The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes

“THERE’S A HUGE AMOUNT OF REAL STATE BETWEEN THE WORST AND THE GREATEST.” Do you care about getting your social media numbers up? Do you want people to love and adore you? The problem is that you’re focusing in the wrong direction. Don’t concentrate on yourself or what you want from other people. Shift your focus to helping others. Make an impact on those who already appreciate you. When that happens, more people will appreciate you. You’ll make their lives magical, and the success and admiration will come later. For example, when Oprah comes out on stage she doesn’t say “Look at me. I’m great.” She puts her focus on her audience. She zooms in on others and does what she can to help everyone around her. For this episode of 5 Minute Friday, I’m bringing back this segment from Elizabeth Gilbert. She’s an American author, essayist, short story writer, biographer, novelist, and memoirist. She is best known for her 2006 memoir, Eat, Pray, Love, which as of December 2010 had spent 199 weeks on the New York Times Be

THE FIRST WEALTH IS HEALTH. Lately I have been bringing you some mashups, giving you some of the best advice on a specific topic and the response has been overwhelming. I know you love the long interviews, hearing about all aspects of someone’s life - and I’m not going to stop those. I love them too. But I wanted to take a moment to bring you a best of on something very important to me. It’s something that you need to think about if you want to truly achieve greatness, because without it you can’t go very fair. Yes, it's health and wellness. Without having good health, you can’t really enjoy your life. Trust me I know. I used to not care about my body at all. I worked all day. I would hardly sleep. I was putting on a lot of weight. So much so people started to call me Flewis (Fat Lewis). Once I started taking care of myself, that’s when everything changed. I started sleeping better, I had more confidence, and I was a lot more productive. That’s why for this episode of the School of Greatness, I am bringing yo

“WHAT YOU THINK IS YOUR GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENT CAN BE YOUR GREATEST RESCUE.” Do you ever get down on yourself over mistakes you’ve made in the past? Are you upset about things that happened to you and feel like the best times of your life are over? They’re not. When I was younger and injured right as my professional career as an athlete was starting to take off, I thought that was it. I thought my life was over in my early twenties. I had no backup. No plan B. I ended up sharing myself with the world, and turning my selfish nature into something selfless. I started making it my goal to help others, to transform lives, and I’m so much happier than I ever could have been. Of course, a part of me wishes my career as an athlete had been successful, but when I think about everything I have and all of the memories I have from helping others, I wouldn’t change it for the world. There’s no reason you can’t do the same now. Your glory days are still coming. On this episode of The School of Greatness, I had the pleasu

"CONVINCE YOURSELF YOU ARE WORTH IT.” Have you ever wondered, “What value do I have? Am I good enough? How can I compete against others?” Those thoughts stem from you comparing yourself to others. It’s a natural habit, but it’s one that is going to hold you back. Your value comes from you. From being who you are, and all of the experiences you went through. This world, and finding your place in it, is all about you being you and trusting in your instincts. If you compare yourself to others, you’re always going to feel like you’re coming up short. The truth is, you are great now. Every experience you go through, good or bad, makes you something special. To go further into this, I wanted to dive into a previous episode with Taye Diggs. Taye is an actor and singer who has had an incredible career in film and theatre. He was in the film, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and the TV series Private Practice, among many other career highlights. Listen to all of Taye’s insights, on Episode 642. In This Episode You

"You have to have some kind of practice of stillness in your life." - Danielle LaPorte Have you ever wondered what the truth is about why we're here and how to make sense of life? I think we all have. It's a question I often ask guests on my podcast who have a spiritual background. I'm fascinated by all the different ideas on our purpose in life and how to find it. We've had some amazing spiritual leaders on the show, from all different backgrounds, so I thought it would be cool to do a Masters mashup episode on spiritual truths. The response to these mashup episodes from the archives has been so great, I'm going to keep them coming. This one features 4 clips from some of the wisest spiritual minds I've ever met. First we hear from John Gray about how we can see our biggest mistakes and challenges being used for good in our lives. Then we hear from Marianne Williamson about the difference between pain and suffering (and that we have a choice about how to respond to them). Next there's a great nugget

