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

• The Athlete Mindset: No Negotiations, Just Action

• 1-2-3 Inner-Game

• You'll Never Be Tiger Woods - But Here's How You Can Create One

• Players vs. Referees: The Game of Life

• Brain Candy

• Rundown of Cool Stuff This Week

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Hi,

I came across this meme the other day—one of those clips that make you laugh 🤣, but then stick with you for way too long. A reporter asks a gymnast,

“What would be a legit reason not to work out and train?”

Her answer? Death. ☠️

That’s it. No hesitation. No overthinking. Just a hard, unfazed “death.”

Now, on the surface, that sounds insane. Like, come on, there are plenty of reasons to skip a workout, right? Maybe you’re sore, maybe you’re busy, maybe you just don’t feel like it. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized… she’s got it figured out.

Because when you’re really locked in—when you know what you want, when you’ve committed to the process—everything else fades into the background.

There are no “valid excuses.” There’s just doing the thing or not doing the thing.

And that’s the difference between people who dabble and people who dominate. 🔥

Most people treat their goals like an optional side quest 🎮. They’ll get to it if they have time. If they feel good. If the stars align. But the best? The best treat it like breathing. They don’t negotiate with themselves. They don’t wait for motivation.

They show up. Period.

So, here’s the real question: What’s your version of the gymnast’s answer?

What’s the thing in your life that you claim you want, but still make excuses for?

And what would happen if you cut out all the noise and just decided—like, actually decided—that nothing short of death was going to stop you? 💀

Would your actions change? Would your results?

I think you already know the answer. 💡

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

1 question

If you could only work on ONE business idea for the next 5 years—no pivots, no distractions—what would it be?

2 questions (and answers from me)

1. What’s the most common mistake people make? Thinking happiness is out there somewhere. A better job, a better relationship, a better version of themselves. But happiness is an inside job. You don’t find it—you generate it.

   
   

2. Who coaches you? My closest circle. The people I trust to call me out on my own BS. And sometimes? Life itself. If you’re paying attention, life will coach you harder than any mentor ever could.​

3 insights from me

1. When people say “You’ve changed” what they really mean is “You’ve grown.” Translation: You stopped playing by their old rules. You leveled up. You made moves they didn’t expect. The real flex? Keep changing. Keep growing. Let them stay confused.

   
   

2. Burnout isn’t about working too much. It’s about working too much on stuff that doesn’t matter. The moment your reality ≠ expectations—stress walks in, takes a seat, and makes itself at home. The fix? Stop grinding on things that drain you. Start doubling down on what actually lights you up.

   
   

3. Elite athletes spend 95% of their time training so they can dominate when it counts. Entrepreneurs? They flip the ratio—5% practice, 95% performance—and wonder why they burn out. The best don’t just show up and hope for the best; they train before the game starts. So stop thinking of your morning routine as a checklist—it’s your pre-game ROOTine.

What's new with the Pod - Emergence Now

You'll Never Be Tiger Woods - But Here's How You Can Create One

Listen Now

Players 🏆 vs. Referees 🚨: The Game of Life

There are two types of people in the world: Players and Referees.

Referees? They don’t play. They watch. They analyze. They enforce rules they never had the guts to break. They love to point out mistakes, debate what’s fair, and call fouls. But here’s the thing—referees never score goals.

Players? They’re on the field. Taking hits. Making plays. Missing shots, sure—but also creating opportunities. They get knocked down, but they get back up.

They’re in the game.

The difference? Referees optimize for avoiding mistakes. Players optimize for winning.

Referees are obsessed with rules. Players are obsessed with results.

And here’s the kicker: The world doesn’t remember the refs. No one hangs their jersey in the rafters. No one asks them how it felt to make that game-winning call.

Because at the end of the day, the game belongs to the players. 🎯

So the question is—are you playing to win, or just blowing the whistle? 🤔🚀

Brain Candy Tweets That Made Me Think, Laugh, or Go ‘Huh, Interesting!

Voltaire was onto something.

Being in a good mood isn’t just nice—it’s a competitive advantage. When you’re in a good mood, you make better decisions, attract better people, and handle problems without losing your mind.

Most people wake up and hope for a good mood. Winners engineer it.

Sleep. Movement. Good food. People who lift you up. A game worth playing. Stack the odds in your favor, and suddenly, life starts playing along.

This is next-level sleep optimization.

Most people treat sleep like a side effect of exhaustion—pass out, wake up, repeat.

But high-performers? They engineer sleep like it’s a business strategy.

So good! 🤣

Here’s a rundown of some cool stuff I’ve been diving into this week.

📖 ​AI 2041: Ten Visions for our Future​

📖 ​Driven from Within by Michael Jordan​

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

Dhiren