Heroes!

Michael here. 👋

Happy Sunday.

Let’s get right to it with an exercise from Todd Henry’s Die Empty that Brian highlighted earlier this week (and celebrated as “one of the best I’ve ever read and always worth the reflection”):

“Imagine for a moment that you will have a guest accompanying you throughout your day tomorrow. This person’s task will be to follow you around from the moment you wake up until the moment you fall asleep. They will take copious notes about your schedule, how you interact with your family and friends, how you engage in your tasks and projects, and your mindset through it all. Once the day is over, this person will spend the next few days processing their observations, draw conclusions about your motivations, and compile their notes into a book about you that will stand as the definitive record of your life and work.

How would you act differently tomorrow if you knew that your actions and attitude on that one day were going to be a permanent testament to your life? If you’re like many people to whom I’ve posted this question, you would probably get up a little earlier, pay extra attention to your family and the barista at Starbucks, be fully vested in every meeting, be meticulous in every task, call up an old friend for lunch, reconcile with an alienated colleague, and generally wrap up loose ends.

Next I ask, ‘How does your imagined behavior compare with how you are actually living your life today?’”

👆🤔

Even just 30 SECONDS thinking about that is enough to make us sit up a little straighter and live just a little (or a lot!) more intentionally, eh?

What if yesterday was THE day that stood as the definitive record of your life and work?

The day before?

The average day over the course of the last week?

Well…

Today’s the day!!!

Helping you to CREATE those days — actually living your life in alignment with your imagined behavior — is the whole point of our moving from Theory to Practice to Mastery.

And it can take as little as just 3 minutes a day:

  • 1 min: Start your day by COMMITTING to being the best version of yourself. Set your intention and your attention will follow.
  • 2 min: End your day by REVIEWING the ways you showed up as the best version of yourself. See the effort, progress, and successes you’ve achieved. Note areas that need work, and how to improve tomorrow. SWIPE to hit the relevant targets in the app and earn a +1 in your Soul Force score.
  • Bonus: Periodically check in with the app throughout the day and SWIPE those targets as you celebrate crushing the micro-wins that bring you closer to your goals and the life you’ll be proud to look back on.

1 minute in the morning.

2 minutes in the evening.

✅

And here’s what’s exciting…

If that’s ALL you do, SCIENCE SAYS you’re likely to feel +23% more energized in as little as one month. (🤯)

Of course, simple doesn’t mean easy, and all of us could use extra reminders.

In fact, during a 1-on-1 coaching session I had earlier this week, with a leader of one of our Heroic corporate partners, we put in place a few additional prompts for accountability:

He set an alarm on his phone to go off at the specific time he wanted to do his PM review, giving it a title that fired him up to get in and review the day. (And swipe his targets!)

And I set an alarm for one minute after his, as a reminder for ME to text him for an extra dose of accountability and encouragement.

(He hasn’t missed a day since! 🙌)

Back to you…

Is TODAY the day to start investing 3 minutes of your day towards helping you be the best version of yourself?

(And get those scientifically-proven gains?! In energy AND in flourishing?!)

With that, let’s get to it!

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1. The Captain Class by Sam Walker

This week’s new Philosopher’s Note is on The Captain Class by Sam Walker.

Here’s the intro quote to the Note:

“When I started out, I never expected to reach one emphatic conclusion. I assumed the fingerprints of these elite units would have many of the same whorls and ridges yet no perfect matches. In the end, I was shocked to discover that the world’s most extraordinary sports teams didn’t have any propulsive traits in common, they had exactly one. And it was something I hadn’t anticipated.

The Captain Class is the culmination of a lifetime of watching sports, two decades of spending time in the orbit of world-class teams, and my own lengthy investigation into what drives the dynamics behind a surpassing collective effort. It’s not the story of one team’s triumphs although there are many triumphs recounted here. It’s not a biography of one transcendent star or coach, although many legendary figures will be discussed. Though it uses sports as its source material, it’s ultimately a book about a single idea—one that is simple, powerful, and can be applied to teams in many other fields, from business and politics to science and the arts.

It’s the notion that the most critical ingredient in a team that achieves and sustains historic greatness is the character of the player who leads it.”

— Sam Walker from The Captain Class

Premium members can read or listen to the Note here!

Not yet a member? Get instant access to this new Philosopher’s Note (and 600+ others and a TON of other goodness!) with Heroic Premium. Your first 30 days are free!

2. Train your resilience and ability to master the inner game

As Brian highlights in the Big Idea on Training Resilience: Meditate from The Captain Class by Sam Walker:

Meditation ABSOLUTELY helps you cultivate resilience. People who *don’t* meditate tend to respond more significantly to life’s stressors and recover less quickly.

Therefore, if you’d like to forge some antifragile confidence, train your ability to put your mind where you want, when you want, for how long you want.

