5 surprising success tips from Chris Hemsworth’s stunt double

Whether you feel fulfilled when you witness the positive impact of your work, love hitting measurable targets, or your idea of being successful entails having a healthy work-life balance, success can take on many forms.

But there are transferable principles and tips that can help you achieve the outcomes you desire in your career and life regardless of your definition of success. In fact, you can take a cue from experts in industries that seem way more glamorous than your typical corporate gig at first glance.

As Chris Hemsworth’s stunt double in movies like Thor, celebrity stuntman Bobby Holland Hanton has built an award-winning career in the entertainment world — not to mention the countless physical feats he’s accomplished during his days as a professional athlete.

But even if your athletic prowess at work is limited to using a standing desk, you can learn a lot from him and the mindset it took to become a successful stuntman.

For example, he trained full-time for four years in various disciplines to reach that goal and has performed in 50 feature movies since then. These days, he’s also sharing his exercise expertise through the fitness app Centr. There have been ups and downs physically and mentally, and he’s picked up many valuable lessons while navigating them.

We’ve asked Holland Hanton to share his most surprising success tips so you can find superhero-like inspiration on your own journey towards greatness.

1. Prioritize rest

It can be so easy to work countless hours and sacrifice rest and relaxation in the pursuit of your dreams. This is especially true when you’re passionate about your craft and driven by powerful motivators. And it’s why you need to be extra mindful of prioritizing self-care and taking sleep seriously.

“Without rest, you cannot perform to your best ability,” says Holland Hanton. “Keep your mind and body healthy.”

If you’re still tempted to overdo it and think it won’t cause much harm, just remember that you can make bigger strides by working less, even if it feels counterintuitive. To use a fitness-inspired analogy, muscle actually builds at rest, when the microtears you create in your muscle fibers while lifting weights are repaired.

2. Avoid overthinking

Do you chuckle at the sight of memes about the day-to-day reality of overthinking? Does your continuous stream of thoughts cause you to worry and get anxious while replaying scenarios in your mind? You’re not alone — a lot of high achievers share that trait and the struggles that can accompany it.

But if Holland Hanton had to tell his younger self one thing, it would be to avoid overthinking and slow down a bit. While hindsight is everything when it comes to realizing those things, you can take advantage of the insights of others and start being more aware of your thought patterns and how they affect your emotional wellbeing.

Because with some distance, you can start observing your thoughts and separating them from any situation you’re dealing with. You might end up noticing that a lot of your stress is informed by the meaning you give to circumstances rather than the circumstances themselves.

3. Embrace the upside

Holland Hanton’s most underrated learning about success? Embracing the priceless feeling you get after coming back from a bad injury. Replace injury with career setback and the lesson is equally valuable.

“At the time it’s hard not to think the worst, but the mind and body are so amazing that once you’ve recovered, the feeling is incredible,” he says.

“It’s about knowing there’s always going to be ups and downs, but rising back up when you’re down feels great and it makes the ups feel even better.”

4. Blow steam off

Even people who have to stay in top physical shape all the time need hobbies and ways to blow steam off. And the same can be said about a top performer at the office — life can’t be all about productivity.

Partying too much can be a real setback, says Holland Hanton, so you don’t necessarily want to go the “work hard, play hard” route. But finding ways to put your worries aside for a moment and enjoy an activity that helps you disconnect is crucial.

5. Even a slight change of perspective can help

Holland Hanton won’t pretend that failure doesn’t sting. But even a slight change of perspective can help deal with career setbacks, he says.

“It’s tough, but with each [failure] there’s a lesson and you always take something positive from it. [When setbacks happen,] embrace them as much as you can and move forward knowing a little more about yourself with each setback. Look at it in a different way, not as a setback but a learning curve,” he says.