What does it truly mean to commit? This week, McKay explores the powerful principle of "putting your stake in the ground," an unwavering declaration of your chosen path. Our host illustrates that avoiding the "murky middle" of indecision and making a firm, whole-hearted commitment is what separates fleeting attempts from life-altering success.

Bringing this concept to life through a series of unforgettable stories, McKay shares powerful lessons from a harrowing whitewater kayaking trip and the historic Oklahoma Land Rush. He also explores the incredible resolve of cancer research activist Terry Fox, the ancient wisdom of Japan's Tsunami Stones, and the late-in-life triumphs of polar explorer Barbara Hillary. Each story demonstrates how to stake your claim on your future and build the life you are meant to live.

Main Themes:

• Understanding the "why" behind a process empowers you to see it through.
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• Making a firm, public commitment to a goal increases your chances of achieving it.
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• Avoid the "murky middle" of indecision, which leads to paralysis and unhappiness.
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• Success requires a whole-hearted effort, not a half-hearted attempt.
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• Adopt a "no matter what" attitude when pursuing a difficult goal.
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• Postpone judgment on your progress by deciding that "today is not voting day."
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• Our past failures can give us the clarity to finally commit to our true path.
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• Our commitment and example can serve as a guide for future generations.
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• It is never too late to put your stake in the ground and achieve the extraordinary.
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• True power is unlocked when you commit entirely and without reservation.

Top 10 Quotes:

"Understanding changes everything. It empowers you."

"The people that reach their goals are most often those that have put their stake in the ground and said, 'I'll do this, no matter what.'"

"Today is not voting day. Today is working day. Voting day is later."

"Half-hearted effort is without staying power."

"He promised to complete his run, even if he had to crawl every last mile."

"I stopped pretending I was anything other than what I was. And I determined, more than I had ever determined to do what I was meant to do: to write."

"You'll find that a whole-hearted effort will result in success."

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Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

The profound notion that each of us is born for a unique purpose comes under McKay’s learned scrutiny in this week’s episode of the Open Your Eyes podcast. Noting that true happiness isn't found in mere achievements, our host demonstrates that discovering and living this purpose, especially through serving others, is actually the key. 

The episode is filled with powerful and inspiring stories of individuals who turned immense challenges into their greatest strengths. From Kevin Briggs, the "Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge," to one-legged NCAA wrestling champion Anthony Robles, and from Olympian Michael Phelps to autism advocate Dr. Temple Grandin, McKay breaks down how our past doesn't disqualify us but prepares us for our purpose. Listen in now to discover how to find your own reason for being and transform your perspective on life, challenges, and happiness.

Main Themes:

• You were born for a purpose, and discovering it is the key to true happiness.
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• Your past doesn't disqualify you from your purpose; it prepares you for it.
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• Your unique differences can be your greatest strengths.
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• Lasting change begins with changing the way you think, not just with willpower.
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• True purpose is often found in using your story to help and serve others.
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• You don't need perfect conditions to start living your purpose.
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• Small acts of compassion can lead to world-changing innovations.
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• Listen to the whisper that says, "Maybe I could do something."
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• Challenges and mistakes can lead you to the very place you are meant to be.
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• Happiness is found in the pursuit of purpose, not just the achievement of goals.

Top 10 Quotes:

"I don't think I was born with a disadvantage. I think I was born for a reason."

"I realized my past didn't disqualify me from my purpose. It prepared me for it."

"I think the world needs different kinds of minds to work together. My difference is my strength."

"I found that winning gold medals wasn't my purpose. My purpose is helping people who struggle like I did."

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart and gave you a purpose."

"You are the way you are because you were born for a purpose."

"The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act."

"We can't be what we can't see."

"It's okay not to be okay."

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Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

This week, McKay delves into the essential principles of effective coaching, asserting that we all take on this vital role in our lives, whether as parents, leaders, or mentors. The episode is packed with practical lessons designed to help you elevate your own coaching skills and empower those around you.

Exploring the high-stakes worlds of professional sports, McKay analyzes iconic moments in coaching history. From the controversial 2018 US Open final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka to the legendary leadership of Pat Summitt, Lou Holtz, and “Miracle on Ice” coach Herb Brooks, this episode breaks down what makes a coach truly great. Join our host here today to learn the art of great coaching and discover how to build belief, instill confidence, and elevate both your team and yourself to achieve your highest potential.

• Coach who people can be, not just who they are.
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• Become a “first-class noticer” of hidden potential.
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• Simplify to empower; complexity paralyzes.
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• Center your team on their core identity, especially amid chaos.
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• Keep your team in the “progress zone,” not the comfort zone.
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• Help others flip the script on their limiting stories.
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• Confidence is a result of action, not a prerequisite for it.
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• Effective coaching isn’t always about being liked.
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• Use powerful, simple questions to unlock answers.
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• Recognize that everyone is a coach in some capacity.

