New Releases

I consider Phil Stutz my spiritual father and feel blessed to have had nearly 450 1-on-1 coaching sessions with him over the last seven years.

My collection of notes from those discussions is, by far, my most prized and valuable possession.

As I was reading this book, I was struck by the fact that this might be as close as anyone who hasn’t worked with Phil directly will get to working 1-on-1 with him.

As you’d expect, this book is packed with Big Ideas on how to embrace, as per the sub-title of the book, “What Only Adversity Can Teach You.”

If you’re a fan of Phil, I think you will absolutely LOVE the book.

Let’s jump in!

In Greatest Year Ever 101, we’ll help you activate your Heroic potential so you can fundamentally and PERMANENTLY change your life as we make this year the greatest of your life!

In Part II of Greatest Year Ever, Brian shows us how we can use the Heroic app to activate our Heroic Potential and make this TRULY the greatest year of our lives.

General Jim Mattis is the former Secretary of Defense and one of the most formidable strategic thinkers of the twenty-first century. He wrote this book with Bing West, a former assistant secretary of defense and combat Marine. This book is, as per the back cover, “a clear-eyed account of learning to lead in a chaotic world” in which Mattis “recounts the foundational experiences and lessons he learned over four decades and in three wars. It is a journey about learning to lead at every level, with insights equally applicable to the military, to business, and to individual growth.” I got this book on the recommendation of a new, dear friend who happens to be a long-time student (and Heroic Coach) who also happens to be a commanding officer in the U.S. military. It’s an absolutely FANTASTIC memoir packed with wisdom on how to lead—which is why it has nearly 5,000 5-star reviews. The book reminds me of two other memoirs by military leaders I admire: Admiral William McRaven’s Sea Stories and General Colin Powell’s It Worked for Me. It also reminds me of Phil Knight’s memoir Shoe Dog and Ray Dalio’s Principles. And... For related books on leadership, check out our Notes on General Stanley McChrystal’s Leaders: Myths and Reality plus Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Leadership in Turbulent Times. As you’d expect, this book is packed with Big Ideas. I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

Muhammad Ali was a magnetically charismatic heavyweight champion turned humanitarian. Wikipedia tells us that he was nicknamed “The Greatest” and that “he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.” He wrote this book with his daughter Hana Ali in 2004. He was 62 at the time. He died at the age of 74 in 2016. It’s a fantastic autobiography in which we learn about the struggles he faced as a Black man living in the segregated South and the courage and commitment with which he strived to live a life of integrity and love. I highly recommend it as both a great, inspiring biography of one of the most beloved (and polarizing!) figures of the 20th century AND as a means to learn more about the challenges we continue to face in creating a just society. The book is PACKED with Big Ideas and I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

I got this book after one of the members of our Heroic community encouraged me to spend more time exploring and sharing wisdom from Black authors.

She recommended some books and told me that I’d LOVE Eric and his wisdom.

Thanks, Miata! You were right! :)

Eric Thomas is a FASCINATING human being.

As per his bio on the back flap, he is “part coach, part preacher, all grind.”

He’s one of the world’s best-known motivational speakers. Better known as ET, he’s inspired millions of people with his creative style and high-energy messages.

His raw authenticity is incredibly compelling and this book is fantastic. (Get a copy here.)

The book is PACKED with Big Ideas and I’m excited to share some of my favorites, so let’s jump straight in!

I got this book (along with a dozen others!) after reading Admiral Manazir’s great book Learn How to Lead to Win. It’s a FANTASTIC, quick-reading, laugh-out-loud funny addition to our growing pantheon of Navy SEAL books. David Goggins wrote the foreword to the book. He and Brent were in the same SEAL class (235) and they both share a fondness for hard-hitting, no-nonsense wisdom delivered with an ample share of f-bombs. As you’d expect, the book is packed with Big Ideas. And, as always, I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

