The hidden force behind success

(why I am building a home in Austin TX):

Author

Eric Hinman
January 11, 2025

read time: 5 minutes 

Welcome to The Movement Memo, a bi-weekly newsletter where I share actionable tips to help you live your best day ever, every day.

Today's Programming 

Today's Movement 

Complete as fast as possible: with a partner

  • 50 Walking lunges

  • 20 Strict pull-ups

  • 100 Box jumps (20 in)

  • 40 Double-unders

  • 50 Ring dips

  • 40 Knees-to-elbows

  • 60 Kettlebell swings 

  • 60 GHD sit-ups

  • 40 Hang Clean (95/65 lbs)

  • 50 Back Extension

  • 60 Wall Ball Shots (40/14 lb)

  • 6 Rope Climbs

Why we are building Muscle Ranch in Austin, TX.

Today's Quote

 “Environment is stronger than willpower.”

– Paramahansa Yogananda

Your environment is stronger than your willpower.

The spaces you live in, the people you connect with, and the energy you surround yourself with shape your success more than sheer effort ever will. When you design an ecosystem that aligns with your goals, progress becomes inevitable. Growth isn’t about grinding harder—it’s about creating the conditions for greatness.

Build an environment where thriving is your default setting.

Today's Lesson Learned:

The Hidden Force Behind Your Success

Imagine if the world around you didn’t drain your energy but instead became the secret engine that powers your goals. 

Your environment—the people you meet, the spaces you create, and your daily surroundings—can become the ultimate cheat code for fast-tracking growth. This guide is for anyone who feels like they’re working hard but not gaining momentum. You’ll learn how to create an environment that accelerates your progress and makes success feel natural. 

The best in the world don’t rely on willpower alone—they build environments that allow them to learn and act faster than anyone else.

Step 1: Proximity is Power—Choose Your Circle Wisely

Your goals are only as strong as the people and energy around you.

We’ve all heard the saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” But it’s not just about people—it’s about being in spaces that naturally spark growth and opportunity. Proximity to the right environment isn’t just convenient; it’s catalytic.

Why Proximity Works:

  1. Energy Transfer: Being surrounded by ambitious, like-minded individuals is a forcing function for growth. Your capacity for work and the way you approach opportunities change dramatically when you’re around the right people.

  2. City Energy: Each city or environment has its own energy. New York feels different from Miami; Denver feels different from Austin. Some places naturally draw innovators, creators, or wellness enthusiasts who can elevate your life.

How to Apply This:

  1. Audit Your Circle: Ask yourself:

    • Who challenges me to grow?
    • Who drains my energy?
    • Spend more time with the former and less with the latter.

  2. Adopt the Curiosity Mindset:

    • The smartest people don’t focus on giving the best answers; they ask the best questions.
    • Be more interested than interesting.

  3. Find Centers of Influence:

    • Visit cities or spaces known for fostering your desired growth.
    • If wellness and entrepreneurship excite you, plan a trip to Austin, TX.
    • The energy of that city is unlike anything else I have ever experienced.

  4. Micro-Moves for Big Results:

    • If relocating feels overwhelming, start small: Attend events in your area.
    • Start building relationships online
    • But plan a trip to meet your internet friends IRL.

Common Misstep: Believing willpower alone is enough to grow. While resilience matters, being in the right environment accelerates your progress tenfold.

Step 2: Create Your Ecosystem of Excellence

Don’t just live somewhere—design an environment that naturally cultivates success.

Think of your environment as a mountain. When all the elements—people, spaces, and resources—work together, it’s like racing downhill on a bike, fast and effortless. But if they’re misaligned, every day feels like an exhausting uphill climb.

Designing Your Ecosystem

  1. Build Community-Centered Spaces:

    • Shared homes or properties amplify connection.
    • 18 months ago I brainstormed with a friend during contrast therapy, which led to us planning a communal home with wellness amenities and shared training spaces.