“Great coaches don't coach who people are; they coach who they can be.”

“She didn't see just who I was; she saw who I could be, and she never let me settle for less.”

“Mental anticipation now pulls the future into the present and reverses the direction of causality.”

“You don't have to make history today. You just have to play like you belong in it.”

“You were born to be hockey players. You were meant to be here, and this moment is yours.”

“The greatest obstacle you will face in your life is in your own mind.”

“Dreams are cheap.... That's where they will stay unless you leave your comfort zone.”

“Confidence is always developed by action.”

“I'm not looking for the best players; I'm looking for the right players.”

“What are you doing now, what is it costing you, and what do you want instead?”

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Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

McKay explores how our most difficult experiences and perceived flaws can become our greatest strengths in this week’s thought provoking instalment. Throughout the episode, he challenges us to reframe our past, not as a source of shame, but as the very foundation of who we are today.

Drawing upon the powerful and moving life stories of actress Viola Davis, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, and others, McKay illustrates how adversity can be the unlikely source of our greatest achievements. He delves deeply into how childhood trauma, failure, and hardship, rather than breaking them, provided the unique perspective, empathy, and resilience necessary for their success. Tune in today and accept our host’s sincere invitation to view your own struggles not as liabilities, but as the very experiences that can forge character and lead to a remarkable future.

• Past pain can shape you, not just define you.
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• Owning your full story is the key to self-love.
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• Adversity builds resilience, empathy, and strength.
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• Reframe your story from "ruined me" to "shaped me."
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• Self-forgiveness is a powerful act of release.
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• Hardships can be a launchpad to your purpose.
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• Imperfections can help you go farther, not hold you back.
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• Success is not a straight line; it's forged in struggle.
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• Find meaning in suffering to transform it.
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• Become the author of your own story.

"To love who you are, you must not hate the experiences that shaped you."

"I'm not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become."

"Deny your story, it defines you. Own it, and you write the ending."

"Every painful memory...served as a leap pad that has shaped me."

"When we're no longer able to change a situation, we're challenged to change ourselves."

"It's the hard things that give us the strength we need later in life."

"Our paths are rarely straight; great things happen amid struggles."

"The worst thing that happened to her gave her the ability to do the best thing."

"When you fall off life's ship, there is a line waiting to be grabbed."

"The goal is not to be someone in spite of what happened, but someone because of it."

Show Links:

Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

This week, McKay introduces a practical and powerful challenge: the one-month happiness test. Drawing inspiration from Laurie Santos's famous Yale course, "Psychology and the Good Life," this episode moves beyond big, life-altering events to focus on the small, consistent actions that are scientifically proven to boost happiness. 

McKay breaks down simple yet profound practices like savoring positive moments, actively choosing your focus through selective attention, expressing gratitude, performing acts of kindness, and strengthening social connections. Through relatable stories and real-world examples, he illustrates how these "micro-adjustments" can retrain our brains, counteracting our natural negativity bias and leading to a more joyful, fulfilling life. Listeners are invited to take the test for themselves and discover how intentional, daily habits can create lasting change.

Main Themes:

• Happiness comes from small, consistent changes, not just big life events.
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• You can retrain your brain to focus on the positive through selective attention.
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• Savoring positive experiences - before, during, and after - deepens their impact.
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• Practicing gratitude is a powerful choice that turns what you have into enough.
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• Acts of kindness boost happiness for both the giver and the receiver.
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• Strong social connections are a primary predictor of a long, happy life.
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• Exercise and sleep are foundational pillars for mental well-being and happiness.
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• You can become the author of your life by choosing what to focus on and practice.
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• What you notice becomes your reality.
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• A one-month test is long enough to implement new habits and see real results.

Top 10 Quotes:

"The strange truth is... most people return to their baseline level of happiness after these major life events. This phenomenon is called the hedonic treadmill."

"Tiny, regular changes to your daily life often make a bigger, longer-lasting difference than these big things."

"Your brain is built to scan for problems... but you can change what you focus on, and it will help you be more happy."

"Savoring is the deliberate, post-activity act of looking back on what you've done and taking time to appreciate it."

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough."

"Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what kept people happy throughout their lives."

"These examples aren't miracles; they're micro-adjustments in their lives."

"You get to choose what you'll focus on. So this month, to test your happiness, focus on the good."

"Kind service has this magic feel to it."

Show Links:

Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

McKay shares a collection of powerful, real-world stories here today as he explores the transformative power of viewing life as a journey from one form of strength to another. From a collegiate runner's recovery after a devastating accident to the historic leadership of Abraham Lincoln and the creative genius of Beethoven, our host illustrates how our greatest weaknesses can become the catalysts for our most profound strengths.

