The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes

DECLARE YOUR VISION. The end of the year is time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re going. I’m using this episode to share my biggest lessons and regrets from 2019. One of the most significant changes for me this year was in my romantic life. I went from being in a relationship that wasn’t working to being with someone who is a force multiplier in my life. I had to be aware of my relationship patterns to break them. Are you taking the time to investigate your past and envision your future? Or are you just going to work and coming home and putting on Netflix? It’s time to wake up to your dreams. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about the 13 lessons I learned this year. This has been a year of transition for me, and I’m so happy with where I am right now. I’ve gone all-in on love. I can’t wait to see what big things are around the corner. So get ready to learn the things I’ve learned this year on Episode 886. In This Episode You Will Learn: The top three episodes of the year (

IT’S NEVER GOING TO BE PERFECT. We all have this vision of the ideal life. We work hard and get everything done. All of our relationships are in great shape. We take time to exercise and eat right. But the truth is, there is no magical destination. And even if we reach that place, it could all be destroyed in an instant by one of life’s famous curveballs. Instead of looking at balance like a happily ever after, look at it as something you constantly need to reevaluate and adjust. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Jay Papasan where he shared his philosophy of counterbalance. Jay Papasan is the co-author of The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results. He wants you to be purposeful about the way you spend your time. Learn how to tackle the myth of work/life balance in Episode 885. In This Episode You Will Learn: About work/life balance and if it’s possible (02:00) Why balance is a verb, not a noun (02:30) How to counterbalance (03:00) If you enjoyed

USE YOUR PAIN AS AN ARROW. None of us like to feel unpleasant emotions. Whether it’s pain, anxiety, or stress, we numb them with food, alcohol, and overscheduling. But there’s a lot we can learn from discomfort. Instead of drowning your feelings, get curious about them. Your envy can lead you to your passion. Your anxiety can show you your authentic self. And your pain might be asking you to comfort something in your past that is keeping you from your future. Unless we embrace where we’re from, we’ll never get where we’re going. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk with some of the most inspirational women on the planet: Elizabeth Gilbert, Rachel Hollis, Sarah Blakely, Glennon Doyle, Mel Robbins, and Lisa Nichols. Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of Eat, Pray, Love. Rachel Hollis is the bestselling author of Girl, Wash Your Face. Sarah Blakely is the founder and CEO of the massively popular women’s apparel brand SPANX. Mel Robbins is the author of the 5-Second Rule. Glennon Doyle is the creato

IS YOUR PERSONAL BRAND MAKING YOU MONEY OR COSTING YOU TIME? The last time Rory Vaden joined the show, he shared some strategies we could use to create influential personal brands — insight that helped me shift the focus of my business and scale it to the next level. We hear a lot more talk about personal brands today than we did even just a year or two ago, but I still don’t think people are acting seriously enough when it comes to establishing, scaling, or monetizing their brands. I am not exaggerating when I say there is no way I would be where I am today, personally or professionally, if I hadn’t started getting strategic and intentional about branding over 10 years ago. And, as time goes on, personal branding is only getting more important — for all of us. Luckily, things are a lot easier for us today than they were for me back then. There are hundreds of successful personal brands you can model, online marketing tools are only getting more accessible and easier to use, and most importantly, we are being

YOU CAN’T DISMISS PAIN. So many of us try to cover up our pain. We eat too much, buy too much, and drink too much in order to not feel anything. I used to avoid my feelings. I didn’t have the tools to process heartache and loss so I found another outlet: inflicting pain on the football field. But pain doesn’t just disappear- it will find another way of coming to the surface. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Brene Brown where she explained how hate is just a mask for pain. Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past fourteen years studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of three #1 New York Times bestsellers – The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, and Rising Strong. If you look at the world today, people are pointing fingers looking for someone to blame so they don’t have to confront what’s inside. W

WE FEAR WHAT WE DON’T UNDERSTAND. The future doesn’t have to be scary. You don’t have to put your energy into building bunkers, hiding gold bars in the ground, and preparing for the end. The future can be full of possibility. There are so many exciting advancements happening in the fields of science, health, and space. But you have to change your mindset from fear to positivity. The world is magic. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about the future of health and technology with a transformative leader and visionary: Peter Diamandis. Recently named by Fortune as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” Peter H. Diamandis is the founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions. He is also the executive founder of Singularity University, a graduate-level Silicon Valley institution that counsels the world's leaders on exponentially growing technologies. Peter repeats his “Massively Transformative Purp

SUFFERING COMES FROM SELF-OBSESSIVE THINKING. I used to be terrified to speak in public. I’d get nervous before getting in front of any kind of group. But then I trained in meditation and learned to switch my mindset. Instead of being so focused on me, I focused on being of service. Now, I love getting in front of a crowd. Once you connect to a purpose that is bigger than yourself, you can overcome the obstacles holding you back. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about the value of coming from a place of faith and service with a Democratic presidential hopeful: Tulsi Gabbard. Tulsi Gabbard is the first female combat veteran to ever run for president and the first female combat veteran ever elected to Congress, along with Tammy Duckworth. She has served for seven years on the Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Homeland Security Committees, where she's been intimately involved with sensitive, national security issues. Tulsi is an introvert who had to push herself to be the type of person w

