Geoff, Author at Geoff Blades

Upgrade YOU 1.1. Stand for nothing, or your bigger why

Ray McGuire is standing for something.

After a long career on Wall Street he’s stepping down as Citigroup’s vice chairman to join the race for NYC mayor.

It’s a crowded field.

In many ways the politics has turned against wealthy businessmen like former mayor Bloomberg.

Yet he’s still standing.

Perhaps it’s easy for him

He’s been making serious coin for decades.

Has strong relationships on Wall Street, in business, and the civic and political world too.

After a lifetime of it perhaps being a disadvantage, in these times his black skin might advantage him.

So perhaps all this is easy for him.

To leap from a prominent position on Wall Street.

Put time and money behind his campaign.

His reputation as a winner on the line.

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Upgrade YOU 1.1. 2 ways why goals are important

There’s lots of stuff on why goals are important.

Here I’m not talking about why you want goals.

As a winner I’m assuming that’s obvious to you.

Here I’m talking about the why of your goals.

Why do your goals matter?

You’ve likely heard of the powerful notion of starting with the why.

Yet in this short video we’re focused on the other end.

Finish with your why

The why of your goals is to finish.

To achieve.

Get it done.

Get what you want!

Goals aren’t there for you to look at and talk about.

They’re devices you’re using to get your mind and actions in gear for driving the results you want.

In this way goals are about your achieving.

And also your process.

As well as who you are being driving your goals.

In this video we whiteboard on two levels the why of your goals.

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Upgrade YOU 1.0. “Partner, let me upgrade you”

Me, me, me, me, me.

“Enough on upgrading you, upgrade me!”

So I keep hearing.

It seems all this upgrading of Geoff Blades has created some upgrade envy 🙂

I’m listening.

So we’re starting a series for upgrading you.

“Partner, let me upgrade you

Flip a new page

Introduce you to some new things, and upgrade you…

Partner, let me upgrade you.”

Sings Beyonce in Upgrade U.

Together that’s what we’re gonna do.

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S Man 1.10. Stop being mediocre like at Goldman

I was underwhelmed by many people at Goldman.

It was actually shockingly disappointing to me.

This is Goldman Sachs.

The best of the best, or so I thought.

But like every best of the best team, there are many degrees.

The best people at Goldman are the gold standard.

Rock stars like David and John.

Powerful leaders and commercial killers like, nah, not gonna name names… (especially coz some are my clients!)

Yet when you’re at Goldman it’s also well accepted that many of the best leave.

Average “elite”

I’m not just talking Goldman here but every seemingly elite culture.

It’s a matter of scale.

In top places like McKinsey, Skadden, KKR, the cream rises to the top.

Many boil up and out.

The majority are left behind.

They’re all good, of course.

Incredibly effective relative to people who’ve never challenged themselves playing a top game.

Yet many do nothing more than lace up.

Still operating like they’re in high school.

Show up on time.

Do what you’re told.

Work hard.

Every year graduate to a higher level, and hopefully make that promotion on time, or only a few years late.

It’s not their fault either.

In the past even top firms have done next to nothing to help employees elevate.

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Biden Vs. Trump Debate 1: Video breakdown

Who won the first 2020 presidential debate?

That’s debatable!

If you want an unbiased opinion on that, you can look to CNN or Fox 🙂

But if you want to go deeper into 9 powerful examples of influence from the debate, look right here.

You might be interested to go deeper into how each of them influenced to win on this grand stage.

Or perhaps more importantly, to arm yourself with influence you can use to win more on your stage.

Winning with influence

All the world is a stage as I wrote about here.

And those who can influence are more likely to drive the results you want in every stage of your business and life.

You might know I see politics as a game of influence, as I wrote about plenty when I wrote this book on Trump crushing the GOP in 2016.

Winning in politics has little to do with policies, but how well you rally voters.

As I wrote here, it‘s clear to me this election would come down to how Biden and Trump stacked up on the stage.

Overall I’d say it was favorable for Joe.

The risk was he’d get blown up by Trump, but he well stood his ground.

And landed plenty of shots too.

That said, the only people who decide the winner of these debates, and indeed the election, are voters.

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S Man 1.9. Upgrade like Rocky IV

He had a plan.

Nobody knew what it was.

When his trainer, Paulie, got off the plane, he was like, whow whow, what are we doing here?

In the middle of frozen Russia.

Nothing out there.

Nowhere to train.

No gym, nor fighters.

Just some house with a barn and lots of snow.

This is where Rocky came to train for the deadliest fight of his life?

Drago is America

His opponent Ivan Drago has all this high tech equipment and training.

He’s Russian, but they’ve flipped the script here.

Drago has his team of technicians, while Rocky is in frozen Russia training to be strong like bull.

No training camp, nor training partners.

Just Rocky being carved by ice.

Running in the snow.

