The competition against mediocrity (BE YOU Economy) #588

Their relationship to competition is very similar to mine . It's a win at all costs mindset . Now it has its place in many areas , especially in sports and traditional business , but there's some areas where it can overstep the mark . Now many people refer to it as the athlete mindset .

They're determined to win at all costs and push through the pain and achieve the outcome , regardless of the journey to get there or being present in that journey . And , to be honest , I pride myself on having that athlete's mindset . But what if we could win a competition of one ? Now let me explain .

For much of my 33 years on earth , I have put everything into the things that I commit to . From rugby . I have put everything into the things that I commit to from rugby , athletics , crossfit , skateboarding , marathons , business , relationships . I obsess over being the best . I constantly compare myself to others . What are their strengths , what are their weaknesses ?

What are my strengths , what are my weaknesses and how can I have one up them ? It gets bloody , tiring and the truth is about competition . For someone to win , someone else has to lose , meaning it's a zero sum game . At some point someone is going to one up you . So for people who don't have the athlete mindset , losing can lead to a life of mediocrity .

Why athlete mindset losing can lead to a life of mediocrity ? Why ? Because no one likes losing . I hate it , especially if you associate losing with being a loser . So what I want to dive into in the next couple of minutes is how to establish a competition of one by being you . Being you removes all competition . There is only one you .

So let's explore how embracing a competition of one can lead to a more fulfilling and a more authentic life . So the journey of self-actualizations . Self-actualization is defined by Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of needs is the realization of one's potential and the development of abilities and appreciation for life .

It's a universal goal where individuals strive to become the most that they can be , or the best that they can be . Deep down , this is what drives me the most . It's the desire to see what I'm truly capable of , to make my life mean something right , to feel respected and recognized .

Competition for me has always been the way that I track that and the way that I prove that . So when I set out or , sorry , set the goal to be the first person to row 30 marathons in 30 consecutive days so 42.2 kilometers , 26 point something miles it challenged me mentally and physically . Upon completing it , my mind expanded to what could be truly possible .

I once didn't believe that something like that could be possible , but after I achieved it , I started thinking what else in my life have I been limited to because of comparison ?

Right , comparison can work well because it can allow us to grow , but , as I mentioned , it can also hold us back , because if we cap it out at what others have achieved , we don't continue to think past . That and a lot of the things that we'll talk about in this I challenge you to consider and to expand on as well .

As I've gotten older , my age group competitions are starting to wrap up . I reckon I've got maybe three to five more years left of that . I've been reflecting on what that next chapter will look like . Life is always going to include competition for me because I thrive on it . I look forward to moving into age group competition .

But in terms of self-actualization , it has me asking how will I strive to become the most that I can be ? How will I strive to become the most that I can be ? Self-actualization isn't just about the external accomplishments constantly winning things , earning more money , having the nice houses and cars , et cetera .

I believe it's more important for the internal growth that comes with it and the fulfillment that comes with that . Part of my journey has been leaning or sorry learning to love myself , make peace with my past and to allow myself to experience happiness .

As much as I would love to continue saying it's about being a world champion or earning the million dollars , that mindset limits my potential to expand my mind and explore what I truly want from life . It's also a great way to burn myself out , as I'm sure you've put yourself in that position before .

I'm the king of burnout , but I have internal needs that I want to explore as well . There are a lot of things that I don't understand that I'd love to spend time exploring . It can be done while I'm sorry . It can't be done while I'm always chasing something outside of myself . You have to have the balance of sorry .

I have to balance life from the internal fulfillments to the external fulfillments , to the internal fulfillment . So a great quote that I read was the definition of hell . Equals this your last day on earth ? The person you became meets the person you could have become . Thinking about this has made me sit with myself more .

I'm the only person who truly has any idea about who I can become , because I know what I value , I know what my interests are and I know what my work ethic is . The world likes to tell me who I should become , and , very similar to you , they tell you who you should become . But there are a few problems that I see with that .

Firstly , everyone else is being told the same thing , which means we're going to all be pushed into competition , right For jobs , for life partners , for roles , etc . Because we're all being taught the same thing and being told this is the best way to get specific results . Following societal expectations doesn't guarantee you anything .

You used to be guaranteed a good salary and life if you completed university , maybe 20 odd years ago , but now that's not even guaranteed . I've seen people spend more money on getting their degree than they can make upon completion of that degree if they're lucky to get a job in that field , so it's important to start looking out of it .

But this is why the BU businesses or solopreneur businesses will take over , and I'll chat about this more shortly . It's the journey of getting paid to explore self-actualization or what would allow you to be your best self . So , secondly , I'm not interested in half the crap that they tell me to do .

I don't like the idea of working for someone for 40 hours a week , being told when I can take time off to live my life . That , to me , sucks . I love the idea of being able to decide what my time is worth and do meaningful work that lights me up and that I'm genuinely interested in . It's essentially getting paid to do the work that you love .

To be honest , it's building a life you don't need a holiday from . If you think about your life now , most people are living for the weekends or they're so excited for that next holiday . I love the weekends and I love holidays , but I don't necessarily need them . My life every day is pretty bloody cool . So what does my journey look like ?

Firstly , I started a business to take control of my life . Finances was the area that I believed would free up everything else to explore , and I do believe that it is very hard to work on other areas if you're experiencing financial stress . I have never studied business , or I had never studied business .

I have since , but I learned on the go and I desired to create wealth so that I could explore my interests without needing permission from other people . And what I essentially do is I find problems in my life and I seek to find the answers to solve those problems . We all have problems that need solving . So when I was broke , I explored ways to make money .

I looked at , you know , back in the day , I did network marketing , then I did sales and I did Uber driving and then I did investing in cryptocurrencies . Then we bought an investment property . I started my business . I've built in cryptocurrencies . Then we bought an investment property . I started my business . I've built online courses .

There's so many ways to make money . When I was single , I dated and reflected on what a great relationship would look like , but it was also a mirror right , I guess , shine back my insecurities that I needed to work on to be a better partner . When I was depressed , I sought out how to be happy .

Okay , I didn't overcomplicate any of these things and I didn't necessarily need to know all the answers before . I started working towards achieving that and that is one of the key things that I want to reinforce is you don't need to have all the answers to start .

I believe it's faster to start and address the problems as they arise , because you're going to find out the specific ones to you and there is no specific answer that I can give you to achieve the same outcomes , because you're unique . There are frameworks that you can follow , but this is where we go from .

An outcome can lead to a potential sorry , a framework can lead to a potential outcome , but your journey may be very different . It's are you going to commit to that journey to achieve that ? The outcome of self-actualization will create the journey . It's like how are you going to live the best life or be the best version of yourself ?

That is your journey to embark on , and as you experience specific outcomes whether they're outcomes that you want or outcomes that you don't want you can utilize that feedback to continue pivoting and redirecting yourself in or towards what you want . Many people say to focus on the journey , not the outcome . My understanding at this point is that you need both .

You don't want to be on a journey taking you to an undesirable outcome , and you don't want to be so focused on the outcome that you don't learn or experience what is in front of you . You need to be present for both and ultimately , it's going to be your journey .

It's what you experience and use as feedback to see your potential and continue expanding your mind and your life . The biggest thing I've learned in this process is that I am enough . I can choose to compete if I want , which I love doing . I'm not going to stop . I can choose to compete if I want , which I love doing . I'm not going to stop .

But I'm also not in competition , and it sounds very contradicting , but I'm unique . I'm in a realm of one . Not many people that I know have run an online business , podcasted for seven years , rode 30 marathons in a row , married a musician .

I have skills , knowledge and experiences that are unique to me , just like you do as well , if you're prepared to sit down and start exploring what that looks like . This has led me to the next key point that I want to discuss , and it's something I'll lean more into and be doing .

I guess more modules on this in the Focus Success System , and you can join the waitlist . Now head to my Instagram or head to the website and join the waitlist for more information coming soon . But it's competing against mediocrity . Have you ever felt like you're just going through the motions right , living a life dictated by others' expectations ?

There is a universal law for this and also a personal law , and what we're going to dive into is more on the personal law side of things . On the journey of self-actualization , you will start expanding and building a life that is different from the status quo .

Right , you're going to question things and start recognizing maybe what you're told to like isn't necessarily what you do like . The status quo is not for everyone , and that's okay , but neither is building a great life . To build a great life , you must be yourself .

This is the essence of the BU economy , which I want to talk more about , which means you must compete against mediocrity , because the world and marketing and society is constantly shouting that you're not enough . You must do this to be successful . You must act this way , have these certain beliefs .

We look at it with politics , we look at it in so many different areas in life that help , I guess , mold us into the people that most of us are , and the challenge with that is , most of us feel conflicted . We feel who we are and how we're living is not necessarily what aligns with us , but we don't explore that any further .

So it means you are going to have to compete against mediocrity , and often that may mean at times you're going to have to deal with criticism .

You will have to walk alone for a while , meaning the social environments or the environments that you're connected to may not be the right ones for you moving forward and I guess , as a result of that , society often makes you feel like an outsider if you go against the grain . The truth is , most people aren't happy doing what everyone else is doing .

