The School of Greatness

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...

ONCE YOU ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS, YOU HAVE TO CREATE NEW ONES. Do you remember what you dreamed about when you were little? So often, we get what we always wanted, and then we get greedy. We start wanting more money and more recognition. But that stuff doesn’t make you happy. It’s time to get your priorities straight. Remember why you started in the first place. On today’s episode of The School of Gre...

YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE. So many of us hide who we truly are. We bury our shame thinking that if anyone knew we would no longer be accepted. But living this way keeps us from connecting with others. It keeps us from truly experiencing life. I kept my history of abuse hidden for a long time. It wasn’t until I told my story that I could become the person I am today. You have to forgive yourself. On t...

UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU CAME FROM. The way you were raised still has effects on you today. It’s not that you should blame your parents. They did the best they could. But you should be aware of how your current actions reflect the truths you learned growing up. Growing up, my parents were raising four kids and working multiple jobs. I always felt invisible. I know that a lot of what motivates me today...

RELATIONSHIPS ARE OUR GREATEST TEACHER. It’s Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re single or in a relationship, it’s a good time to reflect. You have to get clear on what you want in a partner. Be specific. Otherwise, you’ll keep repeating the same patterns over and over. If you’re dating or married, do you treat that other person with respect? Do you listen to them and value them? Finding the right per...

STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN. It’s much easier to eat whatever you’re craving without thinking much about it. It takes energy and intention to figure out what’s actually in our food. But making the effort to understand the ingredients we put in our body will help us take our life to the next level. So why is it so hard? The food industry is doing everything they can to keep chemicals in their...

YOU HAVE TO HAVE FAITH THAT YOU'LL FIND A WAY. Do you allow doubt to trickle in? Maybe I won’t make it. Maybe I’m not smart enough. Maybe I’m not the person for the job. Your self-belief has to be airtight if you want to go all the way. It has to be unwavering. Once you believe in yourself authentically, you will get others on board who believe in you, too. You have the power to create a movement....

YOU CAN'T LET YOUR EGO RUN THE SHOW. You might be consumed by your ego and not even know it. It can be a powerful tool or the cause of your downfall. You need to recognize it, be aware of it, laugh at it, and finally work together with your ego to be your best self. Break the bonds of your ego. Otherwise, when will you ever be enough? On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I’ve created a m...

SWEAT MORE IN TRAINING SO YOU'LL BLEED LESS IN WAR. The nineties were a difficult time for me. But I believe that I experienced that to give me the motivation to do what I’m doing today. A rich life greatly lived is one that is also filled with challenges. I want you to know that no matter what you’re going through, there is richness on the other side. Take your wounds and turn them into wisdom. O...

“PROGRESS IS THE SOUL OF THE UNIVERSE.” - DE CHARDIN What do you believe in? We all agree that certain things are wrong. We’re constantly redefining what it means to treat each other with compassion and respect. So what is it that’s inspiring us to change? You might think that it’s random. But maybe there is a force behind it all. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with...

UBUNTU: I AM BECAUSE WE ARE, AND, SINCE WE ARE, THEREFORE I AM. What do you do with your dreams? Do you even take time to dream? So many of us are afraid to even admit to ourselves what we really want. But if you write your dreams down, magic happens. You’ll be shocked at how they will make themselves into reality. Write them down. The best kind of dreams, though, are the ones that will help other...

THE AMERICAN DREAM I NOT DEAD. We are conditioned to spend money. We think, “I’ll just get a credit card. I’ll just get a loan. I’ll just pay for it later.” Advertisements tell us to spend, spend, spend. What if, instead, you became allergic to debt. I’m lucky that my father taught me the importance of savings and investing. But I see so many of my friends spend all of their paychecks. On today’s...

THE SCHOOL OF GREATNESS IS TURNING SIX. I’ve been hosting The School of Greatness for six years. We’ve done 750 episodes. That’s 750 conversations with inspiring people like Kobe Bryant, Scooter Braun, Maria Sharapova, Tony Robbins, Sarah Blakely, Maria Shriver and more. When I started, I hoped it would reach millions of people. Now the podcast has over 90 million downloads. My life has changed fo...

