Podcast Summary: The School of Greatness

Episode: Why 10x Goals Are Easier Than 10% | Price Pritchett
Date: December 12, 2025
Host: Lewis Howes
Guest: Price Pritchett

Episode Overview

This episode explores the counterintuitive concept that setting 10x (quantum leap) goals is actually easier and more effective than incremental 10% improvement goals. Price Pritchett, organizational psychologist and author of "U Squared", breaks down his philosophy of quantum leaps, discusses the psychology of change and risk, overcoming self-doubt, and how to harness energy and belief to make massive transformation in both personal and professional life. The conversation is practical, story-driven, and motivational, offering both inspiration and actionable insights.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

What is a Quantum Leap?

• Definition and Origin

  • Pritchett describes a “quantum leap” as a dramatic, exponential improvement in performance or results, rather than slow, incremental progress.
  • His turning point was shifting his own business from steady growth to becoming the country’s top merger integration firm—a goal that at first seemed “absurd” ([02:03]–[03:40]).

    “I said, we're going to be number one merger integration experts in the country. And we were in six years. I had no business setting out that kind of a goal.” – Price Pritchett [03:33]

• Key Elements of Quantum Leap Goals

  1. Serious Stretch – The goal must scare you, make you uncomfortable.
  2. Love Story – There must be genuine commitment or passion; “heart sustains you.”
  3. Personal Ownership – Must be YOUR goal, not someone else’s expectation ([05:18]–[06:35]).

  “Fundamental mistake that a lot of people make is they don't believe in themselves enough and they don't reach high enough.” – Price Pritchett [06:29]

• Counterintuitive Principle

  • 10% improvement can be as hard (or harder) as 10x, because both require change and discomfort ([07:36]).

    “10x is just as easy or just as challenging as 2x... so you might as well go for the bigger leap.” – Lewis Howes [07:36]

The Psychology of Change & Risk

• Catalyst for Big Change: Boredom and Hunger
  • Pritchett shares that comfort and lack of failure are signals you might need to seek bigger challenges ([08:44]).

    “We weren't failing enough... we were on autopilot. The place ran too smoothly and it began to just bore me and I got disgusted.” – Price Pritchett [09:04]

• Differences Between People
  • People have different drives; quantum leaps are possible in any direction, based on what truly motivates you ([09:49]).
• The Power of Wanting ("Want Power") over Willpower
  • Go for what you are intensely curious or passionate about; saying yes to random opportunities can help when you feel directionless ([11:24]–[12:57]).

    “Want power is how much do you want this thing again? How much are you in love with this ideal?” – Price Pritchett [11:38]

Overcoming Self-Doubt and Taking Bold Action

• Action Precedes Readiness

  • Do not wait until you feel ready—most dreams die in the “planning” or “preparation” stage ([13:50]).

    “Big dreams go to die... at the planning place, getting ready place, preparing myself.” – Price Pritchett [14:12]
    “Everybody’s made quantum leaps before they reach school age... You have to be willing to take new risks, change your modus operandi, fail your way to success.” – Price Pritchett [15:33]

• Suspend Disbelief

  • “Act as if your success is for certain.” Learning to behave confidently, even if you don’t feel it yet, can move you forward ([16:39]).

    “Your doubts are not the product of accurate thinking, but habitual thinking.” – Lewis Howes [18:37] “To heck with your thinking… You still get to choose how you behave.” – Price Pritchett [18:52]

Managing Negative Thinking & The Five Cs

• Optimism vs. Pessimism

  • The key is not just more positive thinking but less negative thinking—they are separate scales ([23:41]–[32:36]).

    “Studies show that they're actually two different scales... If you want to get your real mileage, just cut down on the negative thinking.” – Price Pritchett [28:55]

• The Sneak Attack of the Five Cs ([29:41])

  1. Complaining
  2. Criticizing
  3. Concern (worrying)
  4. Commiserating
  5. Catastrophizing

  “We have some 50,000 thoughts a day... About 70% of our negative thinking goes unperceived by us.” – Price Pritchett [28:55–30:41]

• Practical Metaphor:

  • “You can keep adding positive thinking, but if you've got dirty water... you have to remove the challenging thoughts” ([31:36]).

Navigating the Messy Middle & Building Resilience

• Anticipate the Messy Middle

  • Whether in organizations or personally, all major change includes a period of confusion, resistance, and discomfort ([33:24]–[37:43]).

    “Let me tell you, it'll get worse before it gets better... You're going to make mistakes. But look, we've got to do this; and look what it’s going to be like.” – Price Pritchett [38:49]

• Sell the Vision, Prepare for Pain

  • Leaders should be transparent: “It’s a journey... If you don’t tell them that they get lost in the desert.” ([37:35–39:28])

• Change Triggers Self-Preservation

  • We weigh losses twice as heavily as gains, so vision must outweigh perceived losses ([41:38]).

