My core philosophy for improving the quality of our life, whether it be in your health, productivity, relationships, mindfulness, or whatever, is to raise your baseline. When you hold yourself to a higher standard on a daily basis, and improve the quality and consistency of the fundamentals, that’s when you really put yourself in a position to achieve sustainable growth! 

More specifically, when we have clearly defined standards for how we want to be and behave on a daily basis, then we have a benchmark to measure our lives against to see how we did. 

This philosophy of raising your baseline comes primarily from Brian Johnson at Heroic, and recently he shared an additional metaphor that I want to connect to enforcing your standards.

Imagine you’re driving a car on a freeway. As you go fast on the road the white lines on each side of the lane blur to create almost a single faint line. This is your path forward, and you stay between the lines.

But when you need to exit, or do something different, then you need to switch lanes. So what you do is see where the lines of your lane are, see the lines of the lane you want to be in, and safely cross the lines to find your new best spot.

You’re the car, the lines are your standards, and your objective is to make the lines of your lane as bright as possible.

What does that mean?

When you’re about to deviate from your protocol, compromise a standard, or not meet your personal expectations in some way, you want it to be as obvious as possible. Instead of drifting out of the lane you’re in without realizing it, you want full awareness that it’s happening.

This does two things for you:

First, if you were drifting without realizing it, it gives you the opportunity to make a new choice to get back on track and course correct.

Second, if you are willing to go outside of your protocol, it acknowledges that you’re doing it by choice and intentionally. This makes you feel less guilty about it because you see it as a well thought out exception rather than a lapse in discipline or commitment.

As for creating brighter lines in your life, and clearly defining your standards... You must take the time to identify exactly what you want and be accountable to it.

How many times a week do you want to work out? How many nights a week do you want to go to bed on time? Under what circumstances are you okay with having dessert or cheat meals? How often is it acceptable to work beyond 5pm, or on weekends?

Without these standards in place you won’t know when you’ve crossed the line, which makes it way more likely that you’ll cross the line often.

And every time that happens it comes at the expense of you being able to feel and perform at your very best.

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One of the most iconic figures of modern history is Mahatma Gandhi not only for what he did, but the way he did it. The virtues he displayed, and the sacrifices he made created monumental changes to the world. We have a lot to learn from Gandhi, but today let’s focus on just just one of his quotes: "There is enough for everybody's need and not for everybody's greed"

I think we underestimate how destructive human greed is. It’s what leads to war so that countries can secure resources and live an opulent lifestyle. It’s what causes businesses to push their employees beyond their limits in the pursuit of greater returns. It’s the cause of corruption, no matter how big or small.

At the root of greed is a desire for security. Hard-wired into our brains is a scarcity mindset, where we need to make sure we have enough to keep ourselves safe. This causes human-nature to pursue resources in excess so that you have more comfort and security should some of it be taken away.

Going one level up from security is where we see the true expression of greed, which is a desire for power. With power you have more leverage to change the system and secure whatever it is that you need when you need it.

Of course, the opposite of scarcity is abundance, and that’s what Gandhi’s quote here is encouraging us to consider. "There is enough for everybody's need and not for everybody's greed". If we have faith that we are secure and safe, that we don’t need excess for ourselves because there’s infinite access to more, then we don’t need to go beyond our means.

This brings up an important conversation about what is ‘enough’. There are two sides of the coin - One that is 'just enough' to get by and meets your needs at a tolerable level, and one that is enough to fully satisfy your needs. Gandhi is suggesting this second form of enough, of sufficiency. If we can recognize when we’re at that level and reject going beyond it for unnecessary reasons, as a collective we can more readily tap into abundance.

So what can you do today to integrate this idea and live more abundantly? Reflect on this question - Is there anything where I am pursuing more even though my needs are being met?

The idea of ‘having an ego’ has gotten a bad reputation. People have learned to associate it with being ‘self-centered’ and ‘egotistical’. But that’s only one expression of the ego. It’s also in place to create your sense of self and identity, which when harnessed properly can be an incredible and positive driving force in your life.

So rather than completely removing and separating from our ego, let’s find ways to tame it so that we can operate with the virtues and characteristics that represent the best version of ourselves.

The idea of “taming your ego” is more commonly referred to as “swallowing your pride”. As the ego wants to maintain a positive self-image, it often rationalizes things so that you feel self-confident and self-assured. But it’s this manipulation of the facts that often causes our ego to lead us astray when we’re not in control of it it.

That’s why, sometimes we need to accept the fact that we were wrong or that we didn’t do good enough. This is painful for the ego to consider. But when we get through that layer of consciousness and can see the truth of the situation, then we can use that awareness to make positive adjustments in our life.

I have a textbook example to share with you. I used to wake up at 5:59 in the morning every day. Why? Because then I could tell myself I was up before 6, and it caused me to feel like I was striving, achieving, and more committed to my goals. But it was a facade. It was a construct I created to make me feel better about myself.

