PDF Summary:Chop Wood Carry Water, by Joshua Medcalf

Do you ever wonder if there's more to success than just reaching the finish line? In Chop Wood Carry Water—a story of a young man’s journey toward becoming a samurai warrior—mental performance coach Joshua Medcalf reveals how authentic success comes from embracing the process of growth rather than fixating on end results. Medcalf argues that cultivating a positive mindset, focusing on daily practice, and reframing challenges as opportunities can lead to both success and a more fulfilling life.

This guide distills Medcalf's wisdom into practical methods that will help you clarify your goals, feel more positive and engaged as you work toward them, and stay motivated through setbacks. Additionally, we’ll supplement Medcalf's ideas with psychological research and actionable methods from other self-improvement authors and practitioners.

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Gooden suggests three strategies to help overcome feelings of inadequacy and cultivate a strong sense of self-worth:

1) Forgive yourself for past mistakes: This allows you to release negative self-judgment and move forward with a cleaner emotional slate and a more positive self-image.

2) Accept yourself as you are, including your flaws and imperfections: This helps you recognize your inherent worth and reduces the need for external validation or constant self-improvement to feel valuable.

3) Treat yourself with kindness: This reduces self-criticism and promotes a more nurturing relationship with yourself.

Method 3) Define Your Priorities

Third, reflect on what you care about before making decisions or pursuing goals. Medcalf explains that having clear priorities contributes to a more positive attitude by reducing internal conflict. Clear priorities provide a sense of direction that guides your actions, preventing you from making choices that are counterproductive to what you really want—and that therefore engender feelings of guilt or regret.

For example, reminding yourself how much you value academic success helps you overcome the temptation to go out for drinks instead of studying for an upcoming exam. As a result, you have more time to prepare and avoid the stress and self-doubt that would have come from neglecting your studies.

(Shortform note: Stephen R. Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) offers a practical way to define your priorities: Picture yourself at the end of your career or life, looking back at your proudest moments—focus on what you want to achieve in your various roles (parent, spouse, friend, colleague, and so on). This process helps define who you want to be and what you want to achieve in each area of your life, and it encourages you to imagine how life would look after successfully integrating all your priorities.)

Method 4) Build a Supportive Network

Fourth, surround yourself with people who encourage your growth. According to Medcalf, your social circle impacts your ability to maintain a positive attitude and live according to your priorities. He explains that the people in your life can either support and reinforce your goals or inadvertently undermine your efforts. Therefore, he recommends being intentional about your relationships, seeking out those who share or respect your priorities.

For example, if you’re trying to adopt healthier habits, spending time with friends who prioritize fitness and nutrition will make the process easier, since their good habits will help you stay committed to your goal. On the other hand, socializing with friends who pressure you to indulge in unhealthy foods or skip workouts may make it difficult to stick to your new habits.

(Shortform note: Steven Kotler (The Art of Impossible) offers an additional insight into how spending time with people who share or respect your priorities encourages your growth: It garners positive feedback and social support. This positive attention triggers the release of pleasurable reward neurochemicals such as dopamine and oxytocin. This neurochemical release creates feelings of pleasure that make your goals feel more meaningful and boost your motivation to continue working toward them.)

Part 2: Focus on the Process

In addition to cultivating a positive attitude and clarifying your priorities, Medcalf recommends focusing on the process of achieving your goals, rather than fixating solely on the results. This approach helps you maintain motivation, develop essential skills, and find fulfillment in your daily efforts.

(Shortform note: James Clear (Atomic Habits) clarifies how focusing on the process maintains motivation. He distinguishes among three types of habits: 1) Goal-driven habits, which focus on achieving specific outcomes (like acing a test); 2) system-driven habits, which focus on routines (like studying regularly); and 3) identity-driven habits, which are rooted in self-perception (like being a good student). Clear notes that goal-driven habits are limited in scope—for example, once you ace the test, you lose motivation to continue studying. System-driven habits, on the other hand, put processes in place that indefinitely produce the outcomes you want; this helps you consistently do your work, regardless of your motivation level.)

