BECOME astronauts. Read this treasure of a book to find out
how.
Major Lessons:
What you do each day determines the kind of person that you will become
Do the things that move you in the direction of your dreams, but make sure those things
Picture the most demanding challenge and then visualize what you would need to do to
meet it
Fear comes from being unprepared and without control over what will happen
Helping someone else look good doesn’t make you look worse
As a leader, set up your team for success, then stand back and let them shine
This handy book was written by a CEO. Most of those books are worthwhile because not everyone
gets to be CEO. You have to bring something special to your organization in order to be trusted with
the top spot (the good ones, anyways), and Mr. Pozen has some valuable insights to share. And it’s
good to get a little personal with the CEO too. Robert comes across as very likeable and
Major Lessons:
Focus on the results that you want to achieve, instead of the hours that you work
Spend a higher percentage of your time on high priority tasks and objectives
Be aware of spending more time on a project than necessary and of when the project is
good enough
Respond immediately when possible instead of wasting time in the future getting
A strange choice? Perhaps. But there is wisdom in this book, and centering yourself in the present
moment will do wonders for your productivity. I’ll put a disclaimer out there though that this book
gets a little New Age-y at times. But that’s ok. If you can tolerate a few chapters of that, there is
some major wisdom to be gained. I certainly took a lot from it and it continues to affect me in
positive ways. Eckhart Tolle claims to have been homeless and living on a bench in a state of
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The past doesn’t exist anymore and the future will never exist
there is no death
Withdraw attention from the past and future whenever they are not needed
The stillness and vastness that enables the universe to be is also present within you
Become like a deep lake; still at the bottom, no matter what is going on at the surface
Only those who have transcended the world can bring about a better world
Brian Tracy appears so many times on this list for a reason. I urge you to check out some of his stuff
if you are serious about self-improvement and productivity. He’s right up there with Tony Robbins
as being one of the best of the best. We can all learn a thing or two from both of them.
Major Lessons:
Carry on with your goals in the same mood as when they were set in the first place
Ask what there is in your life that you are not facing
Tim Ferriss broke out of obscurity with this instant classic, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It’s
actually one of the very few books that I’ve read twice. It’s that good. He basically coined the term
“lifestyle design” and he has set up his entire life to be one great big classroom. Lately, he’s been
deconstructing top performers and teaching others how to elevate their game. This man is a hero to
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willing to have
Ask, “If this is the only thing that I accomplish today, will I be happy?”
Let a few small bad things happen in order to focus on making the important big things
happen
These two pretty much go together, so I put them together here as well. Tim basically experimented
on himself constantly, and compiled all the results of his experiments into this sensational book.
You don’t have to take ice baths and a lot of crazy supplements if you don’t want to, but he’s done it
all, and brought us the best of what works. The best way to read this book is like a reference book. I
read it all the way through, but by all means, skip to the chapter on weight loss/gain, or running
faster etc, if that interests you more. There’s something here for everybody.
Major Lessons:
The decent method you follow is better than the perfect method you don’t
There is nothing in biology yet discovered that points to the inevitability of death
You getting tired of hearing this guy’s name mentioned on this list? Well you can always go to
another discipline-related site. Wait…no…don’t do that! This is the last Brian Tracy book on this
list. As always, I have notes on every single one of these books, so if you’d like me to send them to
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You have chosen your current income
Jason Selk is another good one. I discovered him back in 2014 and I remember looking at
everything differently after reading this one. A number of the books on this list will do that for you.
This one is all about the mental game, and properly preparing yourself to compete. It doesn’t matter
if you’re competing against your to-do list, or the boxer across the ring from you, Jason Selk will
give you an edge. Or rather, he’ll help you give yourself an edge.
