If you put Joe Rogan and David Goggins next to each other, what do you think they’d have in common?

Status? Fame? Discipline?

I think one of the most alike traits they share is that they’re willing to talk down to themselves. By that I mean, they are their own motivator.

I was listening to a Joe Rogan podcast the other day and he said how he only feels like going to the gym maybe 50% of the time. So every other day, he doesn’t want to work out.

But it’s on those days that he said he imagines himself out of his own body—kind of like a second person—knowing what he knows now and what he’s capable of, and begins talking down to him.

He’ll say things like, “Come on *****, what are you talking about? Do it. You’re just being lazy. Put your shoes on. Get up, get a sweat going, and then you’re going to feel pumped.”

For some people, this might prove to be a little harsh. But for a lot of us, we need someone in our lives to push us beyond what we’re typically comfortable with. And most of us don’t have someone like that in our lives. So, it falls to you.

Same with David Goggins. During his weight loss journey so he’d qualify for the Navy Seals, he would talk to himself in the mirror and tell himself how fat, disgusting, lazy, and worthless he was. All so he’d be motivated enough to get up and do the very thing that person inside him hated.

And look where these two are now.

I’m not saying you have to talk shit to yourself. But I am saying you need to be your biggest motivator. To call yourself out when you’re getting lazy because most of the time, no one else will.

Whether that imaginary figure outside of yourself talks smack or lifts you up, give it a try. Maybe that’s the very thing you’re missing.

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading - I’m now re-reading The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield. A short book on overcoming procrastination and doing the work you need to do.

Quote Of The Week - “One has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear.” — Paulo Coelho