427 5 Steps to Your Greatest Year Ever

"Meditate to get clear every single day on who you want to be and what you want to create in the world." - Lewis Howes If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes, video, and more at http://lewishowes.com/427 Get more from Lewis! Get my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Get The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyText Lewis AIYouTubeInstagramWebsiteTiktokFacebookX

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Lewis Howes?

  This is episode number 427, "Five Steps to Your Greatest Year Ever." Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week, we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin.

• 0:35Lewis Howes?

  Welcome everyone to the first episode of 2017. Wow. What an amazing year. What a crazy, wild, unbelievable year. I hope it was amazing and great for you as well. And I hope there were some important lessons that you have from the year. For me, there's always a time of reflection where I think about what I learned, the biggest things that I want to apply for next year. And there are five lessons that I learned from last year, but also that I'm applying towards this year and focusing on to make sure that I implement in my life and my business in every area. And I want to share these five lessons, these five steps

• 1:17Lewis Howes?

  to make sure that you don't make the same mistakes in your business and your life and your health for this year. We achieved some incredible things last year and this year is going to be even bigger. But I want to hear from you on what your biggest lessons were. So at the end, I'll tell you the next steps after I share my lessons and then I want to hear from you. So stay tuned to the very end. Without further ado, let's go ahead and dive into this episode with the five steps to having your greatest year ever.

• 1:50Lewis Howes?

  What's up everyone? Lewis Howes here and thank you for watching this video. In this video, we're going to be talking about the five steps to having your greatest year ever. Now, I want to share with you throughout this video, the lessons that I learned over the last year and how I'm going to apply them into this next year and how you should too. Now, 2016 was a massive year for the School of Greatness. We hit 27 million downloads on the podcast. Now, 15 million downloads on this year alone. We hit 4.5 million views on YouTube, people. This is huge. That's all in 2016. And from 2007 to 2015, we had 2.6 million views total in that span of time.

• 2:33Lewis Howes?

  We launched the first annual Summit of Greatness and it was a massive success. People came from all over the world. We brought some of the best speakers in the world as well, and it's going to be even bigger and better next year. We had some amazing big time guests on the podcast. People like Maria Sharapova, Sarah Blakely, the founder of Spanx, Ray Lewis, NFL legend. Tony Robbins came back on. We went on his private jet. We had Mike Rowe, Rob Dyrdek, the media king Larry King, Scooter Braun, and many, many more. And next year, we are planning for some amazing guests. Get ready. Also, the School of Greatness Academy had some incredible results and transformations in people's lives, people from all over the world.

• 3:18Lewis Howes?

  I think we have about 20 different countries represented in the academy, and the transformation in people's personal lives and business is off the charts. We launched Legacy, our business building academy that teaches people how to build their brand and a business around doing what they love. And personally, I traveled to eight different countries. I played with the USA handball team, built schools with Pencils of Promise around the world, got certified as a meditation instructor in India, and so many more amazing things in my personal life. And here are the five lessons that I learned from the year that I'm going to apply into next year and that I want you to apply in your life as well. I don't want you to fall short on these.

• 4:01Lewis Howes?

  Lesson number one, you gotta have a clear vision. This is something I talk about all the time. You've got to figure out where you want to be this year, for the next 12 months. Figure out where you want to be and what you'd like to build for the future. So if you're not thinking about why you're doing something for this year and how it's going to support you for the coming years, then you're missing the point. You're always going to have to figure some new vision out every single year. So otherwise, you're just doing random things and getting frustrated because you feel like you have no sense of purpose if you don't have a vision. So you're just randomly going through life if you don't have a vision. So again, a life without purpose is setting you up for a life of unfulfillment.

• 4:46Lewis Howes?

  And if you want to get clear, but you have no idea of where to start, I get this all the time, I have no clue of where I'm supposed to start. I don't know what my vision is, then I've got a guide, a free guide for you to help shape your vision and make sure it's something that lights you up. Just go to lewishouse.com/vision and download the free guide right now. Lesson number two, guys, health is essential to everything. Now, there were moments this year where I let my, my health slip. I got sick, I got exhausted, I was overworking. And what happens is this holds me back in my relationships. It holds me back from being powerful in my vision.