Sit ups in the barn.

Chopping wood.

More chopping wood.

Even more running in the snow with a huge wooden thing around his neck like bull.

Rocky is the underdog against the doped up Russian who boxed to death his good friend, a symbol of America, Apollo Creed.

And he’s showing up hardened.

A few rounds into the brawl after Rocky has proven his mettle, Drago says to his trainer—

“He’s not human, he’s like a piece of iron.”

As I wrote here, to become your greatest, get an anvil.

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S Man 1.8. Lighten it up to avoid “playing” like Jordan

Light it all up…

Really, light it all up.

Pump it up.

Get excited.

All fired up.

Now, let it all go.

Take a deep breath and slowly exhale.

That’s right, pump it up.

And let it all go.

That’s The Cure

Actually, just the first two steps, Leading With The Physical.

Using your body and breathing to get yourself fired up, and chilling out.

So you’re left in this high energy, yet calm way of being.

You know how good this feels, and it is perhaps the most exulted way of being.

The flow state, a peak state for performance and happiness, reflects this.

So too does the meditation state, which is often described as alert and relaxed.

At first blush we might consider these ways of being contradictory—You’re either fired up or chilling out.

Yet like a gazelle, and lion for that matter, sitting on the plains of Africa, the blending of these states might be our most natural.

For about 15 years I’ve been cultivating a way of being I refer to as Intense and Cool, which we’ll talk about below, yet I’m still only so-so at.

Directionally I’m right here.

The Cure, shorthand for The Cure For The Human Condition, is my most helpful tool, but it still has a massive limitation.

You’ve gotta remember to do it!

See, a reason I long ago moved beyond the noise of personal development, such as talking about gratitude or positive thinking, to build highly systematic methods and powerful tools is because it never matters what you know.

All that matters is…

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S Man 1.7. End JIT, for getting things done

Ultimate Days

Like a rectal exam I avoid doing taxes.

I just sent off the K1 to a business partner.

As usual it’s only a couple of days before the filing deadline.

I hate it’s happening again this way.

Next year I’ll get out ahead of it.

See, here’s the thing, it’s super simple for me to do this.

It takes me little time to organize my stuff and get it to the accountants.

Just I put it off somewhere down the bottom of my list till it needs to be done.

Jams you up

Too many of these letters to you are JIT.

In business just in time manufacturing is extremely valuable, but it also risks jamming the production line.

Over the years I’ve drafted 675 of these letters that were never sent.

That’s all good, it’s part of the creating process; when you’ve gotta flow, you’ve gotta flow.

But I rarely go back to drafts.

I tend to keep it fresh, so I’m constantly creating and sending you new stuff.

The cost of course is time, and more specifically just in time.

Too many of these letters I’ve written you in real time, which I enjoy, but also messes with our process.

It leaves little time to get the team involved, and too often we rush proofing and getting these articles up and out.

To be sure there’s a nice flow from writing to a tight deadline.

But to keep scaling, and to optimize quality, we must be more methodical.

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S Man 1.6. Stand for something bigger (than the lockdowns)

My life has gotten better in the lockdowns.

So has our business.

Lots more people with problems seeking solutions.

Tons more engagement.

Making more money.

With more time to myself.

Doing more of what I want.

It’s made my work easier, moving it all online.

Friction has been removed, such as meetings I will now forever delete.

Less travel.

Spending more time with my loved ones, the cats 🙂

I was already socially distanced, and it’s easier to be socially distanced more.

I’m liking wearing a mask so I can hide more.

New York is quiet, when I enjoy the city more.

The things that I indulge, such as restaurants I mostly ordered from anyways and public places, are open.

Every day it’s getting cheaper.

While my assets in the markets have appreciated more. (for now)

I’m healthier.

In much better shape.

Having more better sex.

Eating even simpler and cleaner.

It’s been a catalyst to dial in my sleep, mind, energy even more.

I’m even more focused.

My protocols for developing and running my ultimate day have been locked in more.

I’ve deleted even more dastardly media.

I’m happier.

My mind is even more at ease, and excited for the leaps we’re taking,

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He’s right, Trump is on course to win…

Combating Trump

Just shut up, Geoff…

That’s what I think when my brain tells me to write on this topic.

It’s gotten me into enough trouble with fans on both sides of the aisle, when I only care about winning.

What leads to more winning for America?

And what will lead Biden or Trump to win this election?

Watch the polls, listen to the narrative, and once again, it’s obvious Trump will lose.

Apparently Nancy Pelosi suggested canceling the presidential debates.

It was a good move if the Dems could pull it off.

That’s the way they’re most likely to get beat again by Trump.

I’m not one to talk about whether Biden is punching at his best, but this is where Trump does.

How he won 2016

Trump’s hardest part to winning 2016 was mowing down 16 top GOP candidates.

