Wanted to share something that my wife and I do for our relationship to stay on the same page. We call it our Sunday Sync. Basically, every Sunday we have time on the calendar to connect and plan for the week ahead. 

We start it off with a line of gratitude for the other person. This helps us approach the conversation through a lens of being appreciative of each other and that above all else, we’re on the same team. It sets the positive tone we want to carry into the conversation.

From there we check in with how the other person is doing overall. We share our stress levels so that we have a sense for each other’s mental health and emotional state. When one of us is more stressed or down, it’s a good flag for the other person to be mindful of that and make an extra effort to support them. It’s also a good practice for us personally to check in on how we’re doing.

After that we talk about things that are on our mind. Most things are just general questions, clarifications, and updates, but also it’s a space to talk about any disagreements, miscommunications, or things that made us upset. What’s really special about this setting is that when these topics are brought up, neither of us are caught off guard or defensive about it. And what this does is it creates a really constructive environment for us to be honest with each other and find resolutions and action plans that we both agree on. 

And then finally, after that  we coordinate schedules and align on our plans for the week. We’ve found this has been really helpful to make sure logistically things go smoothly and that we understand each other’s availability. We plan our date night, and know the other has plans so that we can make plans ourselves if we want to.

Overall, these Sunday syncs have been really helpful for us as we build a strong relationship, and if any of it stood out to you, I encourage you to give it a try with your partner!

The central point to Ryan Holliday’s marquee book “The Obstacle Is The Way” is that the only path forward is through. He shares that in life, we’re going to face obstacles, roadblocks, challenges, resistance, and setbacks. We’re going to experience hardship on the way to our goals. He argues that those who are most willing to take action through the resistance achieve at the highest level, and that those willing to face off with hard things get stronger in the process.

This is a core theme in Nassim Taleb’s work on antifragility which gives something the property of getting stronger the more it’s tested. It’s like a glass cup that becomes more resistant to shattering the more you drop it.

Let’s take this concept that rings true in the outside world and bring it into our minds. Similarly we face obstacles and challenges that keep us from taking action toward our goals, but the difference here is they’re of our own making. They’re figments of the mind creating unnecessary resistance and keeping us in self-sabotaging patterns of discouragement, doubt, delay, distraction, and delusion. 

But why would the mind redirect us away from things we know we want to do? It’s because unconsciously there’s something we want even more that we're not aware of, and our mind is adamant that we get it. And that thing is safety.

The mind is resistant to doing anything new because new is uncertain... What’s uncertain is less predictable... And unpredictable is a potential threat. So our minds work very hard to keep things how they are to minimize uncertainty and keep us safe.

But as you know, if you keep doing the same things you keep getting the same results. Innovation and improvement require that you do new things, so constantly we’re fighting our mind’s bias to keep us safe as we do our best to create better results in our life. 

The silver lining is - As strong as our minds' self-sabotage might be, we are always stronger than it. We are always capable of taking action despite feelings of discouragement, doubt, delay, delusion, and distraction. We can persevere through the conditions our minds impose on us and do what’s required to take next level action.

For that very reason, that’s why I say: “We must overcome self-sabotage in order to become the best version of ourselves.” 

The obstacle is the way. The only path forward is through. And the more disciplined we can be about taking action toward our goals, the more we step into the next version of ourselves and the more unstoppable we become!

👉 If you want to learn more about self-sabotage, I’ve got a video about it here!

Ever had moments of self-doubt or low self-confidence, or questioned if you have what it takes to accomplish your goals? I’m pretty sure we all have. Unconsciously and emotionally, self doubt is gripping and keeps us stuck in inaction. But consciously we know that the successes we want are on the other side of doing things that we don’t feel ready for.

It’s in these moments that it helps to cultivate a sense of hope. It reminds us of all the possibility in the world, that if someone created a certain reality for themself we are capable of achieving it too, and it gives us a reason to try.

And what you can do is interrupt the unconscious, hopeless pattern being driven by self doubt and replace with with a hopeful, encouraging thought pattern that gets you into action. Consider this to be your new mantra that you can use any time you sense yourself hesitating or holding yourself back from what you are struggling to find the courage to do.

It goes like this: If I can… (Recite List Of 3 Big Wins), then I can definitely… (State Whatever You Want To Courageously Pursue Next).

Here’s a personal example: If I can go 31 miles at Runningman when I only planned to go 13, if I can do 50 pushups just about every night for 20 years, if I can complete a Spartan Race, then I can definitely train for and complete a sub 4 hour marathon in 2025.

