897 Dream and Do
I am channeling my inner motivational powerhouse today on The School of Greatness. For this 5 Minute Friday, I’m speaking straight from the heart. lewishowes.com/897
I am channeling my inner motivational powerhouse today on The School of Greatness. For this 5 Minute Friday, I’m speaking straight from the heart. lewishowes.com/897
NEW DECADE, NEW SLEEP GOALS. So often we glorify not getting enough sleep. We brag about pulling an all-nighter. We “grind” or wake up at the crack of dawn. Some of us think that staying up is helping us achieve our dreams. But sleep is key to our mental and physical health. It even keeps us young. So why do so many of us put quality sleep on the back burner? On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about sleep with a bestselling author on the subject: Shawn Stevenson. Shawn Stevens...
THERE ARE FEW PEOPLE I TRUST WHO HAVEN’T BEEN THROUGH SOME SORT OF ADVERSITY. Many people feel that holding their shame hostage will make them a stronger person. This just isn’t true. It has become very clear to me: If you’re going to heal, you have to find a way to be open about your issues. In order to live in today, you have to be open about your past. This is the key to being comfortable in your vulnerability. This is the key to unlocking the next level of your mental health. So how do we be...
DOMINATE YOUR COMPETITION. Most of us don’t have unlimited budgets to market ourselves. So how can we compete with people who do? The answer is simple: we have to fascinate. Utilize whatever you have that is unique to capture people’s attention. Stop trying to offer what your competition is offering- instead, do something they can’t. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Sally Hogshead she shared how to fascinate by utilizing the first nine seconds of your audience’s...
NOTHING SHOULD STAND IN THE WAY OF YOUR STORY. We've had some pretty amazing women on The School of Greatness. I've learned a lot from each of them. In fact, I learn a lot from all the women around me (almost my whole team is women). Today's guest is no exception. Male, female, old, young - we could all learn from this incredible businessperson. Not only is she the youngest self-made female billionaire in America (wow, right??), she is also the mother of four young kids, the wife of another podc...
CREATIVITY IS HARD WORK. Have you wanted to complete a project but stopped? You might have expected it to be perfect. Or maybe you thought you weren’t qualified enough to make it. You might have finished it but didn’t take the time to shape it into its final form. Completing something we’re passionate about is good for our wellbeing. But it’s not easy. Lin Manuel Miranda took six years to write Hamilton. Put in the time to make your own masterpiece. You never know how what you’ve made will inspi...
OVERWORKING ISN’T THE GOAL. So often, we get a pat on the back when we run ourselves into the ground. We get recognition for always staying late at work. We answer emails at night and on the weekend. People ask us, “Wow, how do you manage to DO IT ALL?!” But what we’re really doing is destroying our minds and our bodies. We can only operate at 110% for so long. Professional athletes know the importance of rest and recovery. They work it into their schedule, and they never skip it. Why shouldn’t ...
YOU HAVE TO LET GO. So many of us make decisions because we feel like we have to do something. Whether it’s the religion we grew up in, what our parents want, or what we feel is culturally acceptable, we often betray ourselves. But you can only live this way for so long before you start to break down. You’ll lose sight of who you are and suddenly realize you don’t know how to find it. It’s a lonely feeling. For me, this point came after I got injured in football. I was forced to look at my decis...
CHAMPIONS AREN’T SUPER-HUMAN, THEY’RE SUPER-INTENTIONAL. I’ve noticed that there are two types of champions. One of them wins and says, “I am the greatest that ever lived.” The other says, “All of the glory goes to God.” Both of these mindsets have good results, but is one better than the other? You need a certain amount of arrogance to be the best. After all, self-doubt is the biggest crusher of dreams. But if you aren’t able to look at what you could be doing better, you’ll eventually decline....
YOU NEED TO TALK TO SOMEBODY. So many of us (especially men) are afraid to open up about what we’re going through. We often don’t even tell the people who are closest to us. For whatever reason, we think we have to suffer alone. But there is freedom in sharing your struggles. Whether it’s depression, low self-esteem, or something like erectile dysfunction, you need to be able to tell your doctor. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Bill Phillips where he talked abo...
OUR THOUGHTS ARE DREAM KILLERS. The bigger the dream, the more fear you’re going to have. But to grow, you have to take on new challenges. It’s a real catch-22. I’m very curious about fear and self-doubt. In fact, I’m writing a book about it. In this new year, I want to challenge you to change the way you think about the things that scare you. I want you to start embracing difficult situations and stop letting yourself get in your way. Once you do, nothing will stop you. So how can we harness ou...
DECLARE YOUR VISION. The end of the year is time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re going. I’m using this episode to share my biggest lessons and regrets from 2019. One of the most significant changes for me this year was in my romantic life. I went from being in a relationship that wasn’t working to being with someone who is a force multiplier in my life. I had to be aware of my relationship patterns to break them. Are you taking the time to investigate your past and envision your...
IT’S NEVER GOING TO BE PERFECT. We all have this vision of the ideal life. We work hard and get everything done. All of our relationships are in great shape. We take time to exercise and eat right. But the truth is, there is no magical destination. And even if we reach that place, it could all be destroyed in an instant by one of life’s famous curveballs. Instead of looking at balance like a happily ever after, look at it as something you constantly need to reevaluate and adjust. For this Five M...
USE YOUR PAIN AS AN ARROW. None of us like to feel unpleasant emotions. Whether it’s pain, anxiety, or stress, we numb them with food, alcohol, and overscheduling. But there’s a lot we can learn from discomfort. Instead of drowning your feelings, get curious about them. Your envy can lead you to your passion. Your anxiety can show you your authentic self. And your pain might be asking you to comfort something in your past that is keeping you from your future. Unless we embrace where we’re from, ...
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 acting seriously enough when it comes to establishing, scaling, or monetizing their brands. I am not exa...
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 Friday, I revisited a conversation I had with Brene Brown where she explained how hate is just a mask...
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. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about the future of health and technology wi...
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 overcome the obstacles holding you back. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about the va...
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 making money the problem, make it work for you. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisited a conversatio...
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 the way we investigated our environment as children, we can begin to understand ourselves. Sometime...
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 discomfort and let it go. Keep your mind on your dreams no matter what. Do whatever you need to do t...
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 life and might also ripple out into your business. For this Five Minute Friday, I revisit a convers...
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 make it a reality. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about what it takes to hea...
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 every difficulty. Dreams are the light that brightens your way in the darkness. Stop thinking of har...
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 make it as far as understanding the outcome they are trying to achieve. Start with the end. Start with...
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 get you far. But sometimes you need to dig even deeper and release yourself from trauma in order to ...
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 where we listen, learn, and strategize with our teams, not for them. It’s not about ego; it’s about hum...
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 self-confidence will grow, and your fear will take a back seat. Soon you will be able to handle any 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 further. In today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about dealing with anger, preparation, and the ...
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 to improve our relationships. If not, we could be limiting our growth potential. Making better connec...