Daily Affirmation

Definition

affirmation. / (ˌæfəˈmeɪʃən) / noun.

the act of affirming or the state of being affirmed.
a statement of the existence or truth of something.

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Start at the beginning

In a world full of distractions, I’ve committed to starting each day rooted in truth.

I’m a big believer that clear writing is a sign of clear thinking, and have found immense value in grounding myself each morning (and often throughout the day) by audibly speaking this affirmation over myself.

I wrote it intentionally to serve as a reminder of who I am and where I’m going.

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My Daily Affirmation

I am a son of the one true King.
A spark of the Divine lives within me.

The Lord has equipped me to live righteously in every circumstance.

As the patriarch of my family, I will lead from the front.
I will do the hard things that make me the best version of myself.

I will refuse passivity and confront the things that need correction.
I will be faithful to my Savior, my wife, and my children until the very end.

I will be legacy-minded and kingdom-focused in all I do.

Each day is a gift—I choose to live on purpose.

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Application

I can’t begin to explain how valuable this has been for me.

It’s written on my heart and I’ve learned to instantly recite specific portions of it to myself in certain circumstances.

A few examples:

• When Ruby is screaming in the car — “the Lord has equipped me to live righteously in every circumstance.”

• When I don’t feel like getting out of bed at 5:30 am — “I will do the hard things that make me the best version of myself.”

• When I don’t want to have a tough conversation — “I will refuse passivity and confront the things that need correction.”

The list goes on and on.

The older I get, the more I’m becoming the type of person I used to roll my eyes at. And honestly, I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

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Thanks, Dad

My Dad’s Dad died when he was five.

He didn’t have a Dad to teach him how to be a Dad.
He started from scratch and he figured it out.

As a Dad myself, that is something I refuse to take for granted.

At my Grandmother’s funeral, I got the chance to meet a lot of people who hadn’t seen me since I was just a few years old. There was one conversation I’ll never forget.

I was talking to one of my Dad’s old college buddies, and he was going on and on about what my Dad was like back in the day.

He said my Dad always had this “unexplainable cool factor” about him, that he had an enviable artistic talent, and that he was quite the party animal 😂

After a few more laughs, he said something I’ll never forget:

“You know, everything changed when you were born.”

He continued.

“Your Dad stopped partying.”
“He stopped hanging out with the guys.”
“He put his head down and worked harder than anyone else in school.”
“You changed him.”

Every time I think about that conversation, I get a little emotional.

I was born when my Dad was 19.
The odds were stacked against him.
No one made him do anything.

He chose to embrace the situation.
He chose to lean into adversity.
He chose to rise to the occasion.

His decision shifted his legacy and an entire lineage.

I love my Dad.
I also admire my Dad.

Love is a very powerful emotion, but it’s different than admiration.
Admiration is a feeling of high regard, respect, and appreciation for someone’s qualities and achievements.

The list of people I love is very long.

The list of people I admire is much shorter.

My Dad is at the top of both lists.

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Daily routine: 2023 edition

If you want average outcomes, do what the average person does. If you want extraordinary outcomes, you’re gonna have to do things differently.

Start at the beginning. Always.

Before I share my daily routine, I believe some context is crucial.

I have no interest in mediocrity. None.

I’ve spent the past 5 years pursuing health and I’ve discovered through a lot of iteration that there is a lot of good on the other side of discomfort.

As the patriarch of my family, I’m committed to leading from the front and doing the hard things that make me the best version of myself.

These things undoubtedly make me a better husband, father, protector, friend, and businessman.

It’s not instant gratification, like when you’re eating Cheetos binging Netflix. It’s delayed gratification and it lasts.

It makes my mind stronger. It makes my body stronger. It gives me energy I can’t explain. It keeps me motivated and inspired to maximize this life.

Discipline equals freedom.

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DISCLAIMER:

I didn’t figure these things out overnight. It was a slow and iterative process with plenty of mistakes along the way (like the time I ran a full marathon without eating anything, or the time I got frostbite from staying in my cold plunge for too long — you get the idea).

What works for me might not work for you. The goal is to learn through trial and error.

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Morning Routine

My morning routine is something I’ve been perfecting for nearly 5 years.
Win the morning, win the day.

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5:45 - 6:15 am (wake up time)

• 40 oz water with Creatine (5 mg) + Redmonds Relyte

• Heart & Soil: Beef Organs, Whole Package, Skin/Hair/Nails

• Vitamin D (5,000 IU)

• Onnit Alpha Brain

• Diindolylmethane (DIM) 300 mg

• Red Korean Ginseng

• Cod liver oil (1 teaspoon)

• Prayer / read 10 pages (15 minutes)

• Redlight therapy + breathwork: 10+ minutes on Joovv

• Ice bath: 3 minutes at 37° (towel dry)

• Lift (45+ minutes)

8:30 am

• Coffee (1-2 cups, 2 hours post waking up)

• Commute

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Work

Mind management > time management. I’ve found that when my mind is in the right place, I can get two weeks worth of work done in two days.

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9:00 am

• Hook studio — Monday/Wednesday/Friday

• Home office — Tuesday/Thursday

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Diet

My diet has been iteratively crafted after wearing a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) for 60 days and learning how my body reacts to certain foods. Diet is nuanced and individualized based on a variety of factors. Instead of buying into a fad diet (keto, paleo, etc), I believe it’s important to discover what works best for you.