THE GREATEST PEOPLE ARE MADE BY THE GREATEST CHALLENGES. Have you ever wondered what the truth is about why we're here and how to make sense of life? I think we all have. It's a question I often ask guests on my podcast who have a spiritual background. I'm fascinated by all the different ideas on our purpose in life and how to find it. We've had some amazing spiritual leaders on the show, from all different backgrounds, so I thought it would be cool to do a Masters mashup episode on spiritual truths. The response to these mashup episodes from the archives has been so great, I'm going to keep them coming. This one features 4 clips from some of the wisest spiritual minds I've ever met. First we hear from John Gray about how we can see our biggest mistakes and challenges being used for good in our lives. Then we hear from Marianne Williamson about the difference between pain and suffering (and that we have a choice about how to respond to them). Next there's a great nugget from Danielle LaPorte about why it's so

“IF YOU FILL YOUR HOUSE LIGHT, DARKNESS CAN'T COME IN.” So many people I know put more time and energy into their things, or their career, than they do into into their relationship. I know I can be guilty of it, and I’m sure you can be too. We put so much time into fixing up things like our homes, maintaining our cars, we tend to forget about those closest to us. We take them for granted. When is the last time you really took the time to make your partner feel good? How often do you really put effort into boosting their confidence -- or even just being present with them. That’s not the only relationship we neglect though - we forget about the one with ourselves. Chances are it’s been awhile since you’ve taken the time to forgive yourself. To do something respectable and give yourself that moment to appreciate it. To appreciate you. To dive further into this I wanted to bring back a previous episode with the internationally acclaimed spiritual author and lecturer, Marianne Williamson on Episode 639. In This Ep

"SOMEBODY HAS TO BE THE BEST. WHY SHOULDN'T IT BE YOU?" - MIKE CHANDLER Have you ever looked at the best in the world and wondered if you could be that? I have. I think a lot of us do when we're kids. We are amazed and inspired by the very best examples we find. But often we grow up and discover all kinds of reasons for why we can't be as good as the best. We fail at things. We struggle. We get knocked down, disappointed, hurt. I got to connect with someone this week who has experienced all of that. Many times. But he still decided he could be the best in the world at what he does. And he became that. Mike Chandler is a Bellator Lightweight Champion fighter. He was an All-American wrestler in college. He's overcome extraordinary opponents to win titles again and again. But he's also faced losses. Failures. Setbacks. At one point, after winning the world championship, he didn't win another fight for 688 days straight. So when we had a minute to sit down to record a podcast about the mindset of champi

"When you become rare, people become really terrified of losing you." - Matthew Hussey I know I get huge value every time I sit across from an expert and hear their wisdom about one of the most important parts of my life -- my relationships. We've had some amazing relationship coaches on the podcast through the years, but some of the episodes are so old, I know you may not remember them (or have ever heard them). That's why I wanted to put together another mashup episode from the archives to share some of these gems with you. If you enjoyed last week's mashup episode on High Performance Habits, you're going to love this one. We're first featuring a clip from my good friend and global dating icon Matthew Hussey. This is still one of the most popular episodes we've ever recorded. Then we dive into part of my conversation with Tracy McMillan, an Oprah favorite, a long-term TV writer, and relationship expert. I love how real and honest Tracy is in this episode. Last, we feature the master therapist hers

“WHEN YOU HAVE A VISION, IT BURNS INSIDE OF YOU.” If you want to find your purpose in life, you need to dream with others in mind. When you find that purpose, you’ll have to lead others. When you do, there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that. To explain this more, and how to tell if you’re really meant to be a leader, I brought back this clip from Nancy Duarte. Nancy Duarte is the founder of the design firm Duarte, Inc. They have consulted companies and leaders like Apple, Google, GE, and so many more to create the speeches and presentations that have shaped all of the brands we love. Her most recent book is all about how leaders can use storytelling to enroll their teams to follow their vision. You’ll learn all about what it takes to bear the torch of leadership, on Episode 636. In This Episode You Will Learn: Who the real leaders are (1:00) The importance of being a torch bearer (1:51) Why we need self mastery (2:25) How businesses used to be run (2:53) What your dreams need to have to be success

