Stay Sane in an Insane World: How to Control the Controllables and Thrive
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- Create Date：2023-11-02 06:19:46
- Update Date：2025-09-13
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- Author：Greg Harden
- ISBN：B0BMJSB7P1
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Summary
"What I learned from Greg is still a part of who I am today。"--Tom Brady， 7-time Super Bowl champion
Greg Harden changes lives。
This is why hundreds of world-class athletes， doctors， lawyers， teachers， business leaders， college students， and professionals from all walks of life have come to him for advice and direction--including 7-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady， 23-time Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps， Heisman Trophy winners Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson， CEOs of major companies， and championship coaching staffs from all over the world。
Harden teaches his students how to practice， train， and rehearse to give 100 percent， 100 percent of the time， and challenges them by asking: If you don't believe in yourself， why should I believe in you？
Champions aren't born。 They're built。 Greg Harden spent over 30 years building them at the University of Michigan， including 400 future professional athletes， 50 NFL first-round draft picks， and 120 Olympians from over 20 countries。 He gained national recognition when 60 Minutes Sports profiled him as "Michigan's Secret Weapon。"
Now， in his first book， Greg Harden is reaching out to help anyone who wants to live their best life by offering powerful and practical advice。
You will learn to:
Stop being afraid of being afraid: Fear and self-doubt are the enemy。 As soon as you learn that fear and self-doubt are predictable， they become manageable。
Control the controllables: How you control your own emotions， reactions， and responses to circumstances is what you must master first。 You are the only one who has control over your mind。 Stop letting others determine the way you feel about yourself。
Commit， improve， and maintain: Making small improvements every day is the secret to a completely transformed life。
Become the world's greatest expert on yourself: It's the only way to become the very best version of yourself。
Practice self-love and self-acceptance: These are the keys to eliminating and replacing self-defeating attitudes and behaviors。
This is a one-of-a-kind book that will give you the indispensable lessons and tools necessary to create real change in your life。
Greg Harden changes lives。
This is why hundreds of world-class athletes， doctors， lawyers， teachers， business leaders， college students， and professionals from all walks of life have come to him for advice and direction--including 7-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady， 23-time Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps， Heisman Trophy winners Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson， CEOs of major companies， and championship coaching staffs from all over the world。
Harden teaches his students how to practice， train， and rehearse to give 100 percent， 100 percent of the time， and challenges them by asking: If you don't believe in yourself， why should I believe in you？
Champions aren't born。 They're built。 Greg Harden spent over 30 years building them at the University of Michigan， including 400 future professional athletes， 50 NFL first-round draft picks， and 120 Olympians from over 20 countries。 He gained national recognition when 60 Minutes Sports profiled him as "Michigan's Secret Weapon。"
Now， in his first book， Greg Harden is reaching out to help anyone who wants to live their best life by offering powerful and practical advice。
You will learn to:
Stop being afraid of being afraid: Fear and self-doubt are the enemy。 As soon as you learn that fear and self-doubt are predictable， they become manageable。
Control the controllables: How you control your own emotions， reactions， and responses to circumstances is what you must master first。 You are the only one who has control over your mind。 Stop letting others determine the way you feel about yourself。
Commit， improve， and maintain: Making small improvements every day is the secret to a completely transformed life。
Become the world's greatest expert on yourself: It's the only way to become the very best version of yourself。
Practice self-love and self-acceptance: These are the keys to eliminating and replacing self-defeating attitudes and behaviors。
This is a one-of-a-kind book that will give you the indispensable lessons and tools necessary to create real change in your life。
Reviews
Eugene D。 Fucetola
，
Phenomenal book！A great book filled with practical and applicable advice for how to be your best self and live your best life！ The stories of the people Greg Harden worked with and the testimonials from them create a grounded， human feel that is inspiring for putting these many ideas into practice。 The idea of “Controlling the Controllables” triggered a paradigm shift for me at a time when I really needed it。 I know I will re-read this book many times。
Kate Cangiano
，
