Newsletter

Happy Monday!

One common trap I see many people fall into is that they choose too many fitness goals at once.

I recognize this because I used to do this, too. I’d choose five to ten goals to work on — and then wonder why I wasn’t making much progress toward any of them.

This is why when choosing goals to pursue, it’s important to be realistic. If you only have an hour or an hour to work toward your goals each day, you can’t expect to make significant progress on a lot of things.

Instead, pick a few goals and go deep. The less you’re focused on, the more progress you can make toward your goals.

And remember — you don’t have to be tied to those goals for life. You can choose to pursue a few things for six months, a year, even a few years, and then switch to something else. Phasing your goals this way will actually help you make more progress toward more things in the long run than trying to do too many things at once.

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Happy Monday!

Any time you begin something new, you can’t expect to be very good when first starting out.

For example, when I first started learning handstands, I was terrible at them. I could barely hold myself up against a wall, and my form wasn’t anything to be proud of. It took me years before I was able to hold a consistent freestanding handstand.

Recently, I started training jiu-jitsu, and I’ll be honest — I’m not very good at it yet. I have so much to learn. Every time I step onto the mat, I realize how much I don’t know. But I know I’ll get better — I have to give it time. To chip away at it inch by inch, just like I did with handstands.

Learning something new can feel daunting at times. When you realize just how far the road ahead is, it can be easy to want to quit before you even start. This is why your mindset is so important at all stages of your journey.

Most people these days have heard of a growth mindset. But so few people apply it to their actual lives. Having a growth mindset means you believe that your effort will make a difference. It means you allow yourself to try — and that you trust in yourself and keep going even when it feels like you’re getting nowhere.

So don’t be so hard on yourself when you try something new. Accept that you’re not going to be great at anything when you first start. The more challenging the goal, the longer the journey ahead of you.

Keep putting in the work, keep trying, and most importantly — keep going.

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Happy Monday!

When was the last time you experienced awe or wonder? Both are experiences that most of us may not be great at prioritizing in our everyday lives — but we should.

For example, research shows that experiencing awe is important for our well-being and mental health. Even little moments of awe or wonder can help us feel energized, renewed, and inspired.

There are so many ways to do this — from going on a hike, listening to beautiful music, reading an inspiring story, spending time with people who energize you, or experiencing flow in your favorite hobby. When in doubt, get out in nature, since nature is almost guaranteed to produce some awe.

Keep in mind that these experiences will be different for everyone, so it’s important that you start looking for things that make you feel fully alive and fully present in the moment.

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Hey there,

Have you ever skipped exercise because you didn’t think you had time to do the workout you wanted to do?

Lack of time is probably the number one reason most people skip their workouts. But exercise isn’t so all or nothing. Something is always better than nothing when it comes to workouts. Even a five minute workout can result in strength and fitness gains. Consistency, more than the length of time, is most important when it comes to working out.

If you’re short on time, the key is to stay focused and be efficient. Pick a few full body exercises and do a circuit or a HIIT workout. Oh, and don’t look at your phone 😉

Here’s an example of a 15 minute workout I did the other day:

Warm-up: 3 minutes
Jumping jacks, walking lunges, air squats, inchworms

Workout: 12 minutes
Kettlebell swings, pull-ups, goblet squats, push-ups, hanging leg raises

Follow this approach and you’ll be in and out of the gym in no time 💪

Looking for more short, efficient workout ideas? Try the 12 Minute Athlete app: 12minuteathlete.com/app

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Regularly choosing to do hard things is — not surprisingly — hard.

As goal-driven as I am these days, even I have times when I’d rather take the easy route and coast rather than challenge myself to grow.

When I feel that hint of complacency creeping in, I ask myself this question:

What is the cost of maintaining the status quo?

Which will you regret more: the time you spend working hard toward something that you’re deeply passionate about — or allowing yourself to become complacent and not push toward your dreams?

I know my answer. What’s yours?

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Hey there,

In my experience, most people overcomplicate fitness.

They’re always looking for something new and different, seeking out the next fitness fad that will finally get them into shape.

This usually results in a yo-yo exercise habit full of stops and starts. Unsurprisingly, this approach to exercise usually isn’t sustainable in the long run.

Working out doesn’t have to be so complicated. Stick to some variation of the basics:

• Squats
• Lunges
• Push-ups
• Pull-ups
• Sprints/intervals
• Flexibility/mobility
• Walking

And you’ll be good.

Remember that ultimately, the best form of fitness is the one that you’ll do — not just today, but day after day, and year after year.

And if you do want some more variety, think about adding a new skill or sport to your athletic arsenal to keep things fun and interesting!

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Hey there,

Ever since I was young, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of human potential.

As a kid, this meant I was always encouraging others to aim higher and pursue their dreams. As an adult, this has led me to pursue many of my own highest goals, including things like learning to handstand, write books, step into boxing ring, and most recently, learn jiu-jitsu.

If, like me, you’re also on a growth journey, I’d love for you to join the new course I’m helping to run, Transcend!.

Transcend! is an eight-week course helping you to live a more creative, meaningful, and fulfilling life based on the science of human potential. The brainchild of Columbia University psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, Transcend! Is grounded in the core principles of humanistic and positive psychology to help you build a life of meaning and purpose. I’m honored to be a part of the course as a head performance coach.

The course starts on July 3rd and runs for eight weeks. There will be LIVE weekly coaching sessions with me and our other head coach, over a dozen hours of on demand content, hundreds of awesome resources to help you on your growth journey, a really cool community, and so much more.

It’s a really special course and I’m so excited to be a part of it!

As Abraham Maslow said, “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”

If you’re interested in pursuing growth and your own potential, I encourage you to join us!

Find out more about the course and sign up here.

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Hey there,

People ask me all the time how I stay motivated to exercise.

I work out nearly every day, sometimes twice a day, most days of the week.

But the truth is, these days, motivation doesn’t play much of a role in whether I work out or not. I don’t wake up in the morning and decide whether or not I’m going to work out that day — I just know I’m going to. Exercise has become such a deeply ingrained part of my identity that motivation is no longer required.

I wasn’t always this way. It took time and experimenting to create an exercise habit that worked for my lifestyle. But I now look forward to my workouts more than just about any other part of my day.

My workouts are my time to get away from all the other stressors in my life and focus on values that are important to me, like the pursuit of self-mastery, lifelong learning, and health.

They’re key to my mental health and performance as well (as anyone who knows me has encountered, I get grumpy if I don’t get enough exercise).

Maybe more than anything, my workouts have become my time to play and learn. Yes, I still do my push-ups, pull-ups, and squats, but I also train handstands, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu. I skateboard and shoot baskets. Movement has become a fun, joyful part of my life.

If you haven’t found your thing when it comes to exercise yet, keep experimenting!

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Hey there,

We all have stories about ourselves that limit our growth.

Growing up, my story was that I was weak, cowardly, un-athletic, and that it was too late for me to change.

I held onto this story for a long time until I couldn’t anymore. I started to realize how much it was holding me back — and that the only way to grow into the person I wanted to be was to let go of it.

I started with baby steps, first taking small risks, then eventually, bigger ones. I began leaning into challenges instead of running away from them. Slowly, I let go of my story to create a new one.

We can all let go of our limiting stories and choose the growth option. All it takes is a little courage, belief in ourselves, and most importantly, a willingness to try.

Keep going.

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