Chasing Greatness with Mic | Substack
Chasing Greatness with Mic
A misunderstood modern day philosopher. A good person who can always be better. A rational optimist. I follow awesome people. I don’t give oxygen to ignorance. Jayhawks. Chiefs. Royals.
By Mic Johnson
· Launched a year ago
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Chasing Greatness with Mic
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Chasing Greatness with Mic
@micjohnson
I’m always chasing greatness. My health. My mind. My marriage. My friendships. My stress levels. My business. My writing. My character. My integrity. My authenticity. My resilience. My life. Join me.
Chasing Greatness with Mic
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P.S. - If you support or defend people and organizations who protect pedophiles, you’re not a good person.
P.S. - If you’re judging homeless people, you’re not a good person.
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I’m on #TeamZola.
You should be too.
I spent so much of my life running from my anger because I was afraid of it. In the process, I ended up hurting myself and, at times, the people around me.
Now, I allow myself to feel angry. I acknowledge it, validate it, and find healthy ways to express it or channel it into positive change. Anger isn’t a bad emotion. It’s often a signal…
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I’m never going to “PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN”.
I’m too busy making awesome friends on Substack.
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A good friend told me once…
”What I’m hearing you say is that you’re interested in the WHOLE of the person.”
I’m not sure I’ve ever felt more seen.
That’s the energy I bring in person.
It’s the exact same energy I bring to Substack.
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Only 5 away from 200 subscribers!
Let’s make this happen people.
I’ve grown slower than most on Substack over the last year+.
Follow me to learn how.
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“Tell me more…”
Three words I’ve been using consistently on Substack that I need to do better with in my in-person conversations.
I honestly don’t care about being “right”.
I genuinely want you to know how it feels when you eventually realize I was.
This isn’t about my ego.
This is about your growth.
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I wrote this 16 days ago and it keeps growing new legs. I’m fascinated by the real time human psychology experiment.
I’ve found people on Substack who are more encouraging and supportive than people I’ve known for 40 years.
Anyone else?
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If my writing makes you think about things you don’t like to think about, I hope you’ll eventually come to see it for the gift it was always intended to be.
I’m genuinely curious about anyone who effortlessly returns the favor.
Sometimes I wonder if people who literally believe they are elite sleep with insecurity blankets.
I walk by a country club on my morning walks and can almost feel the performative insecure bullshit in the air.
Even the average car in the parking lot screams “Look at me and how successful I want you to believe I am.”
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I imagine you could learn a lot of fascinating insights about psychological train wrecks that reside at the intersection of ego, pride, narcissism, insecurities and unresolved trauma if you did a case study involving 10,000 country club members.
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Relatable.
What an absolutely brutal time to have empathy and critical thinking skills.
LinkedIn is like the Boomer leader who will never fucking retire.
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If you talk on your phone speaker in a public place, we’re taking your phone and you can go back to communicating using carrier pigeons.
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You know what the growth hack is?
Do the work.
And then keep doing it.
And never stop.
In whatever way feels right for you.
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
One of the reasons I’m here is to stick up for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. It’s important that those unimpacted by SA get a full picture. It’s so much more than “bad memories” or “a past that you need to get over”. It’s an all-encompassing hell that yes, there is SO MUCH HOPE that you can heal from, but it’s brutal. It’s not what you think it is. It doesn’t look the way you think it would. Trauma doesn’t have a look. If you met me in real life, you might not believe my story.
Ple…
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Wait, people get thousands of likes?
(sinks back behind the hedges)
Sometimes, some of your substack notes get thousands of likes & that’s really cool.
But you start to know by name maybe 50 people who interact with most everything you put out into the void.
People who are always there cheering on different sides of you.
& that, well it’s pretty fucking amazing.
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Despise the high performer energy.
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What I love about writers is they repeatedly overcome their fears to expose their souls.
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Highly emotionally intelligent people can hold deep pain in one hand and joy in the other.
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Only talking about the joy does a disservice to the pain that helped you get there.
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As you get older, your “Fucks to Give” bin gets smaller. I feel like I only have 2 or 3 most days.
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My wife and I need a humidity free, mostly adults only vacation spot in the US for late July.