  2. Zone Your Spaces: Dedicate areas in your home to specific goals. Here are my 3 non-negotiables:

    • A Focus Zone: A standing desk for deep work.
    • A Reset Zone: A tech-free bedroom with blackout curtains.
    • A Connection Zone: A sauna for meaningful conversations.

Make each zone intentional. Your environment should work for you, not against you.

Step 3: Redefine Your Investment Portfolio

Financial success should amplify your life, not just your bank account.

Traditional investing focuses on the long term, often at the cost of today. But what if you could invest in yourself and achieve your goals faster? I call this the “S&P and Me” approach—putting money into skillsets, experiences, and relationships that pay dividends in growth and fulfillment.

How to Align Finances with Fulfillment

  1. Invest in Experiences: Attending wellness retreats or joining co-working spaces yields emotional and financial returns because they create meaningful connections.

  2. Collaborate for Collective Growth: Partner with friends or like-minded people to build projects and test ideas.

  3. Think Long-Term and Short-Term: Education-driven investments often have the highest ROI because they shorten your learning curve.

Spending money to reduce your ignorance debt (what you don’t know yet) is one of the highest ROI investments you can make.

Step 4: Evolve Your Environment as You Grow

Your environment should adapt with you—because the person you’ll become needs something different than the person you are today.

Your environment isn’t static, and it shouldn’t be. As your goals evolve, so should the spaces, communities, and tools you surround yourself with.

How to Keep Growing

  1. Be Intentional About Change: Regularly reassess your environment. Is it still inspiring you? Make bold moves when needed—whether that’s relocating or redesigning your workspace.

  2. Experiment with Temporary Changes: Test the waters by staying somewhere new for a month or joining a local community to see how it feels.

  3. Stay Open to Opportunities: Growth-minded people attract unexpected opportunities. Be ready to embrace them.

Common Misstep: Holding onto a once-great environment that no longer serves you. Growth requires constant evolution.

Your Step-by-Step Blueprint:

Creating an environment where you thrive isn’t a one-time decision—it’s a lifelong practice. 

By intentionally designing your surroundings, you give yourself the ultimate advantage: a life that naturally pulls you toward your goals.

  1. Proximity is Power: Surround yourself with people and places that inspire growth.

  2. Design an Ecosystem: Build spaces that align with your goals and encourage collaboration.

  3. Align Money with Meaning: Invest in opportunities that create both financial and emotional wealth.

  4. Evolve Your Environment: Continuously adapt your spaces to match your growth.

Start small. Audit your current environment, pick one area to improve, and take the first step. The life you dream of starts with the environment you choose today.

Today’s YouTube:

Today’s Optimization

You know I spend a lot of time thinking about what I put in my body, especially when it comes to supplements.  

There's so much noise out there that you have to be careful when doing your research, especially when it comes to the brands you take. I've been looking for a tool to help me manage my supplements for years, and I finally found it. It's called SuppCo, and I'm excited to share a 100% free beta with you. 

It's the first app I've ever seen that helps you track and optimize your supplement routine.  

Now, I know a lot about supplements, we talk about them on here all the time.  

But there are a few things about SuppCo that changed the game for me. First, they've built a quality rating system called TrustScore that has ratings for over 500 brands.  It helped me see which brands have great testing standards and pointed out a couple that surprisingly don't. There's so much confusion about which supplements are high quality, so this clarified alot for me.

I also love the stack analysis tool they've built. Those of you who aren't sure if you're taking the right supplements to hit your goals are going to love this one.  You put in the products you take and your goals and it tells you how you're doing and where you can improve. It delivered far beyond my expectations.  

Third, they showed me how much I actually spend on supplements each month and pointed out a couple of swaps I could make to save money.  That's huge for anyone trying to stick to a budget. The best thing about SuppCo is that it’s not an e-commerce company — they don’t care whether you buy supplements or not. They'll even tell you not to use a product anymore if they think it's not right for you.  

SuppCo is currently in beta, but my community can get 100% free access today. It won't be free forever — so check it out now.

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Publisher: Eric Hinman

Editor-in-chief: Bobby Ryan