Major Lessons:
If you are thinking about what is going wrong in your life, then you won’t be able to
The self image will eventually regulate behavior and outcomes in accordance with the
Continually tell yourself that you have what it takes to be the kind of person you want to
be
5 percent of the people do 95% of the winning; most people will not be as prepared as you
are
Mental toughness can be said to be present when the mind can control the body enough
I dare say this book was a little advanced for me when I first read it. Of course, I didn’t think so at
the time, but I’m sure I’ll have to read it again at some point in order to truly get everything out of
it. David Deida is a very smart man, he’s done what most people only think about doing, and I
highly recommend the book. It definitely explained some things to me that I’m still learning to this
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Ah, Napoleon Hill. What a guy. Look past the fact that he got rich writing self-help books and was
never actually successful until that point. I use the term “successful” very loosely of course, because
success comes in many different forms. The back story behind this book is that he was asked by
Andrew Carnegie (the steel magnate) to interview all his most powerful friends and find out what
they all did and didn’t do when it came to becoming successful. Hill spent 25 years doing this, and
Major Lessons:
The belief that success for you is inevitable makes you into an effectively new person and
No one has ever been defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality
Our only limitations are those that we set up in our own minds
We rise or stay at the bottom due to conditions that we may decide to control
The conversion of desire into its monetary equivalent is no more miraculous than the
The subconscious mind works day and night and responds to all manner of stimuli
This book may appear like a strange choice for me, and indeed it was. But I regret nothing, as it
more than lived up to what I heard about it. 37Signals (now BaseCamp) is the web development
company that Jason Fried co-founded. He re-thinks old business knowledge in this book and shares
some of his insights about real productivity and progress in the modern world. It’s a short book, and
anyone in business (or most other people, for that matter) can find a lot of value in it.
Major Lessons:
That “real world” may be real for some people, but you don’t have to live in it
Evolution has always built upon what has worked and so should you
The real hero is not the workaholic but the person who got home early because they
See how far you can get with what you have
Cut out the good stuff and leave only the great
When you’re stuck on something, that means you’re not doing other things
You build momentum by finishing one thing and then moving on to the next thing
Most of the things you worry about never end up happening anyways
Wayne Dyer is a personal role model of mine, and don’t let his place on this list mislead you. He
was one of the most brilliant men on the planet and one of the greatest influences on my entire life.
I cannot overstate that fact. Wayne taught me so much about the world and how it’s possible to be
happy in it, and a lot of his stuff can be translated into self-discipline and self-control as well. The
man did whatever it took to get his message to the people, and this message has literally
transformed millions of lives. My own included. Read the damn book already!
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Any Napoleon Hill fans here? You may or may not know that he also wrote this one, called “The
Law of Success”. Now, it’s a long one (actually 16 booklets), but I definitely got some value out of
it. The writing style is, well…old. But it doesn’t feel like strenuous reading. I’d read “Think and
Grow Rich” first if you’re just getting into Napoleon Hill, but this one is also out there should you
Major Lessons:
Acting with initiative constantly will make it more likely in the future
Teaching others will develop the same skills within you as well
Thought is the only thing over which you have total control
Refrain from labeling anything a failure until you have had enough time with which to
reflect
Any kind act or thought, regardless of whether it is reciprocated, has a positive effect on
The most successful people reach decisions quickly and stand by them firmly until they
Do you remember the last time you hugged a book? I’ve hugged many books since this one, but
Man’s Search for Meaning is REQUIRED READING. I cannot overstate the importance of this
book, and it’s not just an account of one psychiatrist’s imprisonment in several concentration camps
during world war two; there are valuable discipline lessons to be learned from it as well. I urge you
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The last of human freedoms: to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to
The hopelessness of our struggle does not detract from its dignity or meaning
Man does not simply exist, but also decides what he will become in the next moment
Chris is one of those guys who is just doing it right. When you read any of his stuff, you see that
he’s not an internet marketer, and he doesn’t want your money unless you feel as though he’s helped
you. Well, he’s helped me and he’s gotten some of my money! As the title might suggest, the reader
is made to realize that he or she doesn’t have to live their lives according to anyone else’s rules.
That takes discipline, and there is a large helping of it here. Another solid addition to the list.
Major Lessons:
You don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to
The key to a better lifestyle is not less work, but better work
The most memorable times of our lives are often the most challenging
Work on the meaningful stuff that is meaningful both now and in the future
In the end you probably won’t be satisfied with a life that revolved solely around you
The person who says something is impossible should not interrupt the person who is
doing it
is world-class when it comes to making everyone around him better, as well as himself. He
doggedly pursued the goal of traveling to every single country on earth, and he did it. That alone
would be impressive, but he runs a very successful blog (The Art of Non-Conformity), and a yearly
summit. He’s one of the most accessible guys that do this kind of thing for a living, and his
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year
If your family and friends don’t support you, then you need to find people who do
Know when to quit or change tactics
If anything is going to keep you up at night, let it be the fear of not following your dream
Be afraid of settling
As you gain confidence, “I can do this!” becomes “What else can I do?”