The statistics are like 73% of people aren't happy in their day-to-day life .

Think about many of the successful people in the world , and I'm talking any industry . They broke away from the status quo , they pursued a personal path , they chased what they were interested in and , as a result , they've been rewarded for doing so . It would have been lonely and people would have doubted them .

They would have been criticized , as I mentioned , but they continued until they succeeded . And if you're like me and you listen to this podcast , maybe I'm the person that you follow from that , but I know there's plenty of other people that you guys listen to , or podcasts that you listen to , or YouTubers that you watch , and they're doing exactly that .

They're exploring what they're interested in and building a brand around that . Right , it's this be you economy that I want you guys to start thinking about for yourself is like where do you sit within this ? And every day , the competition starts for you . You against mediocrity .

Are you going to go back and continue doing what they tell you to do , or are you going to do what you feel called to do ? Some days you'll win and some days you'll lose , but that is the journey .

Just like in rugby league and I'll use rugby league as the example a team can have multiple losses within the season and still be crowned the champion at the end , still win the premiership . Right , you can experience losses and still be the champion of your life . That is part of that process , so it's just about reframing it .

The key is showing up after defeat and implementing the learnings . As you continue to grow , you get to define the rules . Failure is not final . It's the feedback that you require , right ? So the more you win , the closer you get to self-actualization , and I said it earlier . But you don't need to have all the answers to start . The key is starting .

So one thing I'm excited about now within the BU economy or becoming a solopreneur , or working for yourself whatever you would like to call it is helping more people build a great life on their own terms . So learning how to stand out in a competition of one , to monetize your experiences and create freedom and fulfillment .

I live that life and it's easier now than it has ever been for people to do the same . I remember when I started in business , social media was even like a daunting thing to be posting and putting videos up about yourself and documenting or vlogging even . But now it is so common , so that hurdle has been overcome .

So if you're in the point where it's like , oh , how do I start ? That's probably a good place to start , but without spending a lot of time on this , because I do want to focus on it within the focus success system . If I were to start again , here are a few things that I would focus on .

First thing is find one thing that you enjoy doing , so an example is running . I enjoy running at this point in my life . The second point is build a monetizer community on that . So start a run group or an online run group and offer a product or service . So within that one , you're identifying something that you enjoy .

And let me even just peel that back when I was first getting into coaching , I was very interested in mental health , so that was what I chose . I chose mental health . Then I built and monetized a community around improving people's mental health while I was improving my own , and I built a product and service .

Now , along the way , I had to develop skills and stack skills to make that possible . So I had to learn how to start an online community .

I had to learn sales , marketing , product development , online course development all of those things that I would guess at some point I'll put into a course for those who go through the focus success system , but that has then helped me to move through on that . So the third point with that is to continue to expand on that .

So your interest in running , for example , allows you to continue adding value to communities . You might be sharing shoe tips or upcoming runs or whatever it may be to continue adding value to your community . I'll be helping people in the Focus Success System with this and , as I mentioned already , the waitlist is open .

You can check it out on the website and I'll help you , step by step , to build a great life , to identify your BU business and so much more . So the next step no , two years are the same . So have you ever felt like your life is stuck on repeat and each year is blending into the next without any real progress or bloody excitement ?

So if you don't grow or seek self-actualization , life can feel like this never-ending hamster wheel , or worse , it becomes increasingly difficult as we get older . You watch the years tick by and each year reinforces this belief up here that you can't change or improve .

That's not a fun belief because I believe ultimately daunting to fall into that mindset because you can't change , especially considering change is unavoidable . So at some point in your life you will experience change , whether it's the changing of your body , the changing of your hair is falling out , your muscle mass is decreasing , social circles change .

It will happen , and it can overwhelm you and lead you to a dark place . I feared change . Until recently . I had built this comfortable life in Brisbane with great friends , a great career and stability . However , I guess something was missing .

I value adventure and this is one of the reasons that we decided to move was to explore and expand careers , and we wanted to change . So we wanted the change that would force us to grow , regardless of whether we achieve the goal or not . We just wanted to experience growth in something new .

Whether we achieve the goal or not , we just wanted to experience growth in something new the idea of making no two years the same means constantly challenging yourself by embracing new experiences and building , so building a better version of yourself , building better relationships , building more wealth , building better health .

And to achieve and maintain these goals , you must seek a deeper understanding and simplify the complex Anything you start to learn about . In the beginning can seem complex because you just don't know where to put the pieces of the puzzle , but if you continue building the same puzzle , eventually it becomes easier .

