BHS #1: These 5 Principles Changed My Life
⚡️ Today’s level up ⚡️
Today’s edition breaks down the top five principles that made the biggest impact on my career and changed my life. Although they may seem straightforward on the surface, I see way too many good revenue generators struggle with putting them into action. This guide will change that.
Let’s go!
Read time: <9 minutes
This is edition #1 of the Behind-the-Scenes Breakdown of The Purposeful Performer, my productized service offering for 2025.
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You can be the light when it gets dark
I don’t need to be another voice reminding you that we’re on the edge of significant change.
Instead, I’d rather be a calm voice of encouragement as we face unprecedented divisiveness around the word and significant choices to make. Luckily for us, storytelling exists to remind us of the natural dark/light cycles that have occurred throughout history. Before I break down the key principles that provided the most leverage in my career and life, I want to provide a spark of hope as we enter a period of uncertainty.
History often mirrors the narratives we find in stories, and Star Wars is a prime example of fiction reflecting reality. George Lucas, influenced by Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, crafted a saga that echoes the cycles of power, resistance, and renewal—a pattern evident in America’s current political climate.
The Galactic Empire in Star Wars symbolizes an authoritarian regime seeking control through fear and suppression. This parallels perceptions of the MAGA Republican movement and initiatives like Project 2025, which some view as efforts to consolidate power and challenge democratic norms. These movements advocate for a return to a perceived golden age, emphasizing a singular vision for the nation’s future.
Standing in opposition is the Rebel Alliance, a diverse coalition fighting for freedom, democracy, and individual rights. This mirrors the Democratic Party’s stance, championing inclusivity and resisting authoritarian tendencies. They believe that true strength lies in unity amid diversity, much like the rebels who band together against the Empire.
Central to Star Wars is the Force—a unifying energy representing harmony, intuition, and the dual potential within all beings. This concept aligns with Purposeful Performance in our society, a movement I’ve been championing where actions are guided by core values and a commitment to the greater good. Purposeful Performers, akin to the Jedi, strive for excellence not just for themselves but for the benefit of all, wielding their abilities responsibly and ethically.
The Jedi embody discipline, wisdom, and selflessness, aware of the temptations of the Dark Side—a path offering quick power at the expense of integrity. Similarly, individuals today face choices between expedient actions that may undermine principles and those that uphold ethical standards, even if they’re more challenging.
Lucas’s narrative draws from the timeless structure of the Hero’s Journey, reflecting universal struggles between opposing forces and the cyclical nature of history. Societies often oscillate between periods of concentrated and distributed power, and recognizing this can help us navigate current challenges thoughtfully.
In our contemporary landscape, tensions between differing political ideologies echo the struggle between the Light and Dark sides of the Force. Each side believes in its cause, but their methods and philosophies differ significantly. The Dark Side, associated with fear and control, contrasts with the Light Side’s emphasis on hope, compassion, and collective well-being.
By embracing principles akin to the Force—harmony, ethical action, and interconnectedness—we can work toward a society valuing dialogue over division and purpose over chaos. The lessons from Star Wars serve as both a mirror and a guide, reminding us that while history may repeat itself, we possess the agency to influence outcomes.
As Yoda wisely said, “Fear is the path to the dark side.” Let us choose courage, wisdom, and compassion, striving to be modern-day Jedi in the pursuit of a just and harmonious future.
Luckily, we already know how this story will end even though we may be unclear on how it will unfold.
Now, let’s deconstruct the five principles that I strongly believe have universal application on your path to Purposeful Performance so you can enter this next phase with optimism, control, and compassion.
Principle 01: Take Ownership
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” — John D. Rockefeller
No one will ever be as interested in your own growth as you are.
If a door doesn't exist, then go build it. Here are three specific moves that will help you take ownership of your destiny:
1. Be specific with what bad, good, and excellent look like
Most revenue generators are overwhelmed going into a new month, quarter, or year.
To get ahead, be clear about where you are and want to be.
Try filling out this five-part framework as you enter a new period (i.e. new month, quarter, or year):
- Current state: Be honest (it’s ok to feel behind)
- Base level: What actions get you to baseline (quota)?
- Pro level: What makes you the best at your company?
- Elite level: What would make you the best in your industry?
- World-class level: What would make you one of a kind in business?
Then, design your calendar around these situations. Track your performance against it each week. Measure, learn, and adapt until you move up a level, then the next.
2. Implement the 3-level system
Make a commitment to apply the 3-level system.
Here’s how it works:
- Level above: Choose one person three years ahead of you to learn from
- Level equal: Choose one person equal to be an accountability buddy
- Level below: Choose one person three years behind you to mentor
Start and commit to just one in each level. Like dedicating yourself to one airline, one credit card, one skill…the rewards compound in your favor. Then, you can expand from there.
3. Define your own rules that help you make better decisions
Make a pact with yourself not to succumb to rules created by others.
Rise above peer pressure. Define success on your terms. Learn how to think independently, critically, and strategically.
