December 19, 2025 • 12 mins
This episode traces Hal Elrod’s journey from near-death and cancer to a practical, repeatable system for emotional freedom and disciplined personal growth. Rather than relying on motivation or circumstance, Hal’s framework centers on acceptance, daily practice, and a redefinition of success that prioritizes relationships over relentless achievement.
We begin with the five-minute rule, a simple tool for emotional freedom that limits how long you dwell in negative states. We explore unconditional acceptance through the powerful wheelchair metaphor—choosing peace without denying reality—and how this mindset sustained Hal through cancer with gratitude and inner calm. The episode also revisits the 2008 financial crash, when an identity built on achievement collapsed and forced a deeper recalibration.
From there, we break down the SAVERS routine—silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and scribing—and explain why process-based visualization outperforms outcome-only thinking. You’ll hear practical tactics like the 30-day challenge and alarm placement strategy that make consistency automatic, even on hard mornings.
The episode closes by confronting achievement addiction, showing why personal development must come before success—and why becoming a “level 10 person” ultimately means showing up fully for the people who matter most.
Listener Takeaways
- How the five-minute rule restores emotional control
- Why unconditional acceptance creates lasting inner peace
- The SAVERS routine and how to implement it realistically
- Why success follows personal growth—not the other way around
- How shifting from achievement to relationships defines a level 10 life
Follow for daily longevity and wellness episodes.
This podcast is created by Ai for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional medical or health advice. Please talk to your healthcare team for medical advice.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome back to the deep dive.
Today we are taking a reallyfascinating look at the
philosophy and uh the practicesof Hal Velrod, the man behind
the miracle morning.
That's right.
And we've got a great set ofsources.
Our listeners sent in keynotetranscripts, biographical notes,
and they all show this systemwasn't, you know, built in some
ivory tower.
(00:20):
It was forged in the fire ofjust unthinkable adversity.
SPEAKER_01 (00:24):
And that's really the key context here, you know.
SPEAKER_00 (00:26):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (00:26):
Our mission is to understand how the absolute
worst things a person can face.
I'm talking being pronounceddead, aggressive cancer,
complete financial ruin, howthose things don't just lead to
survival, but actually becomethe framework for building what
he calls a level 10 life.
We're really unpacking themechanism that turns suffering
into an actual advantage.
SPEAKER_00 (00:46):
Okay.
So this mechanism, it startswith a truly harrowing event.
December 1999.
Hal was just 20 years olddriving home.
SPEAKER_01 (00:53):
And he gets hit head on by a drunk driver.
The speeds involved were justcatastrophic.
We're talking 65 miles per hourinto 80.
SPEAKER_00 (01:00):
Aaron Powell The impact alone is horrifying to
think about.
SPEAKER_01 (01:03):
It was almost instantly fatal.
I mean his heart stopped for I Ithink the sources say six or
seven minutes.
He was pronounced dead at thescene.
SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (01:11):
He had severe brain trauma, broke eleven bones, and
then he wakes up from aweek-long coma.
SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
Aaron Powell And the news is just devastating.
SPEAKER_01 (01:18):
Aaron Powell The doctors are telling him he's got
a titanium rod in his leg, metalplates in his eye, and the grim
reality that, you know, he wouldlikely never walk again,
possibly be a vegetable, as theyput it.
SPEAKER_00 (01:29):
Aaron Powell And this is where the story gets so
fascinating to me because whathappened next is just not the
natural response you'd expect.
SPEAKER_01 (01:35):
Aaron Powell No, not at all.
SPEAKER_00 (01:36):
He wakes up smiling, he's laughing, joking with the
nurses.
And this leads to something hecalls the delusion diagnosis.
SPEAKER_01 (01:44):
Aaron Ross Powell Exactly.
The medical team was uh well,they were alarmed.
They brought in psychologistswho were deeply concerned that
his attitude was this dangerousform of denial.
SPEAKER_00 (01:54):
Aaron Powell They thought he was breaking from
reality.
SPEAKER_01 (01:56):
Aaron Ross Powell They insisted.
SPEAKER_00 (01:57):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:57):
They said he needed to accept how severe his
situation was.
That is, you know, his happinesswas a sign he just wasn't facing
his anger and despair.