I saw Greg Harden being interviewed about this book。 He is so incredibly charismatic and had so many great stories where he shared simple tips for mental performance。 I work with a mental skills coach for performance in my sport and was definitely going to get this book 1。 because I really liked Greg Harden， and 2。 because I want to continue my work in this area。Well， I immediately knew this was ghost written - which was pretty much confirmed by introduction of the assisting author towards the e I saw Greg Harden being interviewed about this book。 He is so incredibly charismatic and had so many great stories where he shared simple tips for mental performance。 I work with a mental skills coach for performance in my sport and was definitely going to get this book 1。 because I really liked Greg Harden， and 2。 because I want to continue my work in this area。Well， I immediately knew this was ghost written - which was pretty much confirmed by introduction of the assisting author towards the end of the work。 It just really wasn't in the voice of the charismatic person I saw interviewed。 The book flipped between testimonials from people with whom Greg had worked and ideas he was trying to convey。 I got the feeling that they got a lot of testimonials and then tried to back into chapters。 There was repetition between things in the testimonials and the chapters and everything stayed very surface level。The book is less than 200 pages and has pages between each short chapter that include a quote alone。 Towards the end of the book， I wanted to re-write it to expand on certain sections and weave topics together in a better way than saying， "As I mentioned in Chapter 3。。。"Overall， there were some good reminders of things you know and we are given a glimpse into the man that Greg Harden is。 We also got some interesting perspectives on Tom Brady， Desmond Howard， Michael Phelps， etc。 At the end of the book there is a summary of 7 things to remember。 That probably should have been the identity of this book。 。。。more
Brandon St。 Croix
，
I will admit， I'm biased as a Greg Harden Fan and could hear him while reading this。 Great points and enjoyed the mental challenge as a Sport Social Worker I will admit， I'm biased as a Greg Harden Fan and could hear him while reading this。 Great points and enjoyed the mental challenge as a Sport Social Worker 。。。more
Bryan Tanner
，
TL;DRHarden's purpose is to help the reader become the world's greatest expert on themself。SUMMARYHarden is the Athletic Director and de facto motivational coach at the University of Michigan。 Harden reflects on experiences he's honed over decades mentoring young athletes （Tom Brady， Desmond Howard， Michael Phelps） to relay time-tested motivational concepts:（view spoiler）[1。 Become the greatest expert on yourself。2。 Focus only on controlling the controllables。3。 Practice， train， and rehearse giv TL;DRHarden's purpose is to help the reader become the world's greatest expert on themself。SUMMARYHarden is the Athletic Director and de facto motivational coach at the University of Michigan。 Harden reflects on experiences he's honed over decades mentoring young athletes （Tom Brady， Desmond Howard， Michael Phelps） to relay time-tested motivational concepts:（view spoiler）[1。 Become the greatest expert on yourself。2。 Focus only on controlling the controllables。3。 Practice， train， and rehearse giving 100 percent。4。 Commit， improve， and maintain your life balance。5。 Stop being afraid of taking any business risk。6。 Practice self-confidence and trusting yourself。7。 Become the very best friend to yourself always。- Being excellent is not about God's natural gifts。 It's all about the power of the mind。 - Be present， perform to your best level， and achieve what no man thought was possible。 - "You must first believe to achieve。"- "If you don't believe in yourself， who will？"- "If it was to be， it was up to me。"- "Difficulty is an advantage。" - The three fundamentals of champions are 1） Coachability （be a humble sponge）， 2） Commitment to continuous improvement， and 3） Endurance when the times are tough （BELIEVE that you can kick your performance up to a higher gear）。 That's what gives champions an Edge - Dream big， believe big， level up。- "Commit， improve， maintain。"- "Have fun being a perfectionist instead of being overwhelmed by it。 The pursuit of perfection， knowing that it is not always obtainable， can be awesome。"- Balance perfectionism with realism， and have grace for not meeting your impossibly high standards。"Giving 100%， 100% of the time， win-lose-or-draw; that's a healthy obsession。"- "Stop worrying about letting other people down。 They're probably not even thinking about you because they're too preoccupied with their own problems。 When you worry so much about letting other people down， the person you let down is usually just you。"- What we also need to look at is the 4 A's in life: Attention， Affection， Approval， and Acceptance。- Don't let self-defeating ideas or attitudes become the center point。 Focus on providing your own self-love， self-guidance， self-acceptance with grace and gratitude， greatness and forethought。- When people throw stones， use them to rebuild as stepping stones to a higher ground。- Forgive others who did you wrong and forget so that you may move forward in peace and harmony。 （hide spoiler）]REVIEWThe idea of me becoming the world's greatest expert on me has some important underpinnings。 Like Crucial Learning's self-help programs， Harden encourages others to become data scientists。 Emotion and negative self-talk often prevent individuals from examining themselves objectively。 By soaking in Harden's motivational messages and committing to his pattern of self-improvement， you can't NOT become your best self。Audiobook Pro: Harden infuses his narration with the enthusiasm of a motivational speaker。Audiobook Con: Many important worksheets are referenced but are currently only accessible via the print version of the book。I only gave this 3 stars because I am already drinking the cool-aid。 There was no life-changing shift that unlocked my potential or helped me get out of a rut。 If I were in a low place， this book would have garnered 4 or 5 stars。 。。。more
