The School of Greatness

ALWAYS QUIT. That doesn’t mean you should bail when things are hard. It means that you are not a victim to your circumstances. If the level of the project that you’re taking part in is not up to your standards, you have to leave. You can’t let other people ruin you. Your name is all you have. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with writer and producer Phil Rosenthal wher...

SHAKE THE SNOWGLOBE. So often, we talk about the importance of discipline in order to reach our goals. But doing the same thing all the time can keep us from living in the present. We have to find a balance. We’ve got to dance with routine and freedom. So how can you keep your mind in the now? Every night, do something unexpected. Travel. And constantly put yourselves in situations where you don’t...

HOW DO YOU TALK TO YOURSELF? The relationship you have with yourself is the most important. If you’re constantly putting yourself down and judging yourself, eventually you’re going to self-destruct. It’s common to self-sabotage when things are going well. It can happen to anyone- it doesn’t matter how successful you are. We feel anxious. We feel like a fraud. We might even feel like we don’t deser...

A BROKEN HEART IS AN INJURY. A butterfly doesn’t begin as a butterfly. It has to struggle to get out of the cocoon. We can’t cut the butterfly out of the cocoon to make the process easier. It has to develop the necessary muscles it needs to fly. Its beauty comes from its struggle. Heartbreak, like any other obstacle, is essential for your growth. For this special Five Minute Friday, we hear a solo...

IT'S TIME TO PUT THESE SEX MYTHS TO BED. Having a healthy sexual relationship is important. But it’s not something we often talk about. Women’s satisfaction especially seems to take a back seat. So how can women get what they need in the bedroom? As men, we can ask questions. See what your partner is into. And understanding the science behind why women like the things they do are helpful, too. The...

LEARN TO EMBRACE FAILURE. We often hold onto words. When someone gives us negative feedback, we can let it consume our minds. It’s not healthy. You can’t stop yourself from being offended by what someone says. But you can listen and be open to learning. Every time you mess up you’re making yourself better. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about making the most of opportunities...

DO GOOD ALL THE TIME. Some people have an idea of giving that is not sustainable. You can’t self-sacrifice endlessly to help others. You also have to take care of yourself. Giving can be a win/win situation. In fact, it should be. Helping the world is only worth it if you are also helping yourself. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Will Macaskill where he shared th...

IT' ALL ABOUT THE HUSTLE. What gatekeepers are holding you back from doing what you love? I’m inspired by the creators on YouTube. They are people who have forged their own path. They didn’t wait for someone to allow them to make videos- they just went out and did it. They’ve dealt with negative comments. They’ve had failed videos. They’ve faced countless setbacks. And they still continued to crea...

YOU HAVE TO SHOW UP EVERY DAY. I’m not a distance runner. When I run, the first few minutes are easy. But after a mile, it starts to hurt. I can either stop there, or I can keep going. When I push through the adversity, I feel like I can run forever. I hit the zone where it doesn’t hurt anymore. The same thing happens in life. You have to keep giving it your best even when it’s hard. You have to k...

THERE IS ORDER TO THE CHAOS. What is this place? Are we even really here? Is there a higher power that created us, or was it a random explosion? These are some big questions. But the odds of life actually existing are insane. Everything would have had to had come together so perfectly. It’s hard for people to wrap their minds around, but we need to admit there is so much about the universe we don’...

YOU'RE ONLY AS SICK AS THE SECRETS YOU KEEP. Five years ago, I made my first post opening up about my childhood sexual abuse. It was the best thing I could have done. My life became a billion times better when I started to share my shame. I was able to sleep through the night. I connected to other people. And I was able to give and receive love. Now I want to help other people experience the same...

THOSE WHO SAY THEY CAN AND THOSE WHO SAY THE CAN'T ARE USUALLY BOTH RIGHT. Any time you try to do something great, there are going to be critics. That’s impossible. That’s crazy. You’ll never be able to do that. But the biggest doubter is often yourself. How can we master our minds and quiet our fears when we are striving for greatness? It’s about pushing past our limits and tapping into a flow st...