Mike Manazir (“Muh-naw-zur”) is a Retired US Navy Admiral and Top Gun Fighter Pilot. I got this book on the recommendation of a new, dear friend who happens to be a Commanding Officer in the US military (and a Heroic Coach). My friend recommended Jim Mattis’s book on leadership (Call Sign Chaos) and that book was so good that I asked him what *other* books on leadership he’d recommend. He immediately told me about this one. I immediately got it. Manazir was one of his cherished mentors. After reading this great book, I can see why. The book is, as you’d expect from the title, all about helping us learn how to lead to win. It’s part memoir, part leadership manual—featuring 33 powerful stories from Admiral Manazir’s life and the lessons he gained along the way. It reminds me of another memoir by another Navy Admiral I admire: Admiral William McRaven’s Sea Stories. In fact, as I type that, I realize that this book is kinda like a hybrid of McRaven’s memoir AND his latest book called The Hero Code. Mash those two books up and swap out the SEAL stories for a Top Gun Fighter Pilot’s and voilà—you get this book. As you’d expect, the book is PACKED with Big Ideas. I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

Satchin Panda is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of circadian biology. This book is a FANTASTIC distillation of what he and his colleagues have discovered and how we can apply those insights to our modern lives. I highly recommend it. Want to, as per the sub-title of the book, “lose weight, supercharge your energy, and transform your health?” Then pay attention to your body’s infinitely wise internal clock!! As Dr. Panda tells us: “The Circadian Code is a revolution in the way you think about diet, exercise, work, learning, and technology. Instead of counting calories or limiting food choices, you will learn that there is a right time to eat so that you can actually burn calories while you sleep. There is also a best time of day to exercise, to work, and to rest. Your body already knows this code: you just have to become aware of it and then follow its rhythm.” I’m excited to share some of my favorite Big Ideas so let’s jump straight in!

Welcome to the Philosopher’s Note on our Heroic Coach invitation letter. Although people have told me I need to do a Note on my own book when it comes out (planning to!), this is the first Note I’ve done on my own work. (Hah!) We figured it would be fun to QUICKLY capture the power of our Heroic Coach program in the context of a Philosopher’s Note. So... Here we are. The letter is, essentially, an invitation to join our scientifically-validated 300-day program to learn how to activate your Heroic potential WHILE learning how to empower *others* to do the same so we can change the world together—starting with you and me and all of us—TODAY. In the letter, I make the VERY important distinction that, whether or not you *think* you are a “coach” ... you are. I’m excited to share exactly what the 300-day program is all about and WHY it has been so transformative for so many people, so let’s jump straight in!

Kevin Kruse is a Forbes Leadership columnist and successful entrepreneur. He’s built and sold several multimillion dollar technology companies, winning both Inc 500 and Best Place to Work awards along the way. He’s also written a number of bestselling books. I got this book after a long-time student and Heroic Coach connected me with Kevin. Apparently my new friend was being interviewed by Kevin about his new book on creativity for a Forbes article. At the end of their chat, my new friend told Kevin that he should check out Heroic. And, apparently, he had JUST signed up for Heroic the day before. (Awesome.) This book, as per the sub-title and intro quote, is all about the top productivity habits of some of the world’s most productive and successful people. It’s written in a straight-forward, conversational style. There’s a reason it has over 1,400 reviews—it’s fantastic. It’s packed with Big Ideas. I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

David Goggins is an inspiring human being. If you don’t mind the f-bombs that go with his unapologetic, iconoclastic (goosebumps) ALL IN commitment to being, as he puts it, THE hardest motherf*cker EVER, then I think you’ll love this book as much as I did. It’s the second one of Goggins’ books we’ve featured. Check out the Notes on Can’t Hurt Me to learn more about his Heroic story and to get more wisdom on how to “Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds.” This book is PACKED with Big Ideas. We’ll barely scratch the surface of everything we could have discussed. Let’s get to work.

