Heroes!

Michael here. 👋

Our Sunday check-in is inspired by the new Philosopher’s Note on The Gouge! by Admiral Bob Harward.

What “contract with humanity” are you here to fulfill?

When was the last time you even thought about that? 🤔

Can you dedicate thirty minutes to go deep on it, TODAY!?

Seriously. Swipe over to your calendar, identify a good thirty-minute pocket of time, then add a new event and title it something fun/inspiring like “date with destiny” or “purpose deep dive” or “define contract with humanity.”

Copy + paste the next three paragraphs into the details of the calendar event:

When the time comes, start by spending 5-10-15 minutes quieting your mind in meditation.

Then, bust out your journal, write “What am I here to do?” at the top of the page, and allow the words to spill out of your mind/hand/pen.

Dig deep, because “that deep digging forces us to live up to our maximum potential.”

And…

Know that the path toward your maximum potential may require one or two or five or ten “quit-pivot-DON’T QUITs” as you go ALL IN.

And be ready to make the daily investments in YOURSELF that will allow you to fulfill your mission.

Let’s follow Admiral Bob Harward’s example of: “I treat my body like the most important asset and investment I have, and I religiously take care of it. I invest all I can into it, planning for a lifetime of dividends. … Investing in yourself is the single most important bank account you have.”

Oh!

Want to try the Admiral B.O.B. Harward Workout?

Here’s how our VP of Operations (and 20-year U.S. Navy SEAL — thank you for your continued service, sir! 🫡) Rob Birch described it in his social post:

“At the time of this workout Admiral Harward was 64. He’s an absolute beast that put this 45-year old through the wringer. I have some work to do.

30 minute warmup with 300 pushups (arm rotations were deceptively hellacious and the Admiral’s pushup cadence was torturous)
30 minute pushup/pull up pyramid 1-12-1 for another
300 pushups and 150 pull-ups.
30 minutes of core.
Now a 4 mile run.

Great way to start the day.

Good luck with the PT.”

Brian also switched up his workout routine ahead of meeting up with Admiral Bob Harward (and Mark Divine) to hit some “PT” (physical training) in person next Friday.

“Here’s to forging the strength for two as we get our Energy to Heroic levels so we can Focus it on What’s Important Now in our Work and our Love.”

🙌

Now for the rest of the Brief!

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Note2: This PN 👇 is really, really, really good. I’m already four listens in and feel like I’m getting more out of it on every pass.

1. The Gouge! by Admiral Bob Harward

Here’s the intro quote to this week’s new Philosopher’s Note, on The Gouge! by Admiral Bob Harward:

“THE GOUGE!

In US Navy jargon, the Gouge is essential information. When my father showed up on the ship, he got the Gouge from his fellow officers and senior enlisted sailors. They told him what he needed to know and care about and what he didn’t. Only worry about the important stuff—the stuff that will keep the ship’s crew alive and save lives. The Gouge is the heart of the matter. They had a saying: ‘Live by the Gouge or die by the Gouge.’ Live by it because it helps you be smarter than any situation you might find yourself in. Without the Gouge, you could die or, even worse, fail your team and the mission. …

The real Gouge is much deeper and more complicated than these simple derivatives. It was created to do more than help people cut corners or find a simple solution. The Gouge is the contract we all have with humanity—sharing the best of everyone for the collective well-being of all. It was always intended to be information you could believe in, people you could trust, and organizations you could rely on because it came from people who wanted the best for you, and the good for all. It is building people and our communities. We’re on Earth for a short time, never more evident than in combat. We’ve got to take care and look after each other if we’re going to make it. As my father always said, at the end of the day, you will be measured more by what you did for others than by what you did for yourself. The Gouge is a testament to this philosophy.”

— Admiral Bob Harward from The Gouge!

Read or listen to the full Note here!

P.S. Not yet a Premium member? Get access to this new Philosopher’s Note (and 600+ others and a TON of other wisdom and tools to support your growth) with Heroic Premium. Your first 30 days are free!

2. Commit to Your Heroic Big 3

Would you pay $0.06 to get $1? How about $0.20? And what if you got back not just $1, but $10, or $20, or $100?

Do you think investing as little as one to three minutes in the morning (0.06-0.20% of your day) to deliberately set your intentions and COMMIT in the Heroic app might increase your performance over the rest of the day by 1%? 10%? 20%? 100%?!?

Again:

“Investing in yourself is the single most important bank account you have.” — Admiral Bob Harward

For the next week, try experimenting with bringing FULL INTENTION to your AM Commitment. As you go through the process of committing to each of your identities, virtues, and targets, vocalize “I am ____” or “I will _____” and visualize yourself living in alignment with those ideals.

Here’s how the Heroic Big 3 Commitment works:

  1. Create Your Identity: What phrase captures who you are as the best, most Heroic version of yourself?
  2. Embody Your Virtues: How do you show up when you’re at your best? Live those virtues!
  3. Hit Your Targets: What will you actually do today to be in integrity with your best self? Commit + Hit.

And…

Consider adding the “Exercise” target to your protocol. Swipe it every time you make your daily investment into your physical body!

Fun Fact: The Heroic community has hit the “Exercise” target over 374,000 times this year! 🙌

3. Heroic Education: Benedictine High School

We’re excited to celebrate the launch of a new Heroic Education program with Benedictine High School in Cleveland, Ohio.

Check out what Heroic Benedictine Program Implementor Jason Viyar (Heroic Coach, 2019 & Heroic Workshop Instructor, 2024) had to say about the partnership:

“Benedictine High School just made history as the first high school in the country to partner with Heroic! Now every student, staff, and faculty member has access to life-changing tools designed to help them unlock their full potential. 🙌✨

What started as a small Heroic pilot study led by Brian Stephenson (Beacon Program Director at Benedictine High School) and involving just 40 students has grown into a movement transforming an entire community. The impact? Truly life-changing—for generations to come.

In just one year of the pilot, the students’ cumulative GPAs skyrocketed from 3.0 to 3.54. 📈✨

… This is how we change the world—by unlocking potential, building character, and training the next generation of heroes. In a world where intelligence is the baseline, it’s virtue that sets us apart. Together we are ALL creating a Heroic education system fueled by love, community, and virtue. 💪❤️

And this is just the beginning. I’m so grateful for the leaders and educators who show up every day for our students—you are the heartbeat of this transformation. 🌍💫”

👏👏👏

It’s an honor to support the Heroes at Benedictine to forge excellence, activate their potential, and fulfill their destiny!

And this is truly just the beginning!!!

Here’s to training the next generation of heroes. 🙌

Note: Want to support a school near you with Heroic Education? Let us know why you’re excited by completing this quick form.

4. Purpose 101

This class is all about helping you discover your purpose and fulfill your destiny.

Check out Purpose 101 to learn (and apply!) the Top Ten biggest ideas on how to answer that question we started with:

“What am I here to do?”

And for twenty five bonus questions to journal on and dig even deeper, check out Purpose 102:

5. Community highlights

A few favorites from another week of moving from Theory to Practice to Mastery… Together!

+1. Wisdom from the week:

“We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

— Martin Luther King Jr.

Social shareable quote in light mode or dark mode.

And this week’s Heroic +1s:

This week’s featured Meditation is Heroic Big 3 Commitment (5 minutes).

And…

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

Join us on 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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