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Ultimate Days Masterclass

For focusing on what matters, choose YOUR reality bubble

Focus Tools“You’re in a reality bubble,” she said.

Thinking it was an insult.

I took it as fact.

It was right after I told her I never pay attention to that stuff.

You know the things you’re “supposed” to pay attention to.

How some celebrity did this.

Lunatic did that.

Politician said…

Whatever, whatever

A question I keep hearing these days is—

With all that’s going on, how do you stay focused?

And it’s not just focus…

But how do you stay “optimistically” focused?

The best answer I have is—

Keep your attention on what you control.

I know that’s overly simplistic.

And I get some people see that as “narrow” minded.

Yet it also reflects the tale of two peoples you see right now.

Many people feeling stuck, are getting even more stuck in noise and distraction.

When everyone I’m close to is laser focused driving forward goals.

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1 thing for best starting your day, without getting lost in the “mourning” routine

Ultimate Days

How you start is often how you continue.

You certainly know the notion of waking up on the WRONG side of the bed.

And how much that can lead to the wrong side of the day.

But how much do you experiment with starting your day right?

Personally, I want methods to get my day ultimate no matter how you wake up.

And irrespective of how you wake, to use this CRUCIAL time for building incredible momentum for your day.

Many days ruined

In my last job I RUINED many days.

Waking up with someone I loved, like an actor on cue, my brain would start ruining the day.

Ugh, don’t feel like going to work today.

If only this wasn’t that.

Or whatever wasn’t whatever. 🙂

I laugh at it now because it’s just so obvious to me how I was waking up and letting that brain ruin the day.

But FACT IS, I hurt years of my life that way.

Now I see clearly, no matter what you’re doing, you’re doing it anyways, so you might as well find a way to love the one you’re with.

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Why can your “inner” thoughts be so different to your “outer” life?

Have you wondered why someone can have so much and still feel lack?

Why an attractive man or woman can feel ugly?

A rich person can feel financially insecure?

Someone who’s achieved enormously can fail to feel like they’ve “made it?”

I’m betting like me you know plenty of these people.

Maybe you are one of them?

I used to be.

What’s going on here?

You know we have that phrase of “inner thoughts.”

There’s nothing “inner” about it.

That’s who you are!

It’s your ENTIRE experience of life.

You know that person on the outside?

That’s who you choose to be.

I don’t have to point out to you that most of your life…

In fact, perhaps nearly all of your life, who you’re being outside can be different to inside.

The person you’re “playing” might not be how you feel.

Things that you say to people are edited.

You’re rarely, basically never, sharing your inner thoughts.

But package them in a way that you’re comfortable saying and others are comfortable hearing.

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Upgrade YOU 3.3. 74 times a day we do this, and it massively holds you back

On average we check email 74 times a day.

When you look at that number, what does it make you think?

Is it high to you?

About right?

Low?

Because in a 16 hour day, this means ONLY checking email every 12 minutes.

Ding, ding human…

Does the story of Ivan Pavlov ring a bell?

You might be familiar with how he conditioned his dogs to salivate at the sound of a ringing bell.

But do you know why this works so well?

And how it works exactly the same in you and me?

Of course you do!

Because you might be doing it all the time too.

Jumping to a dinging phone, responding to notifications, half the day working for your device, rather than it working for you.

It costs you a ton of time and effectiveness.

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Upgrade YOU 3.3. Keep riding the bull

A private equity founder shared this story from a portfolio company CEO.

Now, this client is an entrepreneur.

A founder. Builder.

He’s been surrounded by top business builders all his life.

And this idea is from one of them.

A guy with a special and meaningful story.

Who sold the business he founded in his kitchen for nearly a billion dollars.

“From the outside…”

He says, “Building a business is like riding a bull.”

Someone watching might be dazzled.

The way they ride that bucking animal can look magical.

Even effortless, as they flow with the movement.

“Yet to the bull rider,” he says, “You don’t have a choice.”

You’re strapped onto this thing!

Whether you’re gonna get thrown or ride to victory, you’re hanging on for dear life.

Failing means major disappointment.

And also potentially being impaled!

So you keep riding.

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Upgrade YOU 3.3. The myth of using 10% of your brain—SOLVED

If it’s popular culture, it’s likely wrong.

Just like this notion that you only use 10% of your brain.

It sounds all fancy.