This is the second Note we’ve done on one of Michael Beckwith’s books. Our first Note is on his great book Spiritual Liberation. I got this little booklet in a very big box of books the team sent me (thanks, Jana!) based on recommendations from our community. I’m a big fan of Michael Beckwith. In fact, Alexandra and I used to go to his Agape Spiritual Center in Santa Monica shortly after we got together 15+ years ago. I recently worked on a bunch of Notes on Yogananda’s books. Beckwith reminds me of him. He also reminds me of the old-school New Thought leaders whose torches he carries in his own unique way—including Ernest Holmes who founded the Science of Mind churches into which Beckwith was originally ordained. And, of course, any book on the spirituality of prosperity makes me think of Eric Butterworth and his Spiritual Economics (and Discover the Power Within You). This is a TINY little booklet that is based on the live transcript of a class Beckwith taught and “is designed as a prayer, reference, practice and activation manual.” I hesitated to do a Note on it. But... It’s packed with Big Ideas that will provide a great springboard for us to connect to wisdom from other Notes I’ve created over the years so here we are. LET'S GO!

This is a VERY important book that has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach mental health care. For years, we have talked about the importance of getting our ENERGY optimized so we can show up powerfully in our Work and in our Love. We’ve also discussed the fact that our PHYSIOLOGY drives a *LOT* more of our PSYCHOLOGY than most of us think. This book provides the underlying theoretical framework that ties all that wisdom together. Christopher M. Palmer, MD, is a Harvard psychiatrist and researcher working at the interface between metabolism and health. He’s an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and has held leadership roles at Harvard, McClean Hospital and nationally. In this thoughtful, scientifically-grounded book, Palmer shares his “theory of brain energy” that, in short, establishes the fact that “mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain.” THAT, my Heroic friend, is a VERY (!!!) Big Idea. Let's jump in and discuss why this theoretical framework matters AND discuss some practical Ideas on how we can apply the wisdom to our lives TODAY.

Tom Sterner is one of my favorite writers and thinkers. This is the third Note we’ve created on one of his great books. We started with The Practicing Mind and then featured Fully Engaged. This is a quick reading, 120-page book (that I read in a couple hours before the family got up on Monday morning) all about, as per the sub-title, how to create “Emotional Freedom through Deliberate Thinking.” It’s fantastic. I’m excited to share a handful of my favorite Big Ideas so let’s jump straight in!

I got this book after I saw General Stanley McChrystal’s blurb on the back of Ryan Holiday’s Lives of the Stoics. I read it in one 8.8-hour Deep Work-filled day. It’s fantastic. McChrystal uses Plutarch and his profiles of some of history’s most prominent figures as his inspiration and focuses on thirteen leaders in six pairs plus one standing alone. Almost all leadership books are prescriptive in nature. This book is not. Rather than make us believe that there’s a nice, simple recipe for leadership, McChrystal, Eggers and Mangone present us with the “myths” of leadership and the MUCH MESSIER “realities” of leadership. After the profiles of the thirteen leaders, the authors present the three myths of leadership and their new definition of leadership. We end the book with the sober recognition of just how complex, dynamic and context-specific good leadership is. It’s a challenging, important book that’s difficult to distill into a nice and tidy and practical 6-page Note but I’m excited to share some of my favorite Ideas as we all continue to step up into our own idiosyncratic expressions of Heroic leadership. So... Let’s get to work!

Did you know that there’s a “Science of Spirituality”? Yep. There is. It’s fascinating. And, Lisa Miller is the pioneering researcher who created the field. This book is the distillation of her decades of work to help us apply her research to our (Heroic!) “Quests for an Inspired Life.” Lisa is also the founder and director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program in spirituality and psychology. And, she is the New York Times bestselling author of The Spiritual Child and a professor in the clinical psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. As you’d expect, the book is packed with Big Ideas. I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

This is Mel Robbins’ second book. We featured her first book called The 5 Second Rule which is A W E S O M E! When I saw she had written this one, I was excited to get it. It is also A W E S O M E! If you’re familiar with Mel, you know she’s one of the leading voices in personal development and transformation. She’s changed millions of lives with her books, podcast, and online courses. In fact, Mel coaches more than 60 million people online every month and videos featuring her work have more than a BILLION views, including her TEDx Talk called “How to stop screwing yourself over” which is one of the most popular of all time. One of the reasons she’s so beloved is because she’s so incredibly real. This book features the High 5 Habit for which the book is named AND a dozen other life-changing tools AND at least that many stories about her own (Heroic!) challenges and how she’s used these tools to flip the switch and create a life of deep meaning and joy. The book is packed with Big Ideas and I’m excited to share a handful of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

