As a kid, rebellion looked like rock music, late nights, middle fingers to the system, and living life on my own terms. It was doing the opposite of what I felt “the system” or my parents or school expected of me.

Now? It looks like waking up early, drinking a gallon of water, hitting two workouts, eating clean, taking cold showers, reading and learning, stacking and attacking high priority tasks, and doing it all again the next day, every day.

Why? I believe that the puppet masters of the world want me and you to be broke, weak, and dumb. Why? So we can’t put up a fight. We can’t get in their way. So we buy into their narrative; allow them to keep their power.

That’s what Andy Frisella means when he says:

“Personal excellence is the ultimate form of rebellion.”

When I first started 75 Hard I wanted to prove something to myself. I wasn’t trying to be a rebel. But once I finished 75 Hard and moved through the full LiveHard Year: Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3. I started to understand.

In a world of shortcuts, distractions, and “good enough” living with relentless standards is rare and rebellious.

I’m now into my second LiveHard Year, and it’s hitting a bit different. I’m seeing it show up everywhere: In my business. In my team. In my marriage. In my energy. In my decisions.

Here’s what I’ve learned (am learning!), and what I think matters for anyone trying to build a life that sticks it to the system and makes a difference:

Excellence breaks cycles.

Most people operate from a loop of reacting to whatever, or whoever, is loudest. They sprint, crash, cope, repeat. But when you install hard non-negotiables every single day—whether you feel like it or not—you escape that loop. You choose your standards instead of your circumstances choosing for you. You want to feel free? Break the cycles that control you.

Excellence changes what you tolerate.

When you raise the standard for yourself, it quietly raises what you’ll accept from others. Not in a judgmental way. But in a way that calls people up. I’ve seen it in my team. In our clients. In my circle. People start to match the energy you bring. Or they disappear. Either way, things get clearer.

Excellence rewires your identity.

The reps you do in the dark—those daily wins no one sees—stack into something stronger than motivation. It becomes who you are. And when that happens, you stop negotiating with lesser versions of yourself. You stop flinching at hard things. You stop looking for comfort, and start chasing the next level.

This mindset changes your marketing too.

If you’re building a brand, running campaigns, leading a team, excellence is your differentiator. Ignore the easy path, the same template, talking a big game but rarely following through. Master your craft, understand your market, show up with real strategy, real creativity, real clarity— You win. Because hardly anyone else is showing up like that these days.

Operate on excellence because it’s the only way we win long-term.

Excellence isn’t about ego. It’s about rebellion against mediocrity. It’s about waking up every day and saying: I will not live on autopilot. I will not coast. I will not conform. I will challenge and change my default settings.

I will choose the harder path because it leads to a better life. One that’s earned. Not given. Built. Not borrowed.

If that sounds extreme to you, good. It should. Because so is wasting the one life you’ve got.

See you next Saturday.