REJECT APATHY. There is suffering happening all over the world. We all can do something. Children can be a great example. When you see a kid give up what little allowance they have to help someone else or set up a lemonade stand, you realize that what you’re able to give is enough. We can’t just turn a blind eye. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Scott Harrison whe...

PRESSURE ALLOWS YOU TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. What makes one business succeed and another fail? The most important element is the entrepreneur. If you watch the show Shark Tank, you know that people get investments from sharks just by being a passionate salesperson. It’s about going all in. So how can we ensure that what we put our time and money into will be unstoppable? We have to learn from the pe...

DIE YOUNG AT AN OLD AGE. How many fad diets have you tried? There’s a reason that they don’t work. Health and diet are not one-size-fits-all. We all have a special set of genes that tell us what foods we need. But it’s more than your genes. Doctor’s will ask you if you have a history of a disease in your family. That’s because you not only share the same genetic make-up, you probably eat the same...

YOUR FALSE HUMILITY IS HURTING YOU. We all can struggle with taking money in return for our services. It’s hard to ask for what you need. My father sold life insurance. He taught me a lot about not being ashamed of selling something that adds value to another person’s life. That’s why, for this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with my brother Christian Howes about how artists c...

IT'S TIME TO DIGITALLY DECULTTER. Very few of us have the courage to be alone. When we are quiet and don’t distract ourselves, we have to face hard questions. It can be scary. Instead, we reach for our phones. We might be trying to fill a void, or we might just be addicted. Technology is a lot like processed food. We want more and more, but we’ll never be satisfied. On today’s episode of The Schoo...

THE TWO THINGS AT WAR IN A MAN ARE LOVE AND LUST. People today are struggling in relationships. With social media, there are so many options. Everything looks fresh and new and interesting. Why would anyone be happy with just one person? But when you’re constantly searching for the next best thing, you feel empty. You lack peace and satisfaction. And you miss out on what life is all about: love. W...

DOING MORE FOR OTHERS WILL ACTUALLY HELP YOUR BUSINESS. Sometimes we get stuck after we get some success. I even feel like I’ve hit an income ceiling. How do we get to that next step? There are some mindset hacks that can get you out of a rut. One of them is tying your business to charity. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Josh Bezoni where he shared the importance...

VALIDATION IS REDUNDANT. As many of you know, I didn’t have friends growing up. I couldn’t read and write until late high school. I was goofy and gangly. I got made fun of all the time. Sports was something I could finally understand. I was able to prove myself by what I could accomplish on the field. But then I placed my self worth in what I could achieve in football. If I lost a game, I felt ter...

YOU CAN'T FAKE IT. Finding your career isn’t something you decide in your head. You have to try lots of things. Put yourself in different environments. Pay attention to what makes you happy. Little by little, you’ll find the right path. When you do, you’ll be unstoppable. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about what makes a great entrepreneur with someone who knew she had found...

THINK ABOUT YOUR LONG TERM HEALTH. We all want great health. But whose advice are we taking? Often, we jump on the latest diet craze without figuring out if it’s the best thing for us. Your body works differently than anyone else’s. And these fad diets can have serious long term effects on your metabolism. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Yuri Elkaim where he shar...

IT'S OK TO NOT BE OK. So often we feel like we have to mask what we are going through. We hide our fears. We cover our scars. But the adversity you face makes you a stronger person. You’re not the only one who is battling something. The more vulnerable you can be about what you’re up against, the more other people will be able to support you. It’s going to take a team effort. Don’t let a weak mome...

“WHY” IS NOT AN EVOLUTIONARY QUESTION. Growing up, I had more imaginary friends than real friends. I would play games with myself to keep myself happy. I was very lonely. I felt insecure. But as I got older, I was able to find meaning and purpose. That allowed me to feel connected to the people around me. We need to have hope and meaning. It’s what makes us human. On today’s episode of The School...

THERE'S A BIGGER STORY. When I started my book tour, people were always asking me, “How are you going to stay humble?” It’s not easy. When you start getting recognition, it can go to your head. But you can’t share your message if you don’t believe in yourself. It’s a balance. You need to be confident but also know that it’s not all about you. You are a part of the story, not the whole thing. For t...