I love Seth Godin. Although we’ve only featured one of his other books so far (The Icarus Deception), I’ve read a number of others and I have been deeply inspired by him and his style and his fierce commitment to DOING.THE.WORK. This book is, essentially, a collection of over 200 Big Ideas all about, as per the sub-title, “Shipping Creative Work.” How do we best do that? We master “The Practice.” For our purposes, we’re going to focus on the ultimate creative work we are each universally called to do: Making our LIVES a masterpiece. How do we do that? As we discuss ALL.THE.TIME, we close the gap between who we are capable of being and who we are actually being by moving from Theory to Practice to Mastery Together by making TODAY a masterpiece. Let’s explore some Big Ideas on how to go about closing that gap TODAY!!!

The Last Lecture is an inspiring handbook for life written as a follow-up to a viral talk by Randy Pausch. Randy was a Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. When it became terminal, he gave his “last lecture.” The talk was recorded. It went viral. And this book was written with Jeffrey Zaslow as a follow-up. Over 20 million people have now watched that talk and, if you’re one of them, you know just how magnetically inspiring Randy is. The book features fifty-three micro chapters—each telling a different story from Randy’s life. It’s packed with wisdom and I’m excited to share some of my favorite Big Ideas so let’s jump straight in!

This is our sixth Note on Darrin Donnelly and the final book from his "Sports for the Soul" series. We've featured the entire series. This book features a fourth-string quarterback on the worst college football team in the conference whose life changes the day he meets his new head coach who turns the program around by helping him and his teammates forge unstoppable confidence. It’s awesome. And, as you’d expect, it’s packed with Big Ideas and I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

This is our fifth Note on Darrin Donnelly and the fifth of six books from his "Sports for the Soul" series. We'll be featuring the entire series. This book is a fable about a high school coach who’s doubting whether he made the right decision to stay in the small town in which he grew up and coach the same football team his father coached for decades. The most important theme: Follow your heart. Trust yourself and your authentic path. Do what YOU are here to do. Do YOUR duty. Play YOUR role as well as you can. THAT is what it means to be truly Heroic. And, that’s what this book is all about. I’m excited to share a few of my favorite Big Ideas so let’s jump straight in!

This is our fourth Note on Darrin Donnelly and the fourth of six books from his "Sports for the Soul" series. We'll be featuring the entire series. Each of the books in the series features a Hero meeting a Guide. This book features a boxer who’s doubting his decision to try to become a professional fighter. What’s he need to do if he wants a shot at the heavyweight championship? He needs to conquer his fear. More specifically, he needs to conquer the SEVEN fears that are holding him (and all of us!) back from actualizing our potential. Let’s jump in and explore some of my favorite Ideas we can apply to our lives TODAY.

This is our third Note on Darrin Donnelly and the third of six books from his "Sports for the Soul" series. We'll be featuring the entire series. In this inspirational fable, we meet “Bobby Kane, a minor league baseball player who, at the age of 31, is coming to terms with the fact that his dream of making it to the majors” might be coming to a disappointing end. Then... He meets a wise manager who helps him develop the relentless optimism that helps him... spoiler alert... make his dreams a reality. Bobby, of course, represents ALL of us who face doubts on our Heroic quests. Now...it's time to chat about some of my favorite Big Ideas so let’s jump straight in!

This is our second Note on Darrin Donnelly and the second of six books from his "Sports for the Soul" series. We'll be featuring the entire series. This book is a fable that features an NCAA basketball coach named Coach Flanagan in his 43rd and final season writing letters to his grandchildren about how to develop grit in their lives via fifteen different rules. Coach Flanagan is a blend of John Wooden’s old-fashioned morals, Mike Ditka’s no-nonsense persona, Lou Holtz’s can-do optimism and strict discipline, and Vince Lombardi’s no-excuses, high expectations, never-back-down attitude. In other words, he’s awesome! The book is PACKED with Big Ideas and I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

This is our first Note on Darrin Donnelly and the first of six books from his "Sports for the Soul" series. We'll be featuring the entire series. This book is a fable about a college football coach going through hard times who is lucky enough to spend time with five of the most legendary sports coaches in history: John Wooden, Buck O’Neil, Herb Brooks, Paul “Bear” Bryant, and Vince Lombardi. Those coaches each share ONE Big Idea to help him navigate his challenges and fulfill his potential. I’m excited to share some of my favorite Big Ideas from this one so let’s jump straight in.

