Hey there! Our accountability club is growing. Strangers from the internet are joining. Sh*t’s getting real. Don’t miss out.

Juan will talk about the importance of working hard and quickly to have an easier life later.

Michael is starting to prepare for his next adventure. But while he’s still here, he’s sharing some more notes from one of the business books he’s been reading.

Our friend Sebastian is joining us this week. He’s going to be talking about the setbacks he’s taken in life.

LIFE

It only takes one year to change your life: The man who ran across Africa

You can completely change your life in a year

Ross Cook was the first person to ever run the entire length of Africa. He did it in under 1 year.

You don’t have to live a hard life to live a good life.

You literally do one brutally hard thing and then have the rest of your life be easy.

Let me explain.

So Russ ran 16,250 km in 352 days and went through 30 pairs of running shoes. That is the equivalent of 46 km per day, slightly more than a marathon a day for a whole year.

In the process, he amassed over a million followers, raised $600,000 for charity, and collected incredible stories along the way.

On average, an instagram account with a million followers will bring in around $15,000 per month with only advertisers.

Then if he ever decides to, he has an audience that he can sell a product or service to.

And with his incredible story, I’m sure he could make serious money from public speaking all around the world.

🤔 What is the lesson?

He did one brutally hard thing that others are unwilling to do and set himself up for life. But if instead he ran the length of Africa over the course of 40 years, no one would have cared.

If you condense your efforts into six months or a year, you will allow compounding to take effect. And your life would be a lot easier on the other side.

What brutally hard thing can you do in 1 year? Be ambitious.

SOURCE: viralvideo.club

What did you think of this post?
🤔 Missing something 😎 Liked it

— Juan

PERSERVERANCE

Always Up and Down
Never Down and Out

You know those quotes that seem cliché at first, but then they hit you like a bolt of lightning? Well, I stumbled upon one of those gems: "Always up and down, never down and out." It's funny how a simple sentence can reshape your entire outlook on your capacity, isn't it? But that's exactly what happened to me, and it's been quite the journey ever since.

I'm sitting here reflecting on my life, and I can't help but feel a sense of contentment. I've ticked off a fair share of my bucket list items – done some cool stuff, been to some incredible places, honed my skills, and surrounded myself with amazing people. Today, I can genuinely say I'm in love with my life, in every aspect. Sure, there's still plenty I want to achieve, but I've hit some major milestones in self-development. And most importantly, I've built enough momentum to keep moving forward.

I Wasn't Always This Person

Let's rewind a bit. A few years ago, I was in a pretty dark place. I was a mess – underweight, jobless, couldn't even finish high school, drowning my sorrows in cigarettes, booze, and drugs. My relationships were crumbling, my self-esteem was non-existent, and I was engulfed by loneliness and depression. It took a painful heartbreak to jolt me out of my hole and make me realize just how far I'd fallen. But you know what they say about hitting rock bottom – it's the perfect time to rebuild.

Feeling Like a Work in Progress

Fast forward a bit, and here I am, still a work in progress but miles ahead from where I started. Ever been in that phase where you're doing okay, but not quite where you want to be? It's like being stuck in limbo between "meh" and "wow." You're making progress, sure, but it's not enough to make you truly proud of yourself. It's in these moments of frustration and self-doubt that we start questioning if we're cut out for greatness.

In one of those moments of crippling self-doubt, I stumbled upon that quote again: "Always up and down, never down and out." It was like a wake-up call, a reminder that setbacks are just part of the journey. And it hit me – maybe I hadn't failed; I just hadn't kept at it long enough.

Ride the ups, embrace the downs

It took me a solid eight years of ups and downs to realize that success isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. Every stumble, every setback, was just another step toward my goal. So what if it takes longer than expected? So what if there are more failures than victories along the way? The key is to keep pushing forward, no matter what.

And let me be clear – this isn't about settling for less or making excuses. It's about embracing failure as a stepping stone to success. It's about learning from your mistakes, adapting, and coming back stronger. So, when life knocks you down (and trust me, it will), don't stay down. Dust yourself off, learn from the experience, and keep moving forward.

So, here's to the journey, because in the end, it's not about how many times you fall; it's about how many times you get back up. And who knows? You might just be closer to your goals than you think.

What did you think of this post?
🤔 Missing something 😎 Liked it

— Sebastian

LIFE

Good to Great

This last week I finished reading the book “Good to Great”, where Jim Collins analyzes how companies transition from being good to exceptional. By studying S&P 500 companies that showed average performance for 15 years before excelling for the next 15, Collins identifies key leadership qualities that were crucial for them to achieve their success.

Here are some of the traits he listed that I believe all of us can benefit from:

• Humility: Collins describes the life of a billionaire HP executive who lived simply and valued his roots over his riches, epitomizing the trait of humility that often characterizes great leaders.

• Focused Strategy: He cites Nucor’s strategic pivot from a diversified business model to focusing solely on steel, which streamlined their operations and enhanced profitability.

• Strong Relationships: At Wells Fargo, the executives weren’t just colleagues; they were close friends. This bond significantly boosted their collaboration and sustained their enthusiasm for their work. They all looked forward to going to their meetings because then they’d be seeing their friends.

• The Right People: A recurring theme in the book is the critical importance of hiring the right people before defining the strategy. Great companies build teams of talented individuals who can drive the company forward. And we can all benefit from focusing on surrounding ourselves with people whose traits/values we admire.

Collins' research is not only used to teach us what makes companies great but offers actionable insights for anyone looking to enhance their own leadership style or personal success.

What did you think of this post?
🤔 Missing something 😎 Liked it

— Michael

TAKING ACTION

Sign up to our Accountability Clubs

Want a community to keep you accountable? Willing to put your money where your mouth is? 😂

How it works:
💸 Everyone makes the same deposit at the beginning of the month.
✅ Every day you succeed, you get paid back a small amount from your deposit PLUS the money from others who failed that day.
❌ Every day you fail, your money for that day goes to people who succeed.
🗓️ It is 5 times a week. Month-to-month contract. You can join or leave at the beginning of each month.

May Clubs you can join:
🏋️ Exercise 3 or 5 times a week.
⏰ Wake up early during weekdays.
📵 Digital minimalism during weekdays.
📝 Signup to join for May

Updates from this week:

We want to start some new accountability groups! So if you have some ideas for what you’d like to be held accountable for getting done, let us know 😉.

Have a lot of new people in the club. Currently at 11. Below we have a video of some of the funny interruptions Lina and Danae had to put up with while trying to exercise this week 😂.

Highlights from Exercise Club: