17 Dec 2025 · 2 min
Brian Johnson argues that making a vow, a deep commitment to someone or something, is how you create a wow in life. He shares vows he's made to his son's mother and to his supporters, then challenges you to clarify what wow you want, vow to pay the price, and stick with it when it gets hard.
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic plus one. In our last plus one, we had a little chat with Emerson about finding little ways to show our loved ones we love them while reflecting on just how much we love them as we do that tiny act of love. Now, right after Emerson and I had that sweet little interaction, he looked at my whiteboard and said, what's a vow note? As you may have guessed, I currently have vow written in huge letters at the top of my whiteboard. I told him that a vow is a very deep commitment to someone or something. I told him that I made a vow to his mommy that I would do my best to support her and not give up on our relationship when it got hard. Then I told him that I also made a vow to the people who have supported us by investing in heroic to do my best to make them proud and not give up when things get hard. Then he said, vow kind of looks like wow. To which I said, that's right, it does. And you know what? Making a vow to do something as well as you can is pretty much exactly how you create a wow in your life. And that, my dear friend, is today's plus one. You want a wow? Make a vow. Seriously, you want to wow in some aspect of your life? Get clear on what wow would look like, whether that's in your energy, work, or love. You got it? Now make a vow to yourself that you will figure out what price you need to pay to create that wow and go pay it today. Then when you inevitably feel like giving up, when it inevitably gets hard and is no longer fun, remember your vow and get back to work to create your wow. Repeat forever.
