by guest blogger Lewis Howes, author of The School of Greatness: A Real-World Guide to Living Bigger, Loving Deeper, and Leaving a Legacy
As a competitive athlete, I’ve spent my life focusing on my body and its performance. Something I didn’t understand until the past few years, however, was how much my athletic ability was either supported or hamstrung by the rest of my habits. As a podcast host for a top-ranked show in the business and lifestyle categories, The School of Greatness, I’m privileged to interview some of the world’s best and brightest minds in health, fitness, business, entrepreneurship, relationships dyanamics, and entertainment.
In speaking with many amazing men and women on the show over the past couple of years, a clear message has come through: Taking care of your mindset, relationships, finances, and emotions is equally important as taking care of your body if you want to reach your full potential and step into your greatness.
All around “fitness” has now become as important to me as physical fitness. This is just one of the lessons I have learned from The School of Greatness. My “professors” have been some of the most brilliant minds in the world, who have shared their wisdom and authentic stories with me on my podcast—which has allowed me to share it with all my listeners and now offer to readers through my book, The School of Greatness.
I’ve distilled the 8 main principles I’ve learned regarding what it takes to create greatness in my work and myself. Here they are, along with quotes from my greatest teachers.
1. Create a Vision
Without a crystal-clear vision of what you are going to accomplish, you won’t know where to start.
“Find what you’re passionate about and be brave enough to pursue it as your life’s work.” —Michele Promaulayko, Editor in Chief, Yahoo! Health
2. Turn Adversity Into Advantage
The biggest lessons usually come from the biggest failures, so learn to see failures as feedback.
“Those people that buck back, it’s just amazing to see the levels they rise to. They are fearless in what they share.” —Tim Larkin, New York Times best-selling author, top self-defense coach
3. Cultivate a Champion’s Mind-set
You have to believe you are capable of achieving greatness before you have the proof that you are.
“Have pride in yourself and know you couldn’t have done anything more.” —Shawn Johnson, gymnast, Olympic gold medalist
4. Develop Hustle
When you hustle, you are in good company; it’s how all the A players got to where they are.
“Heart and hustle beat intelligence all day long.” —Fabio Viviani, Top Chef star and restaurateur
5. Master Your Body
Your body is the vehicle that allows you to do what you were born to do.
“Doing stuff I don’t want to do is greatness.” —Joe De Sena, founder, Spartan Races
6. Practice Positive Habits
Create healthy, productive routines and treat them like they are essential to your livelihood.
“You are what you do everyday.” —Jon Chu, Hollywood film director
7. Build a Winning Team
Playing solo (aka perfectionism) might have gotten you this far, but it’s not going to get you to your full potential.
“Inspire others to take risks, push their boundaries, and become greater than they ever thought they could be.” —Adam Braun, founder, Pencils of Promise
8. Be Of Service to Others
You’ll discover quickly that greatness that serves only you is empty.
“Greatness is impact, and impact is service.” —Keith Ferrazzi, author, Never Eat Alone
Join me for the Unleash Your Greatness Summit online from November 16th to November 23rd. This free weeklong event will feature 28 experts who are top in their field, ranging in specialty from business and entrepreneurship to nutrition and fitness, philanthropy, and more. Each will share his or her best strategies and advice to help you unleash your own greatness.
Lewis Howes is a lifestyle entrepreneur, high-performance business coach, author, and keynote speaker. A former professional football player and two-sport All-American, he is a current USA Men’s National Handball Team athlete. Lewis hosts The School of Greatness podcast, which has received millions of downloads since it launched in 2013. His newest book, The School of Greatness, provides a framework for achieving real, sustainable, repeatable success and gives you the tools, knowledge, and actionable resources to take your vision and turn it into a reality. Learn more at LewisHowes.com.
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