SPEAKER_00 (02:05):
But the source materials is really clear on
this.
This wasn't denial, it was aconscious psychological
technique.
SPEAKER_01 (02:11):
Yes, what he calls the five-minute rule.
SPEAKER_00 (02:13):
The five-minute rule.
SPEAKER_01 (02:14):
And this is really the core of what he calls
emotional freedom.
He explains that when somethingterrible happens, it's okay to
be negative.
You're allowed to feel it, tocomplain, to vent.
SPEAKER_00 (02:27):
But only for five minutes.
SPEAKER_01 (02:28):
Only for five minutes.
When that timer is up, youtransition with three very
powerful words.
SPEAKER_00 (02:33):
Can't change it.
SPEAKER_01 (02:34):
Can't change it.
SPEAKER_00 (02:35):
It sounds so simple for something so traumatic.
How does that really work?
SPEAKER_01 (02:40):
Well, because that acknowledgement is what
eliminates resistance.
I mean, the deepest insight hereis that the emotional pain isn't
actually created by the eventitself.
SPEAKER_00 (02:50):
It's created by our resistance to it.
SPEAKER_01 (02:52):
That's it.
Wishing and wanting thatsomething in the past, five
minutes ago, five years ago,doesn't matter.
We're different, is just.
It's wasted energy.
It changed you emotionally tosomething you can't change.
SPEAKER_00 (03:04):
So by saying can't change it, you're sort of what,
cutting the cord?
SPEAKER_01 (03:07):
You're decoupling from the past and you're
radically refocusing on the onlythings you can control.
And that's your attitude andyour actions moving forward.
SPEAKER_00 (03:16):
And he immediately applied this to the worst news
he could get with what he callsthe wheelchair metaphor.
SPEAKER_01 (03:22):
Yes.
He didn't wait to find out ifhe'd walk.
He accepted the worst casescenario right then and there.
He basically disarmed hisfuture.
SPEAKER_00 (03:30):
So what did he decide?
SPEAKER_01 (03:31):
He decided that if he never took another step, he
would dedicate himself tobecoming, and I quote, the
happiest, most grateful personin a wheelchair.
SPEAKER_00 (03:40):
That's unconditional acceptance.
SPEAKER_01 (03:42):
Exactly.
Not resignation, but trueacceptance.
And that stripped the diagnosisof its power over his emotional
state.
He was at peace no matter theoutcome.
SPEAKER_00 (03:51):
And the physical results that followed are just
they're almost unbelievable.
SPEAKER_01 (03:55):
A week later, just one week after adopting this
mindset, his body starts healingso quickly that doctors let him
take his first step.
SPEAKER_00 (04:03):
And he walked out of the hospital just four weeks
later.
SPEAKER_01 (04:05):
With only a cane, and this wasn't a one-off.
Years later, he's diagnosed withthis rare aggressive leukemia,
acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
SPEAKER_00 (04:15):
The survival chance was what, 10 to 30 percent?
SPEAKER_01 (04:18):
Very low.
And he applied the exact sameprinciple.
Chose happiness, chosegratitude, even while going
through the most horrificchemotherapy you can imagine.
SPEAKER_00 (04:27):
So the takeaway for you, the listener, is to
identify your wheelchair, thatthing you can't change.
SPEAKER_01 (04:33):
And apply that same unconditional acceptance.
That choice is where emotionalinvincibility comes from.
SPEAKER_00 (04:40):
So, okay.
He's mastered this ability tohandle these incredible physical
and mortal threats.
He's got emotionalinvincibility, and yet he still
hits a second rock bottom.
SPEAKER_01 (04:52):
And this one is purely professional and
financial.
2008.
SPEAKER_00 (04:56):
A completely different kind of crisis.
Aaron Powell Right.
SPEAKER_01 (04:58):
And this is a crucial point for understanding
the whole level 10 concept.
He was a successful coach, aneternal optimist, but the
financial crisis just wiped himout.
Lost over half his income, losthis house, racked up over fifty
thousand dollars in credit carddebt.
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
Aaron Powell So he wasn't crushed by the event
emotionally, but something elsewas going on.
Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_01 (05:16):
It was an identity crisis.
The optimist was failing.
His positive thinking alone justwasn't enough when the world
was, you know, crumbling aroundhim.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
So that's when he realizes he needs more than just
a positive mindset.