You see what happened there? You stack so much evidence upfront that the thing you feel scared to do becomes way more doable. It takes the sting of impossibility out of it and makes it seem actually achievable. Without minimizing how hard it might be, it encourages you that you can. It creates hope.

As Heroic puts it, hope requires 3 conditions: An inspiring goal, agency, and pathways. This mantra supports the “agency” piece, showing you that you are capable of what you’ve set your sights on! And again, it’s a simple reframe that gives you the willingness to try.

So as a takeaway, I’d encourage you to think about that one thing you really want to happen, but might be scared to pursue. Then identify 3 massive wins that are relevant to that pursuit, codify them, and have them ready to go the next time you need them.

This topic is top of mind because it’s happening to me right now. I was with a big group in Mexico this weekend leading a housebild project and I got sick. It has taken a lot out of me the last two days but even so I’m choosing to show up to the core commitments I’ve made.

People underestimate the value of showing up in some capacity. It doesn’t need to be to the same extent as you usually do, or with the same amount of force, but putting small reps in goes a long way. That’s because showing up leverages the true physics of consistency and momentum.

One of my favorite stories of all time is featured in Darren Hardy’s book “The Compound Effect”, and it's the story about the pump well. Without retelling the whole thing, it basically uses the metaphor of drawing water from the bottom of a well and likens it to the power of consistency. Once you’ve worked hard pumping the lever to no avail, eventually you pressurize the whole system and get a full flow of water coming out of the spout with minimal effort. Consistency works the same way where you get outsized return from little investment.

What I’m proposing is to not underestimate the power of a small pump. If you skip a day, then the well depressurizes a fair amount. But if you put a small pump in you maintain the pressure gradient and offset the progress that would have been undone had you done nothing. 

So for example, today as I’m not feeling well I chose not to skip my exercise, and instead I incorporated a light bodyweight and stretching routine. While feeling poorly caused me to spend more time than usual on my phone, it wasn’t to the point that it totally dominated my day because I caught myself. 

While it’s true that I didn’t live up to the high standards I have for myself in certain areas today, I also didn’t completely blow them off entirely. And it’s these small positive choices that are in alignment with the habits and standards I’ve cultivated that keep me from losing momentum.

Show up in the ways that the moments you’re facing require and you’ll be able to maintain that higher level of performance more easily, and for longer.

My personal mission statement is to help turn human intention into action. I believe that if people were to live out their best intentions more often - to get healthier, be more focused in their work, value their relationships more, give back to their local community - then their life would change and the world would be a better place.

There are many things that get in the way of us living out our best intentions, but the one that is most overlooked is time.

There’s something called ‘The Law Of Diminishing Intent’ which basically suggests that the longer we wait to take action on our intentions, the less likely it is that we will. In other words, if we want our dream life and lifestyle to be a reality, to get the results we know we deserve, then we need to make bigger, faster, bolder decisions before the opportunity is lost.

For example: A guy who finds a girl attractive is most likely to strike up a conversation with her if he acts on it quickly, and is more likely to miss out on it as time passes. Someone who’s ready to make a radical change to their lifestyle is more likely to follow through on it if they take decisive action immediately rather than wait to figure out all of the details.

Time is an intention killer because as we wait, we give our mind the chance to talk us out of it. We rationalize, justify, and delay until eventually the moment has gone. And unfortunately, when that happens we don’t get what we want deep down and our good intentions don’t materialize. 

So if there’s something you know you want, find a way to take action on it sooner than you’re ready. Capitalize on the good intentions and conviction you have in a moment to shape your environment in such a way that it attracts success. 

Whether it’s getting started with a program, telling someone how you feel, reimagining what you want in your career, or reaching out to plug into an impact initiative… If you really want it to happen, then you need to take action on it. Otherwise it’s just a fantasy, a vision for how you know life could be, but it doesn’t change your everyday reality.

I want to feature a timeless quote from one of the founding fathers of personal development, Jim Rohn. Jim Rohn has a way of distilling the complexities in life into the simplest points that anyone can understand. One of my favorite Jim Rohn quotes is “What’s easy to do is easy not to do.”

This directly addresses one of the most frustrating components of personal development and living a good life. If we know what we should be doing, then why is it that we don’t do it? It’s easy to order a side salad instead of fries. It’s easy to stop working at 5pm on a work day so you can enjoy your evening with loved ones. It’s easy to pick up a book for 5 minutes a night before you go to sleep. It’s easy to set goals that inspire you.

But guess what, it’s also easy not to order the salad, stop work on time, read a book, or set goals. That’s why Rohn’s biggest recommendation for this is “Do not neglect to do the things that are easy to do.” Because if you do, then you must accept that you made the choice not to do it. 

