The School of Greatness

I truly believe Lewis Howes saved my life.By the end of 2015, I’d hit rock bottom. Having broken up with my boyfriend John, I felt hopeless and beyond sad. I began mixing Xanax and alcohol every day; everyone who knew me recognized my downward spiral.Given the violence and horrors of my childhood in Cambodia, I considered myself fortunate to have built a career as a print model.Late one afternoon, I arrived at a friend's house in Las Vegas for a photo shoot for his clothing line. Lying at poolside, I admired the stunning golf course nearby. My friend was reading The School of Greatness and handed it to me.“You should read this book. Or watch the Lewis Howes interview about successful people.” He promised that if I read the book, he would take me to dinner at my favorite restaurant. So of course, I started reading it.​Lewis’ ideas were inspiring and I liked how he made them so easy to grasp. Still, I confess, I didn’t take the book seriously enough at the time; I was too depressed and drugged most of the time.But its importance finally hit me one night after a party at the Chateau Marmont restaurant in Hollywood. I spent the evening at a friend’s house in Hollywood. It was a wild night and I drank way too much. In the morning, I woke up sick and rushed to the bathroom to throw up. Everything I had eaten the night before came back.This was rock bottom.I remembered my friend’s advice and watched the Lewis Howes interview about successful people.That same day, I decided to do anything necessary to be the best version of myself and live my American dream. Now, I work my butt off and when I’m not working, I dedicate myself to self-improvement. I’ve become obsessed with it.I’ve read many books and learned from other successful entrepreneurs, like my ex-boyfriend John, Mark and, of course, Lewis.It's been a big change for me since that night. At the time, I was 30, hopeless, unemployed and unable to even figure out how to get a job. After reading Lewis's book twice, I decided to work for myself—as a beauty specialist and personal stylist.Look at me now: a young immigrant, living in Beverly Hills and being my own boss. Thank you, Lewis!

Greatness is a term that means something different to everyone. It’s often hard to define, but when we see it we know it. Not every successful person is great, but nearly every great person is successful. Their success however, is defined by them, not us. Perhaps that’s one of their secrets.I recently had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Lewis Howes’s upcoming book “The School of Greatness” in which Lewis seeks to learn what makes people great. People like Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, Deckers shoes CEO Angel Martinez, and Kyle Maynard, a young man who played football in middle school, won 36 wrestling matches in high school, and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in his 20's, despite being a congenital amputee; meaning he was born without fully developed arms and legs.The book dives into eight principles Lewis identified while talking to these people. These principles are also chapters in his book.8 Principles of Greatness#1 Create a vision#2 Turn adversity into advantage#3 Cultivate a championship mindset#4 Develop hustle#5 Master your body#6 Practice positive habits#7 Building a winning team#8 Be of service to othersLewis isn’t just interviewing great people, he’s in his own pursuit of greatness, so he’s learning from them and sharing the lessons with us. In each chapter Lewis tells their stories, and then relates it to his own life. Sometimes he tells you how he’s already applied these principles, other times he tells you he’s still working on it. Finally, he shares specific exercises you can do today to apply the lessons he’s learned.I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. New age “feel good” books aren’t really my thing, but that’s not what this is. This book is full of inspiring stories and practical exercises that have honestly motivated me to push it up a notch. Lewis’s story, woven throughout this excellent read, shows that we can all be great too.Do I recommend this book? Let’s just say I plan to buy copies for my two sons. Then I’m going to read it again myself.