In understanding the motivation behind it, I started to see what I was sacrificing. I wasn’t getting the amount of rest I needed, causing me to not have my very best to give in moments that mattered to me. With less energy I had less discipline, made worse decisions, and stayed stuck and plateaued at a level that was less than when I would’ve been with more rest.

This was the byproduct of my sense of self trying to maintain that I was a “high-achiever”, which is still important to me, but it came at the expense of me actually being able to live up to it. I had to swallow my pride, admit to myself that I was wrong, and make a change. And now I’m performing at a higher level because I’ve advanced beyond the superficial standard my ego was holding me at. 

To tame your ego, use curiosity. Ask yourself why. Why am I getting up that early? Why am I committed to this project? Why do I feel myself judging people who are partying a lot, or eating unhealthy?

There’s a whole lot of understanding on the other side of how your ego has manufactured things to be.

Alright, this is basically a page from my diary - this is something I’ve been thinking a lot about for 2 weeks now, it really impacted my life and I’ve been meaning to organize my thoughts on it.

Something that a lot of people want in life is to find their purpose. It’s our reason for being and the difference we want to make in the world. This can be massively ambitious like wanting to solve  world hunger, huge and narrow like disrupting the pharmaceutical industry, or it can be humble and local like making sure your loved ones have a comfortable and happy life, or helping the dogs at your local animal shelter.

The realization that hit me like a ton of bricks was: What if our purpose in life isn’t about what we do, but it’s about who we are? What if purpose is found in the way we show up to things rather than what comes of the things we show up to?

It was November 8th and I finally understood this, and it was an emotional moment for me. I was hit with a wave of relief. It’s not about what I do. I don’t need to keep doing and doing and doing. I gave myself permission to just be, and that my being was enough. I don’t need to achieve or make things happen to be a success. I don’t need to do whatever it takes at all costs to hit my goals.

Now as you can tell this is really raw and tricky to navigate, and as of right now this is the sense I’m making of it. I want to place more focus on my being. I want to show up to my work with optimism, patience, and courage. I want to be disciplined and accountable to making good choices throughout the day in my health. I want to be present and enthusiastic in my interactions with others.

What’s interesting is that the ‘doing’ comes as a natural byproduct of who we’re ‘being’. So we still get our workout in when we don’t feel like it, and make the phone calls that scare us, and take action in ways that improve our life. But it’s not about the ‘doing’, it’s about holding yourself to a standard of who you’re ‘being’ in every single moment.

And as far as I can tell right now, even when you don’t ‘do’ to the extent that you’d want to, or to the quality that you need to in order to hit your goals... If you can honestly come back to feeling like you showed up for it, or found ways to improve how you can show up better in the future, then you’re living your purpose. And you can find fulfillment in that.

As someone who studies productivity and actively tries to live the most productive, intentional life that I possibly can, I think a lot about time management. Typically we see time management through the lens of how we can strike a balance between our personal priorities, professional commitments, and overall well-being. And while that’s all spot on and an appropriate place to focus our attention, the label of time management is misleading

We can’t manage time - it’s an ongoing, unrelenting construct that connects the present moment with the next. So until we invent time travel we’re all stuck with the same 24 hours in a day.

When we talk about time management what we’re really doing is managing our energy and focus. It’s a matter of where we apply the resources, that we have control over, within the time that is passing. This is a major shift in perspective because it helps you realize what we really should be optimizing for.

This has been the biggest area of growth in my personal development in this last year. I’m just not making myself busier and using new hacks to ‘get more done’. I’m really intentional about exercising, resting, and fueling myself so that I have more energy to deliver quality in the moments that matter. And further, I’ve been really particular about what I’m working on to stay more focused on what’s important, and doing more planning so that I’m spending my time doing only the most high-leverage things that create the best results.

Time management really is an attempt to become more productive, which has two variables: Quantity of effort and quality of effort. I’ve been focusing more on the latter by being more strategic, resourceful, and intentional where now I’m doing less but getting more done and getting better results.

When you see time management with this new perspective it creates a shift that allows you to evolve the way you do things. A new paradigm asks something new from you. And if you want to maximize the impact of this perspective shift, and implement the exact same  self-improvement and productivity systems I use to be less busy and make faster progress on what’s most important to me, I’ve consolidated a decade of trial and error into a 21 day process to get you up to speed.

I’ve noticed something interesting about human nature, that I certainly relate with, and I wanted to share it with you! In general, we enjoy things more when we’re good at them. And it makes sense, being able to confirm that we’re proficient at something gives us confidence and makes us feel good about ourselves.

But here comes the paradox - In order to get good at something, you need to start by being bad at it and then do it enough times until you get good at it. That’s not to say trying new things and being a beginner isn’t fun and stimulating in itself, I just started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and very much have embraced being a beginner. But in order for us to reach a higher level of something we need to put in the work required to develop the skill, that we later use to bring us joy.