Starting from scratch, building momentum from nowhere, keep in mind that the mainstream saw him as a joke.

The Huffington Post called his campaign a sideshow, and covered it not as politics, but entertainment.

He said so many outlandish and offensive things, including saying John McCain wasn’t a war hero.

Yet, still, “somehow” he thrashed the GOP, and then beat Hillary.

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S Man 1.4. Leap to hyperspace

I build billionaires.

It will soon become what I’m known for.

Hard-charging people with massive visions will keep coming to me for the small role I play in helping them make massive leaps.

Clients are leaping to the stratosphere right now.

A number materializing seemingly impossible leaps.

I expect it.

We’re seeing the same in our business, and that’s my map of reality.

It’s also my business model, and life.

As I write about here, my life is transformation.

I’ve never been interested in small incremental improvements.

I’m into making massive leaps.

And that’s what I’ve seen.

Reality leaps massively

The conscious, time-based mind is a linear processor.

Processing second after second, minute after minute, day after day, things materialize in time.

This of course is the “normal” way of orienting to reality, but it’s not the only way.

In your dreaming reality, which is 1/3 of your semi-conscious life, all time is happening at the same time.

A paradox in quantum physics is how a cat can be perceived dead and alive at the same time.

The same is true for quantum leaps, how an atom can seemingly materialize at multiple points in space time.

At the basic physical level, the binary computer-like brain needs one or the other to be true.

But at the quantum level, even glaring contradictions are true.

For any and all things at all times are possible.

This now isn’t some tiny sliver like the space between the second hands that the computer brain naturally equates it to, but a vast expanse of all time materializing as now.

Not saying this is the truth of reality.

Just that if you perceive it is one truth, rapid, massive leaps become more possible for you.

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S Man 1.2. Wake up full of energy

Ultimate Days

It’s 7:27 am.

I’ve breached one of my protocols.

I haven’t had enough sleep, but the body is so full of energy I just got up, and sat down here to get the day flowing.

My sleep app says I fell asleep at 2:22, so I’m running on less than 5 hours, which I generally consider to be a sleep deficit.

In the early days on Wall Street that was a long night’s sleep.

Even a couple of years ago I might have called that sufficient, but not anymore.

Sleep deprivation…

Is a tried and true form of torture.

Keep a human awake, and ideally in an uncomfortable position, and over a short number of days they’ll break.

In our society, especially in the world of high achievers, getting by on little sleep can be a badge of honor, when ultimately it’s a signal other things are wrong.

Certainly there are times in your life where you’re cutting sleep, but consistently deprive yourself of sleep and it will come out elsewhere.

A client sat for lunch with an accountant who said he was into personal development.

For most of the lunch he kept signaling how hardcore he was, sleeping only a handful of hours a night, cranking, efficient, effective, all that stuff.

My client was kind enough to avoid telling him that’s one of the reasons he is grossly overweight.

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S Man 1.1. Wake up, eat frogs

Ultimate Days

My hair is sticking straight up.

I’d never go to work this way, but hey this is WFH, so I look a little WTF.

It’s 9:00 am, it’s a late start for me, because I got a late end.

I’ve learned the crucial importance of getting the right sleep, and so I took my 7ish hours.

Woke up and did my a.m. trance in bed.

And now here we are.

Tie on

Suit pants and shirt.

Hair standing tall because I’m pre-shower, and because I’m growing it out for a new Character.

This is September Man here.

Rather than getting up, getting organized, and then starting your day, we’re starting quick and dirty.

I’ve set the timer for an hour.

The brain told me to write this to you, which wasn’t my original plan, but as a creator, when it flows, you’ve gotta let it flow.

But we’re gonna do it fast enough so there’s enough time left for the frog I’d committed to eat.

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September Man 1.0: Goals (and flow)

Focus Tools

September Man, here.

Gotta be.

See, this is the thing, if you’re upgrading yourself you’re doing it right now.

What I mean is, if you’ve decided that this month you have specific goals, then you are living them.

Goals are like to-do lists

Mostly useless.

Terribly used.

We’re never taught real methods for setting goals so most people drift through life without them.

Many others kind of have goals but poorly use them.

Goals are often interpreted as this thing somewhere out there in front of you, when goals have nothing to do with the future.

Absolutely nothing.

They have everything to do with how you are using this simulated version of your future right now.

Goals are of course powerful motivators, right?

But they are only powerful motivators when you are right now using them to motivate your mind and actions.

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August Man must burn

He must be killed off in September.

Excuse the dramatic language but it feels right to say.

Not because I have anything against this August Man I spent the month building as I wrote you about here.

But why stop here?

The calendar moves on, and so are we.

September Man

Last week I saw something I’ve never seen in my own personal development.

In the past I’ve focused on developing as a continuous pursuit.

Pages and pages of daily exercises.

