The School of Greatness - 264 What to Start, When to Stop, and How to Play Team

Episode Date: December 10, 2015

"A strong vision is bigger than your excuses." - Lewis Howes If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/264

I'll be answering all of your questions today on episode number 264. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. Welcome everyone to today's podcast.

Very excited because I'm doing another Q&A. You guys have been asking me to do more of these Q&A sessions, so I thought I'd come back on and I put it out there on Facebook the other day, What are your biggest questions? And I got a bunch of good ones. So I'm excited to dive into these. And tonight I am on my last stop of my book tour. I'll be in San Diego. So if you're listening and you're in the area, make sure to come out. It's lewishouse.com slash events for all the info. It's been an incredible journey and And I'm going to do a recap, hopefully in the next week or two, when I have some time to reflect and be perspective about it and journal on it and write everything down and just kind of take it all in. I still haven't taken a big breath yet

on this entire tour and this launch and the results that we created together. We just got word a couple of days ago that we hit number two on the New York Times business book section for the month. So it's been an incredible celebration and journey. And I'm excited to unfold and share with you everything that's happened very soon. So stay tuned for the podcast when I announce that. Now, let's go ahead and dive into this Q&A because I got a bunch of these questions. Let's go ahead and dive into this Q&A because I got a bunch of these questions, and I said I would answer the top 10 questions and give you guys a shout-out as well. So here is the first one that I saw that came in. This is from Lauren Diana Scull.

the day, even though you were getting sick and exhausted from all the hustle, how do you find the strength to push through and give it your all and still be wonderful to the fans that came to see you? And if I could ask another one, what was the most fulfilling moment of 2015 and your biggest goal for 2016? So I'll answer the first one. So how did I push through when I was – I had the flu. I hadn't been sleeping for a while. I was literally exhausted.

We had three events in Chicago in one day. So it was a lot for me. And there's a lot of energy, a lot of people coming in and asking questions. And I wanted to be as present as possible for each person that came. I wanted to say thank you to each person that came. And here's what I can say, Lauren, is that I actually was like, man, I don't know if I can make this or I don't even know if it's wise for me to show up to some of these events because I was so exhausted. But I would shift literally about 10 seconds before I would walk in the door and say, what is my vision? What am I committed to creating?

And my vision would fuel me. That may sound a little, you know, whatever, a little woo-woo-y or something, but literally, my vision would fuel me. I was like, what am I committed to creating? Why am I doing this? How important is this for not about me, but making an impact on the lives of other people? And so I knew that I just had to find the strength to show up to all these events and give as much as I could. And I realized that I could just sleep later that night. So that's what I was committed to. And I would say my vision allowed me to push through that. And here's the thing. If we don't have a powerful vision, if we don't know why we're passionate and what our vision is, then we probably, in a moment like that, I'd be like,

this is stupid. I'd rather just go sleep. You know what I mean? So that's why it's important to have a strong vision because it's going to help you push through any challenging times because your vision is bigger than your excuses. So another question you asked was, what's the most fulfilling moment of 2015 and what's your biggest goal for 2016? You know, this is a tough one. I want to say that hitting number two on the New York Times bestseller list is a pretty fulfilling moment. And the thing is, it's just one moment. And really, so many moments leading up to that were so fulfilling to me. You know, I like the strategy.

I like the game planning. I like the daily actions. For me, it is more about the journey these days than it is about one moment of accomplishment. more about the journey these days than it is about one moment of accomplishment. So I'd say that was a great moment of accomplishment. But early in the year, grinding it out, strategizing, putting in the work, all those moments for me are extremely fulfilling because those are the growth moments. The actual celebration, the moment of achievement is great, but I'm not really growing in that moment. I'm just celebrating. So for me, it's the whole year and all the lessons and all the emotional ups and downs that were happening. It wasn't just one moment. And I think it's important for me to

continue to look at life moving forward that way because I used to focus on just moments in the past when I would achieve things. And it would leave me feeling very empty after that. So now it's more about all the moments. And my biggest goal for 2016, I haven't fully taken time to reflect and visualize what I want next year on a full basis because I've been so focused on what's happening right now. a full basis because I've been so focused on what's happening right now, but I'm about to in the next week after this tour is over. And I've got some big plans. I want to save that to share with you later what I'm planning for next year when I get fully complete on that vision.