This becomes very obvious when we apply it to finances. Do you know the primary behavior that separates the wealthiest people from the rest? They know their numbers! They study their personal finances, know about every dollar coming in and going out, and pay attention to the way that money flows in their life. What about someone who isn’t wealthy? They’re more likely to avoid their finances and don’t want to look at it because they don’t like what they see. But looking at their finances is the very thing that will most help them solve their money problems.

The real problem to solve is simple: How can we consistently get ourselves to do the things we don’t want to do? So that when we feel resistance, or we’re low on motivation, or we’re trying to convince ourselves not to do it out of fear, we do it anyway?

The answer is to develop your “best-self reflex”. Just like our bodies unconsciously, reflexively respond to various things, we can cultivate a mindset that defaults to taking action even when we don’t feel like it.  It makes being self-disciplined the default state.

I use a step-by-step process to create unbelievable levels of self-discipline, no matter how inconsistent or unmotivated I feel, and this same process helps me accountable to doing the foundational super habits that make it easier than ever to be the healthiest, most productive version of myself. Preparation for 2024 starts now and if you want to make it the beginning of the best chapter of your life, click here to install the Super Habits System for yourself in just 21 days.

As someone who is dedicated to being the best version of yourself, pouring energy into their work, family, and health, it is vital that you persevere to reap the benefits of your effort. Oftentimes we are so close to the payoff and quit just before we get it, and the reality is we never know if we’re just one more day, one more experiment, one more idea, or one more attempt away from it all starting to click.

In order to have what it takes to keep on going, despite the setbacks, challenges, and obstacles trying to slow you down, you can start reciting this mantra: “I didn’t come this far just to come this far.”

What this mantra does is it gives meaning to your work. It reminds you of your larger goal so that you can get yourself to do the things you need to do right now.

For example, you’ve been eating healthy and exercising consistently for a few weeks but you still don’t see the weight on the scale change. I didn’t come this far just to come this far. Or if you’ve put your heart and soul into a new project that isn’t quite materializing yet, and you’re feeling discouraged about keeping on with it. I didn’t come this far just to come this far.

In my life, I’m practicing my keynote speech every single night and haven’t gotten the tangible, observable results to always feel motivated about doing it. But I didn’t come this far just to come this far, and I’ll keep going with faith that it’s all leading to something remarkable.

This mantra helps you tap into a gritty, tenacious, resourceful, determined state of mind and in doing so, keep digging to uncover the treasure that’s only another few feet under you.

However, let me call out something important that relates to this called "sunk cost bias". Hardwired into our minds is a bias that we overvalue the work we’ve already put into something, and since we’ve invested so much already we fail to see the task in front of us clearly. So be sure that you aren’t just taking action because it keeps you busy. Make sure that it connects to your goals and is a high-leverage way of making progress toward something you genuinely want.

With all of that in mind, bring to mind something that you’re currently persistently working on, and prepare yourself to use this mantra - I didn’t come this far just to come this far - the next time you feel stalled with it.

If you find this helpful, let’s work together for 21 days before this new year starts to permanently shift your lifestyle and the ceiling of what you’re capable of.

I heard this from Price Pritchett on Lewis Howes podcast, which I found to be an interesting framework about the 5 Cs of Negative Thinking. The 5 Cs are complaining, criticizing, concern, commiserating, and catastrophizing. With even a baseline understanding of these words, you can see how they can lead to cycles of misguided negative thinking. And what’s interesting is each has a slightly different version that is healthy and helpful. Let’s dive into each!

First is complaining. Complaining is more than just expressing dissatisfaction, it's getting stuck in a loop of focusing on problems without seeking solutions. It feels good to complain because it separates you from what’s happening, but it becomes a habit that hinders growth and progress. It’s like a relief valve that feels good the moment it opens up, but when it closes it just fills back up with the same problems.

Next is criticizing. At first, pointing out flaws might seem like a way to improve things, but truthfully criticism dulls the shine of achievements and stifles creativity. That’s because criticizing isn’t done with the intention to improve, but rather the intention to bring something down. Shifting from criticism to constructive feedback ignites growth and fosters a more collaborative environment.

Then we have concern. While having concerns are helpful to serve as warnings, and could be positive when coming from a place of caring, it can easily be overdone and turn into worry. We gravitate toward worry because we need a way to express the uncertainty, which evolves into overthinking about things out of our control and is draining.

Next we have commiserating. Gathering with friends to share experiences and woes can feel therapeutic initially. But when these discussions get repetitive and stuck in sharing grievances, it can make feeling bad for yourself more acceptable. Ultimately the version of this you’d like to incorporate comes from a place of sympathy for others and acceptance for yourself, so that you can reroute your behavior to something more constructive.

And the last C is for catastrophizing. This is when things are blown out of proportion and you picture the worst case scenario. It makes you feel powerless because you’ve made the obstacle out to be so much bigger than it is, and it paralyzes you from feeling like you can take any meaningful action against it. 

So if you want to delete negative thoughts when they come up, try to label them with one of these 5 terms and transition your way away from them. The most important conversation you’ll ever have is the one constantly happening in your head!