As I sat by the pool of vacation house, just blocks from the sandy beaches of the Atlantic ocean, enjoying the peace and quiet and counting the blessings, I felt inspired to share with you a part of the conversation I recently had with people in one of my circles with the intention to help you avoid costly and exhausting setbacks that 98% of people get stuck on.
See, what makes life and this world so beautiful is that we all have our own desires and needs, all different - may it be a particular lifestyle or a particular number on a bank account.
And to get there, we are each on our own paths, shining our lights and operating from our own zone of genius.
The most dangerous thing is to play into the comparison game, to judge your own feelings, to feel guilty or not-enough just because that which has worked for someone else, is not working for you.
See, Slovenia, my home country, used to feel too small for me - I felt confined.
But after nearly 15 years of living in New York, I craved a life that is slower, more connected, and guided by different values and norms for myself and my family - so I did something about it.
I changed my business, I changed my environment. I changed as a person.
So if you feel pulled towards something faster or slower, bigger or smaller - go for it. The details of how to make it happen will fall into place once you commit to following what you know is best for you.
But wishful thinking won't be enough. And hustling and grinding won't be enough.
This is where things get tricky: finding the balance between hustle and grind and simply being
is where 98% of people who are on a mission to create the life and business they desire,
get stuck.
As you already know, there comes a point where hustle, grinding and simply following directions no longer works. Neither is the other side of the spectrum - being in stillness, with your thoughts and tapped into the higher powers.
It comes down to energy, mindset, strategies and action; being multi-dimensional.
In a way that is aligned, feeling good and purposeful.
The only way to that point, to create a long-term and sustainable success in a congruent way, is by going out of the comfort zone, and that requires authenticity, persistence, rule-breaking.
See, the real work happens in coming to the core of it all - through fears, ego, beliefs.
And it's chasing the wrong thing - following the wrong compass - that has us spinning in circles...
How can you recognize it?
As long as the fears, ego, limiting beliefs run the show (and you will be led to believe they don't), the “It doesn’t feel good” becomes a tool used by them to keep you safe, in the status quo.
When you are in that space, it will feel like you're taking all sorts of action, you keep busy, thinking you’re really doing the work... but it won’t get to the desired results, you will feel as if something is missing, you will burn out.
So, where is the balance between hard work and simply being?
As a former world-class athlete, I know what it takes to get results: basketball was my sport. It was a passion, it was my thing. I was a basketball player. It was my identity, my being.
But, it took a lot of hard work: I went through grueling strength and conditioning drills that I absolutely resented - that 98% of people could not go through - to improve my physical and mental strength.
I went through up to three practices per day to improve my skills.
I sat thought hours of game tape reviewing to see the good and the bad and to improve my awareness.
I had worked with over 20 coaches along the way, and with each, we sat down to get clear on what we wanted to achieve and how we'd get there.
Once on the court, surrounded with my teammates, and during the games, I was in my zone, I got to do what I loved and was best at. It felt natural, effortless. I had fun.
Had I been forced to work so hard for, say, karate that I simply did not care for, I would have never achieved what I have.
And that’s the perspective I am sharing here.
Whether it's particular lifestyle you desire, or a particular number on your bank account, it’s not about blindly following what someone else tells you to do.
It’s not about waiting for things to happen.
It's not about hustling and grinding.
It’s about knowing where you are on your journey, what you want, what you need to get there, how to make it happen, who you need to become to make it happen - and then finding that fire within you, that internal pull that will have you showing up for it every day.