Heroes!

Michael here. 👋

Happy Sunday.

In this week’s (extraordinary!!!) new Philosopher’s Note on Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir, Brian shares this passage from Daisaku Ikeda’s Buddhism Day by Day:

“In any field of endeavor, making a vow is the foundation for achieving something great. If for whatever reason a person gives up halfway or backslides, his or her commitment hasn’t been based on a vow. Halfhearted desire doesn’t amount to a vow.”

Begs the question…

What are you committed to?

And how deep is your commitment?

On Thursday, community member Valerie Martin shared:

“I’ve been an OG here since the Optimize days, and graduated Coach Class III. But I had never gotten serious about using this app until relatively recently. I’ve used various other habit trackers, but wasn’t tracking here or using Heroic Social—primarily +1s and occasionally other theory.

Then, not too long ago, I thought—WHY? I believe wholeheartedly in the Heroic approach and mission. I started doing my daily commitment and hitting my targets here. More recently, I started engaging on Heroic Social almost daily. And you know what? It feels pretty damn great.

Just hit 100 Soul Force! 🔥 💯

And I’m that much more FIRED UP For Athens.”

What changed for her?!

“Being tired of feeling like I had one foot in, particularly committed. ALL IN just feels so much better with the good things, right?!”

So…

What’s the impact that you’d like to have?

What’s the legacy that you’d like to leave?

What is it that drives you on a deep level?

Are you ready to go ALL IN on your COMMITMENT to being the best that you can be?

As Brian highlights in the new Note:

“How have YOU suffered? And... How can you continue to do the hard work to reduce your own suffering SO THAT you can help *others* do the same. That’s one of the most powerful ways to be Heroic. The Buddhists call this being a bodhisattva—we strive for our own “enlightenment” such that we can help OTHERS achieve their own joy in life.

Let’s make a vow to do that. Together. TODAY.”

👆🫵🙌

Let’s move from Theory to Practice to Mastery.

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1. Building a Life Worth Living by Marsha Linehan

This week’s new Philosopher’s Note is on Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir by Marsha Linehan.

Marsha’s story is nothing short of Heroic. After spending over two years in a mental health institution, she made a vow to help others escape their personal hells, leading to the creation of DBT.

Today, she has trained over 10,000 therapists worldwide, and Time Magazine named DBT one of the 100 most important new science ideas of our time.

Here’s the intro quote to the Notes:

“Like the speech I gave at the Institute for Living that June day, this book is the story of my time at the institute, how I came to make that vow, how I managed to climb out of hell myself—and how I managed to find ways to help others get out of hell, too.

My life is something of a mystery because, to this day, I have no idea how I descended into hell so swiftly and completely, at the age of eighteen. I hope that my success in getting out of hell and staying out will bring hope to those who are still in hell. My basic belief is that if I can do it, others can do it, too.

My story has four threads, woven closely together.

The first is what I know of my descent into hell, and how that led to the vow to get out of hell and then to get others out.

The second is my spiritual journey—the journey that saved me. It is the story of how I ultimately became a Zen master, a path that profoundly influenced my approach to developing DBT, most particularly as it led to my bringing mindfulness into psychotherapy.

The third is my life as a research professor—how that shaped my ability to reach my goal, and the difficulties I faced along the way to overcome the mistakes I made and the multiple rejections I experienced.

The fourth is the story of the enormous power of love in my life... The power of accepting the kindness and love of so many people who were always ready to pull me up. And, in turn, the power of loving others, which pulled me up from falling in its own way. …

My story is also a story of both faith and how important luck can be. It is a story of never giving up. It is a story of failure after failure, but of somehow always getting up (or being pulled up) again and again, and carrying on. It is a story of persistence, of acceptance—a big part of DBT is saying yes.”

— Marsha Lineman from Building a Life Worth Living

Heroic Premium members can read or listen to the Note here!

(Not yet a Premium Member? Get instant access to this new Philosopher’s Note, 600+ others, and a TON of other goodness with Heroic Premium. Your first 30 days are free!)

2. Embrace discomfort and “Bring It On!”

“You can’t think yourself into new ways of acting; you can only act yourself into new ways of thinking.”

— Marsha Linehan

What do you do when faced with discomfort, fear, or uncertainty? Do you retreat, or do you take the opposite action and say, “Bring It On!”?

It’s not enough to just tell ourselves everything will be fine. Growth happens when we step out of our comfort zone and take action.