This is our fifth Note on one of Yogananda’s great little books/booklets. For now, it’s time to Awaken Your True Potential. Yogananda reminds me of a spiritually-centered mix of other thought leaders of the era—including guys like Orison Swett Marden, Napoleon Hill, and Dale Carnegie. He brings the same intensity with a focus on awakening to our TRUE potential—connecting to and expressing the Divine within. The book is packed with Big Ideas and, as always, I’m excited to share some of my favorites, so let’s jump straight in!

This is our first note on a book by Michael Easter. Michael Easter is an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor at Men’s Health magazine, columnist for Outside magazine, and professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. In this fantastic book, he tells us that we’re facing a COMFORT CRISIS. Want to Reclaim Your “Wild, Happy, Healthy Self”? EMBRACE DISCOMFORT. The book is packed with Big Ideas on how to do exactly that and I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

This is our third Note on one of Michael Singer's books. Michael Singer is one of my new, favorite spiritual teachers. The book has a chapter-essay on each of his three Laws: The Law of Karma, The Law of Will, and The Law of Love. It’s packed with Big Ideas and I’m excited to explore a handful of my favorites, so let’s jump straight in!

This is our fourth Note on one of Yogananda’s little books/booklets. As I immerse myself in Yogananda’s wisdom, it’s been fascinating to see the remarkable clarity and consistent coherence of his perspective AND the force with which he communicates it. Yogananda’s SPIRITUALITY is astonishingly PRACTICAL. It’s time to enjoy some of my favorite Big Ideas from this great little booklet. Let’s jump straight in!

This is our third Note on one of Yogananda’s books/booklets. This is a tiny little booklet. As the title and sub-title suggest, it’s all about how to live fearlessly by bringing out your inner soul strength. Or, as we’d like to say: How to forge antifragile confidence by high fiving your inner daimon. It’s packed with Big Ideas and I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

This is our sixth note on one of Steven Pressfield's books. Steven Pressfield is one of my favorite writers and human beings. His books, including this one, are both inspiring and beautifully pithy. If you’re a fan of his work, you’ll love this book. I’m excited to share a handful of my favorite Big Ideas, so let’s jump straight in!

This is our first note on one of Donald Miller's books. In this book Donald Miller integrates wisdom from Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. And, as you’d expect seeing that this is a book about a modern Hero (that would be YOU!) on a mission, Donald also touches on Joseph Campbellian themes throughout. The book is PACKED with Big Ideas and I’m excited to share some of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

This is our second Note on one of Yogananda’s books. This book is a collection of articles that appeared in Yogananda’s magazines in the 1920s and 1930s. Yogananda reminds me of an Indian, often more spiritual version of old-school Western teachers like Orison Swett Marden, James Allen, Ernest Holmes, Dale Carnegie, and Napoleon Hill. If you’re interested in seeing what a yogi who inspired Steve Jobs has to say about success, I think you might enjoy the book as much as I did.

This is our first note on one of Yogananda's books. One of my new favorite teachers, Michael Singer, said that Yogananda has provided him with an "unending flow of inspiration." I think you'll feel that inspiration too! Although The Law of Success is only a TINY little booklet, it’s PACKED with wisdom that I'm excited to share with you now...so let's jump straight in!

This is our sixth (!) Note on one of Tom Morris's books. As you know if you’ve been following, Tom Morris is one of my all-time favorite authors and at least tied for first as my favorite living philosopher. In this book, Professor Morris challenges us to reconsider what it means to be a citizen and an “everyday patriot” in the modern world—committed to upholding the virtues of our highest ideals in our everyday lives. I’m excited to explore a handful of my favorite Big Ideas, so let's jump straight in.

This is our first note on a book by Wim Hof, who you may know as "The Iceman." He holds multiple world records for his feats of endurance and exposure to cold. And, as you may not know, the effectiveness of his methods—which are now practiced by millions—have been validated by eight university research studies. This book is a great way to learn more about just how powerful his method integrating cold, breath and the power of our minds can be.