And plenty of fiction, such as movies like Limitless and Lucy, is based on unlocking the remaining 90%.

But what does it mean?

You can trace the myth back to…

Articles suggest it comes from this vague quote by the father of modern psychology, William James—

Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake. Our fires are damped, our drafts are checked. We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources. 

So you see, there’s apparently little to it.

Yet, directionally, it’s certainly true we only use a fraction of our potential.

Whether that’s 10% or not, who cares?

Let’s talk about what it means.

Or, at least, in my view, a valuable interpretation!

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This may be helpful tonight if you’re roaring ahead this week…

You may be chilling.

But if you’re roaring into the new year, this might be helpful for you.

It’s been a focus for me and I’ve had a number of conversations with clients on it this week.

One thing you see with us ambitious types is the start of the year can feel a little overwhelming, can’t it?

Even after last year proved you can never simulate the future, that’s what your brain is built to do.

You think and perform worse

When your brain is simulating on ALL those things in the future, you perform worse now.

And even worse, with all of those more things you must get done…

No matter how much you accomplish today you can feel like there’s always more to do.

It’s a lose-lose when you can so easily make it a win-win.

Whether you’re fired up or overwhelmed, take what is massive and shrink it down.

Stop that brain simulating all those big things you’re doing this year.

Simply keep bringing your focus back to the smallest things you’re doing this week building momentum in your year.

Just small steps this week.

Then next.

And the next.

Over and over again crushing each day.

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New year, new YOU!

Hi there,

How you doing?

Hope you had a great new year and are roaring for 2021!

Certainly, none of us know where this year is headed.

Who could even pretend to guess the future based on what last year taught us all?

But we all do know one thing…

Focus on what you control

From about April on last year, this was so crucial to making last year one of my best.

The same is true with every client.

All of my work comes back to focusing on what you can influence.

And last year was a powerful reminder that’s basically nothing!

Zero ability to influence the health of the world.

Zero control over the decisions that govern you.

Heck, you have zero influence on your stomach digesting food or heart beating, let alone anything in our world.

Of course last year threw you a curve ball.

And who knows, this year could be the worst or greatest of all.

But what you do know, with absolute certainty is, nearly everything that impacts your life, you have zero control.

Absolutely zero.

None.

Nothing.

Nada.

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Why do New Year’s Resolutions REALLY fail?

This week surely lots of resolutions will be made.

Few broken resolutions will be reflected upon.

Too few resolutions will be any more than resolutions.

80% will be dust by mid-February.

Do you know why resolutions REALLY fail?

I mean, REALLY?

It’s not that we are weak or lazy or undisciplined.

The problem is the word “Resolution.”

In some way it has come to have a different meaning to a “real” goal.

Ultimately, it’s a type of goal that is socially acceptable to quit and fail at.

So we’re never really committed to begin with.

I write 3 more reasons why in this post and discuss a little in this short one minute video.

Not meaning to send you off the page here, but I’m keeping it short.

In past years I’ve written longer on why New Year’s Resolutions are stupid, and  this video on why they’re still stupid.

But this year I’m making a resolution of my own. 🙂

And I’m starting early.

I, Geoff Blades, do solemnly resolve…

To ramble a whole lot less!

I haven’t put a word limit on it yet, but I can’t imagine writing any longer letters to you in 2021.

Less words more impact is my phrase.

And my target is one to two-thirds less words in every conversation, and the same in writing and videos.

That’s a reason I’m keeping this tight.

btw, not saying resolutions are entirely stupid.

Just that if you are making resolutions, why not go all the way to setting real goals you’re resolved to achieving?

If you want to go deeper into doing this I’d suggest these videos from Upgrade YOU:

  1. Why Goals
  2. What Goals
  3. How to Condition Your Goals (so they’re not just resolutions but drilled into your brain)

Priceless learnings quickly reviewing YOUR 2020

I struggled writing this for YOU.

That’s because I kept finding myself writing about the world and my year…

What it meant to me.

Why it was so transformational.

How it was one of my best.

Where they’re taking the world, etc.

There’s lots of stuff I’d like to share with you.

But this isn’t about any of that.

This is about one thing and one thing only—>

You, and getting the most from YOUR year.

Not about the world’s year

You’d have to be pretty narrowly focused to be looking back on “your” year without any reference to the year humanity had.