It all comes back to our choices. At any given moment we’re making choices that impact our lives. As Darren Hardy, Jim Rohn’s protégé puts it: “You make your choices and then your choices make you.”

The challenge is, there are many things that get in the way of us making good choices. Our physical and emotional state, desires, circumstances and necessities all play a role in subtly influencing our choices. And our minds try to convince us to choose something other than what we know we want to do through acts of self-sabotage. For that reason we must remain vigilant about pursuing what we want and let our voice of reason be louder than our voice of complacency.

So what are the things right in front of you today that you know you should be doing, that are easy to do, yet you’re not doing them? Pick one and commit to doing it with conviction and discipline. Even if it’s only for a week, and you’ll see how your life gets unstuck and unfolds!

As someone who has released a new podcast episode every week day for over 6 years, I know a thing or two about being consistent. And not only am I familiar with the benefits of being consistent (I’ve managed to grow a significant audience and the podcast has amassed over 20 million downloads) but how to stay consistent over the long term. 

Truthfully, what I’ve found to work for me is probably different than what you might expect. And it works in every area of my personal and professional life.

Consistency is often closely correlated with being self-disciplined. When you’re self-disciplined it means that you follow through on doing what you said you were going to do. But discipline isn’t just about using will-power to force yourself into action when you don’t feel like it… It’s a result of the design of your environment.

• You stay consistent in going to the gym because you have a gym buddy that’s depending on you to show up, which leverages accountability. 
• You stay consistent at work by setting up app limits to keep you off social media, by closing down messaging and email windows when it’s time to focus on a specific task, and by telling a coworker that you’re going to have something done by a certain time. 
• You stay consistent with a good diet by having a coach that makes you report what you ate every single day. 
• You consistently wake up early in the morning because you set up your phone to charge overnight across the room, so that when the alarm goes off in the morning, you need to physically get out of bed to turn it off.

In all these cases, the consistency comes as a byproduct of the environment around you and not your own will. Making your environment conducive to your success is the single biggest hack in being more consistent in life. Rather than trying to pull ‘positive action taking power’ from your own efforts, you can let your environment do a lot of that work for you.

Now as it relates to designing your environment for success, so that you can be consistent in taking positive action toward your goals and ambitions, it might be challenging knowing where to start. That’s why I’ve created a resource that teaches you about the 9 Super Habits. The most important, effective, highest-leverage things you can do to get consistent in the major areas of your life. And not only that, but I teach you a step-by-step process to implement all of these Super Habits in a way that takes less than 15 minutes a day!

It’s the ‘smarter not harder’ approach to being the best, healthiest, most focused, and most disciplined, most consistent version of yourself.

You can learn more about the 9 Super Habits here!

Have you ever done one of those quizzes where you evaluate the major areas of your life? A few years ago I featured Garrain Jones’ process called “The Wheel Of Power” where you rank yourself 1-10 on various categories. 

Depending on how you score yourself on something like that, you could have two different conclusions. One is that you’re more clear on areas in your life that aren’t as good as you’d like them to be, which highlights an opportunity for improvement. And another is that you feel like you score fairly high on each dimension and life is good!

I want to elaborate on the latter, because it’s actually an uncertain place to be in. Especially individuals who find fulfillment and joy in growth, if they no longer have that outlet then it really could impact the quality of their life.

Here’s what you can do about it: Let’s say you score 8 or more out of 10 in every category. When that’s the case, take every 8 and turn it into a 2.

What does that do? It resets your point of reference. It completely shifts your perspective and invites you to explore what your next level truly looks like. It makes you play a bigger game.. Because if what used to be an 8 in your mind is now a 2, there must be massive room for improvement, and this helps you to see it. 

Let’s say you score an 8 in the relationship category. You have a good marriage or partnership with a weekly date night, you make an effort to see family and spend quality time with friends. And you’re happy with it. Now make that a 2. What would a 10 look like? Maybe it’d inspire you to start weekly relationship check-ins, create more deep and connected moments, or ramp up your level of daily thoughtfulness and romantic gestures.

In your family maybe it elevates your current normal of being around them to planning more moments where you can concentrate more quality in the moments you spend together.

These opportunities for improvement aren’t in your consciousness until they have to be. And once they are it illuminates new ways to take every area of your life to the next level.

That’s not to say that you can’t be happy with the way things are - you absolutely can and should. You can be grateful and still want more at the same time. The intention is to offer the encouragement to never stop trying to make things better, because you’ll find a deep fulfillment in pursuing it.