The School of Greatness

VISUALIZE YOUR BEST LIFE Do you find it challenging to achieve goals? Often, we get lost when we have a destination with no map. It’s time to visualize your future and lay out the steps. Keep your eye on your objectives. Think like a Navy Seal. Map out each step and stick to the plan. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Kimberly Guilfoyle, where she shared her strate...

DRESS FOR HAPPINESS. People live their lives trying to find their purpose. They are looking for ways to express their true selves. But many are worried about judgment and the opinions of others. Do you deny your destiny? How can you get on the road to happiness and self-fulfillment? You have to ignore the noise. Be yourself no matter what people say. Take the time to discover what makes you happy....

Often, we doubt ourselves and our creative ideas. We think that creative people were born with special abilities. And often, we doubt our creative talents. But, is that what we truly believe? If so, why are those creative ideas still in our heads? Ready to come out. Here’s the truth- they were given to you because you were born to create it. Creativity isn’t a birthright or destination, it’s a pro...

Stress is an unavoidable part of life. It’s not about having a stress-free life- it’s about learning how to deal with it gracefully. Think of the last stressful moment you had. How did you react? Did you get angry and tense up? Or were you able to breathe and move through it? The more we work on our reaction when things go differently than we’d hoped, the happier we will be. For this Five Minute F...

YOU TEACH OTHERS HOW TO TREAT YOU. Often, we don’t like how people talk to us. Whether it’s at home, at work, or with our friends, there are many times where we don’t get the respect we desire. It feels terrible. But how much ownership do we take of those situations? Here’s the truth- you get what you put up with. Unless you’re willing to set boundaries and tell people what’s not ok, you’ll end up...

THE CRITICS ARE COMING. People understand that there will be challenges and fear when they chase their dreams. But they’re not willing to be embarrassed. Are you willing to look like a fool? To go all-in and fail? It’s a guarantee when you go after the thing you want. You have to keep putting your head out there knowing that it could get chopped off. The more you face your fears, the more self-con...

DON’T GET DISTRACTED BY SHINY THINGS. It can be exciting to receive connections to the rich and powerful. Fancy dinners, galas, and White House dinners can be tempting. But if these things are keeping you from accomplishing what you set out to do, you’re better off without them. Money comes with strings. If the people pulling those strings don’t align with your message, that money has too great a...

NEVER BE CLOSING. A lot of books about selling encourage you to act like someone you’re not. They tell you to say the other person’s name. Copy their body language. Become a salesman. But what if the key to selling is accepting who you are? What if everything weird about you is what will make you successful? Stop thinking of business as transactional. Instead, be generous. Play the long game. And...

DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY. We all face a lot of pressure from the world. We’re constantly comparing ourselves to others on social media and getting critiques from friends and family. Whether it’s when to have kids, our relationship choices, or a nontraditional career, it’s hard to step outside the box. We might feel judged. We might feel alone. And it might be scary to wander into new territory. So ho...

WRITE FOR OTHERS, NOT FOR YOU. There are a lot of smart, accomplished people in our audience. You know things that are valuable to others. You’ve got great businesses. You’re ready to share that knowledge with the world. But figuring out where to start can be overwhelming. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Tucker Max where he shared his three steps to starting your...

BELIEVE IN SOMETHING GREATER. There are two types of winners I’ve observed. Both of them have confidence. But one winner, when asked how they did it, answers, “I am the greatest.” The other winner, when asked how they did it, answers, “God is the greatest.” Are you putting pressure on yourself to succeed or fail? Or are you putting your strength in something greater? Whether or not you consider yo...

FAMILY ISN’T EVERYTHING. How often have you heard phrases about putting family first? Most of us had a plaque on the wall growing up that said something similar. But if you’re letting family walk all over you, you’re doing a disservice to yourself. We get what we tolerate. If you don’t like something, but you tolerate it, you can’t expect people to change. So how do we have better relationships wi...

TURN ADVERSITY INTO ADVANTAGE. Do you spend a lot of time wishing things were different? Do you feel sorry for yourself for the struggles you face? Maybe it’s time to reframe those obstacles as gifts. After all, the things that hurt us the most can help us show others more love. Pain can lead us to pleasure. And your negative experiences will lead you to greatness. For this Five Minute Friday, I r...

