What Is a Misogi? The Real Definition (And Why I Do One Every Year)

There's a word I've been saying on podcasts for almost ten years now… and I get the same question every time: what the hell is a Misogi (miss-oh-ghee)?

So, let's settle it. Here's the original definition, where it comes from, and my modern use of it.

The real, original meaning

Misogi is an old Japanese Shinto ritual. It means something close to "water cleansing," and traditionally involves standing in freezing cold water to purify the mind, body, and spirit. It's still practiced today at sacred waterfalls.

I didn’t invent that. Shinto monks have been doing versions of this for centuries. I didn’t even make up this modern take; my friend Kyle Korver told me about it. I loved it immediately and it stuck to say the least. Ha!

What I do and what I’m about to describe is the modern take on this ancient practice. This isn’t the temple version. It’s the version I’ve used to build my life resume. It’s the version hundreds of thousands of people have started doing with me.

Modern version: do one big, year-defining thing, every year

Here's the idea, in plain terms: you do one big, year-defining thing every single year.

Something that is challenging enough that when the year ends, you remember it forever. 

When you’re 80 you can point to it and say, "2026 was the year I did _____ (insert very hard thing)".

Try it right now… can you point to something meaningful you did last year? Can you from 2023 or 2019?

I can.

I can tell you a big, meaningful thing I did every year for the past 15 years. It’s changed every aspect of my life: my business, my relationships, my health, my self-belief.

Why put the effort into a Misogi?

Most people are held back by their self-imposed limitations. I bet the first time you run a marathon you’ll come home and double your business plan. It will change what you think you are capable of. When you put BIG things on the calendar you learn how to prioritize what matters most to you. With every Misogi you do, this compounds.

A Misogi needs 3 things to be a Misogi:

1. Needs to be Hard. Hard for you, physically or mentally. There has to be a chance you fail. 

2. Needs to be Earned. You have to plan, train, save, or sacrifice.

3. Needs an End Date. A goal without a deadline is just an idea.

What mine have actually looked like

I make it a priority to commit to one every year. Here are examples from my real life. Mine are normally physical but they don’t have to be: 

• 2015 — Published my first book, Living with a SEAL

• 2017 — Launched 29029, an endurance events company

• 2019 — The Hennepin Hundred (100 mile running race)

• 2020 — Calendar Club (run 1 mile on 1st day of the month, 2 miles on 2nd, all the way up to 31 miles on the 31st)

• 2021 — Ultraman (an ultra-distance triathlon)

• 2023 — Biked across America (San Diego, CA to St.Augustine, FL with 10 friends)

• 2024 — Rim to Rim to Rim across the Grand Canyon and back

• 2025 — Run 2025 miles in 2025 (failed)

• 2026 — 29029 Triple, an Everesting triathlon: swim 29,029 feet, bike 29,029 feet of elevation, then hike the equivalent of Mt.  Everest's height 29,029 feet of elevation — back to back to back over five days

Some of those are physical. One's a book. The common thread isn't "extreme sport" — it's that it was hard and important for ME to prioritize these things. Yours doesn't have to look like mine but if you’ve never done one, a physical Misogi is a great place to start.

You’ll notice that I failed my 2025 Misogi… your goal should be challenging enough that there is a real chance that you do not complete it. If it does not scare you, it’s not BIG enough. 

For ideas and inspiration for your next Misogi, check out The Misogi Wall where hundreds of real people are celebrating their achievements The Misogi Wall →

Why this actually matters (the math)

Say you're 40 and you live to 80.

If you do one year-defining thing every year, that's 40 year-defining things on your life resume. That’s an incredible life.

Now do the math for you.

80 (average lifespan) – Your Age = How many opportunities for Misogis you have left

It's usually a smaller number than people expect. That's exactly why it's worth starting this year (even if it is in the middle of the year), not "eventually" or "next year."

Speaking of math… there are two more things I build into my calendar every year that make my life better. It’s hard as an adult to create newness, you have to plan to break out of routine. Here’s how I do it:

1. Every other month (6x a year) I do something I wouldn’t normally do, aka a Mini Adventure. So instead of watching the football game on Sunday I’ll take my kids fishing. I’ll get together with college friends, I’ll go skiing, I’ll go to a concert. That way I always have new things to look forward to (don’t underestimate how important this is).

2. I stack a new Winning Habit every quarter (4 a year). So instead of trying to become a brand new person on New Years Day with 6 resolutions that don’t make it 8 days into the year… I focus on one new habit for 90 days, then go to the next one. This creates sustainable change and compounds into a winning lifestyle.

1 Misogi + 6 Mini Adventures + 4 Winning Habits = The 1-6-4 Method.

The Misogi is the anchor. The rest fills in around it. More on the full method →

Why this matters (the non math) 

We are taught to prioritize our business resume: where you go to college, what internship you land, who you work for… but we are not taught how to build our life resume which I would argue is way more important.

If you have 40 year-defining Misogis on your life resume, I guarantee that you are more interesting, more experienced, more confident, and most importantly, happier than the average person. You will have built a life prioritizing doing things that matter to you (over and over and over…)

I can speak for myself and the people in my life who do Misogis… they believe they can do anything. 

Most limits are self-imposed. When you do things you didn’t previously imagine doing, your baseline of what you think is possible moves.

And that is just the tip of the "non math" iceberg. It will positively affect every area of your life.

If you want to really invest in making your entire life better (including your career)… add one to the calendar.

How to pick your Misogi

A few questions I ask myself every year when I'm choosing the next one:

1. Does it scare me a little? If you're confident you'll finish with ease, it's not big enough yet.

2. Will I still be proud of it at 80? Does this matter to YOU, not "will this look good on Instagram?"

3. Can I put a date on it? A Misogi without a date on the calendar is just an idea. Put it on the calendar. That's the whole reason I created The Big A## Calendar. So you can look forward to the things that are important to you all year.

It’s never the right time to do something big. You have to prioritize what you want to do first, before your schedule fills up with other people’s requests for your time. Time is your most finite resource… make sure you are planning one big thing a year that matters to YOU.

Put your Misogi on your calendar first, let everything else fill in around it.

FAQ

What does Misogi mean?

Misogi is a traditional Japanese Shinto purification ritual, literally translating to "water cleansing" and traditionally performed by immersing in cold water or standing beneath a sacred waterfall to purify the mind and body.

What is a "Misogi Challenge"?

It's a modern, adapted version of the ritual: one big, physically or mentally demanding, genuinely uncertain challenge you take on once a year, popularized by Jesse Itzler and The Big A## Calendar Company.

Does a Misogi have to be physical?

No. It has to be hard and uncertain. Writing a book or launching a business can qualify if it's meaningful and memorable to you, genuinely challenges and scares you, and you follow through with it. What disqualifies something is ease and certainty, not the category.

How do I know if my idea is a real Misogi or just a goal?

If you're confident you'll succeed, it's a goal, not a Misogi. A real one carries something close to a 50/50 chance of not finishing.

How is a Misogi different from a New Year's resolution?

A resolution is usually a habit you're trying to sustain all year (exercise more, drink less). A Misogi is a single, dated event. The point is that there's a specific date when it's completed and you either did it or you didn't.

Every year, I put one Misogi on my calendar. Where do you put yours? Get The Big A## Calendar →