This is our fourth note on one of Joe De Sena's great books. Joe De Sena is the founder of Spartan and one of my favorite human beings on the planet. In this note we explore De Sena's 10 Rules for Resilience. It's packed with Big Ideas that will help us collect "Resilience Data Points", make a mark on the world, and respect fear as normal so that our children may do the same. Aroo!

This is our sixth note on one of Ryan Holiday’s books and this is the second book in Ryan Holiday’s virtue series. We covered the first one, Courage Is Calling and now we'll explore the second: Discipline is Destiny. This book has three parts: In Part I, we explore discipline of The Exterior (The Body). In Part II, we explore discipline of The Inner Domain (The Temperament). In Part III, we explore discipline of The Magisterial (The Soul). It’s packed with Big Ideas. Courage is calling. Discipline is destiny. Let’s go, Hero!

This is our second note on one of Michael Singer's books. Michael Singer is one of my new favorite teachers and, after reading this book, I immediately picked up the first two books he wrote—nearly FIFTY years before he wrote this one. In this book, Singer shares a ton of big ideas that will help us truly surrender to what is, get perspective on our lives, and practice embracing the present moment so that we can get our own lives in harmony with reality. Let's go!

Brian Cain is one of the world’s greatest mental toughness coaches whose client list includes four Major League Baseball Cy Young Award winners, eight UFC world champion mixed martial artists, World Series and Super Bowl Champions and MVPs, Olympic medalists, and countless other elite athletes and coaches. In this note, we explore how you can "intentionally invest 1% of your day into yourself and become a better version of you today than you were yesterday." How will YOU get 1% better TODAY? It's Day 1, Hero.

Brian Cain is one of the world’s greatest mental toughness coaches whose client list includes four Major League Baseball Cy Young Award winners, eight UFC world champion mixed martial artists, World Series and Super Bowl Champions and MVPs, Olympic medalists, and countless other elite athletes and coaches. In this book, we'll walk through Brian Cain's 10 Pillars of Mental Performance Mastery so that we can use them to DOMINATE THE DAY and give the world all we've got.

This is our fourth note on one of William Damon's books. Professor Damon is one of the world’s leading scholars on human development across the lifespan. He’s also an incredibly good human being. In this book, William Damon helps us create a “coherent narrative” for our lives by, as per the sub-title, “Exploring Your Past to Make Peace with Your Present.” It’s FANTASTIC. We'll explore the three primary aspects of a 'life review' and a ton of other Big Ideas. Let’s jump straight in!

This is our fifth note on one of Ryan Holiday’s books. As I told my wife Alexandra after reading the first part of this book “Ryan is truly an INCREDIBLE writer.” As in, an ASTONISHINGLY compelling writer. He has truly mastered his craft—which is why he’s one of the world’s bestselling living philosophers whose books have sold more than four million copies. The book has three parts: Part I on Fear; Part II on Courage; and Part III on The Heroic. It’s packed with Big Ideas. Let’s explore a few my favorites now as we strive to show up with more Wisdom, Self-Mastery, COURAGE, and Love—not someday but TODAY.

This is the third Note we’ve created on Admiral William H. McRaven’s great books. We started with Make Your Bed—a short, brilliant, inspiring manual all about “Little Things That Can Change Your Life... And Maybe the World” that was inspired by McRaven’s commencement address at the University of Texas at Austin that went viral. Then we featured his autobiography called Sea Stories which is all about the wisdom he gained from his nearly four decades in special operations. This is his latest book. Of course, when I saw the title I KNEW I had to read it. And, here we are.

We’ve featured two of Gary Taubes’ other great books: Why We Get Fat and The Case Against Sugar. If you or a loved one have struggled with reaching your optimal weight while trying to follow the conventional wisdom that all you have to do is eat less and exercise more, I think you, too, will enjoy Taubes’s thoughtful perspective on just how flawed our current thinking is regarding the cause of obesity. Hint: It’s not an “energy balance” issue; it’s primarily a HORMONAL issue. The book is PACKED with Big Ideas. As in, jumbo packed. Hope you love the Note!

