The School of Greatness

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 acti...

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 F...

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...

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 overcom...

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 ma...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ma...

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...

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 whe...

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 s...

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 furth...

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 t...

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? Out...

DEATH WITH NO REGRETS Losing a loved one is always difficult. Loss is difficult. Sometimes we’re prepared for it. Often, we are not. Either way, we know that death is a part of life. Are there lessons we can learn from the experiences of others? Sometimes sharing your story will help. Other times, listening will help you learn. Someone else’s pain can help you on your journey. It’s a process that...

YOU ATTRACT WHAT YOU ARE. Sometimes to reach the next level in our lives, we must dig deeper. Often, we need to forgive ourselves. We still need to attend to wounds we thought were previously healed. You must show compassion to that inner child who experienced trauma. Replace negative thoughts with thoughts of love and compassion. That’s how we continue to grow and evolve. Our healing does not hap...

Do you spend time thinking of past mistakes? Do negative memories burden you? Thoughts of incidents you believe to be unfair. We all go through tough times in life. But sometimes we get stuck in feelings of despair and self-pity. There is a path out of that dark place. There are ways to replace self-pity with compassion and understanding. All champions go through challenges. The key is to use your...

CRACK THE HEALTH CODE. These days there are a million ways to live a healthy lifestyle. Every day we hear about a new diet or strategy. How do we know what works and what doesn’t work? Information is the key, and with the right information, we can vastly improve our lives. What if you were able to put some of the best health and science experts in one room. Fortunately, that’s what we were able to...

What does it mean to be a leader? How do you define winning? At its root, leadership is a responsibility to the people around us. Anyone on your team can become a leader. It’s the kind of team trust that transforms your co-workers into a family. Just like leadership, winning is an on-going process. Winning requires an infinite mindset. Every day we study and train so that we can become better than...

MAKE YOUR OWN RULES. If you want to become a social media star, you have to find your voice and carve out your niche. It’s important to be flexible and open to change- as long as you stay authentic. Staying flexible with your vision could keep you from being pigeon-holed in your industry. Staying YOU will keep your followers interested. If you stay consistent, keep creating, and have fun, you will...

We all want to maintain our youth. Our goal is to be attractive, healthy, and energetic as we age. What if there were ways beyond basic diet and exercise regimens that could literally reverse aging? But what if we could defy our own biology? There are many ways to stay young and live a healthy, productive life. But maybe those methods aren’t enough. Maybe if we lived at the intersection of technol...

SEPARATE FROM THE PACK . We all want to be successful. Some of us even want to be wealthy. Some think that to achieve success they need to become someone different. What if you could achieve your goal just by being yourself? Perhaps the change isn't who you are but what you are doing. Maybe it's your habits or a lack of hunger. The important thing is to separate yourself from the pack. But where d...