Listeners will learn to reframe challenges, setbacks, and even failures not as endpoints but as essential experiences that build resilience, empathy, and new capabilities. McKay offers practical advice on the importance of trying, seeking help, and taking small, consistent steps to move forward. Today’s episode is a compelling reminder that who we are is not static; we are constantly developing, and our struggles are an integral part of that growth.

Main Themes:

• Life is a continuous journey of moving from one developed strength to another.
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• Weaknesses and challenges are opportunities to build new, deeper strengths.
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• Overcoming adversity fosters resilience, empathy, and maturity.
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• The simple act of trying, especially after failure, is a powerful catalyst for growth.
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• Seeking help is a sign of strength, not a weakness.
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• You can begin to change your life by doing something different today.
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• Growth requires taking risks and stepping outside your comfort zone.
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• Focus on doing a little more of what works and a little less of what doesn't.

Top 10 Quotes:

"The journey we take in this life is moving really from strength to strength."

"The strength you gain in getting help and overcoming weaknesses propels you to the next level in your life."

"Weaknesses that are given to us in life can help us move from strength to strength."

"For when I am weak, then I am strong."

"Each time you try, despite the lack of strength of the bridge or the chasm or the gaps in your life, you strengthen those bridges."

"You don't have to let your past dictate your future, even if it's your recent past."

"You may not have to have all the answers. Just do a little bit more of what works and a little bit less of what doesn't."

"It's when we step outside our normal routine or normal circumstances that we see and grow in new ways."

"Starting where you are is sometimes all you can and often all you need to do. Trying is enough."

"Your talents rise and your gaps are spanned, and your weaknesses become strengths."

Show Links:

Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

The challenging yet crucial skill of making hard choices is in the spotlight this week as McKay draws inspiration from Ruth Chang's TED Talk and real-world examples ranging from President Truman's wartime decisions to personal dilemmas faced by his own family and himself. The episode explores the nature of hard choices - those where options seem equally compelling or unclear - and offers practical strategies for navigating these pivotal moments. 

McKay emphasizes the importance of understanding your values, gathering information (but not getting paralyzed by it), taking small steps to test options, and ultimately, committing to a path. Illustrating how these decisions shape not only our immediate future but also who we become, our host urges listeners to embrace the process of choosing, even when it's difficult, as a pathway to growth and a more fulfilling life.

Main Themes:

• Hard choices involve equally compelling options.
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• The process of choosing fosters personal growth.
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• Test different paths to gain clarity.
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• Align decisions with core values and what fosters growth.
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• Commit to a choice, then learn and adapt.
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• True success is measured by service and impact.
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• Making your own choices builds agency and responsibility.
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• Learn from all past choices, good and bad.
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• How you live with a choice matters more than the choice itself.
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• Gain diverse perspectives to find the best path.

Top 10 Quotes:

"Hard choices are those when we're comparing options, they seem on par, and maybe for different reasons, but the choice, the decision, is hard and unclear."

"This is the natural response, right? When faced with similar choices, most of us don't decide. And that may be the worst choice of all."

"When you're faced with such a decision, you can start walking down one path or the other. Go as far as you can without too much cost or investment."

"Which program will cause you as a person to have grown more? To become better and to give you new possible directions in life?"

"Choose the one that stretches you in the right way that helps you grow."

"In my view, our decisions are not perfect, but our living with those decisions makes it so."

"The real measure of success is, ‘How did we serve in our circumstance?'”

"It's often not how good we are at making decisions, but how good we are at making life good from the decisions that we've made that matters."

"Ascertain what matters. Identify your guiding values."

"Take the attitude that this helps you become the author of your life, forming who you want to be."

Show Links:

Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

This week, McKay unpacks the "S-Curve", a powerful concept from the business world, and reveals how its principles are a blueprint for navigating change and achieving lasting growth in our careers, families, and personal lives. By examining the rise and fall of corporate giants like Kodak, Walmart, and Netflix, he illustrates that the path to success isn't a straight line but a series of curves, each requiring a strategic "jump" to avoid stagnation and reach the next level.

The episode breaks down the predictable stages of any new venture - a slow start, a period of rapid growth, and an inevitable plateau. McKay uses compelling stories to show why companies like Kodak failed when they clung to their old models, while innovators like Walmart and Netflix thrived by noticing market shifts, leveraging their core strengths, and bravely jumping to a new curve. The discussion provides listeners with three actionable strategies - getting started without the perfect plan, becoming a "first-class noticer," and finding synergies between the old and the new - to successfully navigate their own S-Curves and turn moments of challenge into catalysts for profound growth.

