As a long-time listener of the JRE podcast and follower of Joe Rogan’s social media accounts, I know that he is an honorable man, a terrific person, and someone worth using as a role model.
I have learned and grown a lot from listening to Joe Rogan’s podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience. I think it could best be described as a real-world education that includes both book and street smarts.
Rogan, even for people who don’t know him personally, is like a virtual mentor for millions of young men trying to improve their lives.
In watching him from a distance for many years, I have noticed patterns of advice he gives to others, both through his powerful words AND leading by example.
Rogan is not loud and boastful about the things he does behind the scenes often without recognizance. Things like charity events, support of our military and Navy SEALs, and helping up-and-coming artists reach new heights.
The main reason that Joe Rogan is so successful in life, is that he lives by a set of noble principles. A set of principles that I have outlined for you in this article. Enjoy!
#10: Don’t Express Anything Negative Online, Ever
Rogan suggests to never ever express anything negative online, whether it be a comment, post, or share. The internet never forgets.
As he learned from Edward Snowden (JRE #1368 & #1536), the internet is like a permanent record – it gets stored into some server somewhere, seemingly until the end of time. That’s why many celebrities get burnt by an old Twitter post from years ago, when they might have posted something sexist, racial, or phobic – before they were famous.
-Joe Rogan: Post and Ghost
Rogan learned the hard way about reading social media comments online. As a public figure, he gets a lot of comments. For all the 1000’s of positive comments, just one little negative comment will hit like a spinning backfist to the soul.
That’s why Rogan doesn’t read or respond to any comments on Instagram anymore, and he advises his friends to do the same – like he did to Lex Fridman on JRE #1537.
What can we learn from Rogan about social media?
Keep everything positive on social media. Compliment others. Be respectful. Show gratitude. Never say anything negative or hurtful.
#9: Plan Ahead & Write Stuff Down
Rogan loves to go old school, pulling out a pen and paper to write stuff down.
Some of his best life advice is to plan your workouts the week before. It forces him to hold himself accountable.
He writes his workouts down on Sunday for the upcoming week. That way there’s no questions, it’s already planned out – there is no turning back. “I owe those things…The only exceptions are injuries and sickness,” says Rogan.
You can’t just leave things to chance. Without a plan you are like a feather blowing in the wind. Write down your goals, what you want to achieve, and outline a plan for what actions you are going to do get there.
Rogan also uses pen and pad for late night comedy brainstorming ideas. It’s okay for the paper to get messy with scribble, that’s the whole point. Have an idea explosion on paper, capturing everything in one place.
What can we learn from Rogan about writing stuff down?
Go old school with pen and paper. Write stuff down. Force yourself to be accountable. Be a man. Plan your week ahead. You owe those things you’ve written down. Set goals. Take massive action.
A lot of people are dabbling in the idea of improving themselves. And the real way to do it is you got to write down what the f*** you want and then go after it. Whatever that s*** is, you got to write it down and go for it.
-Joe Rogan on writing stuff down
#8: Take Time to Relax
A lot of people get surprised when they hear Rogan talking about watching some of his favorite shows like Game of Thrones and Vikings. How does he fit in television when he’s doing stand-up, UFC commentating, podcasting, hunting, working out, and spending time with his family?
The truth is, Rogan has said that relaxation only feels good after you have worked really hard. If you relax and watch Netflix all the time, you feel like crap when you are relaxing.
The solution is to work very hard on your “purpose”, your mission and then take some time to chill. The same rule applies for Rogan’s diet. He generally eats very clean, but also enjoys his pizza, burgers, and whiskey.
If you don’t know your purpose, you need to be joyfully experimenting with all types of things to figure what that is.
What can we learn from Rogan about relaxation?
Work hard. Then relax (a little). Then get back to work. Rinse and repeat. Use working out to relieve stress.
#7: Conquer Your Inner Self
Blowing something off like exercise is not just bad for you physically, it’s also bad mentally. When that option to blow off is now available, your mind knows you did it before and will do it again. It sets a bad precedent for getting mediocre results in life.
Rogan fights his urge to “blow off” with something else he takes pride in – “conquering his inner (wimp)”.
Rogan is a human just like anybody else. There are plenty of times that he really just wants to lay in bed. But he is so glad he didn’t, once his workout is over.
When Rogan does conquer his inner self, he often posts about it on Instagram to inspire others.
What can we learn from Rogan about laziness?
We all deal with it. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t. Get out of bed. Conquer your inner self. Congratulate yourself, but realize your inner self will be back tomorrow.
#6: Help Other People Succeed
One thing I’ve noticed about Rogan is that he genuinely cares about other people and is always trying to help others find success.
Rogan helps other comedians, podcasters, and MMA fighters with all areas of life, including their health, business success, and growing their popularity. People look up to him and they ask him for life advice.
Rogan gives Instagram shout-outs to people and brands when he likes their stuff. And with over 10 million IG subscribers, they receive a life-changing boost when he does that.
Check out this article as an example: 20 Instagrams Joe Rogan Thinks You Should Follow
What can we learn from Rogan on helping others?