• 5:30Lewis Howes?

  It holds me back from being there for my team. It holds me back in all these different ways. And it takes a while to get back on track. So you want to stay prepared daily. Schedule in your workouts at a minimum. This helps you relieve stress and it also brings out your joy. So you need to schedule it in. If it's not scheduled in your calendar, it's most likely not going to happen. So schedule it in every single week. In terms of your nutrition, I like to keep it simple, guys. Really create a lifestyle around eating healthy and using the 80/20 rule. Know the best that you can. Listen, I am a sweetsaholic, if that even means anything.

• 6:12Lewis Howes?

  But I love my sweets, my candy, my sugar, my brownies, my cakes. Oh my gosh, I could eat so much candy until I die, right? I love it. But I try to use the 80/20 rule as much as possible. Eighty percent of the time, fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean meat. I'm trying to keep it very clean as much as I can. The other 20% of the time, you know, I will enjoy my life with the foods that really, you know, are fun for me, right? That don't serve me and that hurt me long-term, but 80/20, I try to have a life as well. And I like to give myself an insurance policy. So because I'm traveling a lot and because I'm around a lot of people, you want to make sure that you set yourself up to win. You personally got to do this as well.

• 6:56Lewis Howes?

  And if you're not eating healthy on a consistent basis, then make sure you have an insurance policy. I like having a green supplement. There's a great one called Athletic Greens that I've used for almost eight years now. Athleticgreens.com/greatness. You get a discount and they're going to throw in some extra green travel packs for you as well. So go check out these guys. A good buddy of mine started this and a lot of elite athletes and people use it from all over the world. So make sure to check out Athleticgreens.com/greatness. Okay, lesson number three. Meditation. This is something that I've been doing for over a decade. I've been meditating and visualizing.

• 7:38Lewis Howes?

  And I just went to India to get certified to be a meditation instructor. Went through a two-week process. And it's something I try to do on a daily basis. And when I implement a daily meditation practice, I feel it. I feel positive, I feel clear, I feel intentional about what I'm doing, I'm less reactive. And when I miss days, because since I've been back and being an instructor in meditation, since I've been back, there've been days I've missed doing my meditation and since missing them I feel lethargic I feel lazier I feel more reactive or frustrated in certain times so I definitely feel the difference from the days I meditate

• 8:21Lewis Howes?

  versus the days I don't so set yourself up to win in this year to making your greatest year ever by having a daily meditation practice I'm telling you guys it's so simple meditation is becoming well known from people all over the world now it's not some weird woo woo thing anymore people are talking about it in the workforce in sports in relationships whatever it may be it's all good and set yourself up to win do something that works for you if there's free apps online that you can use and try out you don't have to go to India like I did there's also a great app called Headspace and if you go to Headspace.com slash greatness you get a 10 day free trial so you can go there

• 9:03Lewis Howes?

  download the app try for 10 days they have three minute meditations five minute 30 minute you can try different lengths of time that work best for you but I'm telling you meditate to get clear every single day on who you want to be and what you want to create in the world lesson number four find your tribe oh that's right you got to find that tribe this year there was a lot of times where I found myself just on my phone and on my computer too much on social media and this previous year and I realized that the more I disconnect from people in the real world where I get to touch them and hug them the more I disconnect the more isolated

• 9:44Lewis Howes?

  I feel the more I suffer and the more the most the people that suffer the most are the ones that are most isolated the ones that stay loners by themselves that do everything on their own it's when we go out there and we connect with our community People that have other hobbies, activities, uh, common interests as us, when we get out there more frequently, we feel more alive, we feel more activated, we feel like we have a sense of purpose. It's all about that community. You've got to stay active in your community, in your tribes, instead of just being behind a computer all day long and only having virtual interactions. Yes, there's a time and a place for that. Yes, having online

• 10:27Lewis Howes?