TO BE THE BEST YOU HAVE TO LEARN FROM THE BEST. This week I wanted to bring you something new. I’ve recorded well over six hundred episodes at this point. There’s been so much knowledge and wisdom from the brightest minds on the planet shared on the show. I know it can be overwhelming to try to take it all, so I'm bringing you a recap of some of the strongest wisdom I’ve received over the years of doing this podcast. For this episode I wanted to concentrate of high performance habits that I’ve learned from such amazing people as Brendon Burchard, Michael Gervais, Tony Robbins, and Mel Robbins. Each of these guests has reached the top of their game, and the biggest factor in that has been their habits. They set their mind to achieve something big and found a way to persevere even at some of the worst times. So what makes them different than you? Nothing. They aren’t super human and they aren’t luckier than you. If you take their words of wisdom, you’ll find how to overcome what’s holding you back. I hope you e

“WE’RE APPLYING 20TH CENTURY THINKING TO 21ST CENTURY PROBLEMS.” If you wake up in the morning and find that your tire is low, what do you do? You go with the quick fix and fill it up with air. What if you go to your car the next day and find it’s low. Do you fill it up again, and again, and again for days, weeks, months? Of course not. You find the root of the problem. You find the nail, or whatever is causing the problem, to have it removed and have it fixed permanently. So why aren’t you doing it with your health? Most of us go to the doctor and get a prescription for pills to fix our chronic problems. We just keep going for the quick fix instead of addressing the root of it. I can’t say every medical condition is this way, but in many cases ongoing problems like depression and diabetes needs to have the root problem examined. Chances are you just need to shift your lifestyle. And that doesn’t mean a drastic change to your life. You can start small. To explain much more than I can, I sat down with the UK's

“CULTIVATE PEOPLE AROUND YOU WHO ARE NOT AFRAID TO TELL YOU YOU THE TRUTH.” Whether you want to admit it or not, you have an ego. Everyone does. We tend to put a bad connotation on it, but in truth a little ego is healthy. Ego can be confidence about yourself and what you do. It can be a challenge if you become successful, because people become afraid of telling you the truth and pointing out your flaws. To keep growing, however, you must surround yourself with people who aren’t afraid to tell you the uncomfortable truths in a polite way. And if you truly respect someone with power over you, you’ll do the same. To go deeper into this, I am bringing back a strong segment from a previous episode with Ryan Holiday. Ryan is a writer and media strategist. When he was 19 years old, he dropped out of college to apprentice under Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power. He went on to become the director of marketing for American Apparel. His creative agency, Brass Check, has advised clients like Google, TASER, a

“WHAT HAPPEN IF I WERE TO LIVE MY LIFE WITH NO EXCUSE?” When I was injured as a pro athlete I felt I had really lost myself. I felt like my identity was stripped away from me. I began comparing myself to my past -- to what I could have been. I doubted my entire future. Chances are you’ve been through something similar. Maybe it was the loss of a job. Maybe you lost someone you depended on emotionally. I eventually came to a realization. I could continue down this self destructive path, feeling like a helpless victim in a cruel world, or I could take my destiny into my own hands. In the end, I decided to have faith that maybe this happened for a greater cause. I felt like maybe I was meant for something else. Something more important. On this episode of The School of Greatness, I had the chance to sit down with someone who knows a lot about having to reinvent themselves: Jay Williams. If you aren’t familiar with Jay Williams, he’s a former NBA pro. He came from a home that was surrounded by abusive relationshi

"Just because hate feels justified doesn't mean it's justifiable." - Sally Kohn Let's be honest: we've all done things we regret. They may have been when we were kids or adults. They may have affected just ourselves or many people around us. But it's likely we remember doing them because we regret them. This is something that's not easy to talk about. But there's something really valuable in recognizing the parts of ourselves that are capable of doing things we regret. I recently met a woman who gave a TED talk (and has now written a book) about this exact topic. Sally Kohn is a CNN commentator who has attracted huge amounts of haters during her career as a political speaker. As our society has gotten more divided, hate seems to be taking over a lot of actions and discussions. So Sally decided to do a deep dive study on why we hate and what the opposite of that is. She talked to her own haters, she traveled to countries that have experienced genocides, and she discussed the psychological pieces of w