Hero!

It’s Michael again, Head Coach and Chief of Staff at Heroic, with another special, non-traditional +1.

In yesterday’s special +1 we introduced Brian’s (and our movement’s!) upcoming book: ACTIVATE YOUR HEROIC POTENTIAL.

(Again. you can learn more about the book, including how to support our movement through our pre-order initiative and access a ton more goodness, here: https://www.heroic.us/optimize/the-book)

Today, as promised, we’ve got a special update on our Daily Heroic / Heroic +1 series! 🙌

Hero!

This is Michael, Head Coach and Chief of Staff at Heroic, (👋) with a special, non-traditional +1.

(I’ll also be back tomorrow with another special update on our Daily Heroic / Heroic +1 series! 🙌)

Now…

The video for today’s +1 is a welcome video introducing Brian’s (and our movement’s!) upcoming book: ACTIVATE YOUR HEROIC POTENTIAL.

Not too long ago, we took a brief tour through some of my favorite Big Ideas from Jim Mattis’s GREAT book on leadership, Call Sign Chaos.

We also recently explored some wisdom on the power of “attacking and adapting” from Darrin Donnelly’s Victory Favors the Fearless in which we revisited Phil Stutz’s “Instinct Cycle” and connected it to what’s known as the OODA loop.

Today I want to combine Mattis’s and Stutz’s wisdom as we talk about the power of making a decision, taking action THEN making your NEXT decision.

Let’s wrap up our quick tour through some of my favorite Ideas from Muhammad Ali’s great autobiography, The Soul of a Butterfly.

We’ve talked about true, everyday greatness, winning a gold medal in 1960 (and not being able to eat in your hometown restaurant!), black superheroes, and fighting the fear.

Today we’re going to talk about how champions are made.

Did you know that the Muhammad Ali almost didn’t make it to the 1960 Olympics?

Yep.

And…

It had NOTHING to do with his skills in the boxing ring.

He had qualified but STILL almost didn’t make it out.

In our last +1, we talked about the fact that Muhammad Ali won the Olympic gold medal in Rome in 1960 then came home and couldn’t even eat at a restaurant in his hometown.

I’ll repeat…

As a white man, I can’t even IMAGINE what that would be like.

Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Clay.

In 1960, eighteen-year-old Cassius fulfilled his dreams and won the Gold medal in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Then…

He came home to Louisville, Kentucky and couldn’t even eat in the restaurant in his hometown.

That experience changed his life.

Muhammad Ali was a magnetically charismatic heavyweight boxing champion turned humanitarian.

Wikipedia tells us that he was nicknamed “The Greatest” and that “he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.”

I recently read his autobiography, The Soul of a Butterfly, after one of the Black members in our community graciously encouraged me to explore more Black authors and share their stories and perspectives while broadening my own perspective. (Thank you again, Miata!)

Over the last several +1s, we’ve been getting all fired up with some inspiring poems.

Let’s look at ONE more.

This one is from Muhammad Ali’s FANTASTIC autobiography, The Soul of a Butterfly.

In our last several +1s, we’ve explored some of the most all-time inspiring poems.

We soaked in the wisdom from If by Rudyard Kipling, Dreams… by Langston Hughes, and The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.

Today we’re going to wrap up that quick tour with what is arguably THE most inspiring poem ever.

In our last few +1s, we’ve spent some time soaking our souls in some of the most inspiring poems ever.

We started with If by Rudyard Kipling. Then Dreams by Langston Hughes. And then some Walden wisdom from Thoreau on advancing confidently in the direction of our dreams.

Today we’re going to enjoy some poetic Robert Frost wisdom.

In our last +1, we spent time with Langston Hughes and James Allen.

As you may recall, Hughes told us…

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

After creating that +1 on Rudyard Kipling’s poem If, I did a little Google search to find some other inspiring poems that may be worthy of a +1.

I found some good ones.

Today we’re going to chat about Langston Hughes’s Dreams.

In our last +1, we spent some time soaking our souls in wisdom from Rudyard Kipling’s classic poem, If.

