Willpower Doesn't Work: Discover the Hidden Keys to Success

Willpower Doesn't Work: Discover the Hidden Keys to Success

Author: Airwave Literature April 20, 2020 Duration: 5:35:34
by Benjamin Hardy—If you’re relying on willpower alone to help you lose weight, improve your relationships, or achieve more at work, you’re doomed to fail. The environment around us is far too powerful, stimulating, addicting, and stressful to overcome by white knuckling. The only way to stop just surviving and learn to truly thrive in today’s world is to proactively shape your environment.That’s the premise of Willpower Doesn’t Work by Medium.com’s most-read writer, Benjamin Hardy. Building on copious existing research, as well as his own experience of growing up in a broken family afflicted by addiction and drug use, Hardy explains how people can change their lives on every level by making small, impactful changes in their environment like:* Creating “enriched environments”–using tougher challenges and personal investment to force yourself to rise to the occasion.* Growing into your goals-creating multiple layers of accountability to ensure you stay on track.* Becoming the teacher-stepping into a leadership role (even before you think you’re ready) to accelerate your skill development and commitment.* Rotating your environments-getting out of your rut by literally changing your physical surroundings throughout the day or week.From simple steps like removing things that conflict with your values (like junk food, junk media, even junk people), to incorporating new tools (like fasting or embedding “positive triggers” to avoid self-sabotage), these strategies are how you proactively shape your surroundings so you can consciously evolve into the person you want to become.

Warren Buffett’s idea that reading is the ultimate level playing field is where this conversation begins. The Bookshelf: Business & Self-Improvement, from Airwave Literature, isn’t about quick tips or hype. Instead, it’s a quiet, thoughtful space dedicated to the books that shape how we think about work, leadership, and personal growth. Each episode takes a single title-whether a timeless classic or a contemporary analysis-and unpacks its core ideas, not just summarizing but exploring how its lessons apply to real decisions and challenges. You’ll hear the host reflect on key passages, connect themes across different authors, and consider the practical implications of what’s on the page. The tone is more like a guided reading session than a lecture, designed for anyone who believes that deep understanding comes from engaging seriously with good writing. This podcast operates on the belief that the right book, properly considered, can change a mindset or a method. It’s for listeners who want to move beyond the headlines and dig into the substance that fuels lasting improvement, making your reading time more focused and impactful. Tune in to fill your own shelf with ideas that matter.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Bookshelf: Business & Self-Improvement
Podcast Episodes
Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:37:55
by Richard H. Thaler—Nobel laureate Richard H. Thaler has spent his career studying the radical notion that the central agents in the economy are humans—predictable, error-prone individuals. Misbehaving is his arresting,…
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:39:45
by Susan Cain—At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working i…
Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:53:55
by Yuval Noah Harari—Yuval Noah Harari, author of the critically-acclaimed New York Times bestseller and international phenomenon Sapiens, returns with an equally original, compelling, and provocative book, turning his f…
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:17:54
by Yuval Noah Harari—100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens.How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors co…
Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:22:32
by Noah J. Goldstein, Robert B. Cialdini—Small changes can make a big difference in your powers of persuasion.What one word can you start using today to increase your persuasiveness by more than fifty percent?Which item…