WHERE YOUR FOCUS GOES, YOUR ENERGY WILL FLOW. How do you define yourself? Do you use words like “ugly,” “fat,” or “shy?” Social media and advertising like to tell us that we’re not enough. But you don’t have to live by anyone else’s definition-you have the power to create your own. Write your own view of yourself. Right now. Do it. What you believe you will be is what you will become. On today’s e...

WHEREVER YOU ARE IS A NEW TARTING POINT. We often think of pain as bad. Whether you’re going through a breakup, getting let go from a job, or making a big move, the experience is uncomfortable. But you need that feeling to truly make changes in your life. It’s how you can adopt new thought patterns and let go of old habits. Think back on your own challenging experiences and how it affected your ou...

YOU ARE A CULMINATION OF ALL YOUR DECISIONS. We can blame our circumstances on our upbringing, on our partners, even on the government. But the truth is, you’ve signed up for your life experience. Everything happening in your life is a direct response to your actions. You have to let go of the belief systems that are holding you back. They might have served you in the past, but they are keeping yo...

WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPRESS? We are constantly trying to be what we’re not. We’re trying to look like someone else, perform like someone else, or spend our time in ways that make other people happy. This is an exhausting way to live. Like Einstein says, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” You ar...

EMOTIONS ARE GREAT SERVANTS, BUT POOR MASTERS. So many men are hurting, and then hurting others. People don’t want to hear that. But men feel like they’re emotional prisoners. They are committing suicide at much higher rates. They are the ones performing mass shootings. They are reacting in violence. We have to allow men ways to process their past and to express their emotions in order to become t...

RISE AND GRIND. You have to give yourself permission to follow your dreams. You might think, “People like me don’t don’t do that,” “I’m not ready,” or “There’s no way for e to succeed.” But no one is going to tell you that you can. You have to know that for yourself. It’s so important. Your belief in yourself is the difference between success and failure. That’s why, for this Five Minute Friday, I...

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A BOOK, HOW WOULD YOU WANT YOUR STORY TO GO? Whatever it is that you want to do in this new year- declare it. Tell everyone. One of the scariest things you can do is to admit your goals. What if you fail? But saying your intentions out loud allows the universe and those around you to make them a reality. Holding yourself accountable to what you really want won’t be easy, but it wi...

DON'T LET "POTENTIAL" BE WRITTEN ON YOUR TOMBSTONE. About ten years ago when I was playing professional football, I got injured. I ended up on my sister’s couch. I felt bad for myself and thought that there should be a way for people like me to get help. Then I realized- what if I could solve this problem? It was that experience that led me into the work I do today. One of the reasons I...

POSITIVELY IMPACT THE WORLD AROUND YOU. If you were to ask my grandfather what a billionaire is, he would tell you it’s someone with a billion dollars. Today, that definition has changed - even by Forbes standard. Now a true billionaire is someone who impacts a billion lives. The value of money is declining, and in order to have true value in this world you need to add positivity to the world. It’...

LET HAPPINESS HAPPEN. Are you waiting to be happy? Maybe you’re waiting until you reach your goal weight, you get that car, or you get that promotion. What if I told you that your happiness is not going to be there when you get those things? You might feel a rush for a moment, but it won’t last. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I created a mashup on happiness with quotes from Marisa...

CREATE GOLD OUT OF DIRT. It’s the end of another year. You have to take time to reflect. Celebrate your wins. Embrace your losses. If you don’t, you’ll miss out on an amazing opportunity. You have the power to mold your ideas into reality every single moment of your life. Growing up, I never wanted to lose. But it wasn’t until I learned to reframe the loss as a lesson that I was able to really get...

THERE'S ALWAYS A PRICE TO PAY. I’ve got a huge sweet tooth. I’d love to eat candy all day. But I know that what we put into our body will affect what we can get out of it. If you want to achieve greatness in your health, you have to keep finding what works and tweak it. You need to approach nutrition the same way you approach business or athletics. Keep refining until you get to the next level. Di...