I first heard the idea of the misogi from a My First Million podcast episode with Jesse Itzler.
A traditional misogi is a Japanese Shinto purification ritual where you stand underneath an icy cold waterfall to be cleansed physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Today, many people have expanded the concept of the misogi to be an extremely challenging, year-defining goal that requires consistent hard work and dedication to achieve.
What makes it a misogi?
Here are the two rules of a misogi according to Dr. Marcus Elliott, a Harvard-trained MD and Founder P3 Applied Sports Science:
One, it has to be really fucking hard. Two is that you can’t die.
Ok. Objectively badass.
Examples include climbing Mt. Everest, running an ultramarathon, biking across the country, and so on.
I’ve also heard people say that a true misogi should be something that you think you only have a ~50% chance of succeeding at. So the stakes are high – it can’t be an easy win.
Why should I do a misogi?
Undergoing an intense challenge, one that demands growth and presents a real risk of failure, changes you for the better because it pulls a level of greatness and grit out of you that you wouldn’t otherwise tap into.
A misogi requires you to put in deep work and go through personal transformation in order to be able to achieve it. You will be a different person after you complete your misogi.
“Misogi is not about physical accomplishment,” said Elliott. “It asks, ‘What are you mentally and spiritually willing to put yourself through to be a better human?’ (The First Rule of Misogi: Don’t Die, Huckberry Journal)
It’s also a fantastic way to approach life because it shapes your life around your goals, rather than around your work schedule. A misogi brings purpose and intention into how you approach the year, your life. It sharpens your focus and brings the best out of you from a genuine challenge that tests you beyond what you typically face in your day to day life.
And as you continue doing misogis over the years, you’ll come to realize that you can do so much more than you might have once thought possible. You’ll keep stretching and expanding your horizon of possibilities and who you can be, packing more life into the time you have on this earth. (YOLO, bitch.) This is how to live a full and vibrant life.
How to create your own misogi
- Choose something really hard that scares you a little
- Make it something that you actually care about
- Don’t advertise it
- Schedule it
- Take it seriously
Choose something really hard that scares you a little
The first rule of the misogi is, famously, “don’t die.” Most people wouldn’t go for something that’s got a 50/50 survival rate, but the point of this is that your misogi should be a challenge that’s hard enough to potentially end in failure. The challenge should be big enough to scare you a little. That’s how you know you’re on the edge of something that will lead you to a greater version of you.
Make it something that you actually care about
However, choose something that matters to you. What’s the point of training to climb Everest if that doesn’t excite you? Choose a goal that you actually care about. Something that gets you excited, maybe gives a little tingle in your spine. This is your life. This misogi is for you. Who do you want to be?
Don’t advertise it
In that same vein, you don’t need to advertise your misogi. Again, this is for you. You don’t need external validation for this to matter. What matters is your personal journey and inner transformation. Your win is finishing your misogi. Even if you don’t succeed, your reward is the person you become at the end of this journey.
Schedule it
Put it on your calendar to make sure you actually do it this year! Some things will be easier to schedule, like the dates you do the actual trek up Everest. But if you’re misogi is something less concrete, give yourself a hard date to execute or demonstrate your achievement. For example, learning to speak a language? Plan a trip to that country where you will use that language to get around. Learning to dance? Schedule a date for your showcase. If it’s not on your calendar, it doesn’t exist.
Take it seriously
If someone were spying on your daily life, would they think you were serious about your goals? (I got that from Amber Scholl 😘) Act like you are serious about achieving your misogi. Do the training, put in the work, get those hours in – whatever it is you need to do. Only by doing the consistent daily work will you be able to complete the big achievement.
A different kind of misogi?
One thing I’ve noticed is that most people choose to do a really physically-demanding misogi. That’s completely cool and a big part of the ethos baked into the modern misogi (a la Dr. Marcus Elliott, referenced above).
But when I first learned about this concept I immediately started thinking of other kinds of misogis. Creative ones like writing a book; entrepreneurial ones like launching a business, skill-based ones like learning to do massage therapy. You could put on a show at an art gallery; open a rehabilitation center for senior animals; start a book club. There are tons of possibilities out there!
Keep your eyes open for inspiration and pay attention to the things that excite you. Everything is on the table. Anything you desire to achieve is possible so take your pick of what feels invigorating to you.
A lifetime of misogis
If you choose to embark on a misogi every year, that gives you one major, year-defining life event to look back on for each year of your life from the time you start this: “2024 was the year I did [X]. 2025 was the year I did [X]. 2026 was the year I did [X].”
Just imagine how many epic stories and memories you’ll have to look back on by the time you’re in your 60s, 70s, 80s!
What will your misogi be in 2026?
Read more
Feeling inspired?? Read more misogi stories here:
- The First Rule of Misogi: Don’t Die
- Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis, talks to Dr. Marcus Elliott about what a misogi is and why you should do one impossibly hard physical task every year.
- The Misogi’s Way: How Doing Something Tough Every Year Can Change Your Life
- This is one of the top search results on misogis and talks about a lot of similar rituals from around the world.
- You should plan a really hard creative project this year
- Ah, something different! A substack article on the idea of the creative misogi from comic artist, illustrator and animator Jake Parker.
- Spending 24 hours with the happiest billionaire, Jesse Itzler
- Jesse Itzler (rapper, founder of Zico coconut water, husband to Sara Blakely, happy billionaire, generally inspirational guy) introduced the idea of the misogi on the My First Million podcast a few years back; this is his latest episode on the pod and is just dripping with golden nuggets on how to have an amazing, intentional year:
- Jesse Itzler’s Exact Playbook For Creating HIT AFTER HIT
- This is the original Jesse Itzler My First Million episode from 2023 that introduced me to the concept of the misogi.
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