As Phil Stutz & Barry Michaels tell us in The Tools, “Bring It On!” can help us do exactly that. Here’s how to rock it:

  1. FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE: When you feel discomfort, recognize it as a sign that you’re right where you need to be for growth. See it as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.
  2. “BRING IT ON!”: Instead of retreating, face the discomfort head-on. Say (or scream!) “Bring it on!” and feel your courage grow with every challenge you confront.
  3. GO FORWARD: Take action. The more you practice opposite action, the more you’ll build resilience and strength, turning discomfort into a powerful tool for your Heroic growth.

Bonus: Add the “Bring It On!” Target to your Heroic app. The next time you feel an inkling of fear or doubt, practice taking opposite action and say, “BRING IT ON!”

(Fun Fact: Our community has hit this target over 35.6K times this year alone, transforming countless challenges into opportunities for growth. 🙌)

3. Meet the Trainer: Karen Noble

Karen’s Heroic journey began in the midst of profound loss and heartache.

Despite having a successful career and a loving family, her world was turned upside down when her husband took his own life, leaving her to raise their two teenage daughters alone.

In the face of unimaginable pain, Karen committed herself to healing—for her daughters and for herself. Slowly but surely, they rebuilt their lives, finding strength in community and resilience in the face of adversity.

Karen emerged from the underworld of her hero’s journey and sought new ways to make a positive impact on the world. She returned to school to study Organization Change Management and Positive Psychology, eventually discovering Heroic and transforming her diverse experiences into practical, purposeful action.

Today, Karen is a Certified Heroic Coach, Workshop Instructor, and Level 2 Trainer, using her hard-won wisdom to guide others on their own Heroic journeys.

Check out more of her inspiring story here!

And… as always, this story isn’t just about Karen.

It’s also about you.

Again:

“How have YOU suffered? And... How can you continue to do the hard work to reduce your own suffering SO THAT you can help *others* do the same. That’s one of the most powerful ways to be Heroic. The Buddhists call this being a bodhisattva—we strive for our own “enlightenment” such that we can help OTHERS achieve their own joy in life.

Let’s make a vow to do that. Together. TODAY.”

P.S. Looking for extra support on your journey? Join the next class of our Heroic Coach program (starting September 2nd!), join one of our upcoming in-person workshop trainings, or work 1-on-1 with a Heroic Performance Coach to start creating the life you’re meant to live.

Let’s do this, together.

4. Conquer anxiety and live with calm confidence

Tame the anxious gremlins and live with calm confidence by applying the Top 10 Big Ideas in Conquering Anxiety 101.

Ready to conquer anxiety?

Our first step is to embrace the fact that it happens and then we’ll quit making it worse as we choose a target (calm confidence!), get our fundies in order, remember to breathe (deeply + properly), turn the serenity key in our brains, do some Olympic-style focus training so we see challenges and not threats as we exit our mind and enter the moment.

We’ll also look at how to create calm confidence in five steps and how to tap into infinite calm confidence.

Check out Conquering Anxiety 101 and use anxiety as fuel to create calm confidence, today!

5. Heroic highlights

Check out a few of our favorite stories from the week!

Sarah’s Vision for the Future: Last year, Sarah Maxfield and her family bought an old elementary school and transformed it into a vibrant childcare center. This vision, born out of necessity and love, came to life as they created a space where children, families, and educators thrive. The highlight? A sweet graduation ceremony where many kids said they wanted to grow up to be superheroes—just like their parents. Read more about Sarah’s inspiring story here.

Adam Alchemizing a Loss… and Fortune Giving Back what she took! After losing his wedding ring in the ocean, Adam Shimi shares his story of alchemizing the loss and taking constructive action.

The Johnson Family’s Toronto FC adventure: Micro-moments of awesome, red and yellow cards to be used at home, world-class players integrating warrior mode and kindness mode, and a win for TFC.

Let’s continue to change the world, one person at a time. Starting with you, me, and all of us.

TODAY!

+1. Wisdom from the week:

“I am working for later generations, writing down some ideas that may benefit them.”

— Seneca

Social shareable quote in light mode or dark mode.

And this week’s Heroic +1s:

This week’s featured Meditation is Bring It On! (5 minutes).

And…

Have questions or suggestions about Heroic, or ANYTHING we can help with?

Join us next Wednesday at 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST for Office Hours. Or reach out to our top-rated Heroic Service team by replying to this note or sending an email to support@heroic.us.

Alright…

With Wisdom + Discipline + Love + Courage + Gratitude + Hope + Curiosity + Zest.

Heroes Unite!

Let’s do this.

Day 1.

-Michael and Team Heroic

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