So stay tuned for that. Myrna Tin asks, what keeps you motivated when you don't see the results you want? And I enjoyed reading your book, Louis. Thank you. Myrna, what keeps me motivated is my mission. Again, I'm constantly speaking into this, but my mission keeps me motivated. My calling, I feel like I'm called on an assignment to serve people in a big way right now. And if I'm not getting the results, I focus on the small wins that I get on a daily basis.

So what's something small that's happening? What's an email that I got from someone who my message impacted their life or someone I brought on the podcast really inspired them? So I focus on the smaller results and continue to build upon those. Bryn Delaney said, what does your daily routine look like? I'm trying for the first time to step off the beaten path professionally, and it has been a little difficult establishing structure routine with this new you're your own boss schedule. Any advice? Do you preset blocks of time for each of your business professional and personal priorities

each day? And if so, do you structure your day? How rigidly do you stick to the plan, waking up at the same time, working out at the same time, et cetera, et cetera? That's a great question, Bryn. And I'd love to say that every day I follow the plan as mapped out, but that's just not the case. I focus on in the mornings doing the same few things every day, no matter where I am. And sometimes I'm traveling. So my schedule gets off track, but I wake up. My goal is to wake up before 7.30 and make my bed and do a workout and drink a green juice and have a smoothie and stretch, meditate, express gratitude and create my

intention for the day. That's what I want to do every single morning. Now, some mornings I just make my bed and start working. Some mornings I make my bed and work out and then have a green juice. It changes depending on what's happening. I set an intention of what I want to create with my daily ritual and routine and I do it to the best of my ability, but not every day I do it. And I do the same thing at night as well. I try to have an evening routine that I follow where I meditate and close myself down for the day so I can rest. Throughout the day, my schedule changes a lot. I more try to block like days of things I'm going to do. So one day, I want to record as many episodes of my podcast as possible.

So I try to batch that. Another day, I try to have more time with my team or focus more on my personal stuff. And it constantly evolves and changes. So what I did last year is different from what I'm doing this year. And I have different product launches and speaking engagements and interviews

and things like that. So it's always evolving and changing. But the goal for me is to have that set schedule the first hour of my morning, have that be as scheduled as possible so that I can build momentum on positive habits. And then the rest of the time, it's doing my best to put the phone in the other room when I'm focusing and give myself 30 to 60 minutes at a time at one task at a time as opposed to trying to do it all at once. So not going from email to social media to calling people and being zero focused on any

one of them, really putting the time and attention into one thing at a time. Ariel Cardenas said, what would you say to someone who loves what they do at work but seems really hard to get the hang of it? Should I keep pushing myself or should I maybe realize I'm not fit for it? Here's what I say. You want to find something that you really love, you're really passionate about, and you're also really great at.

So, you know, I really love singing, but I'm not that great at it. You know, I would say I'm an average singer, right? I was in choir and I love it, but, you know, I would love to be a rock star and be on stage performing, you know, 100 nights a year and singing in front of 50,000 people where people are singing my songs back to me, right? But that's

just not – I'm not that great at it. So I'm not going to put my energy into something I'm not that great at it even though I love it. The key for me is to find something that I really, really, really love and I'm so passionate about that I can become great at as well. Because that's where I think you actually create something magical and you do your best work when you love something and you become great at it. It may take years for you to become great at it. It's not going to happen overnight. So don't just get discouraged if you're not there yet, if you haven't got the hang of it yet. If you can see yourself getting the hang of it in a few years, then I would say stick with it if you love it that much. That's my advice there.

Kat Halushka said, what would be your biggest advice on team building when part of the team is remote? That's a great question because I have a lot of my team who is remote all around the country in different time zones and some in different countries. who is remote all around the country in different time zones and some in different countries. Biggest piece of advice on team building for that would be to have – for me, what I do, what I started doing was a weekly team call. So every Monday, everyone on the team gets on there and we go around and I ask people what they're grateful for. We start with gratitude. I ask people what they're excited about creating this week and ask people what's not working for them, what didn't work last week that they would like to improve on.