SPEAKER_01 (05:28):
Precisely.
It was a wake-up call that hisidentity needed a foundation of
disciplined action.
He called a friend for businessadvice, and the friend basically
says, Forget business.
You need to work on yourselffirst.
SPEAKER_00 (05:41):
And that's when he finds that Jim Ron quote.
SPEAKER_01 (05:43):
The quote that changed everything.
Your levels of success willseldom exceed your level of
personal development.
SPEAKER_00 (05:50):
Because success is something you attract by the
person you become.
SPEAKER_01 (05:53):
And that just reframed the entire mission for
him.
The goal wasn't to chase level10 results directly, the goal
was to become a level 10 personfirst.
You optimize the internal themindset, the skill set, the
habits, and then the successbecomes this automatic byproduct
of who you've evolved into.
SPEAKER_00 (06:10):
So he starts asking, what does a level 10 person do
every day?
He starts researching.
SPEAKER_01 (06:14):
And he finds these six common practices for
personal development.
But here's the breakthrough Hespots a gap.
SPEAKER_00 (06:20):
What was the gap?
SPEAKER_01 (06:22):
No one was doing all six of them consistently.
Successful people would do oneor two, right?
Maybe they'd exercise and reador meditate and journal, but
they weren't integrating them.
SPEAKER_00 (06:32):
So his idea was to synthesize them all, put them
into one focused daily ritual.
SPEAKER_01 (06:38):
Exactly.
And of course, the bigresistance, which I think
everyone listening can relateto, was the time, the early
hour.
He called himself a not amorning person.
SPEAKER_00 (06:49):
I think a lot of us do.
SPEAKER_01 (06:50):
Right.
But he dismissed that with thisone simple mantra.
If you want your life to bedifferent, you have to be
willing to do somethingdifferent first.
SPEAKER_00 (06:58):
So he set his alarm for 5 a.m.
SPEAKER_01 (07:00):
Woke up, dedicated an hour to these combined
practices, and the results were,well, they were immediate and
transformative.
SPEAKER_00 (07:06):
We're talking rapid change.
Doubled his income in twomonths.
SPEAKER_01 (07:09):
And went from hating running to committing to and
then training for a 52-mileultra marathon.
SPEAKER_00 (07:14):
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (07:15):
It's the proof.
That personal developmentcreates this magnetic force that
attracts success.
It fulfills that Jim Ronprophecy.
SPEAKER_00 (07:21):
And that ritual is what became the acronym SAVERS.
SPEAKER_01 (07:25):
The six practices that, as he says, save you from
missing out on the person thatyou deserve to become.
And I think we should decodethis list because the details of
how to do them effectively arereally where the value is.
SPEAKER_00 (07:36):
Let's do it.
So S is for silence.
This is basically meditation orprayer, right?
The goal is what he calls a mindwash.
SPEAKER_01 (07:44):
Yeah, and it goes way beyond just being a trendy
practice.
The sources cite over 1,400scientific studies on the
benefits.
It's about consciously quietingthat relentless internal
chatter.
SPEAKER_00 (07:55):
The monkey mind.
SPEAKER_01 (07:56):
The monkey mind.
It's the essential reset buttonbefore the day starts demanding
everything from you.
SPEAKER_00 (08:01):
Okay, so the mind is clear.
We move to A affirmations.
Now, this is a practice thatgets a bad rap sometimes.
SPEAKER_01 (08:07):
It does because people think it's about
delusion.
SPEAKER_00 (08:09):
Right.
So what's the difference betweenthe old, ineffective way and the
version he teaches?
SPEAKER_01 (08:15):
Well, the old way is passive.
It's saying, I am a millionairewhen you're broke.
Your brain knows it's a lie.
The effective method he teacheshas a four-step framework and
it's all rooted in action.
SPEAKER_00 (08:27):
Okay, let's break down those four steps.
SPEAKER_01 (08:29):
First, you affirm what you are committed to, not
what you wish for.
Second, you affirm why it'sdeeply meaningful to you, the
real purpose behind it.
SPEAKER_00 (08:38):
So it's not just a goal, it has emotion tied to it.
SPEAKER_01 (08:41):
Exactly.
Third, you affirm which specificactions you'll take.
