Lewis Howes is on a mission. A mission to prove that anyone is capable of achieving greatness.

With his new book, The School of Greatness, this successful entrepreneur and former professional athlete who built up a multi-million dollar online media company, shares tips that he’s learned from interviewing “the greats” for his top podcast (it receives nearly one million downloads per month). These greats include motivational speaker and author Tony Robbins, music mogul Scooter Braun and Olympian Shawn Johnson.

We sat down with Lewis to learn more about the book, his journey and how to overcome adversity.

What did you learn about yourself through writing the book?

I learned that patience really is a virtue that I get to keep developing. I was excited about the book when I started on the proposal two years ago. I wanted it to happen THEN. Sticking with it through this whole process, all the edits, all the meetings, decisions, etc. has really made me realize the value of patience because the finished product is something I’m really proud of. I know I wouldn’t have produced the book that is going to print if I had just rushed through it when I first got the idea (even though I wanted to).

In your book, you write about the two choices people can make when adversity arises? What are they?

When something tough comes up, you can either one, let it overwhelm you, which is reacting to it; or two, embrace it as an opportunity for growth and a perfect part of your journey, which is proactive. Mindset is huge in turning adversity into advantage and the sooner you can turn your mindset from victim to being responsible for your life, you have the power to create progress from obstacles.

What are three of your favorite podcast interviews you’ve hosted on the School of Greatness?

When I got to interview Tony Robbins it was a dream come true because he is a huge role model of mine. Just being in his presence and telling him how he has impacted my life was a privilege. I loved interviewing Julianne Hough because not only is she a sweetheart, but we met up in a dance studio and got to salsa dance after. I wanted to see if I could keep up with a professional and it was awesome. DJ Irie is one of the funniest and smartest guys I know so I was laughing our entire interview while also taking a ton of mental notes about business and building relationships.

In your book, you write about visualization. How does visualizing something before it happens makes a difference?

I’ve been doing visualization practices since I was a football player in high school and it’s made a huge difference in my performances in sports, business, speaking, etc. It lets you tap into the power of success before you actually achieve what you are aiming for, which is powerful. Having a clear vision of where you’re headed is so important to accomplishing your goal. I visualize what end result I want to create before I go into any game, meeting, event, or conversation. It always goes better when I do.

Which lesson of greatness has been hardest for you to learn? What came the easiest?

Practicing positive habits is actually the most challenging for me because it requires daily practice and being mindful, even when my schedule is crazy. It’s so easy to let myself go even though I know all the benefits from sticking to good habits, but when I can keep myself living by them, I’m so much better off.

The easiest one for me is probably hustle because I’ve been doing it for so long and when you start with nothing, there’s a lot of motivation to hustle. It’s the one that I can always get behind, even when I’m tired because I know it produces results.

What does the word “hustle” mean to you?

Hustle is one of my favorite words on the planet. It is the backbone of all my success. Hustle is what you do when you know you have everything to gain and nothing to lose – which should be each of us everyday. It’s being humble to do the grunt work for success and confident that you will achieve whatever you want.

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Antonio Neves is the Director of campus for about.me. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.