Entrepreneurs are willing to work 24 hours a day for themselves, but not a single hour
I don’t recall how this book came into my life, but I still think about it after all this time has elapsed
since I finished it. I took about 4 pages of notes in all, and I give this book my heartfelt
recommendation here. They go all out with the exercises in this book, and each one is worth trying
out. I often wonder, how many people actually do the exercises in books like these? Well I went
ahead and placed my faith in these two authors, and I was not disappointed. They will help you
Adversity is the “weight” with which you build up your inner strength
The moments when you want to quit are the moments when it’s most important not to
quit
Anger puts your life on hold while the world moves forward without you
Your future is in jeopardy every moment, and that develops incredible urgency
The future may bring you darkness, but it can’t take away your ability to create light
like this guy sometimes. Seriously, listen to him talk. He’s the calmest, wisest, most caring person I
know. And I know a lot of calm, wise, caring people. In Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life,
Wayne breaks down the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching, and distills Lao Tzu’s ideas into 81 essays. I
listened to this as an audio-book, and I was untouchable for the rest of the month and beyond.
Major Lessons:
If you realize that you have enough, then you are truly rich
For you to know weakness, you must have once felt strength
Be like the water in the ocean and never put yourself above anyone
Never assume that you know what’s best for anyone and not even yourself
Live by cooperating
This next work of art is one of those books that gets referenced so often that it’s difficult to ignore. I
tend to gravitate towards books like that because I know they are probably popular for a reason. If
you’re just becoming a student of discipline and achievement, you’re going to hear the term
“deliberate practice” over and over again. This describes the process of systematically becoming
better during each and every practice session, or assigned task. Deliberate practice will separate you
from the “also-rans” and Geoff Colvin digs deep in this one.
Major Lessons:
There are so few people today who are truly excellent at what they do
Deliberate practice is difficult and you can take solace in the fact that most people won’t
do it
The small things that elite performers do take lots of practice to implement successfully
You learn more during a crisis situation than during any other time
Creativity is rarely a burst of inspiration and more often the result of deliberate practice
You’ve made it through 37 books! I wonder how long it will take you to finish them all. It would
probably take me 45-50 days, but everyone is different! Laura’s thesis is that we all have more time
than we think we do. In this, I think she is absolutely correct. She even stopped by Godlike
intentional about how we spend our time, and tracking it to keep ourselves accountable can really
be life-changing if we commit to it. She gives us the ins and outs in this very accessible and
enlightening book.
Major Lessons:
When estimating how long we work, we tend to unconsciously shift to cultural pressures
or norms
Any “work” that is not moving you towards your professional and personal goals should
Follow through on anything you tell yourself you’ll do, as a matter of personal integrity
The world is not going to make it easy for you to stick to your priorities
Change your meeting mindset: You were invited because you don’t have anything better
to do
You get 30-60 hours per week, or 1500-3000 hours per year at work
Time spent doing one thing is time not spent doing another
That’s it! 37 of the best books for increasing your self-discipline and willpower. I hope the journey
has been enlightening for you. I loved each of these books, and especially for what they taught me.
If you know of anyone else who could benefit from reading one of these, please share this article
with them. Godlike Discipline is completely non-profit (and always will be!) in support of Doctors
Without Borders. As such, we rely on shares and word of mouth to get the message out instead of
expensive marketing campaigns. Your help would mean the world to us, and all the people whose
a personal copy of those notes, along with every note for every book that I’ve ever read (FULL
I wish you all the best, and may your discipline become Godlike!
Matt Karamazov
AUTHOR BIO:
Matt Karamazov is a mentor, boxer, and human rights activist who reads 300 books per year and
throws 300 punches per minute. The website, Godlike Discipline, is his most deeply felt project,
dedicated to raising money for causes like Doctors Without Borders, and Human Rights Watch,
among others. It’s also dedicated to helping people tackle their biggest willpower challenges. He
also like death metal, and so, consequently doesn’t get many second dates.