by Tommy Baker
Your vision will dramatically shift the way you perceive risk on the way to carving out your path. It must be powerful, and it must compel you in a way that’s bigger than simply yourself. Felix Baumgartner had a vision and mission to redefine the limits on human performance, and although he had his personal vision attached to it, it wasn’t only about himself.
You must have a bold vision, otherwise you’ll get stuck in the day to day and make decisions designed to keep you anchored to your past, instead of propelled like wildfire into your future.
Risk Pillar 2: Playing the Long Game
Paulo Coehlo’s second book, The Alchemist, was published by a small Brazilian publisher and slotted for 900 copies. His publisher said it would never sell that many, and he was right. Coelho was dropped, and at 41 years old with no signs of success, the safe path was to quit.
But he didn’t, because he was playing the long game. At 41, most would say the long game was over, but he was barely getting started. The rest, of course, is history, and The Alchemist is one of the most successful and enduring works of all time with over 65 million copies sold to date.2
In a world where instant gratification and this-must-work-now pressure is the norm, playing the long game allows you to take more risks.
Why? Simple, we reduce the pressure of now and understand we’ve got a mission that’s designed to span decades, and hopefully, our lives. This doesn’t mean we’re complacent; it means we’re able to sacrifice short-term benefits for long ones.
Remember, playing the long game doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to take a long time. Rather, it’s a mindset to help keep your eye on your bold vision and see obstacles as on the way, not in the way.
Leap Tip: Make Decisions About Who You’re Becoming
The amateur makes decisions based on who he or she is today, and lets his or her circumstances bring them down. This is a surefire way to play and stay small, or at best achieve incremental growth.
Instead, every time you make a decision, do it by asking the following question: what would the person who has accomplished my vision decide?
Risk Pillar 3: Be in the Right Environments
If you’ve ever declared your bold vision to a family member, sibling, or co-worker, and they shot you down, you know how it feels. You put yourself on the line, and all they could come back to you with is:
“That won’t work.”
“That’s not realistic—you need to go back to school.”
“I wouldn’t buy that … it’s been done.”
Quickly, your inspiration and drive start to fade, and you take this feedback at face value. This is the danger of being in an environment where risk taking is seen as bad, and the safe path should be your path.
Environment matters much more than we think, especially in regard to bold decisions and life changing moments. Later on, we’ll explore the power of declaring your leap, but only to the right people.
By placing yourself in the right environment, you’ll have the backbone of support required to ensure your success. Don’t buy the hype, there is no such thing as self-made. Along your path, you’ll find countless mentors, peers, and those who are likeminded helping you every step of the way. You’ll meet the tribe designed to support your boldest aspirations. (We’ll explore this deeper in Chapter 16, too.)
In other words, don’t roll solo. Doing so has a shelf life, and you’re unlikely to persist when adversity strikes if you’re in the wrong environment. We all need this ecosystem to thrive, and it’s your responsibility to insert yourself into those environments to ensure your success.
Flip the Script and Change the Rules
Now that we’ve examined how our perception of risk keeps us stuck and unfulfilled, it’s time to flip the script, change the results and use risk in our favor.
Because here’s the truth:
Staying at the soul-sucking job that is slowly destroying all of your enthusiasm and energy for life is risky.
Spending more time procrastinating on your dreams under the veil of doing more research and waiting for the right time is risky.
Rationalizing why you shouldn’t ask him or her out the moment you feel you have to and succumbing to excuses is risky.
Living in a place that robs you of your creative genius and thrill for adventure is risky.
Right now, I want you to take a moment and identify one place where playing it safe is risky.
Now that you’ve done that, you’re now armed with a new perspective designed to give you the clarity needed to use risk as your competitive advantage. There’s no more waiting, hoping, praying, or wishing. You’re about to discover what it feels like the moment you choose yourself in a world telling us we should choose anyone except ourselves.
The Greatest Risk of All
Giordano Bruno took the biggest risk one can take—trading his life for his conviction in what he believed in.
His mouth fitted with an iron gag and stripped naked, Bruno was led to Campo de Fiora in Rome on a brisk February morning. Unable to speak, he was tied to a stake. As they lit the flames that would end his life, Bruno looked up one last time at the wonders that drove him: the stars and the unknown Universe. For a moment, everything felt right.
Today, Campo de Fiora is a buzzing tourist hotspot in the middle of Rome. Surrounded by cafes, flower shops, and tourists sipping on local wine; the energy is palpable. Students, locals, and tourists mixed together, with a buzz in the air. In the middle of it all, sits a massive statue of Giordano Bruno.
Hundreds of years later, Bruno is seen as a beacon of free thinking, self-reliance, and courage. Although he wasn’t able to live to see a day where his ideas and beliefs were widely accepted, Bruno’s spirit and driving force created an undeniable legacy spawning centuries.
Now, you may be saying: there’s no way I’m risking my life for the leap. I get it, and what you don’t realize is you’re already risking your life by not taking the leap.
And so, the greatest risk you and I can ever take is simple: not taking it. Now that we know the heavy price you’re paying, it’s time to pack your bags, get your essentials in order, and prepare for the journey ahead.