Be a mentor to people that are below you on the success ladder. Give a shoutout on Instagram to a company, brand, artist or person you follow – if you authentically like their stuff. Help others and in return this will help you too.
#5: Own Up To Your Mistakes
Any time you have a podcast like Rogan does, you are going to make mistakes. His podcast is an off-the-cuff discussion where he and guests think out loud. Mistakes are going to happen when you have 1500+ episodes and over 5000 hours of podcasting.
So, on episode #1538 with Douglas Murray, Rogan accidentally attributed wildfires in Portland, Oregon to left-wing people doing so intentionally, and saying they got arrested for it.
It was a mistake. He spread misinformation, not on purpose, but by being not well-informed.
However, I was quite impressed when Rogan posted this video online, saying he had “f***ed up” and was in the wrong by saying this on the podcast.
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The other kind of mistake we can make is failure. Don’t look at failure as a bad thing but more of a learning mistake. Rogan has acknowledged that he has completely bombed plenty of times doing stand-up comedy, but he looks at it like – How can I use this to get better?
What can we learn from Rogan on making mistakes?
If you make a mistake in your life – own up to it. Apologize. Don’t do it again. And move on. Learn from your mistakes and use them to grow.
#4: Be A Leader and Take Risks
Rogan is an alpha male leader and has created a tribe of passionate people around him.
Before Rogan became famous he’s always been willing to follow his heart and do the things he enjoys doing, not just following a trend. That’s why he still wears a fanny pack.
Rogan is always at the leading edge of things because he is willing to take the risks and do things that seem interesting to him, not for the money but for passion. That’s what leaders do.
A few significant ways that Rogan is a leader:
- Got into podcasting before hardly anybody else was doing it in 2009.
- Called fights for UFC in 1997, working for free, just because he liked MMA.
- Started Sober October to help his friend Bert Kreischer lose weight and cut back on his drinking.
What can we learn from Rogan on leadership?
Be a leader. Follow your heart. Don’t follow trends because it’s what everyone else is doing. Do things that you find interesting. Take risks. Be a chronic experimenter.
#3: Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Whether it is your body or your mind, all positive growth comes from discomfort. And that is what Rogan seeks to do on a daily basis – embracing the uncomfortable and making friends with it.
You can’t reach success without hard work, dedication, and perseverance through discomfort. Or if you do happen to get lucky and hit the lottery, it’s so hard to be happy. That is why most lottery winners end up depressed and broke soon after winning.
Rogan goes balls hard in the gym, “conquering his inner b****”, and what he gets in return is a healthier body and more energy. The benefits are psychological too, including more confidence and belief in yourself.
Rogan spends countless late night hours working on his stand-up comedy, and thus gets sharper and funnier over time. It’s hard work but totally worth it.
What can we learn from Rogan about comfort/discomfort?
“There’s consequences that you pay for constantly seeking comfort and avoiding discomfort and hard work.” – Joe Rogan
Embrace discomfort. Get outside your comfort zone, that is where your success is waiting.
#2: Make Sacrifices for a Better Future
There was a time in Joe Rogan’s life when he wasn’t all that successful. He was broke and living in the ghetto with his grandfather in Newark, New Jersey.
To turn it around Rogan made sacrifices to build a better future. Hard work. Dedication. Discipline. He didn’t quit or give up.
When he was in his early 20’s, Rogan would deliver the Boston Globe newspaper in the early morning, teach karate and drive for a private investigator during the day, – all while performing stand-up comedy at night. He did this for a whole year.
Growing up, Rogan said that he didn’t want to “become a loser.” His fear drove him to be an extremely hard worker, putting in work the right way with dedication.
He made sacrifices, tempering his instant gratifications so that he could achieve long-term success.
What can we learn from Rogan about making sacrifices?
Don’t give in to the instant gratification of comfort. If you aren’t where you want to be, make significant sacrifices that will help your long-term growth, success, and happiness.
What areas in your life do you need more discomfort?
#1: Surround Yourself By People Who You want to Be like
Rogan is inspired by guys like David Goggins, Jocko Willink, and Cameron Hanes, all who have been on the JRE podcast multiple times. Just listening to those guys speak will make you want to get moving!
Rogan tries to surround himself with inspiring people, not just to help himself, but also his JRE podcast listeners. Being around other people that are constantly improving and pushing each other provides a mutual benefit for everyone.
Check out this fantastic article, where I outline the toughest dudes to ever be a guest on the JRE podcast – Top 13 Most Motivational JRE Podcast Episodes.
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Not mentioning any names, Rogan said on his podcast that he had to stop hanging out with certain friends because of toxicity, like negativity, jealousy, and complaining. Those kind of people are going to constantly bring you down to their level.
What can we learn from Rogan about choosing friends?
Cut out the negative friends. Surround yourself by hard-working and inspiring people. There is a famous rule that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Who are your 5 closest friends right now, and is it time for some better ones?
Thanks for reading!
Also see: Joe Rogan Gifts: A Guide With Suggestions for Fans
