Episode 577: Jon Gordon: The Psychology of Optimism, Better Habits, and Stronger Leadership

**Jon Gordon** (0:01)
Hi, guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.

**Jen Cohen** (0:07)
Welcome to Habits and Hustle, where I sit down with the world's biggest thinkers, entrepreneurs, athletes, and experts to uncover the habits and strategies that actually move the needle in your health, happiness, and success. And today, I'm sitting down with Jon Gordon, one of the most influential leadership authors and speakers in the world. He has worked with everyone, CEOs, professional athletes, championship teams, and some of the biggest organizations in business and sports. He is the author of 32 books, including The Energy Bus, which was rejected by 30 publishers before selling more than 3 million copies. And his latest book now is called The Power of Positive Habits. In this episode, we get into what positivity actually means, why negative thoughts do not deserve your automatic trust, and how leaders create strong cultures, the habit you need to build before you build any other habit, and why one destructive pattern can cancel out all the good habits you are trying to create. We also talk about why optimism may matter more than discipline, and how likeability gives you the ability to challenge people without losing them. This conversation will make you rethink positivity, leadership, confidence, discipline, and the way you speak to yourself when things get hard. What Jon shares in this episode will give you practical tools to stop letting your thoughts run your life, lead people more effectively, and build habits that actually stick. So let's dive in.
All right, you guys, welcome to Habits and Hustle. Do we have a treat for you? We have Jon Gordon on the podcast. Let me just quickly read his bio here, okay? Jon Gordon is one of the most influential and sought after leadership authors and speakers today. He's a consultant to numerous leaders, CEOs, NFL, NBA, and MLB coaches, championship teams, and high performers, and an inspirational teacher who has helped millions of people have a more positive mindset. He is the author of 32 books, including 19 bestsellers and five children's books. His books include the timeless classic, The Energy Bus, which has sold over 3 million copies, The Carpenter, which was a top five business book of the year, Training Camp, The Power of Positive Leadership, The Power of a Positive Team, The One Truth, and his latest release, The Power of Positive Habits. This is going to be a podcast you definitely want to listen to if you want to basically uptick your life in any way possible, and these are proven strategies that will help you grow exponentially. So stay tuned for this one, and thank you, Jon. Because I'm telling you, I've never seen anyone write this many books and be that busy. I mean, I don't know how you do it. Like, is Chat GPT like writing your books at this point?

**Jon Gordon** (3:08)
No, no, I was writing before Chat GPT was even around. My wife will often ask me advice for her post, and she calls me Jon GPT.

**Jen Cohen** (3:17)
Really?

**Jon Gordon** (3:17)
Yeah, so I've been writing for a long time. When I started writing in 2006, this book, The Energy Bus, came to me on a walk. And I didn't even know I could write a story, but I got a vision for this story. And I sat down and I just started writing this book. And in three and a half weeks, I was done. And again, I didn't know I could write a story, but I did. It was rejected by 30 publishers.

**Jen Cohen** (3:38)
Yeah, I saw that.

**Jon Gordon** (3:39)
But eventually, a publisher took it on John Wiley and Sons. It came out, and after five years, it became a bestseller.

**Jen Cohen** (3:45)
After five years?

**Jon Gordon** (3:46)
Took five years.

**Jen Cohen** (3:47)
To become a bestseller.

**Jon Gordon** (3:48)
By the Habits and Hustle.

**Jen Cohen** (3:49)
I love that. Okay, wait, before we even go into the, because I want to talk about The Energy Bus, because that's like a massive hit. We got to do these shots for Magic Mind. Okay. This will keep you, Jon, super focused and very alert. Okay. These are very-

**Jon Gordon** (4:02)
Now it says Magic Mind. Is this something I should be concerned about?

**Jen Cohen** (4:05)
No, no, no. Like magic mushrooms? No, it's not magic. It's basically Ashwagandha. Okay. Mind's main. Okay. It's just going to be keeping you, it basically helps people stay focused, and it's basically performance-based.
And this is why I want to do it with you, because you are like the king of all high performance. So how do I not do this shot with you?