And finally, number four, youaffirm when you will take those
actions.
It turns it from a fantasy intoa daily strategic commitment.
SPEAKER_00 (08:54):
I like that.
It immediately shifts it fromhope to a plan.
Next up is V visualization.
SPEAKER_01 (09:01):
Another one that's often misunderstood.
The old way is just visualizingthe outcome, right?
Seeing yourself crossing thefinish line.
SPEAKER_00 (09:07):
But the sources argue that's not enough.
Why?
SPEAKER_01 (09:10):
Because it can make you complacent.
Your brain gets that littledopamine hit and thinks, great,
we did it.
The advanced method demands youvisualize the process.
SPEAKER_00 (09:17):
So give us an example of that.
What does that look like?
SPEAKER_01 (09:20):
Think about the ultra marathon.
He hated running.
So the visualization wasn't justthe metal.
It was seeing himself putting onhis running shoes.
And this is the crucial part,seeing himself smiling while he
did it.
SPEAKER_00 (09:32):
So he's anchoring a positive emotion to a difficult
task.
SPEAKER_01 (09:35):
That's it.
And the neuroscience backs thisup.
The brain patterns when youimagine something are the same
as when you actually do it.
You are literally rehearsing theaction and making it easier to
do for real.
SPEAKER_00 (09:46):
Okay, so we have silence, affirmations,
visualization.
That's the mental prep.
But E is for exercise.
SPEAKER_01 (09:54):
The instant chemical boost.
And it doesn't have to be a fullworkout, it can be five minutes
of intense movement, jumpingjacks, a quick app.
SPEAKER_00 (10:02):
And the benefit is that release of dopamine and
serotonin.
SPEAKER_01 (10:06):
Right.
It puts you in a peak physicaland mental state.
And what's fascinating is thesources say those positive
effects can last up to 15 hours.
SPEAKER_00 (10:14):
15 hours, that's your whole workday.
SPEAKER_01 (10:16):
Exactly.
You're not just waking up yourbody, you're sustaining a better
mood and higher energy all daylong.
SPEAKER_00 (10:20):
Then we have R for reading.
And this isn't just any reading.
SPEAKER_01 (10:23):
No, this is targeted self-improvement, knowledge
acquisition.
The idea here is the power ofcompounding.
Just 10 or 15 minutes a day addsup to a massive amount of
knowledge over a year.
SPEAKER_00 (10:34):
And the belief is that we're basically one book
away from solving any problem.
SPEAKER_01 (10:38):
That's the core belief.
Whether it's financial,relational, whatever, the answer
is out there if you go look forit.
SPEAKER_00 (10:44):
Finally, the last S is for scribing, journaling.
SPEAKER_01 (10:48):
And again, it's a simple but powerful routine.
He emphasizes two core parts.
First, write down one to threethings you're genuinely grateful
for.
SPEAKER_00 (10:58):
That sets your emotional state for the day.
SPEAKER_01 (11:00):
It does.
And second, you list your one tothree top priorities for the
day.
This forces you to be consciousand intentional about where your
focus goes.
SPEAKER_00 (11:09):
So we've covered this incredible journey from
near death to this systematicdaily approach.
SPEAKER_01 (11:15):
And the unifying message, it all comes back to
that level 10 person idea.
Success is something you attractby the person you become.
SPEAKER_00 (11:23):
If you want a different life, you have to
commit to being a differentperson first.
SPEAKER_01 (11:26):
And for anyone listening who wants a starting
point, it's the 30-daychallenge.
Just wake up 30 minutes earlier.
That's it.
Start with one saver's practiceand then stack them one by one.
SPEAKER_00 (11:36):
And here's the bonus tip for all the self-proclaimed,
not mourning people out there.
Move your alarm clock across theroom.
SPEAKER_01 (11:42):
Yes.
That simple act of having tophysically stand up to turn it
off defeats the snooze button,which is just a form of
procrastination.
SPEAKER_00 (11:51):
That physical movement is the trigger.
SPEAKER_01 (11:53):
It is.
And as we wrap this up, there'sa final insight from the sources
that's really profound.
The idea that dedicating thistime to yourself is actually the
greatest gift you can give yourloved ones.
SPEAKER_00 (12:04):
The selfish gift that isn't selfish.