To do so, create principles that you use to make decisions. Rules that you define, and sticking to them, set the tone for what you want. They keep you aware of what matters most and allow others to respect what you’re trying to achieve.
Remember: It’s your career, so you have to take ownership of it. Your thoughts, words, actions, habits, and character matter. They will ultimately shape your destiny and define your personal legacy.
Taking ownership of all of those things is the foundation of lasting success.
Principle 02: Get Uncomfortable
“When you get comfortable being uncomfortable, you can have nearly anything you want in this life.” — Graham Weaver
I was never really good at anything throughout my career.
- Soccer
- DJing
- Sales
Yet, somehow, I was able to create extraordinary results and memories in each of these fields. That was only possible by a willingness to try hard things, even when I didn’t feel ready.
In soccer, I left playing in college after my sophomore season, even when I wasn’t a starter, to try to win a contract with a pro team in Romania. The first few months there were brutal. I battled confidence issues. I was scared and alone being in a foreign country. But I look back on my year there as one of the most memorable in my life.
When I started DJing in NYC, I was intimidated. I had no idea what I was doing in my first early gigs. I felt like an imposter and didn’t deserve to be paid. But over time, I got good enough with practice and consistency to cover my rent with a couple of residencies in downtown Manhattan.
In sales, I was almost fired from my second sales job. I couldn’t even convince small business owners to shell out $45 a month to advertise their business in a popular paper. But a decade after that low point, I was closing transformational deals with the world’s most iconic brands and earning six-figure commissions every quarter.
So much of the way society is designed, it’s all built to make us seek comfort. But to achieve really big things in this life, you’ll have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Ask yourself: “What makes me really uncomfortable? What’s one small step I can take to face it and do that thing?” Then build it into your daily routine as the first thing you tackle before checking email.
Principle 03: Remember Human First, Professional Second
“Treat your brain like you treat your phone battery. When you hit red, recharge.” — Carson Lee Pipher
In the first decade of my sales career, I hustled hard.
Some aspects were fun. Most of it was a grind. This “always on mode” landed me in the hospital with a mini-stroke. Plus, I was stalling my earnings around $200K.
What I wasn’t respecting was the fact that I was constantly operating in my red zone. I thought a lack of sleep and being over-caffeinated was getting me ahead, when in fact, it was just making me chronically sleep-deprived, which was causing me to lose important cognitive and executive functioning.
A simple mental shift that made a massive difference was returning to my athletic roots. The construct looked like this:
- Human Me= Hardware
- Pro Me = Software
To ensure my software was functioning to its fullest capabilities, I had to ensure I was:
- Well-rested
- Well-hydrated
- Well-nourished
- Well-recovered
As knowledge professionals, we rely on our brains and skills to produce results, not manual labor. But the brain is highly inefficient. The brain accounts for about 2% of body weight but consumes approximately 20% of the body’s energy at rest. That means you need to treat it well if you want better performance.
Remember: You’re a “mental athlete.” To be on top of your game for as long as possible, you must take care of yourself, not drive yourself into the ground.
Principle 04: Maintain High Standards
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. ’Til your good is better and your better is best.” — St. Jerome
There is mediocrity all around us.
- Poor customer service
- People letting us down
- Politicians not honoring their word
The bar is low, but expectations are still high, especially in business. The best move I made as I climbed higher in sales was always keeping my standards higher than the expectations around me. I lowered my expectations to the lowest rung possible while raising my standards as high as possible.
This created the widest gap possible for success and satisfaction to enter my orbit.
You can apply this to everything in your role and personal life. Here’s how:
- Write down your area of focus (outreach, meetings, proposals, etc.)
- List out all of the supporting values and principles that raise your standards
- List out all of the reframing thoughts and actions to lower your expectations
Think how you can be the best email your prospect reads today.
Design a meeting that your client will talk about for months.
Be the husband or wife your spouse will want to marry all over again.
Principle 05: Adopt Systems
“Think in systems, not goals.” — James Clear
I see a lot of sellers struggle by relying solely on effort alone.
Many sellers lapped me in short stretches because they hustled hard and relied on pure effort to get deals done fast. But they were sloppy. And they burned out fast, moving on to "greener pastures" when they couldn’t consistently hit their number.
W. Edwards Demming once said, “If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.” There is so much power in this.
I got the most significant gains once I focused on designing a process that I could teach others. It was a forcing function to ensure I understood what I was doing and why. When I could teach others about what I did, it made it stickier for me. It made it repeatable.
What is your process? Could you teach it to others? If not, I encourage you to take time away from your busy schedule and clarify your process.
Try this: Pretend the Wall Street Journal just asked you to write an article about how you landed your biggest deal. Describe in detail what you were able to do. What made you stand out? What makes you uniquely qualified to serve their business? How can you do it again?
That’s a wrap! See you next week.
H/T to Go Limitless and The Intellect Animations for the visual inspirations.