And then I'll ask a few other questions here and there based on the week and what's happening. But for me, it's really important to bring everyone together at one point throughout the week. And this is about a 20-minute call, so it's not like we're on the phone for hours. And for me, that's the best way to really keep everyone together, keep everyone on the same mission, make sure we're all clear. And it's not just this randomness happening, but also I have, you know, daily check-ins where my, you know, my COO, uh, has daily check-ins with the team and, and, you know, on the phone and email and things like that. And through different project management tools we use.

So we're connecting that way to stay connected. Jessica Baumgartner said, what has helped you most with the journey of overcoming fears and having both love and business success? What has helped you the most with the journey of overcoming fears of having both love and business success? Oh, this is a great question. It might be one for another topic, but I'll give you my brief answer here for another episode, but I'll give you my brief answer. What has helped you the most with the journey of overcoming fears of having both love and business success? I think the fears of having both. Can you have it all? Can you have both love and business success? I think you can. You've got to get out of your own way. You've got to get out of your own way. You've got to be willing to evolve. You've got to be able to willing to change in some ways so that you can receive both incredible love and

make sure that you communicate clearly with your partner, your mission, what you're up to, what you need to follow your passion for your business and your career, and make sure you have a partner who can fully support that. That means you're going to have to fully support them with their needs and wants as well. So you're just going to have to evolve and grow into someone different than you've been before. That's what I'm learning so far. I haven't been successful at it because I'm not in that place yet, but I'm working on it and learning and growing every single day. Okay. Here's from Katie Ferraro. What would you do if you achieved your dream after years of hard work, hustle, and heartbreak only to find that dream

you achieved isn't your dream anymore? Great question, Katie. I've spent many years of hard work, hustle, and heartbreak on sports. And I played football for a long time, and I realized that – I didn't realize that the dream – it wasn't my dream anymore, but the dream was over because I got injured. I'm kind of at a stage, to be honest with you guys. I don't think I've ever shared this with anyone yet. I'm kind of at a stage, to be honest with you guys, I don't think I've ever shared this with anyone yet, but I'm at a stage right now where I'm at a crossroads of do I want to continue to play team handball with the USA national team or is it time to move on? Is it time to move on? I love it so much still, but it's like what are the chances of us going to the Olympics in the next eight years are very, very slim, probably a 3% chance. And so I could keep hustling and hard work and training and traveling to compete. The thing is I was getting a lot of injuries in the last couple of years and I got to figure out what is my energy best focused on.

Is it focused on impacting a lot of people in the world if I can through my message or playing a sport and impacting people that way, inspiring people through my own journey of going after my dreams. It's just a matter of how much energy do I want to put into something because we have only so much energy we can take on so many dreams to be great at so many things. So I got to really look at that. And there's a lot of barriers in the way to make it happen. I'd have to travel to Alabama constantly to go train with the team. And I live in LA right now. So it's a matter of trying to figure that out and what I want for

the next eight years of my life. What would I do is I would figure out, okay, what's my new dream? After a dream is over and I realize I don't want to do the dream anymore, I would figure out, okay, what's my new dream? After a dream is over and I realize I don't want to do the dream anymore, I'd figure out, I'd start dreaming for what I really want, what my vision is, what my mission is, my assignment, my next assignment is in life, my calling. And I would start to focus my energy towards that. It may be hard to let go of a previous dream or it may be a transition phase. I remember for years after I got done playing football, it was hard for me to watch football games on the NFL or college. It was just hard for me to watch because I missed it. I didn't want to leave. I was forced to leave from an injury. So allow

yourself a transition phase. Allow yourself time to recover, heal, and then create new dreams for yourself moving forward. Here's from Ivan Negron who says, what type of personal development books do you read? You know, I skim through a lot of them. Right now, next to my bed is The Four Agreements, which is a book that is just a simple message of four simple agreements that we should live by. And for me, it's like constant reminders, you know, to always give my best, to be my word and to not take anything personally. So that's something I'm reading right now. Charlisa Moultrie said, who do you look up to for motivation or what book did you read that made you decide enough was enough?