Energy, Constraints, and the Power of Structure

• Energy is the #1 Predictor
  • “The single most important factor for success... is a high energy level.” – Price Pritchett [68:54–71:35]
• Constraints Foster Creativity
  • Constraints aren’t limitations—they give necessary focus and drive innovation ([53:18]–[54:11]).

    “We're pretty helpless without constraints. Having structure actually allows you to be more creative.” – Lewis Howes [53:34]

Selective Persistence & Letting Go of the “Try Harder” Trap

• The Fly Metaphor
  • Trying harder at the same approach can be fatal—sometimes all it takes is trying something new ([54:11]–[57:22]).

    “No fly will ever be able to break through that glass... Across the room, 10 steps away, the door is open.” – Lewis Howes

• Selective Persistence
  • Useful persistence is directed, not mindlessly repetitive ([57:22]–[58:16]).

Cultivating Childlike Ambition and Naive Enthusiasm

• Children as Models of Quantum Leaping

  • Children learn to speak, walk, run, swim, etc., through repeated “failure” undeterred by self-doubt ([60:22]–[62:29]).

    “A child falls a thousand times while it learns to walk, and it never says ‘maybe this walking thing isn’t for me.’” – Lewis Howes [62:29]

• Why Adults Struggle

  • Adults fear embarrassment; with age, energy can drop and comfort breeds complacency ([64:24]–[66:02]).

Optimism & Longevity

• Optimism Adds Years to Life
  • “The optimists live 10 years longer than the pessimists.” ([73:51])
  • Removing pessimistic thinking is more dangerous than smoking ([73:51]–[74:24]).
• Forgiveness & Letting Go
  • People who don’t dwell on misery tend to experience better health and joy ([75:36]–[77:27]).

Memorable Quotes

• “If you must doubt something, doubt your limits.” — Price Pritchett (as highlighted by Howes) [16:39]
• “Your doubts are not the product of accurate thinking, but habitual thinking.” — Price Pritchett/Lewis Howes [18:37]
• “Act as if your success is for certain.” — Price Pritchett [16:39]
• “Life isn’t changed by people who sort of care.” — Price Pritchett [50:39]
• “You are the most powerful person in your life.” — Price Pritchett [84:27]
• “You have an amazing capacity for change.” — Price Pritchett [85:58]
• “You are the solution to your future.” — Price Pritchett [84:27]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Quantum Leap Defined & First-Hand Story: [01:48] – [05:18]
• Setting Stretch Goals & The Importance of Passion/Love: [05:18] – [08:44]
• Hunger for Change, Boredom, and Breaking Out of Comfort: [08:44] – [11:01]
• Want Power & Navigating Uncertainty: [11:24] – [13:50]
• Take Action Before Ready; Dangers of Waiting: [13:50] – [16:39]
• Suspend Disbelief & Dream-Killing Self-Doubt: [16:39] – [20:01]
• Negative vs. Positive Thinking; Five Cs: [23:41] – [31:58]
• The Messy Middle in Transformation: [33:24] – [38:49]
• Resistance, Kahneman’s Loss Aversion, and Selling the Vision: [39:28] – [42:43]
• Selective Persistence & The Fly Metaphor: [54:01] – [58:16]
• Childlike Energy, Naive Ambition & Lifelong Learning: [60:22] – [66:02]
• Energy, Constraints & Longevity: [68:54] – [74:24]
• Forgiveness, Memory, and Perspective: [75:36] – [77:27]
• Three Truths & Definitions of Greatness: [84:27] – [87:37]

The Three Truths (Price Pritchett, [84:27])

1. You are the most powerful person in your life.
2. You have an amazing capacity for change.
3. You are the solution to your future.

Definition of Greatness ([86:32])

“How much good you’ve brought to the world. How many people you’ve touched.” – Price Pritchett

Tone and Takeaways

The conversation is warm, direct, and laced with both humility and wisdom. Pritchett’s science-informed perspectives are delivered in an approachable, story-rich style, and Lewis Howes grounds each insight with practical and emotional relevance for listeners seeking to break out of their comfort zones. The dialogue repeatedly circles back to actionable wisdom: focus on love and energy, embrace the messy middle, cut out negativity, and know that truly audacious dreams are, in fact, often the easier path.

Recommended Actions:

• Read “U Squared” (noted for being just 36 pages—accessible and concise)
• Reflect: Where are you seeking incremental progress when you could choose a quantum leap?
• Identify areas of habitual negative thinking and begin practicing “want power.”
• Accept—then prepare for—the messy middle in any major life change.

More from Price Pritchett:

• Book: U Squared
• Masterclass: Available via pritchetnumber2.com and pritchetnet.com

This summary captures the essential teachings and memorable energy of this School of Greatness episode—perfect for anyone looking to break out of incremental thinking and make exponential changes in their life or organization.