You empower yourself so you canbetter empower the people around
you.
SPEAKER_01 (12:09):
That's the idea.
SPEAKER_00 (12:10):
But the final thought we want to leave you
with is a provocative one.
After all this focus on externalachievement, the ultra
marathons, the financialsuccess, he realized he'd become
addicted to the achievementitself.
SPEAKER_01 (12:21):
The true breakthrough came later when he
prioritized relationships andinternal peace above all that
external performance.
SPEAKER_00 (12:27):
So the question for you to think about is this how
often do you prioritize beingthe best spouse, parent, or
leader over simply performing asa provider or an achiever?
And how much does the quality ofthat performance actually depend
entirely on the quality of whoyou are being?
Welcome back to the deep dive.
Today we are taking a reallyfascinating look at the
philosophy and uh the practicesof Hal Velrod, the man behind
the miracle morning.
That's right.
And we've got a great set ofsources.
Our listeners sent in keynotetranscripts, biographical notes,
and they all show this systemwasn't, you know, built in some
ivory tower.
(00:20):
It was forged in the fire ofjust unthinkable adversity.
SPEAKER_01 (00:24):
And that's really the key context here, you know.
SPEAKER_00 (00:26):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (00:26):
Our mission is to understand how the absolute
worst things a person can face.
I'm talking being pronounceddead, aggressive cancer,
complete financial ruin, howthose things don't just lead to
survival, but actually becomethe framework for building what
he calls a level 10 life.
We're really unpacking themechanism that turns suffering
into an actual advantage.
SPEAKER_00 (00:46):
Okay.
So this mechanism, it startswith a truly harrowing event.
December 1999.
Hal was just 20 years olddriving home.
SPEAKER_01 (00:53):
And he gets hit head on by a drunk driver.
The speeds involved were justcatastrophic.
We're talking 65 miles per hourinto 80.
SPEAKER_00 (01:00):
Aaron Powell The impact alone is horrifying to
think about.
SPEAKER_01 (01:03):
It was almost instantly fatal.
I mean his heart stopped for I Ithink the sources say six or
seven minutes.
He was pronounced dead at thescene.
SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (01:11):
He had severe brain trauma, broke eleven bones, and
then he wakes up from aweek-long coma.
SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
Aaron Powell And the news is just devastating.
SPEAKER_01 (01:18):
Aaron Powell The doctors are telling him he's got
a titanium rod in his leg, metalplates in his eye, and the grim
reality that, you know, he wouldlikely never walk again,
possibly be a vegetable, as theyput it.
SPEAKER_00 (01:29):
Aaron Powell And this is where the story gets so
fascinating to me because whathappened next is just not the
natural response you'd expect.
SPEAKER_01 (01:35):
Aaron Powell No, not at all.
SPEAKER_00 (01:36):
He wakes up smiling, he's laughing, joking with the
nurses.
And this leads to something hecalls the delusion diagnosis.
SPEAKER_01 (01:44):
Aaron Ross Powell Exactly.
The medical team was uh well,they were alarmed.
They brought in psychologistswho were deeply concerned that
his attitude was this dangerousform of denial.
SPEAKER_00 (01:54):
Aaron Powell They thought he was breaking from
reality.
SPEAKER_01 (01:56):
Aaron Ross Powell They insisted.
SPEAKER_00 (01:57):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:57):
They said he needed to accept how severe his
situation was.
That is, you know, his happinesswas a sign he just wasn't facing
his anger and despair.
SPEAKER_00 (02:05):
But the source materials is really clear on
this.
This wasn't denial, it was aconscious psychological
technique.
SPEAKER_01 (02:11):
Yes, what he calls the five-minute rule.
SPEAKER_00 (02:13):
The five-minute rule.
SPEAKER_01 (02:14):
And this is really the core of what he calls
emotional freedom.
He explains that when somethingterrible happens, it's okay to
be negative.
You're allowed to feel it, tocomplain, to vent.
SPEAKER_00 (02:27):
But only for five minutes.
SPEAKER_01 (02:28):
Only for five minutes.
When that timer is up, youtransition with three very
powerful words.
SPEAKER_00 (02:33):
Can't change it.
SPEAKER_01 (02:34):
Can't change it.