MONEY IS A GREAT SERVANT BUT A BAD MASTER. Money can get a bad rap. You hear stories of people who worked so hard to get it, and it left them feeling unhappy. Some people even call it the root of all evil. But what if you used money as a tool for happiness? If you spend it wisely, it can help you have better health, better relationships, and more time for the things that fill you up. Instead of making money the problem, make it work for you. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Gretchen Rubin where she talked about her research on happiness and money. She says that happiness, like money, should be something we observe in the good times and the bad. Learn how to improve your relationship with happiness in Episode 879. In This Episode You Will Learn: Why you need to think about happiness in the good times and the bad (2:00) How money relates to happiness (03:00) The difference between buying things and experiences (3:30) If you enjoyed this episode, check out the video, show notes

YOUR EGO NEEDS FEEDING. We all have addictions. Some of us know exactly what habits we need to break. Others don’t even realize we’re addicted to unhealthy patterns. Whether it’s smoking, relationships, or simply being addicted to ourselves, we could all benefit from mapping out our habits to begin to understand them. It’s important to foster our curiosity. If we can learn to investigate our minds the way we investigated our environment as children, we can begin to understand ourselves.  Sometimes it’s our ego that we continue to feed. Other times it’s a false sense of reward we think we’re receiving from an old habit. Through mindfulness, we can learn to experience our habits as they are and not as we remember them. When we do this, we can begin breaking even our most challenging addictions. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, we discuss optimizing habits, breaking addictions, and transforming your life with one of the kindest addiction psychiatrists and mindfulness experts that I have ever met: D

FIND YOUR STEADY STATE. We all hear it. The voice in our heads that tells us to quit or that we’re not good enough. The goal isn’t to eliminate the voice. Our job is to make sure we never give that voice any power. We must silence the doubt and maximize our belief. Whether it’s physical training or business, when things are challenging learn to break things down into digestible pieces. Accept the discomfort and let it go. Keep your mind on your dreams no matter what. Do whatever you need to do to motivate, inspire, and strengthen your mind daily. Once you do, you will be complete and anything is possible. In today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about building a healthy mindset and the need for body, mind, and soul alignment with retired Navy SEAL veteran, competitive Ultrarunner, and business owner: Chadd Wright. Chadd Wright had a successful career in the SEAL teams serving as a Team Leader on multiple deployments as a SEAL instructor and Master Training Specialist. Retiring in 2019, he is now

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU. Many of us want to have an impact on this world. We want to be a positive force in people’s lives. When we can take a step back and consider how our actions affect others, we can discover the joy in being of service. The way you deal with the people in your business and personal life is essential. Practicing the habit of service will increase the amount of happiness in your life and might also ripple out into your business. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisit a conversation I had with Shep Gordon, where he discussed why he is devoted to serving others. Shep Gordon was the manager behind mega-talents like Alice Cooper, Blondie, and Teddy Pendergrass and knew everyone who is anyone in the music and Hollywood business. He is also credited with creating the role of celebrity chefs through his work, bringing them into the spotlight. His fantastic career has led to both a documentary about his life (directed by Mike Meyers) and a recent memoir written about him, published by Anthony Bourd

LOVE THYSELF. Our wounds often rob us of the life we were meant to live. Many of us live with pain and regret. It becomes a vicious cycle. We have the power to break the cycle. You deserve to heal. You deserve to love yourself. It is possible to move through life as a healed person. There is no reason to live in pain. Your best life is waiting for you. All you need is the courage and commitment to make it a reality. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about what it takes to heal yourself, love yourself, and empower others around you with “The Millenial Oprah”: Cleo Wade. Cleo Wade is a best-selling author, artist, mentor, activist, and poet. Her work reflects her spirit and her belief in the power to create change through self-love, commitment, self-care, and social justice. Cleo was named one of America’s 50 Most Influential Women by Marie Claire. She sits on the board of The Lower East Side Girls Club, The National Black Theatre in Harlem, as well as the advisory board of Gucci’s Chime f

DREAM TO LIVE. Growing up in a dysfunctional household is tough. It can feel like you are in a nightmare. The only things that can keep you going day-to-day are your hopes and dreams. Jerry West has a fantastic story to tell. He’s been through it all. Just like me and many others, he dealt with significant adversity as a child. He managed to persevere and achieve at the highest levels in spite of every difficulty. Dreams are the light that brightens your way in the darkness. Stop thinking of hardship as a detriment. Look at it as your extraordinary power. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about achieving and making it through difficult circumstances with an NBA icon: Jerry West. Jerry West is an author, executive, and former NBA basketball player. He is a basketball legend who played with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1960 – 1974. While with the Lakers, he won an NBA Championship and was named an All-star fourteen times. The NBA modeled its logo after Jerry West. After retiring as an NBA pl

FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR CLIENT. The world is full of people waiting to bring their incredible ideas to the marketplace. Many entrepreneurs first think about how great their idea is and how rich they’ll get. Before you unleash your masterpiece to the world, take a moment to think about who your product is really for. Entrepreneurs often start with marketing and building business plans. Many don’t make it as far as understanding the outcome they are trying to achieve. Start with the end. Start with the transformation and work backward. Learn to fall in love with your client, not your product. Once you know who you’re creating for and what the outcome will be, everything else will fall into place. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Darren Hardy, one of the most successful entrepreneurs I know. He shared his thoughts on the three biggest mistakes people make in sales. Darren Hardy is a successful entrepreneur, speaker, author, and publisher of Success Magazine. Learn about sales, bu

PLAY THE LONG GAME. The cover of a book never tells the entire story. People often assume that successful people have had an easy life. Many, though, have persevered through extremely painful life events. Sometimes it takes accepting your reality in order to move forward. Sometimes it takes forgiveness. You will face setbacks and some of those setbacks might be tragic. Preparation and process can get you far. But sometimes you need to dig even deeper and release yourself from trauma in order to truly move forward. You will be tested. But keep going. Face your reality, follow your dreams and live with purpose. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about turning tragedy into triumph and living out your rock star dreams with an NFL superstar and elite magician: Jon Dorenbos. Jon Dorenbos is a former NFL long snapper football player. He played for the Buffalo Bills, the Tennessee Titans, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He also has a successful career as a magician. He has appeared on America’s Got T

BE MILITARY MINDED. A lot of people think that leadership means having all the answers. Barking orders at your team, hoping they stay in line and obey. Pretending to know it all even when you don’t. True leadership is understanding human nature. What if leaders accepted responsibility for any mistakes made on their teams? We have to stop thinking of leadership as a destination. It is a journey where we listen, learn, and strategize with our teams, not for them. It’s not about ego; it’s about humility, balance, accountability, and execution. In today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about the art of leadership with a retired Navy SEAL officer and a business consultant: Jocko Willink. Jocko Willink is a decorated retired Navy SEAL officer, author of the book ‘Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win,’ and co-founder of Echelon Front, where he is a leadership instructor, speaker, and executive coach. Jocko spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, starting as an enlisted SEAL and rising

DO YOUR JOB. If you want to be a leader, you must learn how to master your feelings. That is what life requires from leaders in any field. If you do not currently possess these characteristics, there are ways to acquire them. First, be honest with yourself. You need to take it one step at a time. You must be consistent and practice habits that will improve your confidence. Little by little, your self-confidence will grow, and your fear will take a back seat. Soon you will be able to handle any situation confidently and courageously. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation with Captain Dale Dye, where he shared strategies to help eliminate fear and build leadership skills. Captain Dale Dye served in the US Marines for 22 years, he received 3 Purple Hearts for his injuries sustained while in Vietnam, and he dedicated a second career to bringing realistic depictions of war to Hollywood screens. Captain Dale Dye says that you need to conquer your emotions if you want to be successful. Learn how

We want a direct path to success.  But the road is never straight.  What makes it special isn’t just the destination but the journey that shaped us. Along the way, we discover ourselves.  We pick up skills and learn how to deal with our fears and emotions.  But the emotions that took us to the top often will not keep us there.  We must learn a new set of skills to maintain our success and go further.  In today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about dealing with anger, preparation, and the journey to success with a Hollywood star: David Walton. David Walton is a talented actor who rose to prominence on television and is well known for his role on the comedy series “New Girl” and for his character Will Freeman on the successful series “About a Boy.” So get ready to learn about emotional growth, how to handle relationship conflicts, and mastering your emotions on Episode 869. Some Questions I Ask: Do you ever feel insecure as an actor? (21:30) Why do you think we hold on to anger and frustration? (27

PEOPLE ARE BETTER THAN WIFI Often, we have talent. We work hard and practice our craft. But something holds us back from reaching our highest potential. Often the things holding us back are fear, doubt, and a lack of self-confidence. Do you have trouble talking to new people in crowded rooms? Are you able to make eye contact when speaking to your peers? Those are some of the things we need to do to improve our relationships. If not, we could be limiting our growth potential. Making better connections is possible, and the rewards are tremendous. It’s up to you. Become more than the work, be the story behind the work. Allow people to connect with that, and there are no limits to what you can accomplish. In today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about how the importance of making personal connections with the author, film producer, and movie legend: Brian Grazer. Brian Grazer is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Grammy award-winning producer and New York Times bestselling. His films and telev

WRESTLING WITH YOUR FEELINGS. Being an elite athlete comes with rewards. People who work hard and dedicate themselves to their craft deserve the fruits of their labor. They train hard and make painful sacrifices to achieve their goals. The money, the fans, the praise, and the accolades come with being the best in your field. But what is the cost? What have you sacrificed to achieve your dream? Outside of your profession, are you able to deal with life and the challenges it presents? If you sacrificed your emotions in the process, you’ll have to figure out a way to make yourself whole again. We must make sure we’re at our best physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Often that takes just as much work as being great at our craft. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Randy Couture about brotherhood in sports, emotional breakdowns, and the psychology of a professional fighter. Randy has fought in 16 title fights and has six UFC title reigns in the Lightweight and Heavyweight divisi