What do ya got?
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The more people you know, the more you will ultimately be disappointed.
A smaller, better circle is the way.
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Sometimes you have to burn the whole field down to plant new seeds in nutrient rich soil.
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Having a tooth extracted and eating on one side of your mouth for weeks isn’t as exciting as it sounds, people. 🦷 🤦🏻♂️
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
Trump Admin is sinking into an abyss in Reflecting Pool
FENCES UP Around Reflecting Pool… Lawmakers REACT! - YouTube
Tap to unmute
FENCES UP Around Reflecting Pool… Lawmakers REACT! Scott MacFarlane Reports
Scott MacFarlane Reports200K subscribers
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I love small talk.
(Said no emotionally intelligent person ever.)
Claude AI helped me figure it out…and it’s pretty fucking spot on tbh.
You’re an ambivert leaning introvert — and honestly a pretty interesting profile.
The classic introvert signals are all there: you hate small talk, screen unknown calls, need substantial alone time, and get drained by socializing. Those aren’t minor quirks — they’re co…
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I’m starting to think I’m more introverted than I may have ever realized.
Or maybe my patience for stupidity is now zero.
Or maybe it’s both.
I love narcissists.
(Said no one ever.)
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I’m starting to think I’m more introverted than I may have ever realized.
Or maybe my patience for stupidity is now zero.
Or maybe it’s both.
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I really miss corporate.
(Said no one ever.)
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Are people seriously making relationship choices based on how they look together as a couple in pictures?
There’s shallow.
And then there’s kiddie pool shallow.
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So many people who I wanted to be awesome ended up sucking.
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I write a lot about the pain of people who have disappeared and disappointed me because so many people who have disappointed me have disappeared.
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
If you’re not in my circle of trust, you’re probably in my triangle of suspicion or my rhombus of doubt.
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Great friends are rare because great friendships require work.
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Don’t shrink yourself to hang out with small people.
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If you lie, you’ve sold a part of your character.
I don’t have any of those people in my life.
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
A lot of adults are walking around exhausted because they’re trying to manage everyone’s emotions except their own.
They’re managing their ex’s emotions. Their children’s emotions. Their parents’ emotions. Their coworkers’ emotions.
Meanwhile, they haven’t checked in with themselves in weeks.
You are not responsible for regulating another adult’s emotional state.
You are responsible for regulating your own.
That distinction changes everything.
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Gave that up about 20 years ago.
when a person becomes wise
the first thing they give up is rushing
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Most people choose easy over growth.
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No one is normal.
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Normalize celebrating how far you’ve come.
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As a general rule, if a Kardashian is selling it, I’m not buying it.
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I never wanted a full-time job.
I gladly would have been retired from birth.
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If you’re spending your time thinking that I think I’m better than you, you’re probably right.
I’m not thinking that.
But process of elimination.
Right?
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I love being on Substack and not selling anything or marketing myself in any way to make money.
I’m here purely for self expression and out-loud processing while having so much curiosity about all of the other amazingly courageous writers here.
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I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt but then realized that vault has been emptied out so now they have to earn it.
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Finding out you’ve been hormonally imbalanced for most of your life and only now are getting confirmation of it while realizing that the imbalance affected every system in your body (emotional, physical, psychological, sexual, etc) for at least the last four decades is…
A LOT.
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Your salary and job title are completely and utterly irrelevant to me.
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If you tried, you didn’t fail.
If you learned, you didn’t fail.
If you never try or never learn, you fail.
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
Your healing doesn't owe anyone a timeline.
Not your therapist's treatment plan. Not your family's patience. Not society's productivity demands. Not even your own urgency to "be better."
Some wounds took decades to form.
They get to take their time to heal.
Trust your process, even when it doesn't look like progress.
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Still proudly supporting exactly ZERO organizations that protect pedophiles.
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Do you do what you say you’re going to do?
I do.
Every time.
I don’t drop balls.
I thought that was the rule.
Then learned I was the exception.
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What happens if the people who have disappointed you aren’t emotionally intelligent enough or don’t care enough to even be aware of it, much less do something about it?
My life story…on repeat…across countless friends, family and business contacts.
I know people often don’t have the capacity too.