SPEAKER_00 (02:35):
It sounds so simple for something so traumatic.
How does that really work?
SPEAKER_01 (02:40):
Well, because that acknowledgement is what
eliminates resistance.
I mean, the deepest insight hereis that the emotional pain isn't
actually created by the eventitself.
SPEAKER_00 (02:50):
It's created by our resistance to it.
SPEAKER_01 (02:52):
That's it.
Wishing and wanting thatsomething in the past, five
minutes ago, five years ago,doesn't matter.
We're different, is just.
It's wasted energy.
It changed you emotionally tosomething you can't change.
SPEAKER_00 (03:04):
So by saying can't change it, you're sort of what,
cutting the cord?
SPEAKER_01 (03:07):
You're decoupling from the past and you're
radically refocusing on the onlythings you can control.
And that's your attitude andyour actions moving forward.
SPEAKER_00 (03:16):
And he immediately applied this to the worst news
he could get with what he callsthe wheelchair metaphor.
SPEAKER_01 (03:22):
Yes.
He didn't wait to find out ifhe'd walk.
He accepted the worst casescenario right then and there.
He basically disarmed hisfuture.
SPEAKER_00 (03:30):
So what did he decide?
SPEAKER_01 (03:31):
He decided that if he never took another step, he
would dedicate himself tobecoming, and I quote, the
happiest, most grateful personin a wheelchair.
SPEAKER_00 (03:40):
That's unconditional acceptance.
SPEAKER_01 (03:42):
Exactly.
Not resignation, but trueacceptance.
And that stripped the diagnosisof its power over his emotional
state.
He was at peace no matter theoutcome.
SPEAKER_00 (03:51):
And the physical results that followed are just
they're almost unbelievable.
SPEAKER_01 (03:55):
A week later, just one week after adopting this
mindset, his body starts healingso quickly that doctors let him
take his first step.
SPEAKER_00 (04:03):
And he walked out of the hospital just four weeks
later.
SPEAKER_01 (04:05):
With only a cane, and this wasn't a one-off.
Years later, he's diagnosed withthis rare aggressive leukemia,
acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
SPEAKER_00 (04:15):
The survival chance was what, 10 to 30 percent?
SPEAKER_01 (04:18):
Very low.
And he applied the exact sameprinciple.
Chose happiness, chosegratitude, even while going
through the most horrificchemotherapy you can imagine.
SPEAKER_00 (04:27):
So the takeaway for you, the listener, is to
identify your wheelchair, thatthing you can't change.
SPEAKER_01 (04:33):
And apply that same unconditional acceptance.
That choice is where emotionalinvincibility comes from.
SPEAKER_00 (04:40):
So, okay.
He's mastered this ability tohandle these incredible physical
and mortal threats.
He's got emotionalinvincibility, and yet he still
hits a second rock bottom.
SPEAKER_01 (04:52):
And this one is purely professional and
financial.
2008.
SPEAKER_00 (04:56):
A completely different kind of crisis.
Aaron Powell Right.
SPEAKER_01 (04:58):
And this is a crucial point for understanding
the whole level 10 concept.
He was a successful coach, aneternal optimist, but the
financial crisis just wiped himout.
Lost over half his income, losthis house, racked up over fifty
thousand dollars in credit carddebt.
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
Aaron Powell So he wasn't crushed by the event
emotionally, but something elsewas going on.
Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_01 (05:16):
It was an identity crisis.
The optimist was failing.
His positive thinking alone justwasn't enough when the world
was, you know, crumbling aroundhim.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
So that's when he realizes he needs more than just
a positive mindset.
SPEAKER_01 (05:28):
Precisely.
It was a wake-up call that hisidentity needed a foundation of
disciplined action.
He called a friend for businessadvice, and the friend basically
says, Forget business.
You need to work on yourselffirst.
SPEAKER_00 (05:41):
And that's when he finds that Jim Ron quote.
SPEAKER_01 (05:43):
The quote that changed everything.
Your levels of success willseldom exceed your level of
personal development.
SPEAKER_00 (05:50):
Because success is something you attract by the
person you become.
SPEAKER_01 (05:53):
And that just reframed the entire mission for
him.
The goal wasn't to chase level10 results directly, the goal
was to become a level 10 personfirst.
