Things have changed. Everyone knows it. It has been this way for quite some time, and yet it’s hard to admit. I didn’t want to admit it at first, until I let myself get used to the idea and the feelings I buried whenever these thoughts came to mind. Why don’t we face this change together and make sense of it all?
You’ve felt it at the squat rack, the pull up bar, or when rounding a corner before that last mile. You know deep inside that one more rep won’t do anything or make a difference—one more mile won’t do it either. Even though you push yourself harder, it just feels like you are running full-speed on a treadmill that is locked in place—you’re moving faster but going nowhere.
Something has changed. You feel it, and it is undeniable.
You go to the same workshops year after year, and see the same colleagues and friends. A couple of them talk about a new certification, website, or challenge, and for a moment you feel a flash of excitement. Suddenly, you briefly consider joining them…until you realize that this feeling came to you years before. You even had the exact same conversation back then as well. The conversation suddenly feels terribly and painfully familiar.
You create a new class, send out flyers, newsletters, podcasts, and update your blogs to let everybody know about your all-new program—and that it’s time for New Year’s resolutions, once again. Your loyal clients will come to the class bringing the same resolutions they have had for the past eight years. New clients will come as well. But, you can predict how they will say that they need the training, but it is too expensive, and that they feel fat, but don’t have the time to train.
Why does it all seem the same, yet irrevocably different? We both know why—YOU have changed, intrinsically and irreversibly—yet you cannot pinpoint when the change happened. You have no memory of it either. It feels like the deepest dissatisfaction, and an overwhelming need for more. Even though you might be, immersed in this feeling, you have absolutely no idea how to proceed. In this exact moment you will have a dual experience—a compelling sense of momentum, but without the slightest sense of direction. You are connected, yet inexplicably lost.
This experience is the birth of your leadership.
Like all leaders, you see landscapes that no one sees, and start your travels before a map is drawn. You want to move forward, and frantically hope you will figure it out later—somehow. You really want to take that first crucial step towards the dream of achieving personal excellence, and become the leader you are destined to be.
My book,
Intrinsic Excellence will point you in the right direction, and walk you through the process, step by step. But remember, the steps you take are all yours. No matter how heavily you load your barbell in the squat rack, or how fast you run towards the finish line, no undertaking will force you to grow more than the discovery of your intrinsic ability to be a visionary, a leader, and a game-changer.
1)
DISRUPTION: If you think you’ll fail on a lift, rowing time, or heaven forbid a deadline, let it disrupt your routines, habits, thoughts, and your internal narratives. Then, just immerse yourself in your instincts. Nothing is too audacious—do not let your habits dull your instincts—FEEL! Entertain every possibility, not just your desired outcome. This will annihilate the predictable creature your world requires. You will then come face to face with your visions, and begin to understand the very nature of how you have changed—and continue to change.
2)
WRITE: Your visions are always a reflection of your spirit. We spend so much time with the body, anatomy, the mechanism where we reside, but never enough time with the ever-responsive spirit that drives it. Write about what you see and feel without judgment or censorship. Write daily—short sentences, long essays, a few words here and there. Do not look for meaning right away, you will instinctively understand as you proceed in this process.
3)
CHANGE SPACE AND TIME: If you usually perform squats at 8AM, start squatting at 5PM. If you normally run a mile, run two miles instead. Change where you lift and where you run. Change your sequence of actions, the music you listen to, your workout clothes—change every aspect of your routine for no reason or any reason at all—because what often prevents us from changing is a need for structure. Temporarily relinquish this need, and fiercely proceed, guided by your instincts. You can make sense of the outcomes later. Allow your instincts to dictate your actions. With enough practice, you will gain the confidence to change bigger things in your life, and the lives around you. Meaning and purpose will come later upon reflection.
Experience the process of change that we want for ourselves, and more importantly, that we want for our clients. Use your ability to change yourself, this will change the people around you, and your environment. This is bold leadership—the courage to follow your instincts fully, completely, and without hesitation.
This is the change you have been feeling. This is your manifesto.