  communities is great as well, because you want to connect with people from all over the world. That's all good too, but make sure you carve out time to be with your tribe, to go to the gym and connect with people that are doing similar things, to go dance with people, to go do art classes, to go be around people. Find your tribe, hug them, open up, share your life, and listen to others about their lives as well. We were born to connect. If you aren't connecting at the most intimate levels, then you're missing out on a beautiful life. I also realized this, and that's why I created an annual event. You know, I have this podcast, The School of Greatness, that people listen to from all over the world, but I didn't

• 11:11Lewis Howes?

  get to really hang out with people that much. So I said, "I'm changing that. I'm going to bring together an event." And SummitOfGreatness.com, you can check it out if you want to come next year. It's going to be amazing. So I'm doing more touring, I'm doing more in-person events. I've got a book tour at the end of the year. I've got the Summit of Greatness. I'm trying to get out there in person more, as opposed to just be behind my computer constantly, grinding, but also living life. So make sure you are focusing on finding ways to come together and to find your tribe. And Lesson Number Five.

• 11:50Lewis Howes?

  Be on the pursuit of your dreams. I cannot emphasize this enough. If you aren't pursuing your dreams, then you are wasting your time. You may need to do a lot of things that you don't want to do for a period of time. And it may take you a long time to actually live your dreams depending on where you're at in your life. But having the dream in your heart, sharing it with others, and taking active steps towards making it happen is where the magic comes in life. It is the journey, not the destination. That's what people say. But if we are on a journey towards a life that does not bring us joy, then it's going to be a miserable life. And there is no destination.

• 12:35Lewis Howes?

  My recommendation for this is to read the book, The Alchemist, and discover your dream and see what part of the journey you're on right now. Check out the book, The Alchemist. I'll link it up to where you can get it in the description below. These are my lessons from the year. These are my five lessons. I hope you've enjoyed them. I hope you apply them to your life this year and making sure you have the greatest year ever. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to leave a comment below and share this with your friends. It would mean the world to me. This is going to be the greatest year ever for the School of Greatness brand, our team. And I know myself personally because I choose it to be. I choose to follow the rituals, the habits and the routines

• 13:18Lewis Howes?

  that add value to my life and that bring value to other people. So I hope you enjoyed this video. And I look forward to seeing you this year at some point and seeing your greatest year ever. There you have it, guys. I hope you enjoyed this solo round. Five steps and lessons to having your greatest year ever. I want to hear from you. Make sure to share this out, lewishouse.com/427. And if you're listening, then you can either post in the comments below that link on the blog. If you're watching this as well, you can go to the YouTube channel, or you can tag me anywhere on social media and leave a comment anywhere, either YouTube, or Instagram, or Twitter, or Facebook.

• 14:03Lewis Howes?

  And share with me the one big lesson you learned from the previous year that you're going to apply to your life this year to ensure that you have a greater year in 2017. So, again, leave a comment either on the blog at lewishouse.com/427, on the YouTube channel below this video, or over on social media. I like to hang out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. And let me know the greatest lesson you had in your life. I want to hear from you. I want to connect. And I want to make sure that at some point, we meet in person this year. So let's make it happen, okay? And also, again, if you want to support your friends, the best way you can support me and add value, if you find that this brings value to your life, is to share this with your friends.

• 14:46Lewis Howes?

  So if you know someone who maybe had a challenging year, who could use a little pick-me-up, then either tag them on social media with the link, lewishouse.com/427. Send them a direct email and let them know that you think this might add value to their life. I appreciate you guys. It's going to be an incredible year. I'm so pumped for what we have to come. Many, many big things just here in the first 30 days. So if you're not following me on social media, make sure to follow on Instagram, where I'm sharing a lot of behind-the-scenes. Follow us on YouTube. We're about to crack 100,000 subscribers. Big, big accomplishment for us, and big shout-out to Tiff Tyler for making it happen this year.

• 15:28Lewis Howes?

  Our superstar video extraordinaire. And, yes, guys, a lot of great things to head. I'm excited about the journey. I appreciate all of you. So make sure to share this out. Let your friends know. Leave a comment of the biggest lesson you learned, and you know what time it is. It's time to go out there and make this year great.