You optimize the internal themindset, the skill set, the
habits, and then the successbecomes this automatic byproduct
of who you've evolved into.
SPEAKER_00 (06:10):
So he starts asking, what does a level 10 person do
every day?
He starts researching.
SPEAKER_01 (06:14):
And he finds these six common practices for
personal development.
But here's the breakthrough Hespots a gap.
SPEAKER_00 (06:20):
What was the gap?
SPEAKER_01 (06:22):
No one was doing all six of them consistently.
Successful people would do oneor two, right?
Maybe they'd exercise and reador meditate and journal, but
they weren't integrating them.
SPEAKER_00 (06:32):
So his idea was to synthesize them all, put them
into one focused daily ritual.
SPEAKER_01 (06:38):
Exactly.
And of course, the bigresistance, which I think
everyone listening can relateto, was the time, the early
hour.
He called himself a not amorning person.
SPEAKER_00 (06:49):
I think a lot of us do.
SPEAKER_01 (06:50):
Right.
But he dismissed that with thisone simple mantra.
If you want your life to bedifferent, you have to be
willing to do somethingdifferent first.
SPEAKER_00 (06:58):
So he set his alarm for 5 a.m.
SPEAKER_01 (07:00):
Woke up, dedicated an hour to these combined
practices, and the results were,well, they were immediate and
transformative.
SPEAKER_00 (07:06):
We're talking rapid change.
Doubled his income in twomonths.
SPEAKER_01 (07:09):
And went from hating running to committing to and
then training for a 52-mileultra marathon.
SPEAKER_00 (07:14):
Wow.
SPEAKER_01 (07:15):
It's the proof.
That personal developmentcreates this magnetic force that
attracts success.
It fulfills that Jim Ronprophecy.
SPEAKER_00 (07:21):
And that ritual is what became the acronym SAVERS.
SPEAKER_01 (07:25):
The six practices that, as he says, save you from
missing out on the person thatyou deserve to become.
And I think we should decodethis list because the details of
how to do them effectively arereally where the value is.
SPEAKER_00 (07:36):
Let's do it.
So S is for silence.
This is basically meditation orprayer, right?
The goal is what he calls a mindwash.
SPEAKER_01 (07:44):
Yeah, and it goes way beyond just being a trendy
practice.
The sources cite over 1,400scientific studies on the
benefits.
It's about consciously quietingthat relentless internal
chatter.
SPEAKER_00 (07:55):
The monkey mind.
SPEAKER_01 (07:56):
The monkey mind.
It's the essential reset buttonbefore the day starts demanding
everything from you.
SPEAKER_00 (08:01):
Okay, so the mind is clear.
We move to A affirmations.
Now, this is a practice thatgets a bad rap sometimes.
SPEAKER_01 (08:07):
It does because people think it's about
delusion.
SPEAKER_00 (08:09):
Right.
So what's the difference betweenthe old, ineffective way and the
version he teaches?
SPEAKER_01 (08:15):
Well, the old way is passive.
It's saying, I am a millionairewhen you're broke.
Your brain knows it's a lie.
The effective method he teacheshas a four-step framework and
it's all rooted in action.
SPEAKER_00 (08:27):
Okay, let's break down those four steps.
SPEAKER_01 (08:29):
First, you affirm what you are committed to, not
what you wish for.
Second, you affirm why it'sdeeply meaningful to you, the
real purpose behind it.
SPEAKER_00 (08:38):
So it's not just a goal, it has emotion tied to it.
SPEAKER_01 (08:41):
Exactly.
Third, you affirm which specificactions you'll take.
And finally, number four, youaffirm when you will take those
actions.
It turns it from a fantasy intoa daily strategic commitment.
SPEAKER_00 (08:54):
I like that.
It immediately shifts it fromhope to a plan.
Next up is V visualization.
SPEAKER_01 (09:01):
Another one that's often misunderstood.
The old way is just visualizingthe outcome, right?
Seeing yourself crossing thefinish line.
SPEAKER_00 (09:07):
But the sources argue that's not enough.
Why?
SPEAKER_01 (09:10):
Because it can make you complacent.
Your brain gets that littledopamine hit and thinks, great,
we did it.
The advanced method demands youvisualize the process.
SPEAKER_00 (09:17):
So give us an example of that.