I also shared a link to Michael Caine’s beautiful reading of the poem.

Right before creating that +1, I searched our Heroic app to see if I’d mentioned the If poem before. Somewhat surprisingly, I hadn’t.

Have you ever heard of the poem called “If” by Rudyard Kipling?

It’s extraordinary. (See below…)

Have you ever heard Michael Caine recite the poem and reflect on its personal meaning to him?

That’s extraordinary as well. (Check that out here…)

In our last +1, we talked about Yogananda and his encouragement to study the lives of saints.

As you may recall, somewhat surprisingly (at least to me!) was the fact that he didn’t tell us to study the lives of saints so we could soak in their natural-born awesomeness per se.

NOPE.

He told us to study the lives of saints so we can see JUST HOW HARD THEY HAD TO WORK TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES THEY ALL FACED.

Today we’re going to wrap up our brief tour of Yogananda’s To Be Victorious in Life.

Let’s remember that his definition of the ULTIMATE success is pretty much EXACTLY our definition of the ultimate game we’re all called to play Heroically well.

In our last few +1s, Yogananda has been dropping his intense yogi-wisdom hammer and showing us how To Be Victorious in Life.

Today we’re going to talk about Heroic Self-Compassion.

Let’s get straight to work.

In our last +1, we reconnected with Yogananda and got his perspective on how To Be Victorious in Life.

I repeat: Be on fire with purpose and know that without battle, you cannot achieve anything.

Today we’re going to talk about how to deal with a “can’t consciousness.”

Not too long ago, we took a tour through Darrin Donnelly’s sports fable Victory Favors the Fearless as we explored the seven fears that hold us back and what we can do about them.

Now…

I always love connecting parallel wisdom across VERY different traditions.

Today we’re going to wrap up our quick tour through Kevin Kruse’s 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management.

We’re going to talk about Secret #15…

Although it’s the FINAL secret Kevin shares, it is…

BY FAR…

THE MOST IMPORTANT.

So…

PAY ATTENTION! 😂 🤓

In our last several +1s, we’ve been exploring some of Kevin Kruse’s 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management.

Here’s the quick, spaced-repetition Learning 101-inspired super-abridged recap of our 15 secrets…

In our last few +1s, we started talking about Kevin Kruse’s 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management.

We took a brief detour to talk about a chat I recently had with one of our Heroic Coaches regarding his parenting and WINning.

Today we’re going to talk about Secret #10.

In our last couple +1s, we’ve been chatting about some Big Ideas from Kevin Kruse’s 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management.

In our next +1, we’re going to chat about the 80/20 principle and some wisdom on Secret #10!

In our last +1, we took a quick look at Kevin Kruse’s 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management.

You do your quick inventory on how YOU’RE doing with those and find at least ONE way to move from Theory to Practice to Mastery?

Kevin Kruse is a Forbes Leadership columnist and successful entrepreneur.

He’s built and sold several multimillion dollar technology companies, winning both Inc 500 and Best Place to Work awards along the way. He’s also written a number of bestselling books.

I got a couple of his books after a long-time student and Heroic Coach connected me with Kevin.

In our last several +1s, we’ve been exploring some powerful wisdom from Darrin Donnelly’s Victory Favors the Fearless.

Today we’re going to wrap up our tour by talking about the difference between confidence and arrogance.

Let’s get straight to work.

In our last several +1s, we’ve been chatting about the seven fears we must conquer as per Darrin Donnelly’s great sports fable Victory Favors the Fearless.

It’s time to talk about how to deal with the fear of making the wrong decision.

Let’s get straight to work.

In our last few +1s, we’ve been exploring some wisdom from Darrin Donnelly’s great sports fable, Victory Favors the Fearless.

We’ve talked about the importance of conquering fear (and laziness!), named the seven fears that are holding you back, and talked about the importance of feeding faith and starving fear.

Today we’re going to talk about critics and the fact that they will never stop criticizing.

In our last couple +1s, we’ve been discussing the seven fears Darrin Donnelly tells us we need to conquer in his great sports fable Victory Favors the Fearless.

Let’s continue our discussion.

Today we’re going to focus on the importance of feeding faith and starving fear.