Cortney Hastings
，
If you like sports and continuous improvement， fantastic。 It was great on audio as well。 Lots of relevant and applicable ideas and points made。
Eileen Margaret
，
Straightforward。 I enjoyed the testimonials。 Wish I could have a seat in the guest chair！
H
，
Read this instead of The 5am Club。 Still a bit repetitive， but not nearly as irritating。
Josh reading
，
What a wonderfully inspiring book by Greg Harden， there are nuggets of wisdom throughout， thoroughly enjoyable！
McKay
，
Just another one of those self help books that my wife always teases me about reading on a regular basis。 I was drawn to this book because of the individuals he has worked with over the years。 Enjoy。
Jeff Shuck
，
This is a nice book buoyed by the earnest commitment of the author。 Personally I feel there are many other books that deal with these subjects in a deeper and more engaging way， and I also have found there are limits to positive psychology。 I’m more interested in what happens when you find you can no longer talk yourself into a better way of thinking。 Still， if you’re looking for a foundational set of ways to increase your own agency， this could be a good place to start。
Emily Kretunski
，
Michigan man！ Somewhat geared towards athletes but concepts applicable to all humans！
Patricia GG
，
Self help book - enjoyed
Marybeth
，
What an incredible book by a gifted and talented person。 I can’t recommend this enough。 If you are looking for some straight talk on how to be a better you， start here and give it your attention。
Lauri
，
An Inspiring ReadWhile I know that sitting in Greg’s guest chair would be the greatest conduit to his lessons on self-improvement， this book is a very close second。 His plain language is easy to digest and begs your mind to recycle your own thoughts with a more positive， self-loving tone。 I know I can be a better person bring some of his seven points to my day。 And I will。
Rob
，
I’ll be the first to admit， Self-Help isn’t usually the type of subject matter that I’m really into。 I had heard some good buzz on it， and given Greg’s pedigree， I gave it a go。 This is actually a very informative listen。 Anyone can really benefit from it。 His style is engaging and worth checking out。
Jason Korn
，
This book was well worth the read。 Some very good truths of life in here。 Good reminders。
Aileen Smith
，
DNF。 Got thru 3/4 （since it was recommended to me） before I couldn’t tolerate one more “how to be a better you story” illustrated by examples of athletes。 In a book that was meant to be broadly applicable， maybe work a little harder to diverge from almost exclusively sports scenarios。 I get that it’s your background， but then it’s really just a psychology of sports book…
Sharon Maerten-Moore
，
Quick， inspirational self-help book with lots of interesting athlete stories peppered in。 Read this one！
Jennifer S Kelley
，
This book uses worksheets in the bonus section which is central to the content。 There is NO ACCESS to said WORKSHEETS。 Website reference would be an easy fix or one could email a onetime use code through audible email。 Shame on Audible Originals for letting this error slip by。。。 more than a month post publishing！ And shame on the author for not thinking of it as he narrated or if he did， didn't follow through to fix it。I contacted Audible first， they said they can't do anything （absurd） and to c This book uses worksheets in the bonus section which is central to the content。 There is NO ACCESS to said WORKSHEETS。 Website reference would be an easy fix or one could email a onetime use code through audible email。 Shame on Audible Originals for letting this error slip by。。。 more than a month post publishing！ And shame on the author for not thinking of it as he narrated or if he did， didn't follow through to fix it。I contacted Audible first， they said they can't do anything （absurd） and to contact the author。。。 。。。more
Julie Moore
，
4+
Monica O'Hara
，
My favorite part is being reminded to control the controllables。 I think that I often get lost in the things that I don't have control over， and then I get lost。 But all his advice is very practical。 I enjoyed the stories that illustrated the point that he was making， and I liked the summary of the main points at the end。 All of his points are very straightforward， but it needs to be easily remembered in order to put things into action where they can really help; My favorite part is being reminded to control the controllables。 I think that I often get lost in the things that I don't have control over， and then I get lost。 But all his advice is very practical。 I enjoyed the stories that illustrated the point that he was making， and I liked the summary of the main points at the end。 All of his points are very straightforward， but it needs to be easily remembered in order to put things into action where they can really help; 。。。more