If you feel so inspired (and haven’t already) added the “Meditate” and/or “Heroic Mediation” targets to your protocol in the app. (Note: When you add one of the Heroic Recommended targets, every time you “hit” the target, you’ll contribute to the total community hits!)

Remember: Leaders are made through hard effort. Meditation is a key part of that training.

Already have a meditation target?! Nice work! Consider dialing up the consistency, the intensity, or both!

Fun fact—the Heroic Community has hit the “Meditate” target 336 times today, over 396,100 times this year, and more than 821,500 overall!!!

And…

There are also now over 350+ guided Heroic Meditations in the app!!! 🤯 Alexandra has been on a roll! Find a new one each day on the Today screen, or check out the full list in the Theory tab.

(Note: You can also check out Meditation 101 for more on why meditation is so powerful, and how to rock it!.)

Want help building out your FULL Heroic Protocol?

Here are a few options:

  1. Just need help creating your first target? Check out the app tutorials here.
  2. Joining the Heroic Coach program will systematically walk you through the fundamental building blocks of a protocol to help you be your best, create masterpiece days, and activate your Heroic potential. (Plus how to help others do the same, and build a career doing so!)
  3. You can also take the first step in working with a Heroic Performance Coach to get personal support in defining and locking in your targets. 🙌
  4. And Coaches can check out the Heroic App Connection for Module II.1 on Meditation + your #1 self-care habit.

3. Meet the trainer: Tony Bushong

Facilitator: Community Creator 👪 | Coach: Connection Maker 🔗 & Light Bringer 💡 | Father of Four: Legacy Builder 💓

Tony is a Heroic Workshop Instructor, Workshop Instructor Trainer, and Level 2 Certified Heroic Coach whose journey with Heroic began at a pivotal moment during his life.

“In 2017, I was at my lowest point, struggling with depression and feeling disconnected from my purpose.”

After a new job introduced Tony to mindfulness, meditation, and Brian Johnson’s content, he started making some big changes.

“The actionable wisdom and transformative content blew me away, sparking a profound change in my life. I lost over 40 pounds, got off prescription medications, and reconnected with my faith and family. Heroic provided me with the tools to not only change my own life but also to help others flourish.”

After transforming his own life, Tony became a certified Heroic Coach in 2019. And more recently, he became one of our first certified Workshop Instructor Trainers (which he says helped him go next level and accomplish more in a few months than he ever has before!) 👏🙌

Curious about following in Tony’s footsteps? Learn more about the Heroic Workshop Instructor training that’s helped Tony unlock his next level (he’s also leading additional groups at our upcoming training event in Phoenix!) or check out more of his inspiring story here!

(Coaches: Want to be featured? Submit your story here!)

4. How to inspire and empower people to do great things

Fired up by this week’s wisdom and feeling inspired to step up to the next level of your leadership? Check out Leadership 101:

Leadership is all about inspiring and empowering people to do great things. In this class, we explore the fact that leadership starts by leading yourself as we identify your noble purpose, chisel your foundation, create a compelling vision, embrace the process, and do what you’re here to do. We also look at the power of charisma, the neuroscience of being an iconoclastic leader, and discuss the best-kept secret of leadership to help you create your legacy.

Get started on Leadership 101 here!

5. Heroic community highlights

Check out a few of the ways community members are making an impact on themselves and in the world this week!

  • Daniel’s Resilient Journey through his second round of Heroic Coach training, transforming personal adversity into growth. His dedication to the Heroic framework deepened his resilience and expanded his leadership, transforming challenges into growth.
  • Tim’s Collaborative Leadership with Lori to present the Heroic Workshop to a school district's leadership team. Together, they empowered the group with tools to lead with purpose and energy, showcasing the power of partnership in our movement.
  • Brad’s Mindful Leadership through incorporating meditation into his sleep routine, which not only calms his mind but also boosts his recovery, as shown by his impressive Oura scores. Leading by example, he demonstrates how small shifts can make a big impact.

Let’s change the world. One person at a time. Starting with you and me and all of us. TODAY!

+1. Wisdom from the week:

“Imagine being the MOST committed to doing the little things you know keep you plugged in when you LEAST feel like it. The worse we feel, the more committed we are to doing the work.”

— Brian Johnson

Social shareable quote in light mode or dark mode.

And this week’s Heroic +1s:

This week’s featured Meditation is Heroic Leadership (15 minutes).

And…

Have questions or suggestions about Heroic, or ANYTHING we can help with?

Join us on Wednesday at 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST for Office Hours. Or reach out to our top-rated Heroic Service team by replying to this note or sending an email to support@heroic.us.

Alright…

With Wisdom + Discipline + Love + Courage + Gratitude + Hope + Curiosity + Zest.

Heroes Unite!

Let’s do this.

Day 1.

-Michael and Team Heroic

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