What does that look like?
SPEAKER_01 (09:20):
Think about the ultra marathon.
He hated running.
So the visualization wasn't justthe metal.
It was seeing himself putting onhis running shoes.
And this is the crucial part,seeing himself smiling while he
did it.
SPEAKER_00 (09:32):
So he's anchoring a positive emotion to a difficult
task.
SPEAKER_01 (09:35):
That's it.
And the neuroscience backs thisup.
The brain patterns when youimagine something are the same
as when you actually do it.
You are literally rehearsing theaction and making it easier to
do for real.
SPEAKER_00 (09:46):
Okay, so we have silence, affirmations,
visualization.
That's the mental prep.
But E is for exercise.
SPEAKER_01 (09:54):
The instant chemical boost.
And it doesn't have to be a fullworkout, it can be five minutes
of intense movement, jumpingjacks, a quick app.
SPEAKER_00 (10:02):
And the benefit is that release of dopamine and
serotonin.
SPEAKER_01 (10:06):
Right.
It puts you in a peak physicaland mental state.
And what's fascinating is thesources say those positive
effects can last up to 15 hours.
SPEAKER_00 (10:14):
15 hours, that's your whole workday.
SPEAKER_01 (10:16):
Exactly.
You're not just waking up yourbody, you're sustaining a better
mood and higher energy all daylong.
SPEAKER_00 (10:20):
Then we have R for reading.
And this isn't just any reading.
SPEAKER_01 (10:23):
No, this is targeted self-improvement, knowledge
acquisition.
The idea here is the power ofcompounding.
Just 10 or 15 minutes a day addsup to a massive amount of
knowledge over a year.
SPEAKER_00 (10:34):
And the belief is that we're basically one book
away from solving any problem.
SPEAKER_01 (10:38):
That's the core belief.
Whether it's financial,relational, whatever, the answer
is out there if you go look forit.
SPEAKER_00 (10:44):
Finally, the last S is for scribing, journaling.
SPEAKER_01 (10:48):
And again, it's a simple but powerful routine.
He emphasizes two core parts.
First, write down one to threethings you're genuinely grateful
for.
SPEAKER_00 (10:58):
That sets your emotional state for the day.
SPEAKER_01 (11:00):
It does.
And second, you list your one tothree top priorities for the
day.
This forces you to be consciousand intentional about where your
focus goes.
SPEAKER_00 (11:09):
So we've covered this incredible journey from
near death to this systematicdaily approach.
SPEAKER_01 (11:15):
And the unifying message, it all comes back to
that level 10 person idea.
Success is something you attractby the person you become.
SPEAKER_00 (11:23):
If you want a different life, you have to
commit to being a differentperson first.
SPEAKER_01 (11:26):
And for anyone listening who wants a starting
point, it's the 30-daychallenge.
Just wake up 30 minutes earlier.
That's it.
Start with one saver's practiceand then stack them one by one.
SPEAKER_00 (11:36):
And here's the bonus tip for all the self-proclaimed,
not mourning people out there.
Move your alarm clock across theroom.
SPEAKER_01 (11:42):
Yes.
That simple act of having tophysically stand up to turn it
off defeats the snooze button,which is just a form of
procrastination.
SPEAKER_00 (11:51):
That physical movement is the trigger.
SPEAKER_01 (11:53):
It is.
And as we wrap this up, there'sa final insight from the sources
that's really profound.
The idea that dedicating thistime to yourself is actually the
greatest gift you can give yourloved ones.
SPEAKER_00 (12:04):
The selfish gift that isn't selfish.
You empower yourself so you canbetter empower the people around
you.
SPEAKER_01 (12:09):
That's the idea.
SPEAKER_00 (12:10):
But the final thought we want to leave you
with is a provocative one.
After all this focus on externalachievement, the ultra
marathons, the financialsuccess, he realized he'd become
addicted to the achievementitself.
SPEAKER_01 (12:21):
The true breakthrough came later when he
prioritized relationships andinternal peace above all that
external performance.
SPEAKER_00 (12:27):
So the question for you to think about is this how
often do you prioritize beingthe best spouse, parent, or
leader over simply performing asa provider or an achiever?
And how much does the quality ofthat performance actually depend
entirely on the quality of whoyou are being?
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