Main Themes:

• Growth in business, careers, and personal life follows a predictable three-stage S-Curve.
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• To avoid stagnation, one must "jump" from a maturing S-Curve to a new one.
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• The strategies that lead to initial success are often not the ones that sustain it.
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• Successful adaptation involves noticing market changes, learning from others, and taking calculated risks.
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• Leverage your existing strengths and assets when pivoting to a new approach.
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• The first step in jumping the curve is to take action, even if imperfectly, and learn from the process.
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• Gaining new perspectives is essential for identifying when and how to change course.
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• The principles of the S-Curve apply equally to corporate strategy, parenting, personal health, and career development.

Top 10 Quotes:

"Often in life, the things you used to be successful at last only up to a certain point."

"What got you here is not going to get you where you need to go."

"The market changes, interest rates move, social causes evolve, our children and what is popular changes."

"The best leaders, the best business leaders are first-class noticers."

"Rather than abandon its way of doing business, Walmart found ways to leverage what was good about their business model."

"You have to be more strategic about spending family time."

"So lesson number one is to get moving. Start trying a new approach."

"You'll find greater happiness and prosperity waiting when you jump the S-Curve in what you do."

Show Links:

Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

In yet another insightful episode of the Open Your Eyes podcast, McKay traces the transformative power of knowledge, from the darkness of the 14th century to the modern bookshelf. By exploring key lessons from history and foundational books, he demonstrates how acquiring knowledge remains the ultimate tool for personal growth, effective leadership, and a more fulfilling life.

Drawing a stark contrast between a pre-literate world of disease and ignorance and the revolutions that followed, our host credits Johannes Gutenberg's printing press with changing the world. He then distills potent, actionable wisdom from a number of influential books, including practical tactics on negotiation from Never Split the Difference, persuasion from Influence, and marketing from Contagious. The episode also highlights the power of perseverance over talent as detailed in Grit and the necessity of emotional focus in leadership from Daniel Goleman's work, ultimately encouraging listeners to see reading not as a pastime, but as a direct path to empowerment.

Main Themes:

• Knowledge is the ultimate form of power.
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• The spread of information, via the printing press, ended an era of ignorance and sparked global progress.
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• Reading is a direct path to personal and professional growth.
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• Effective negotiation is a process of discovery, not a battle.
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• Understanding human psychology (reciprocity, social proof, providing reasons) is key to influence.
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• Grit and perseverance are often more important than innate talent.
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• Emotional intelligence allows leaders to focus on what truly matters.
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• Marketing should be a generous act of helping others.

Top 10 Quotes:

"Knowledge has the power to change people, cultures, homes, families, and businesses."

"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."

"Negotiation is not an act of battle; it's a process of discovery."

"People simply like to have reasons for what they do."

"Marketing is the generous act of helping others, not selling others."

"When we care, we share."

"Grit mattered more than intelligence, leadership, or physical fitness."

"Leaders with high emotional intelligence... can suspend emotions or reactions on things that don't matter most."

"What kept the population in such poor conditions was the lack of knowledge."

"At the foundation of our behavior and beliefs really is the way we see the world and ourselves in it."

Show Links:

Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

McKay explores the profound truth that our lives are shaped by our choices in this latest instalment of the Open Your Eyes podcast. From celebrity comebacks to devastating wildfires and artistic dedication, he illustrates how embracing "everything is a choice" empowers us to move beyond circumstance, take responsibility, and consciously design a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Illustrating the real-world impact of decisions, our host draws upon such examples as a California wildfire, where proactive choices saved homes, and a professor's financial advice leading to debt-free living. He highlights the disciplined choices of artists like Picasso and Julie Andrews, alongside the compounding power of small daily actions. Stories of Suze Orman turning disaster into success and Ruth Pfau dedicating her life to service after a pivotal decision underscore how conscious choices redefine our paths. In essence, McKay encourages listeners to recognize their agency, define who they want to become, and use the power of choice to steer their lives intentionally.

Main Themes:

• "Everything is a choice" as a core empowering principle.
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• Small, consistent choices compound over time.
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• Taking 100% responsibility for actions and outcomes.
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• Defining who you become is crucial.
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• Discipline can create freedom.
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• Proactive decisions prevent disaster and build success.
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• The "trim tab" effect: small choices steer life's direction.
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• Pivotal choices can redefine a life's path.

Top 10 Quotes:

"We get to choose to live the life we have."

"The world gets out of the way for people who know what they want and where they're going."

"Every disciplined effort has its own multiple reward."

"The choices we consistently make have a compounding effect on our life."

"Little, everyday decisions will either take you to the life you desire or disaster."

"The day you graduate from childhood to adulthood is the day you take full responsibility for your life."

"Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it's a kind of order that sets me free."

Show Links:

Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen