1-2-3 Inner Game

Welcome to 1-2-3 Inner Game, your weekly hit of actionable strategies to achieve a high-performing, healthy, and thriving life.

Today's Highlights

• Fear of Blowing Up!

• 1-2-3 Inner-Game

• Sustainability: When Facts Don’t Cut It, Feelings Do

• What do Gen Zs Really Want?

• Know Pain, Know Gain

• The Weirdos are Being Normalized

• Some of the Things I've Read and Listened to this Week

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Hi,

This week, I discovered something about myself.

In business, I’m all about pushing limits and taking risks—that’s where I thrive.

But during triathlons, I realized I held back.

Whether it was the swim, bike, or run, I played it safe, conserving energy. I didn’t want to blow up or risk not finishing.

Funny thing is, in business, I’d risk hitting the wall for a shot at the upside, trusting I’ll recover.

But in the race, I wasn’t betting on myself the same way. I was stuck in a “what if I can’t finish?” mindset.

The lesson?

Fear of "blowing up" stops you from discovering your real limits.

Whether it’s a race or a deal, holding back feels smart, but it’s just leaving potential on the table.

Push through the fear—that’s where the magic happens.

Here's some Inner Game wisdom to chew on this week

1 quote

“In the privacy of your mind is who you really are.”

- Sylvester Stallone.

2 questions (and answers from me)

1. How do you handle failure as an entrepreneur? You don’t. You learn from it, adapt, and keep going. Failure is data—it tells you what doesn’t work so you can get closer to what does.

   
   

2. What's the biggest mistake new entrepreneurs make? They try to do everything. The key isn’t working more; it’s working on the right things. Focus on what moves the needle, say no to the rest, and learn to delegate fast.​

3 insights from me

1. Three simple ways to get more of what you want in life: 1) Be kind and pleasant to others. 2) Ask for what you want. 3) Follow up.

   
   

2. The elite athletes practice 95% of the time and perform 5% of the time. While entrepreneurs are practicing 5% of the time, and performing 95% of the time. Instead of thinking of it as a "morning routine", re-frame it as a "pre-game" ROOTine. Your pre-game is more than a set of tasks, it's practice.

   
   

3. You don’t "find" your passion—you create it. And here’s the kicker: to create it, you gotta get good at something. How? By starting with something you suck at. You stick with it, you get better, and boom—you actually start enjoying it. Then, people ask how you found your passion, and the answer is simple: by starting when I sucked and refusing to quit.

Sustainability: When Facts Don't Cut It, Feelings Do

I recently sat down with some of the sharpest minds in sustainability, and they hit me with a million-dollar question: How do you actually get people to change their behavior? They didn’t want stats, charts, or frameworks—they wanted to know how to make change stick.

At first, I was ready to throw out the usual stuff. But then it hit me: people don’t change because of more info. Real change? It happens when something clicks emotionally—when it gets personal. Facts and logic don’t cut it. You need that gut-punch moment when someone feels the importance.

Here’s the kicker: when someone feels that shift, they don’t just change themselves—they become the spark that makes other people around them change too. That’s when the ripple effect happens. That’s where real impact starts.

And honestly, being at this summit hit me harder than I expected. I always knew sustainability was important, but this time, it clicked. I felt it. I walked out knowing I need to be more conscious of it—not just for myself, but for everyone around me. That spark got me, and now it’s time to pass it on.

What's new with the Pod - Emergence Now

The Shocking Truth about Gen Z

Listen Now

Know Pain, Know Gain

At its core, business is about one thing: solving problems for profit. And here’s the reality: there are always problems—endless problems. They’re the raw material businesses are built on.

But here’s the ironic part: so many entrepreneurs dream of starting a business where there are no problems. They have this fantasy that it’s going to be smooth sailing once they’re the boss. Spoiler alert—it’s not. It’s going to be problem after problem.

Think about it like working out. You don’t get fit by taking it easy. If you want to see results, there’s going to be some pain. But not all pain is created equal—some pain is useful, and some is just...pain.

The key? Know the difference. Necessary pain makes you stronger. Unnecessary pain just slows you down. Businesses are built by leveraging problems to serve others and to grow yourself.

So yeah, "Know Pain, Know Gain."

What’s the problem your business is solving?

The weirdos are being normalized.

BlackRock, is sitting on $9 TRILLION, they cranked up the Bitcoin volume this year. Just a year ago? That would've been a punchline. But hey, that’s how it goes—slowly, then suddenly.

What Inspired Me This Week

SpaceX catches Starship rocket booster back at the launch pad

If Saturn were as close to Earth as the Moon, this is what it would look like

Africa in context

I'm rooting for you to continue crushing it! 💪🏼

Dhiren