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My Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is 1,845 calories. Depending on my activity level, I aim to consume between 2,250 and 2,500 calories daily.

2 pm

• 50g raw liver + Bone broth with collagen and ghee butter (40 grams of protein) *Break your fast with highly bioavailable and nutrient-dense protein

• Relyte hydration (32 oz)

3:30 pm

• Beef protein stick or biltong + cheese (30-40 grams of protein)

5:30 pm

• Ground beef (1 lb) or 6-8 eggs (40-60 grams of protein)

• Jasmine rice (1/4 cup)

Optional evening snacks:

• Salmon

• Broccoli

• Asparagus

• Fruit — primarily blueberries, blackberries, raspberries

• Greek yogurt

• Macadamia nuts (in moderation)

• Dried mango (in moderation)

• Golden Kiwis

• Purple Sweet Potatoes

• Honeycrisp Apples

• Avocados

*I consume a minimum of 180 grams of protein + 96 oz water before 8 pm
**I’ll adjust my carbs based on my activity level (they’re typically between 75 and 175 grams daily)
***I fill in the calorie gaps with healthy fats.

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Products I Use and Recommend

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• Renu Therapy Cold Plunge

• Huum Sauna

• Joovv Red Light

• Veri CGM

• Oura Ring

• Whoop Strap

• Heart & Soil Supplements

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Things to Remember

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• Doing hard things is a cheat code. When comfort is always the target, your threshold for discomfort becomes low. When your threshold for discomfort is low, you start to complain about things that aren’t real problems.

• You get approximately 2.5 billion heartbeats in your lifetime. Stay calm. Slow down and breathe it all in.

• The aging process itself is directly related to inflammation (chronic, low-grade inflammation ultimately characterizes what we refer to as aging). You can easily reduce inflammation by eating real whole foods, exercising, sleeping well, and including anti-inflammatory foods into your diet.

• Omega-6 (seed oils) have a half-life of approximately 680 days. 680 days.

• Prioritize: sleep, exercise, diet. In that order.

• When your HRV is above 60, you are the best, happiest, most driven version of yourself.

• 98% of all vitamins sold are made synthetically. Source matters.

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Voices I Trust and Follow

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• Andrew Huberman

• Thomas Delauer

• Mark Sisson

• Dr. James DiNicolantonio

• Paul Saladino

• Peter Attia

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House of Stewart

As the leader of this house, I have to articulate these things clearly. It’s my job. If I fail to do so, it leaves the door open for others (who care much less) to clearly articulate the opposite values. I’m not going to let that happen on my watch.

Our Family Crest

Our family crest is rooted in purpose and intended to establish a sense of pride and rectitude for generations to come. The symbol unifies our lineage and represents the intentionality that unites us.

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Our Family Manifesto

Good intentions are worthless without a plan of action — this is why our manifesto exists. What follows is a public declaration of our family’s purpose and intent.

We place our faith and trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We purposefully seek Him and He delights in the details of our lives.

We accept our circumstances and embrace ownership of our outcomes.

We understand that true freedom comes from discipline and that hurry is incompatible with love.

We accept that life was not intended to be easy, but acknowledge it can be full of joy and purpose when lived intentionally.

While others are anxious and afraid, we remain calm and unwavering, because we know who we are and we know where we’re going.

In a world of convenience and passivity, we are ambitious and resolute.

Each day is a gift—and we choose to live on purpose.

Our Core Values

The values we hold inform the decisions we make, the life we lead, and ultimately, who we become.

• 001 On Purpose

  We subscribe to a singular and absolute truth in the Bible, God’s living word.

  It is our foundation and our compass.

  Our lives have been marked by Christ.

  If you don’t see it, you’re not paying attention.

  We seek to fulfill the will of our Lord and Savior.

  Our focus is on pleasing God, not man.

  We refuse to let preferences get in the way of priorities.

  Psalm 37:23

• 002 Gratitude

  We lead with gratitude.

  Always.

  You can’t be thankful for what you feel entitled to and won’t be entrusted with more until you can appreciate what you have.

  If you *think* you have nothing to be thankful for, be thankful for the breath in your lungs.

  When we appreciate the good in our life, we have more of it.

  1 Thessalonians 5:18

• 003 On Generosity

  There, but for the grace of God, go any of us.

  We were created in love, by love, for love, in the image of our creator. When we see others through this lens, we treat them the way Christ intended.

  We lead with light and love in everything we do.

  We practice empathy and default to a charitable interpretation of those around us.

  2 Corinthians 9:6-8

• 004 On Discipline

  We recognize that discipline is trading what you want now for what you want most.

  Time magnifies margin and multiplies whatever you feed it.

  Outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits.

  Good habits make time your ally, bad habits make time your enemy.

  If you do what is easy your life will be hard.

  Hebrews 12:11

• 005 On Humility

  We are confident enough to keep trying, humble enough to keep learning.

  Remember, the hero and the coward are both scared, but the hero steps forward focused on doing what is right.

  Wisdom is discovered when seeking to understand what is right rather than trying to be right.

  Confidence is quiet. Arrogance is not.

  If we boast, let us boast in the Lord.

  Jeremiah 9:23

• 006 Character

  The proper goal of education is to develop character.

  Moral failure comes from weakness of character.

  We are prone to wonder. The best protection against evil is recognizing that it lies within every human heart.

  What you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character. For better or worse.

  Every action is a vote cast toward the person you become.

  Philippians 4:8

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