PLAY MORE CHESS AND LESS CHECKERS. We always make fun of dogs chasing their tails. It’s funny to watch- they spin and spin and spin trying to catch the impossible. They eventually flop onto the ground exhausted. What’s the “tail” you are chasing? You probably think something will change when you finally catch that thing that is just out of reach, but the reality is that it probably won’t. I’ve acc...

GRIT CANNOT BE TAUGHT. What does it mean to be unstoppable? No matter what knocks you down, you stay the course for your goal. It’s not enough to just withstand the struggle. You have to embrace the struggle. That’s what I did when I played football, and it’s what I do in my career today. Fall in love with the pain associated with your passion. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk...

WHAT TURNS YOUR CRANK? We often define ourselves by what job we do. I’m an accountant. I’m a teacher. I work in finance. But maybe we’re thinking about our careers in the wrong parameters. Instead of finding a job, we should be trying to find a way to feel excited and fulfilled every day. If you wake up with dread, you feel like you’re in a suit that’s too small, or you’re uninspired, you’re proba...

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE YESTERDAY. We are all governed by fear. Even when good things happen, we’re afraid they will go away. Once you accept and welcome your fear, it won’t have control over you anymore. It’s about embracing the duality. You have to be ok with the best outcome and the worst outcome. Here’s the truth: you don’t have to live anxious and scared. You don’t have to be governed by your st...

BE A CONSCIOUS SAMARITAN. Most of us know the parable of The Good Samaritan. It tells the story of an injured man at the side of the road. The priest crosses to the other side and ignores the man in need of help. The Levite does the same. The Samaritan, though, stops and cares for the man. But let’s zoom out a bit. Is there something we could do on a more global scale so that less men are left inj...

NOTHING HAPPENS EASILY. If you want to make real change in your life, you have to know it’s going to be uncomfortable. Everything has its process. You’re going to feel scared. You’re going to have growing pains. That’s part of being a human. But your ability to make mistakes and still stay true to your goals will determine whether or not you make it. You have to take it one step at a time. You hav...

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE. We all have greatness inside us. That’s the whole reason I started this podcast. So why do we make ourselves smaller to fit in with everyone else? Why do we hide? Why do we make excuses? Why do we let others dim our light? By denying our destiny, we create disease, conflict, and unhappiness. Shine your light. It’s not always easy. When you embrace your greatness, others will...

ENERGY FLOWS TO AND THROUGH YOU. We tend to minimize what we think we can accomplish. We put ourselves in a box. But we often think that other people can do what we can’t. Why do we believe in others more than ourselves? We all have infinite potential. But we let our “paradigm” define what’s possible. Let’s investigate all the ways your thoughts are holding you back from being happy, healthy, and...

WHAT’S YOUR EXCUSE? We love to focus on why we’re not able to go after our dreams. Whether it’s our financial situation, our past, or the government, it’s much easier to blame an outside force than take responsibility. But what if there are no excuses? What if the only thing in your way is you? After all, you can’t change your circumstances. But you can change how you react to them. Life isn’t hap...

JOIN ME FOR TESLA TALKS. Be open. Be honest. Let other people in. Too often we keep up walls and try to hide who we really are. But when you are vulnerable and transparent, amazing things can happen. My friend Matt joins me in the Tesla for this episode of The School of Greatness to ask me 73 questions. I answer them all. Instead of “Coffee Conversations,” this is “Tesla Talks.” Matt asks me some...

WE HAVE TO BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES. We learn a lot of coping mechanisms when we’re younger. They help us get through tough times. But so many of us are still carrying around tactics that are no longer needed. They can make us defensive. They can prevent us from developing relationships. And they can hold us back from our goals. We need to “update our software.” Our situation has changed, but our...

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR NARRATIVE. What stories are you telling? The ones you repeat will end up shaping your life. When you’re building a work culture, storytelling is key. They will determine how employees behave. They will shape the narratives they tell themselves about their coworkers. And they will inspire them to work even harder. How can you harness the power of storytelling to create an ideal...