But, like, 95% of them?
Feels like an emotional intelligence pandemic.
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I would love futbol so much more if offsides didn’t take goals out of the net and players didn’t fake injuries every 1-2 minutes.
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I’ve never had a number.
I’ve never set goals.
I have a vision and walk towards that every day.
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
OOF: The plaintiffs who unsuccessfully sued trying to stop Trump from renovating the Reflecting Pool have just uncorked a scathing update to the judge
"This is the foreseeable result of defendants’ decision to bypass the consultative process required by law and which must occur before the government can alter our nation’s most sacred spaces"
"It should go without saying, Congress required agencies to consult with experts and public before making changes to historic properties for a reason. The…
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After a lifetime of doctors, friends and family being wrong about my health journey, I don’t have much patience for anyone trying to provide “solutions”.
Because what works for most people typically hasn’t worked for me.
For the last 40 years.
I know my situation in a way that no one else does.
I’m not against receiving encouragement and support.
But how could anyone who isn’t trained in hormonal therapy and physiology possibly know how to help me solve this when even I haven’t put all of the pieces of the puzzle together yet?
The most authentic way to experience this is to honor both the pain and the peace and acceptance …because they are both equal parts of my ultimate health journey.
And my emotional intelligence, resilience, intelligence and hard earned wisdom allow me to hold space for both the pain and the peace and acceptance.
This journey is sort of like finding out at 54 that your parents adopted you at birth and now you’re searching for your biological parents to understand why you are the way you are, why t…
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Substack is particularly refreshing for those of us who have been sitting in our authenticity all along wondering why everyone left and hoping they would eventually come back.
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Being proactively healthy isn’t always fun but your future self will thank you. ❤️
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Shelby Skubic just won Substack you guys…
As a woman, what I’ve found is that the most beautiful thing isn’t confidence in how I look. It’s confidence in who I am.
The older I get, the more I appreciate authenticity over appearance and character over image.
That’s the kind of beauty that only grows with time.
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The World Cup has been the absolute best thing for America and the world and the absolute worst thing for Trump, Republicans and their supporters.
Love over Hate.
Community over Isolation.
Awesome over Suck.
Winners over Losers.
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I’m not sure how people are going to take this, but it comes from an honest place and that’s all that matters to me….
Women put so much effort into how they look.
To each their own and I respect anyone who puts effort into themselves.
BUT…
I REALLY hope you’re putting in that effort for YOU.
And not because your identity relies on what other people think or say about how you look.
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I’m someone who would skip small talk completely if it was a realistic option.
I’ve filled my circle primarily with people who are built the same way and who aren’t interested in small talk, surface level connection.
My circle has gotten smaller.
But the quality has improved.
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When you connect to someone through their writing, you connect through vulnerability. Because real writing demands vulnerability.
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I wish I had a local weekly in person meetup of all of the awesome people I’ve connected with on Substack.
I love that I’ve found them here.
But just think of the friendships and experiences we’d have if we were able to connect in person.
I think I’d be spending every day for hours in coffee shops.
And I would love every second of it.
Right Shelby Skubic ? 😉😁
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I’m genuinely interested and curious about anyone who is kind enough to return the favor.
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How’s your day going?
Me?
Had a tooth extracted.
Change gauze every 30 minutes.
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
Make America,,,Mexico. 🇺🇸🇲🇽
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What percentage of people throughout your life have ultimately satisfied you?
What percentage of people throughout your life have ultimately disappointed you?
Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
I am a sports medicine doctor and if your only form of exercise is walking, you are doing more than most people. That matters. But walking alone will not prevent sarcopenia, build bone density, or maintain the fast-twitch muscle fibers that keep you from falling. Walking is the floor. Resistance training is the ceiling. You need both. Keep walking. Add two days of lifting. That combination changes your trajectory.
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He’ll hath no fury like unbalanced hormones.
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THIS IS WHAT AWESOME LOOKS LIKE (a Kansas City story)
Doctor goes above and beyond for her cancer patient, ending with a big surprise - YouTube
Tap to unmute
Doctor goes above and beyond for her cancer patient, ending with a big surprise CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News2.39M subscribers
What’s really important is that we each have to define what “showing up” means to us in friendships…and then find people whose definitions are in close alignment with ours.
