TN50#144_You Are Exactly Where You’re Supposed to Be, So What The @%#^ Are You Going to Do About It? _December 2023
Hi Team,
“You are exactly where you are supposed to be” Unknown. I don’t know who said this first, I’ve heard it, and said it, a bunch over the last few years. The one person I’m sure I heard say it a lot is Brooke Castillo, founder of The Life Coach School. I think a lot of people use it to comfort themselves when things aren’t going how they want them to go; and let’s be clear I’ve had my moments thinking this way just like everyone else reading this has. I also notice a lot of “religious” people who use a similar line of thinking as an excuse not to take action on things that have nothing to do with their relationship with God. I say this as a “Jesus Guy” who absolutely believes in good, evil, right and wrong and let’s face it we all have very recent examples of this all over the place; bad things happen to innocent people for absolutely no understandable reason. Let’s focus on the earthly things we can influence today by adding the second part of the title, “So what the heck (what word did you put there, potty mouth!) are you going to do about it?”
Happy Monday and welcome to The Next 50 #144. I like to think of personal performance in 3 components: physical, mental and emotional. My frameworks focus on 4 Buckets: Eat, Sleep, Move and Think. This blog is my sandbox for sharing information that you might find useful for your personal performance.
Here are 3 thoughts, take what you like as tinder to light a fire in your butt these last 2 weeks of 2023.
- If you feel like the world could be perfect if only for the fact that every person you’ve ever had a relationship with has done you wrong, bosses, parents, spouses, coworkers, children, friends… you get the idea.
Here’s a new thought for you to try on: “MAYBE IT’S ME”.
Now of course no one reading this is in this boat, but we all dabble in “victimhood” from time to time. I try to recognize it early, make fun of myself for being a punk and move on quickly. If, on the other hand you know someone like this (perhaps a relative) it may be a good time to send them a “secret santa” copy of the book, Maybe It’s You amazon link. I heard about this book from Huge Achman, aka, Hugh Jackman, aka, Wolverine! If it’s good enough for the Greatest Showman, it’s good enough for the a-holes you can’t get away from!
- If you’re a decent human being that has something in your past that’s weighed you down for a couple years or even decades. This could be something like a failed relationship, not graduating college or not becoming a Navy SEAL…
Here’s a new thought for you to try on: “I FORGIVE ME”.
Now, of course, there’s a lot of other work that may go into really getting this one done, or it may be something you can do quickly IF you’re willing to do the uncomfortable work.
Here’s an additional thought if you claim Christianity as your faith. “If Jesus did what He did so that we all can be forgiven, including me, who am I to not forgive myself.” This is a massive oversimplification of the gospel, so go deep on this foundational truth. If you need a resource here, I’d recommend anything that looks interesting from Tim Keller. (Start here) Everyone can learn something from Tim Keller, even you non-Christians.
- If 2023 has been a year of some wins and some losses across the different buckets of life that you claim matter it may be time to reprioritize. How would you rate your 2023 performance on the following buckets:
- Business/Work
- Relationships/Family
- Personal Performance (physical, mental, emotional)
Forgive me, my format is falling apart on this one, no quick 3 word thought to try on here so I’ll repeat the title of the piece: You are exactly where you’re supposed to be, so what the heck are you going to do about it?
- Are you killing it in your business with plans of expansion in 2024, meanwhile your young kids don’t know you and you’re “unhealthy” to put it mildly?
- Are you way over indexed on your health and wellness, meanwhile your business is underperforming and your spouse is nervous because you’re the bread winner.
Time for a little prioritization and systemization. To start wrapping this one up I’ll add a couple Scott Adams-izims:
“Goals are for losers, systems (plans) are for winners”
“If you want success, figure out the price, then pay it”
One example of this is: Instead of just saying you are going to lose 25 lbs. and spend more time with your family; build plans around behaviors that will move you in the right direction toward your goals of being healthy and spending more time with your family.
Another example of this is: Not signing up for the races that will take up a ton of time and energy for the next 6 months or a year; instead maintain GPP (general physical preparedness) and focus your extra resources (time and money) on the gaps in your business strategy and your family.
If you haven’t read either of Scott Adams’ books, you should! Start with LOSERTHINK (amazon link)
If you’re like me you have at least a little work to do in all 3 of these examples, so I’ll leave you with this: You are exactly where you’re supposed to be, so what the heck are you going to do about it?
As always share the post with your team and anyone who might find it useful and let me know what you think!
Have a good one, Alex
PS. Thank you for reading my blog, I’d really love to know more about what “performance” topics would be most relevant for you; please shoot me a quick email and let me know: alex@fpp.llc
PPS. If your new to First Principles Performance Coaching, here’s a one stop shop for all my stuff. You can also shoot me an email at: alex@fpp
