#95

Welcome to Whisper #95.

It is far better to follow the instructions of average people who’ve got extraordinary results than extraordinary people who do the impossible – Jaemin Frazer

Don’t react to the word average – hear me out. Most of us sit in the bell curve somewhere. Most of us, across many things, sit somewhere above or below average. Don’t get hung up on the word average – instead, think of it as ordinary. Or normal. Or somewhere in the middle. Not last but not first, but somewhere.

Anyway, the point being that many of us are inspired by the words and actions of those who are recognised, those that we see post daily motivational words and videos on our screens, Don’t get me wrong, I love some of them too and there’s something to be learnt from most… if you’ll look, and most importantly, apply.

However, for most of us – the middle of the bell curve of distribution – we might be better following the words and actions of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Why? Because they aren’t necessarily blessed with genetics or circumstances that propel them into excellence. And yet, they’ve overcome those normal circumstances and produced extraordinary results in their lives.

I think there’s as much – pragmatic, your-life, imperfect – advice and behaviours to follow and repeat from ordinary folks as there is the extraordinary.

Jaemin writes a great note on this in talking about following the advice of Dave Goggins – a superhuman if ever that was one!

Why David Goggins is wrong about mid-life motivation

Inspiration is free. Application costs.

One of my favourite maxims and one I play on repeat in my head. There’s so much knowledge, experience, insight, and valuable lessons available on every digital platform you can think of. And for the most part, they are freely available in exchange for a little time and attention.

However, as we all know, you’ll never learn to swim just by reading a book. You’ll never learn to cook just by reading the cookbook. You’ll never learn to be resilient unless you’re tested.

So, the obvious trick is… you have to do the work! You have to use the inspiration as fuel, but take the action. Take the step, get re-fuelled, then step again. Take the lessons but make them yours. Adjust, add, subtract, and refresh as necessary.

Don’t get so full of inspiration that you can’t move!

Question of the week:
When you’re happy do you even notice the weather? Anton Checkov

The actual quote was “people don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they are happy”. Seems true. Get happy and you won’t even notice the circumstances around you. If you do, it’s likely that you’ll see it positively.

 
Quote of the week:
The person who loves walking will walk further than the person who loves the destination - Jonathan Byrd

Loved this. Sums up the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Substitute the word walking for anything you like.

Yes, set the destination and keep an eye on progress but enjoying the journey as much as the destination will make time fly.

 
Are you up to date with the Freedom Fridays Podcast?

In episode #69 Pete chats with Jane Atherton, founder of OM Phoenix. Jane is an entrepreneur, business owner, leadership consultant, and single Mum. Jane is passionate about raising the level of leadership consciousness and provided the shortest answer to the podcast opening question about what people are seeking freedom from – FEAR!

Pete & Jane have varied discussions ranging from discerning whether the fear is a truth or a belief; the 100th monkey effect, conscious parenting, and how to fear less. Jane is a living example of doing the best she can with the many roles she plays and avoiding burnout on the way.

That's all for this week. I hope you enjoyed Weekly Whisper #95.

As always, send an email to [email protected] with any feedback.

Cheers

Pete