A few months ago, my sister randomly texted me and said, “I just listened to a podcast you might be interested in.” She then sent me the link to Andy Frisella ’s Real AF podcast, where he talks about the 75 Hard mental toughness challenge. 

Fast-forward to just a few weeks ago, and I was completing my last day of the challenge. My only regret was that I hadn’t started sooner. This thing is one of the hardest, most life-changing things I’ve ever done, and it’s a ton of fun.

It gets you out of your comfort zone and in ways that you can’t imagine . And it brings out the boss inside of you that you’ve always wished would take charge. But, most of all, it’s a pathway to building consistent mental toughness, which is the ability to stick to the right things even when you don’t feel like it. 

The challenge involves completing five critical tasks every day for 75 days straight, including:

The challenge involves completing five critical tasks every day for 75 days straight, including:

1. Take a progress picture.
2. Drink a gallon of water.
3. Complete two 45-minute workouts, one of which has to be outside.
4. Follow a diet (and no cheat meals).
5. Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book.

After doing all of these myself for 75 days in a row, I can say that it’s 100% something you should consider yourself if you want to develop mental toughness. And one of the best ways to learn about it is Andy’s book called 75 Hard: A Tactical Guide to Winning the War With Yourself .

1. The purpose of 75 Hard is to develop mental toughness, which is the key to getting happiness and anything you want in life.
2. To complete the 75 Hard challenge, you must follow five critical tasks for 75 days straight and start over if you miss even one.
3. There are eight “eras” of the challenge that you must be aware of and prepared for if you want to complete it.

Let’s get into it and start developing mental toughness!

Andy Frisella didn’t have that exciting of a childhood. But he did have a supportive father who taught him mental toughness . 

This lesson would help Andy go on to put in years of effort to build a massively successful business . All seemed to be going well until the night he almost lost his life.

Andy was walking back from a club and heard a guy in a car yelling racial slurs at one of Andy’s friends. Andy confronted him about it, but when he started walking away, the man attacked.

Multiple stab wounds to the face left Andy bleeding out, but he miraculously survived. The pain left, but the scars didn’t. It was embarrassing for him to have people asking about it all the time, and he wanted to give up. 

Then one day, after talking with a woman who also had scars on her face, he decided his pity party was over. Instead, Andy began a podcast to share his business and life lessons.

One day he had a guest that had completed 50 ironmans in 50 days in all 50 states. He taught Andy that the key to happiness and success is mental toughness. And you get it intentionally putting yourself into uncomfortable situations. 

Andy had always wanted to teach others how to be mentally tough, and this guest’s words led him to create the 75 Hard challenge to make it happen!

If you want to get mental toughness to get whatever you want out of life, you should take the 75 Hard challenge. 

The first critical task is to commit to a diet . This can be anything designed to improve your health. But you must stick to it–and no cheat meals ! Of course, this also means no alcohol.

Critical task number two is drinking a gallon of water a day . Wherever you find water, you find life, and you can remember this as a symbol that you’re doing this because you want your life to flourish. 

The next critical task is to complete two 45-minute workouts . One of them has to be outside. Some days I just had to walk for my workouts, but that still counts!

The fourth critical task is reading 10 pages of a non-fiction book that will improve your life. Audiobooks don’t count, but you can use e-readers! 

And finally, critical task number five is to take a progress picture . This is the one that most people miss simply because they forget. So set a reminder and do it at the same time every day!

Oh, and if you miss one of these, you have to start over!

In the first 7-10 days of 75 Hard, you’re going to feel excited and learn a ton. I started realizing things about myself, my habits , and my excuses that I hadn’t ever considered, and it helped me improve.

Days 8-14 are ones of discovery, discipline, and the danger zone. You’ll begin valuing your time better. You will wonder why you thought you couldn’t push yourself harder. And the initial excitement will wear off.

The next 15-21 days are marked by exterminating excuses, growing exponentially, and quitting, for some.

During days 22-28, you’ll start to experience massive transformation and “The Moment of Manifestation .” Like a superhero, you’re going to start seeing yourself changing into something amazing.

Days 29-35 are where you start to get so focused that you enter the flow state. You begin growing fearless.

In between day 36 and day 49, you’ll feel aligned with your true self and start to experience automation as you anticipate the end.

From day 50 to day 63, you’ll reach a level of expertise but also start to have a dip in excitement.

And finally, from day 64 to the end, you’re entering God mode where you can’t lose. You’ll reach peak mental toughness and be able to apply it to anything in your life!

This book and the challenge that goes with it are life-changing. It really can be as simple as committing to critical tasks for 75 days straight to gain mental toughness. Heads up, though, this book isn’t the most eloquently written. Andy curses a lot, which isn’t my favorite, but I could look past it!

The 31-year-old dad who is overwhelmed and feels like he’s in a rut, the 48-year-old that wants to be disciplined but hasn’t ever found a way to make it stick, and anybody who’s competitive enough to take on a difficult challenge that will make them mentally tough!