You can simplify it , so that then leads to building stability and predictability , and over time , stability and predictability can lead to stagnation . Right , so when we flip that , a dynamic life full of new challenges fosters growth and resilience . So you got to be careful with what you're actually trying to create .

So , reflecting on the last 10 years , a lot has changed . However , it hasn't all changed at once . My focus has shifted from creating wealth , to relationships , to longevity , to , now , mental resilience . 10 years later , I'm proud of the understanding that I have in these areas , which produces the results in different aspects of my life .

So focusing on different areas at different times allows for gradual and sustainable growth . But you need to be patient in order to do that . A lot of people may even hear this and think you need to do everything yesterday . The goal is setting a realistic timeframe and then working on the one thing over a 12-week period .

It's like last week I was talking about the 12-week year and why that is such a powerful thing because it condenses timeframes and which increases your urgency , but it also allows you a long enough period of time to make some progress right and you get the feedback to , I guess , move and pivot , as you need to do that .

But remember this that mastery takes time and patience . So during the times of focus , my lifestyle has looked different . No , two years have been the same and it has been one wild , bloody adventure . I've been challenged , I've faced out , I've made new friends , I've lost friends , I've experienced injuries , I've conquered mountains and I've loved the process .

Every outcome has led me to that next desired outcome and that next journey on what is a bigger journey . And this is what life is about . It's about embracing the journey of self-actualization and building a BU business or taking advantage of the BU economy . This approach allows you to make a living while pursuing your passions and inspiring others .

Your life becomes the product , which is pretty bloody cool to think about . So I hope this gets you thinking about what you have to offer and how your life could improve if you know , I guess , if you embrace self-actualization and potentially looked at starting a BU business .

So , as mentioned , I'm going to be launching my first intake for the Focus Success System soon After . I guess I'll probably do a couple of intakes , if I'm being honest , just so I can make the program better , but then it will just be an online program that you can go through .

So , getting in earlier , you'll obviously have access to me , you'll be able to ask more questions , but it's going to be pretty fun to build out on . So , to join the waitlist once again , head to the website and then look at programs , or just head to the Instagram and you'll be able to find that .

So thank you guys for listening and as I want to keep sharing with you guys as well my personal progress from the week of the 4th of July to the 11th , pretty much the last seven days . What happened Personally ? We enjoyed a cruise to the Caribbean and swam with sharks . It was insane . So we went with Virgin Voyages and I didn't know what to expect .

Emma , my sister-in-law , had been on another cruise and painted an idea of what it could potentially be like . But the Virgin cruise no kids , which was awesome . And the food , every restaurant , was incredible . Food , the activities , the rooms everything was literally awesome . It was one of the best holidays we've been on .

And we got to swim with sharks , which was freaking amazing , and you can see that on my Instagram . To swim with sharks , which was freaking amazing , and you can see that on my Instagram . What else ? The podcast episode with George this week dropped , so we got to ask each other some questions about our lives and why we think , act and behave the way we do .

So that was a fun one . Fitness I nailed the marathon on the cruise ship , so pretty proud about that . It was a wild experience , literally a 250-meter track , 170 laps . Had to set the watch to indoor run because obviously when the ship's moving the GPS would have gone crazy , so I just tracked that and that was a cool experience .

So the first 10K , I had no music or headphones and it was just me running it in pitch black , which was pretty cool . Then actually not pitch black , it would have fallen overboard , but there was a little bit of light , but it was just me running it in pitch black , which was pretty cool .

Then actually not pitch black , it would have fallen overboard , but there was a little bit of light , but it was dark . Then , the next 20K , I got to listen to a podcast , which was awesome . The last 10 , I gave myself music , so I always rewarded myself with each different milestone , which was fun .

The focus success system obviously last week , for those who listen , I didn't have the name name . It was going to be some productivity system , but then , as I've been speaking to people , the entrepreneurial side came through . And then obviously the , the bu business , where it's just like you can monetize being yourself , which is pretty cool .

So we've come up with a name and that's launching soon . So what's coming up ? Obviously more podcasts , which is going to be great .

Traveling we're heading to San Francisco tomorrow to watch Shepard support Nico Moon , which will be awesome , fun , and that'll be a nice little short , sharp trip and then I'll be back in Nashville for 10 days before we head back to Australia for the Fit on the Farm workshop . Once again , if you got value from this , make sure you share it .

If you're curious about upcoming workshops et cetera , make sure you reach out to me via Instagram or via email , and I look forward to chatting , as always . Do something today to be better for tomorrow .