What to do when you’re caught slipping

GM & Happy Tuesday

Have you ever found yourself feeling like you’ve taken a few steps forward & simultaneously realise you’ve taken 10 steps back?

The guilt, shame & hopelessness I felt was extreme. Thoughts of failure, giving up, finding an easier path were running through my mind as if there was no alternative, almost as if it had already happened.

My body was breaking down - I found myself at the age of 29 & unable to walk for 6 weeks after injuring my knee by simply kneeling on the floor. This was NOT how I envisioned my life to be.

Today I’d love to share what it took for me to get me back on track, feeling hopeful, strong & certain about my path forward with the energy to back it up. I’ll also share about the thoughts, excuses & mentality that led to me falling completely off of the path of my own truth.

Before that a little context. I’ve always been obsessed with understanding human behaviour — what makes people tick? How did they get shaped into who they are? Is it nature? Nurture? Something else entirely or perhaps a combination of it all?

Over the last 1.5 decades I’ve read over 200 books, listened to over 250+ episodes of the Tim Ferris podcast, gone to Tony Robbin’s seminar, gone on yoga retreats, learnt about nutrition, trauma, how the body & mind are one & a whole lot in between.

Prior to covid I had put in so much work I went from a jaded, anxious, depressed & angry human - to a joyful, grateful & playful one. I was calm, didn’t consume any sugar, milk & gluten & had a beautifully disciplined approach to self care. The realisation was simple : When i’m at my best? I’m one of the best in the world at what I do, but how often was I at my best? Realising the answer was “not often enough” my mission quickly became figuring out how to systemise & prioritise ensuring I was prime & ready to take on everything.

Here are some of the excuses I made to myself over the past 2 years that led to the absolute collapse of all of my systems.
- Life is cyclical & i’m just in my “enjoy every indulgence I can” cycle : i’ll get to it later
- I’ll start tomorrow
- My partner doesn’t want to do it with me : using her as an excuse for my own poor behaviour as opposed to leading her.
- I’m too busy with work (I really wasn’t, despite getting a lot done - I was wasting so much time chasing dopamine loops like social media, TV, gaming & partying)
- I’m just as good without it as I am with it (couldn’t be further from the truth)

When I say absolute collapse? I mean it.

I found myself feeling like a complete failure without any worth in the world, I questioned everything I do & doubt surrounded every decision I made — often I’d avoid making any decisions or taking any action all the way until I had absolutely no choice.

I found myself thinking that my life partner, my pets & my family would be better off without me. My mind turned on me.

It’s a powerful tool — but a terrible master. So how did I turn it all around?

A super simple yet profoundly powerful set of actions grounded in ancient wisdom & thanks to advancements in technology in recent years - we now know for certain that they work.

- Removed milk & sugar from my diet 6/7 days of the week & began intermittent fasting again : this is to reduce brain fog, increase freely available energy, improve focus & feel stronger while dramatically reducing inflammation in the body. (inflammation is a huge sign of problems to come)
- Removed tech from the first & last hour of the day : this allowed me to remove distractions, allow my thoughts to flow uninhibited & allow for me to prioritise other actions that are focused on actively LOVING myself
- A daily walk with my dog, activating the body & allowing for the mind to wander while feeling the “forward motion” of progress : a felt sense in the body when you walk.
- A daily wind down stretch in the evening to allow the mind & body to recognise we’re shifting from work to relaxation.
- Structured “creation time” in the morning before allowing any external information into my consciousness : this allows me to draw from the inspiration in my subconscious mind after processing the ideas overnight & to create without the influence of any stressors or anyone wanting my attention.
- Structured “learning time” & Social media time : due to the nature of my work, i’ve got to be on social media to generate reach, inbound leads & outbound connections. This means I’m in a highly risky environment full of distractions so to protect my focus & not continue to check social media during my idle time, i’ve set “social times” in my day where I do everything related to social media & messaging at the same time.
- Removed ALL notifications from my phone, notifications are like alarms set for you by someone else. When these alarms go off it sets off the fight or flight response in your body if its negative & even when it’s positive it’s simply cheap dopamine : you can check your phone whenever you like as long as it’s intentional.

”Cheap dopamine is how they enslave the masses”

To do all of this effectively I’ve set myself up on a 7 day challenge which will be followed by a 30 day challenge.
To add some weight to the commitment I’ve created rewards & forfeits
- Complete all 7 days & I get to go on an adventure with my partner up into the north of Bali for a few nights
- Fail & I shall fail publicly.

Want to join me on a 7 day challenge starting this Sunday?

Reply to this email & you will receive a habit tracker & infographic about how to complete the challenge successfully.. increasing your energy, focus, calm & fortitude while you walk the entrepreneurs journey.

P.S - if this was valuable to you share it with a friend & if they subscribe, I have a little bit of a gift for you 😇 specials stuff at 1/5/10 & 20 subscribers referred by you!