They don’t have to be perfect. But they need to be in the same zip code.
Most of my friendships throughout my life weren’t…I just kept trying to make them fit. And th…
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
I am a sports medicine doctor and here's what I wish every person with chronic back pain understood: in most cases, the answer is not rest. It's strengthening. Weak glutes, weak core, and poor hip mobility are behind the majority of non-specific lower back pain I see in clinic. A progressive resistance training program that targets these muscle groups reduces pain intensity, improves function, and decreases the likelihood of recurrence. Your spine needs muscular support the same way a building …
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I meditate every morning.
I write in a gratitude journal every morning.
I drink green tea every morning.
I read every morning.
I write every morning.
I have for more than a decade.
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Anyone else noticed this?
I haven’t told them but I’ve posted some of my Notes and Articles in other places.
For the most part, no one has said anything.
Which is the real reveal…
Most people don’t think or care about you as much as you would like to believe.
And most people suck at building meaningful friendships.
If it takes energy and effort beyond surface level, count them out.
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This is BY FAR the most engaged with note I’ve ever written.
It’s an ongoing psychology experiment.
It’s clear that there’s real connection happening here in a way many aren’t getting from people who have been in their lives for decades.
Which begs the question…why are we keeping them in our lives?
My short answer?
I’m not any more.
I’ve found people on Substack who are more encouraging and supportive than people I’ve known for 40 years.
Anyone else?
This is my focus every single day.
I’m proudly spending time ANYWHERE where I can find connection, community, intelligence, integrity, emotional intelligence, critical thinking skills, empathy, humor, other thinkers, inclusivity, compassion, support and encouragement.
That’s why I’m on Substack.
Because it’s easier to find that here right now than just about anywhere else online…or in the “real” world.
I legit can’t believe this was only restacked once and “liked” 5 times.
That’s not why I wrote it.
But I know there’s a few thousand women and plenty of men on here who can get on board, right?
If you’re a WOMAN and are making yourself even 1% smaller for ANY relationship, spouse, partner, career, friendship or family member, this is your permission to…
MOVE THE FUCK ON.
You deserve better.
You are better.
More than “a season”.
More like several years of seasons.
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Yep.
Been saying this for over a year now.
Substack is the only corner of the internet where I’ve been able to form actual relationships and rapport with people I’ve never met in real life.
That’s rare in 2026 and something worth embracing.
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THIS.
I don't care what anyone says about Substack in general;
Substackers are some of the kindest, most thoughtful and most intelligent people I've ever met, either on social media or in real life.
It is a privilege to be here with you all, and I mean that sincerely.
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
I am a sports medicine doctor and I want you to know about a 2024 study of nearly 5,000 U.S. adults that found people who strength trained regularly had longer telomeres (the protective caps on your chromosomes that shorten with age) than those who didn't. One to two hours of resistance training per week was enough to see a meaningful difference. Shorter telomeres are associated with accelerated aging, higher disease risk, and earlier death. Longer telomeres are associated with biological youth…
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Substack is crazy because you engage with one person’s post that really clicks with you, so then it shows you like, a dozen other posts from that same person.
And then all those posts click too, so then you engage, and then you realize you’re coming off as a stalker for this one person that Substack knew you’d click with. 🙃
It’s like a playdate scheduler for grownups.
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I went in for a root canal on Thursday and found out I have to have the tooth extracted instead this Monday.
So yeah, I’m winning at life.
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I’m the byproduct of 4 divorces growing up…have 3 sisters…am close to one of them and even that has changed since she got married…my wife and I went through infertility for 12 years and had no success nor one positive moment in the journey…my friendships have always been more important to me than they were to my friends…because I had a lot of love to give, and it went into friendships while they were putting it into their families (as they should)…so once again I’m a unicorn…mostly misunderstoo…
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
Thou shalt not blame “radical left lunatics” because you’re incapable of defeating algae.
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Chasing Greatness with Mic restacked
I think one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is:
“If they understood how much this hurts me, they would change.”
Most people understand.
They just make a different choice anyway.
That’s a painful distinction.
But it’s also a freeing one.
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