Who do I look up to? I look up to, man, this is great. I just have a lot of good friends right now that I look up to who I just feel like are doing good things. Chalene Johnson, Chalene and Brett Johnson are doing great things. I really like what Gary Vaynerchuk is doing right now. He's just so committed to his vision. It's inspiring. I just think Tony Robbins is a guy who's been doing this for decades, who's so consistent with what he believes in and serves people in such a big way. So for me, those are some of the people that I'm really looking up to and connected to and inspired by. And what book did I read when I said enough is enough? The book I read eight years ago is The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. And I read that

book when I was down and out. And that's when I started taking action in my life. Justin Hagan said, what is your definition of greatness? My definition is discovering and cultivating the unique talents and gifts within you to pursue and live your dreams while making the biggest impact on the people around you during that process. Rob Bassler said, I'm seeing more well-known entrepreneurs diving into business of advising fitness entrepreneurs over the last month or so. Is it that time of year that is causing the interest with upcoming resolutions or the popularity fitness has gained over the past few years via social media? Good question, Rob.

I'll speak to me personally. I'm targeting more fitness professionals because I see that there are more and more fitness coaches that are trying to be – people are trying to become fitness coaches, fitness trainers. There's just more and more people that want to get in the fitness industry. There's so many different gyms out there. There's so many different programs. And there's a lot of people who are inspired by fitness that get into that world as a trainer. And then they want to start building their own entrepreneurial business. They don't want to work for a gym anymore. They want to have their own clients. And then they want to start teaching. And then they want to start scaling online. So for me, I'm seeing this as a huge opportunity to target upcoming fitness professionals and trainers of that like.

So I'm targeting a lot more fitness professionals because there's just so many people coming out there who don't have the information about how to build their brand online, how to build a business online. And so that's why I'm doing that personally. And here's the final question that I'll answer today. Brandon Pettis said, every person is given the same 24 hours each day, yet only a small percentage of individuals achieve success.

What methods or tools do you use in order to maximize your time and get the most productivity out of your day? It's a good question. Methods or tools to get to be the most productive out of your day. There's not like the secret. There's not this secret or these secret tools

or secret methods really. I believe in having a good routine every morning. I believe in having a powerful vision and I believe in surrounding yourself with a powerful team that you can build something with. If you're trying to do it all on

your own, you are only going to be able to grow so big on your own. With a team, you can create much, much more in a faster way and you can leverage your team. So there's not really a secret. There are different apps and tools and things like that that I use. And then my team uses to do project management stuff to kind of help be more productive. But really, it's more an internal thing. It's more of an internal thing about your vision, your dream, your commitment to it, how important it is to you, the team you build, and the routines you have. And constantly developing yourself to become a better human being.

That's what I believe helps people get to that next level and achieve that success. So with that, gang, hopefully this has been a powerful Q&A. Again, make sure to check out our sponsor, WearTrim.com, if you want some of those amazing, athletic, but stylish shirts that you can go out in the town with and dress up and dress down. Guys listening, I'm telling you, go check it out and just get one shirt. You have a five-year return policy, but just even check out one shirt because I'm wearing them like crazy right now, and they're so comfortable.

I love the little stretchiness. I love how they look. Good material. And ladies, go get them for your men for Christmas. I'm telling you, it's powerful. Weartrim. and then use the discount code greatness 20 to get 20% off. And we will be back again every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, we're doing this. It's been a little bit of off schedule, you know, in the last few weeks because of my tour, but I'm going to be getting back on track. We've got some big guests coming up soon

that I'm excited about and some big news coming up for next year. I'm going to reveal what we're doing next year with the School of Greatness, our mission, and how you can support and get involved. I'm also going to talk about soon how to launch a book the way I did

and the way my team did because we did an incredible job and it took so many moving pieces to make it happen to get to number two in the New York Times bestseller list. So stay tuned for that recap. I love you guys. Make sure to share this with your friends, lewishouse.com slash 264. You know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something great. សូវបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបា� Go. Outro Music