Thayne
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Interesting perspective on what psychologists think， and what ideas seem to sell。 Also an easy book to read with short chapters， which might be helpful especially for jocks with short attention spans who got hit in the head too many times。 Though I read it cover to cover I didn't find it applicable to my experience and life， nor real helpful。 If I could control the controllables- i。e。 "my own" thoughts and emotions then I wouldn't be deemed insane and a schizophrenic。 That is one of those things Interesting perspective on what psychologists think， and what ideas seem to sell。 Also an easy book to read with short chapters， which might be helpful especially for jocks with short attention spans who got hit in the head too many times。 Though I read it cover to cover I didn't find it applicable to my experience and life， nor real helpful。 If I could control the controllables- i。e。 "my own" thoughts and emotions then I wouldn't be deemed insane and a schizophrenic。 That is one of those things I really don't have control over- though I've certainly tried。 And its not like I never tried and gave 110% 110% of the time， I just never succeeded。 Ask the Grateful Dead， I tried too hard。 And to think all that inferiority I felt all these years being ignored and called crazy was because I "gave my permission" to them- after feeling like I was being mentally and metaphorically raped for decades as I screamed for them to stop and get me medical attention- is just like kicking someone when they are already down。 I never gave me permission to have my very soul prostituted and sold。 And no， I don't get many compliments， so its not like I could have a hard time taking them。 。。。more
Josephine Jarman
，
What a privilege to listen to something that could help anyone on any walk of life。 Every chapter touched on ways to omprove to recognise and accept。 Casestudies of real people many famous athletes alongside every dsy people。 This was really thought provoking and have me ideas of how i vould be a better valued me for me and not anyone else。 It made me feel like i mattered and there was no expectation as too why i was listening。 A very talented author hope they might be more listens like this。5 s What a privilege to listen to something that could help anyone on any walk of life。 Every chapter touched on ways to omprove to recognise and accept。 Casestudies of real people many famous athletes alongside every dsy people。 This was really thought provoking and have me ideas of how i vould be a better valued me for me and not anyone else。 It made me feel like i mattered and there was no expectation as too why i was listening。 A very talented author hope they might be more listens like this。5 star highly recommended Thank you to netgallery publisher and author for a fab listen 。。。more
DC Penny
，
I cannot recommend this short， to the point book enough， because it may be the most important book you read in your adult life。
Diane
，
No one can make you feel inferior without your peermission。 That was a reminder for me in reading this book。 The other point was the one thing you can control is your attitude - your frame of mind。 This is a book that will push you to be a better person and not have the outside world influence what you are doing。 This is a book a lot of folks should read especially if you are struggling in this crazy world and having a lot of thoughts or feel like you are failing。
Toni Randall
，
You need to read this bookYou will know you have truly read this book when you start hearing Greg Harden's voice in your head stating truth that will make you think about how you view your life。 We all need to get our attitudes straight to be able to live our lives to the fullest， love those around us， and use the sense God gave us to relate to people in a way that can change our world and the people living in it for the better。 You need to read this bookYou will know you have truly read this book when you start hearing Greg Harden's voice in your head stating truth that will make you think about how you view your life。 We all need to get our attitudes straight to be able to live our lives to the fullest， love those around us， and use the sense God gave us to relate to people in a way that can change our world and the people living in it for the better。 。。。more
Lauren Hunnicutt
，
This was a very enjoyable book with some excellent points and heartwarming stories。 Worth your time。
Arturo E Inda
，
Amazing readEasy and amazing read， highly recommend to everyone！ Definitely has made me better already， also as a Michigan alum cant be prouder for Greg！
Gena Webb
，
You need this bookA little redundant in places and at times seems a little “look how good I am”。 That being said， it’s an excellent book。 How good？ I’ve bought more than one version。 Anyone who needs or wants a boost of self confidence needs to read this。 Even if you don’t need that boost， there will be something in here to help you or help you to help someone else。
Dave
，
This is an excellent book I’m giving it a 4。5。 A lot of good nuggets for leadership and personal development。 Many of these I’ve been aware of and used some but it is always good to reinforce， practice， and hear about it in application。
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