Hours and hours a day of mental conditioning, and bathing the mind deeply in flow states.

Daily skills training.

These continuous practices have MASSIVELY paid off for me.

Yet working towards specific development goals building August Man unlocked something new in me.

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Come out of the gates hot post Labor Day

In any ordinary year, now is the calm before the sprint.

This week is typically a time for chilling out and setting up for the post Labor Day rush.

You have this feeling of the year closing out, which is exciting, especially this year, but also the desire to finish the year strong.

But this is no ordinary year, is it?

Groundhog year

This groundhog year has presented many challenges, and a number of business leaders I’ve spoken to hardly feel like they got a summer.

Locked at home with the family, with a short leash to Zoom, they didn’t get their usual time to reset.

One told me he felt he was coming out of the starting gates half a track behind the other horses.

But he also readily admitted it’s likely many of those other chargers feel much the same way!

I suggested to him that even if he doesn’t feel well set up to finish the year…

You can easily, and quickly build momentum from here.

Building momentum through the summer

I’ll write you more about this August Man Upgrade I did on this person formerly known as Geoff Blades. 🙂

But ultimately it was about stepping back, resetting, and building momentum through the summer for driving the rest of the year.

Looking at where I was in late July, it was clear to me I needed to make changes to give it more gas.

An open wheel racing instructor once taught me that you only have three levers in driving a car.

He said think of it like a rope attaching your steering wheel to the gas and brake.

“The problem,” he said is, “You only have 100% grip, and so long as you’re on the gas, you’re taking some of that away from your ability to steer.”

Hence, in driving a car real fast you must be precise about how you align the steering before you kick it in the rear.

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August Man and 3 types of change

Whoa, what a month!

Obviously in our crazy world, but also what I’ve been up to.

I took time away from writing you so I could step back.

What came out of it was an Upgrade Cycle that I’ve called August Man.

I’ve never written about Upgrade Cycles before, but it’s a process I run once, sometimes twice a year.

It’s deep work that often takes me to another place for a few weeks, but this year I did in NYC.

Like the caterpillar crawling in the chrysalis, the intent isn’t just change or improving, but transformation.

3 types of change

There are three types of change that I’m focused on.

The first is Continuous Change, which is what you’re doing every day to keep getting better.

This comes back to many of my Masterclasses which are built for daily evolution, systematically honing your mind and actions each and every day.

A second type is Change Work.

This is the hard stuff, but it’s mostly one and done.

Meaning, if someone is stuck taking action, or has a terrible PTSD type memory, or is say stuck in deep depression…

Change Work is like a carpenter showing up at a job site, with every tool you might need to get the job done.

Now it’s not to say Change Work is always one and done, because we’re talking some real hard stuff here, but the intent is to equip people with methods that enables the change to stick forever.

And then you have Upgrade Cycles.

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Remember to stretch

That’s one of my alternate book titles for Navy SEAL Goggins’ book.

Another is Read To The End.

If you’ve read his book you know what I mean.

The first two thirds of Goggins’ book is about him transforming from 300 pounds into a SEAL and one of the world’s best ultra athletes.

What’s so powerful in this is, as I wrote about here, it was far from a natural evolution for Goggins.

He built himself into the man he needed to become.

Taking on hard goals, and doing what it took, regular David Goggins became Goggins.

Up until this point his story is about being hardcore, and persisting.

But then it takes a strange twist.

Goggins is struck down.

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How this SEAL learned to bring out your best

You see here a pre and post picture of retired Navy SEAL, David Goggins.

Pre SEAL, he’s a big guy pushing 300 pounds.

Post, he’s carved like David.

I won’t go deep into his story which you want to read in his book.

Just a quick note to say…

He wasn’t born this way

Goggins as he’s known wasn’t a born winner.

Wasn’t a top athlete.

Didn’t have a long history of accomplishment.

Was far from the guy you’d bet on to be an elite anything.

Just to qualify for SEAL training he had to drop a hundred pounds, which was an enormous feat for a guy who’d never been into exercise.

Working a, literally, dead-end job, with a dead-end future…

Goggins needed to first see this David inside of him.

And then do what it takes to forge himself this way.

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We keep failing, but that’s the point

System For Winning

With a client we’re focused on solving something very hard in his business.

In his industry, it’s never really been done.

We know that’s because it’s a hard problem to solve, and that’s the point.

If we can solve it in his business, it will work forever.

His business will massively scale.

Him and his executive team will be able to focus on other things to drive the business even further.

We’ve only failed 3 times so far…

I won’t repeat the Edison quote, coz you know it.

10,000 fails isn’t failure if you’re iterating to your solution, is it?

Ultimate failure is never trying.

Settling for a sub-optimal solution.

Giving up too soon.

Failure is the point we keep driving through to get to success.

And it’s not just that each time we get closer and closer.

It’s that you want to love the pursuit.