Tragic.

Disastrous.

This was a hard and painful year for billions of people.

Many lost their lives and livelihoods.

Multiples more still have their backs up against it.

Freedom was surrendered by all.

You simply cannot tally the enormous cost of human suffering this year.

Yet you also can’t let that weigh down your year.

True compassion and empathy is so rare and crucial, yet that’s different to using the suffering of others to justify your own.

If you wanted to ruin your days counting human tragedy, before this year it was still everywhere there’s oxygen.

But if you’re focused on how you keep doing your best to serve yourself, family and humanity…

Well, you must focus on those things you control.

Continue

Upgrade YOU 3.1. Focus is easy compared to this

This is where the rubber hits the road, my friend.

So far in Upgrade YOU we’ve gone deepish into your goals and mind.

In some ways that’s valuable in its own right.

But in our context of driving your grandest goals, you might as well be dancing the jig.

To drive what you truly want, you must be taking action.

What action is our focus

You’ll see quickly in this video that I’m dismissing some of the harder topics on taking action.

Efficiency, effectiveness, time management, all that really matters.

And we’ll be hitting it in Upgrade YOU 3.3 where we talk about engineering flow.

That can be real hard.

But also easy relative to knowing what actions to take.

And being excellent taking them.

Continue

Upgrade YOU 2.3. “Just eat Doritos all day” says nobody

Imagine you’re looking to get in great shape.

Seeking to do everything you can, you hire a top personal trainer who designs a comprehensive program for you.

Perhaps it has you working out 4-6 days week.

Maybe you’re doing cardio 2-3 days.

Other days strength training.

Looking at the program you say, “That’s awesome.”

But knowing full well exercise is just one side to getting in great shape you ask, “Should we also focus on how I’m eating?”

“No, it doesn’t matter,” they say, “If you like you can eat Doritos all day.”

Says no trainer!!

Not only would a trainer never say this.

But no matter how good your exercise plan, you know you’d fail this way.

It simply doesn’t matter.

If you’re working out an hour and eating junk 15 hours a day, your shape reflects it.

And of course you know where I’m headed here—

Your mind is the same.

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Upgrade YOU 1.3. What’s more important than why and what goals?

This is.

In using your goals to get what you want…

The most important thing isn’t why your goals matter.

Nor what your goals are.

What matters most is how you’re using your goals.

Not just knowing your why.

Or looking at your goals every now and then.

What matters most is deeply conditioning your goals.

Monthly.

Weekly.

Daily.

Continuously.

Every second using your goals to get your mind in gear.

For driving your best actions.

Here’s the video for Upgrade YOU 1.3. conditioning your goals.

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.

Continue

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.

Continue

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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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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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.

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Putting it on the rails (in 2 steps)

Driving a car you must make constant choices about what to do.

Speed it up. Slow it down.

Turn here. Turn there.

But a train on the rails, well, it’s all locked in from here.

You just need to keep it moving and the rails lead you where you’re meant to go.

This is what I mean by putting it on the rails.

Take the thinking out of it

And just get doing.

Where do you get stuck in driving your goals?

Ultimately, in all the thinking that gets in the way of doing what you know you want to get done!

I’ve seen this is the method to top performance in basically every pursuit.

You might be watching a boxer stand around talking about stuff, and then they just get moving.

Jumping rope.

Shadow boxing.

It’s those small actions that pull their mind into what they’re doing right now.

Some boxers even need to get hit a few times before their brain really pulls into gear.

But once it does, they’re very hard to stop from here.

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3 ways to best use your PPP (not that one)

Ultimate Days

This PPP is an acronym you can use to best drive your goals.

And to feel your absolute best every day—

Power of Positive Projecting.

I’m trying to keep these letters to you tighter, so let’s just get to the point.

Why PPP?

Because your brain is constantly projecting your reality.

Literally, it’s looking around you right now, seeing a tiny part of the world (only as far as the eyes can see).

Yet, somehow it has an entire “movie” of what the world is.

Think about this for a moment.

Your head is filled with a projection of what you perceive the world to be based on the content you’re feeding your brain.

e.g. if you saw a week of news that somehow the world had become a magical, happy utopia, how would you be imagining the world different right now?

Your life is exactly the same.

All the time your brain is referencing movies of your past, present, and projecting your future.

So make it PPP.

Continue

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