"I am not my past, I am not my future. This is the only place I am able to express my will.” Do you ever have those moments when you replay a certain event in your mind over and over? It becomes so real, it’s almost like you are there. You start thinking, “What could I have done differently? Does this make me a bad person? Could I have handled things better?” I know when this happens I start judging myself. I become my worst critic, obsessing over how I lost my temper here or the person I hurt there. Ultimately, these moments don’t define us. What does define us is right now. What we do at this moment is who we are, and as long as we learned from our mistakes we shouldn’t judge ourselves. We need to forgive ourselves and stop the emotional punishment. To go more into this I wanted to bring you a clip from Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. for this episode of 5 Minute Friday. Don Miguel is a master of transformation, and he shares so much wisdom about forgiveness and moving forward with life on Episode 630. In This Epi

“It’s not what happens to you that defines who you are, it’s ultimately your decisions.” - Elizabeth Smart There are a lot of heartbreaking things that happen in this world. I’m sure you have your own stories. Being a victim doesn’t end with the event. It continues on for a lifetime. In the end, you have no control over what happened to you. There’s no going back. What you do have control over is the decisions you make on the other side -- how you let these tragedies affect you. You need to not only stay strong but also learn to forgive. When I say this, I say it from personal experience. I have gone through abuse when I was younger, and I understand how it can disrupt you to your core. But forgiveness isn’t for them. It’s for you. Forgiveness doesn’t mean what happened is ok. It doesn’t mean you let go of what happened and consider everything to be just fine. It doesn’t eliminate what happened. Forgiveness is about allowing yourself to move forward as a better person. It’s about growing, rather than letting

“MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE THINKING TOO MUCH AND FEELING ENOUGH.” There is a certain art that I feel had been lost over the years in this country, and you may have noticed it too. It’s the art of seduction. Let me make one thing clear, when I say seduction I don’t mean unwanted flirting. I don’t mean trying to manipulate someone. True seduction is a lore more than that. Seduction is about selflessly making other people feel good about themselves. Their bodies, their personalities, and everything about them. It’s also about being aware of your own body. Owning it, being proud of it, and listening to it. In America we spend so much time on our phones, we’ve lost that seduction between each other. This is a topic that my guest today, Chen Lizra, is an expert on. Chen Lizra had a wildly successful Ted Talk on the power of seduction. She’s also an award winning entrepreneur, best-selling author, and a professional dancer. She learned all about the power of seduction while living in Cuba, where she was deeply inspi

LOOK FOR SOMETHING TO BE GRATEFUL FOR EVERY DAY. Finding what makes you passionate is something a lot of people struggle with. We all want to find that thing in life that we are excited to do -- the drive that makes us want to wake up early because we can’t wait to get started. When you find the energy that your passion creates, it’s your duty to share it with everyone around you. That’s when you’ll make a real impact and people will remember you. Take care of them, and they’ll end up taking care of you one day. To go more in depth about the importance of living your passion, I wanted to bring back an episode with Steve Cook for this week’s 5 Minute Friday. Steve is one of the most recognizable faces in fitness today. He’s an IFBB Pro Men’s Physique Competitor, and spokesmodel for Optimum Nutrition and Bodybuilding. Learn how you can make an impact and inspire the world (and yourself) on Episode 627. Get more from Lewis! Pre-order my new book Make Money EasyGet The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyT

“THIS IS THE MOST LEGALLY SIGNIFICANT THING YOU WILL DO, OTHER THAN DYING.” Marriage is something that is so important to people. In fact, you probably thought about what your wedding would be like as a child. When people go into a marriage they think so much about their venue, their cake, their guest list -- but they never really think about what they are signing up for. Marriage is, legally, one of the most important things you can do. You are signing away half of your life. And there’s nothing wrong with that - if it’s the right person. On this episode of The School of Greatness, I brought on someone who knows so much about people being with the wrong person and how to set yourself up for a great marriage: NYC divorce attorney James Sexton. James has intentionally focused his practice on divorce and family law since his graduation from Fordham Law School. In addition to his Juris Doctorate (Law Degree) he has a Master of Arts degree from New York University where he focused his graduate research on the are