Let’s explore the three methods Medcalf offers for embracing the journey toward your goals: committing to daily practice, being patient, and viewing challenges as opportunities.

Method 1) Commit to Daily Practice

First, Medcalf says you should perform seemingly small and mundane goal-related tasks with consistency and care. Medcalf explains that adopting a daily, process-oriented approach will, over time, help you develop the skills, habits, and traits required to achieve your goals. Additionally, it will deepen your engagement with your work, allowing you to find meaning and satisfaction in routine tasks.

For example, if you’re a software developer, instead of fixating on creating a billion-dollar app, commit to honing your coding skills and contributing to open-source projects. Though these fundamentals are less glamorous, immersing yourself in them will build your expertise, create opportunities, and help you cultivate a genuine passion for your craft.

(Shortform note: Kotler (The Art of Impossible) clarifies how adopting a daily, process-oriented approach amplifies your abilities and makes routine tasks feel more satisfying. He explains that each time you complete a task, you trigger a dopamine spike that increases your motivation and concentration. This neurochemical reward makes you want to tackle increasingly challenging tasks. Thus, consistent daily practice creates a positive feedback loop that makes it both easy and pleasurable to gain momentum toward achieving your goal.)

Method 2) Be Patient

Next, understand that meaningful progress requires consistent effort and patience. Medcalf explains that improvement often takes the shape of plateaus followed by sudden breakthroughs. Recognizing this pattern helps you stay motivated during periods of apparent stagnation and encourages a more strategic approach to your goals.

For example, say you’re learning a new language. Instead of expecting overnight fluency, know that daily practice and cultural immersion will eventually allow you to hold a full conversation. With this awareness, you’ll find it easier to appreciate small wins, like understanding a new phrase, even when your speaking skills seem to plateau.

Plateaus: Causes and Solutions

Experts agree that plateaus are a natural part of learning. They suggest that plateaus result from eight different problems, each with its own solution:

• You become desensitized to things that once worked well. Combat this by introducing different approaches and methods to shake up your routines.

• You choose immediate benefits over long-term ones. Overcome this by extending your planning horizon and focusing on bigger future gains.

• You work hard at ineffective moments and waste effort. Instead, learn to use strategic periods of rest as part of the process.

• Your resources fail in multiple ways—through depletion, costly jumps in needs, bottlenecks, or unforeseen obstacles. Address these by finding ways to replenish resources, sharing costs with partners, working around limitations, and recognizing that you can’t account for everything perfectly.

• You make decisions based on flawed information. Instead, take time to seek the objective truth that lies beneath your assumptions about how things work.

• You lose effectiveness by trying to multitask. To overcome this, actively engage with one task at a time and adapt to shifts in priorities.

• You don’t see gradual decline until it’s too late. Rather than wait for failure, set clear benchmarks that help you assess your progress and identify problems before they become serious.

• You get stuck trying to achieve perfection. To keep moving forward, focus on taking first steps toward your goals, and learn to accept “good enough” results.

This list suggests that to manage the obstacles holding you back and make meaningful progress, you need not only consistent effort and patience but also proactive adaptability.

Method 3) View Challenges as Opportunities

Finally, reframe obstacles and setbacks as chances to learn and improve. Even with a positive attitude, you’ll inevitably face challenges as you work toward your goals. During these times, Medcalf recommends looking for ways to grow from the experience. This will shift your focus from frustration to problem-solving, allowing you to adapt and make the best of the situation.

For example, if you’re a researcher facing a failed experiment, rather than seeing it as a waste of time or a reflection of your abilities, analyze what went wrong and use your insights to refine your methodology and improve the overall quality of your research.

(Shortform note: Tony Robbins (Awaken the Giant Within) suggests a practical way to reframe setbacks as opportunities to learn and improve: Ask yourself empowering questions. For example, if you’re facing a failed experiment, ask yourself, “What can I learn from this result?” or “How can I use this experience to improve my research methods?” Empowering questions encourage your mind to effortlessly come up with proactive and positive solutions that help you make progress.)