We’ve got no time to waste.
Chapter 4 Key Takeaways
Redefine risk or else. We’ve been taught the safe path is less risky, but is it really? The greatest risk is not taking one and watching life pass us by. Redefine risk and use it as leverage for new opportunities.
Opportunity cost is real. When we say yes to something, we automatically say no to another alternative. What if that alternative was a life you couldn’t wait to wake up for? What are you automatically saying no to when looking at your life as it stands today?
Risk is influenced by environment. The people, places, and mindsets we surround ourselves with will determine our ability to make bold decisions. Examine your environments to ensure you’re in the right places.
CHAPTER 4 LEAP POWER STEP
Where in your life are you currently living in the illusion of safety and yet taking a massive risk? Flip the script and redefine why your circumstance is the riskiest place for you to stay in
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Notes
1 http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/06-burned-at-the-stake-for- believing-in-science.
2 https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/04/the-alchemist-paulo-coelho-oprah_n_5762092.html.
PART I
Turning Point: Letting Go
We’ve gone deep on what’s been holding you back and the cost of putting off your leap. We’ve identified the painful reality of regret, and how to redefine risk to serve your dreams. As we transition out of Part I, it’s time to let go.
What got you here won’t get you to where you want to go. Without letting g
o, your chances of reverting back are high. The pull to the past is engulfed in complacency and turns insight into yet another fantasy.
There’s a part of you that is ready to be let go of, so you can create the space and capacity for what’s coming. And while this belief, mindset, behavior, excuse or way of seeing the world may be part of your identity, it won’t be going forward.
Complete the following questionnaire before moving on to Part II.
Part I Turning Point: Letting Go
Out of everything we covered in Part I, what resonated the most?
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Why did this specific piece resonate with you? Dig deep.
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What are you committed to letting go of? Be specific. Identify a behavior, a mindset, a habit, or belief that keeps you stuck.
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PART II
Before Your Journey
Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly, as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to face many a danger, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle.
—Annie Besant
CHAPTER 5
Know Yourself
Step out into your local city, and grab a person walking by on the street. Ask them about their life philosophy, the principles they live by, and how they integrate them into life. You’ll get some blank stares, odd looks, and, if you’re in New York, you’re bound to get a special treat. Sometimes that treat comes in the form of a middle finger.
Before you set out on the voyage of your leap, you’re going to have to know yourself. No, this isn’t the superficial ways you already identity yourself. I’m talking on a deep level; know who you are, what you stand for and what you believe in, otherwise, you won’t be able to build anything sustainable.
Knowing yourself sounds simple, but this is a journey few tackle. Often, people wait for a crisis moment to know themselves, because their identity has been stripped down and there’s nothing left. Whether due to a crippling divorce, a financial loss, the death of a loved one, or a health scare, these moments leave no option but to engage in the questioning of self.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Relying on a crisis to take the path of self-discovery is not a strategy. We can also choose to face ourselves head on. We can use our past as leverage toward making bigger and bolder decisions. Without this crucial piece, the demands and intensity of your leap are likely to take over and you may never make it back to shore.
Ignorance Isn’t Bliss; It’s Painful
They say ignorance is bliss, but in the case of knowing yourself, it’s painful. The cost of not knowing ourselves in life is rampant and leads to dire consequences. Without a foundation, we can feel lost. It’s common to feel like we’re going nowhere fast. Worse, even if we do become successful, we feel empty. Without introspection and self-discovery, it’s impossible to feel deeply fulfilled and connected with ourselves. But this introspection is rare.
It’s not that we don’t have a longing for who we are, we simply distract ourselves from taking the inward journey. It’s much easier to turn on YouTube or the latest Netflix show than sitting in silence and thinking about your life.
However tempting, the path of distraction, sedation, and avoidance leads to chaos and uncertainty. Consider knowing who you are to be the lighthouse on your journey.
Although they’re rarely used these days, lighthouses sit at the most visible part of land near water, rooted to the ground. When visibility is high, they can be seen from up to 50 miles away. The light provides a trusted compass. During times of chaos and intense storms, lighthouses are designed to help those at sea come back to safe harbor.
This is knowing who you are. Having a backbone, a place you can lean on when the waves are increasing in intensity and the storm is right around the corner. In this chapter, we’re going to explore who you are and how to integrate this wisdom into your leap.
A word of caution: many people like to skip this step. This part isn’t sexy. It won’t sell out arenas. And yet, those who skip it are the ones who most need it.
Otherwise, you may as well be taking your leap without a parachute on the way down.
Step 1: Cultivate Your Life Philosophy
A life philosophy isn’t some esoteric, pie-in-the-sky statement you found at the Hallmark store scrambling for a birthday card last week. It’s not something that sounds great on paper, it’s a living, breathing testament of who you are.
Don’t take this lightly. You’re already living your philosophy, so now we’re simply going to spend time identifying it and defining it. This process alone will give you incredible clarity.
Dr. Michael Gervais has spent thousands of hours with elite performers as a renowned sports psychologist. He was the go-to guy when Felix Baumgartner was experiencing anxiety with the rigidness of the Red Bull spacesuit. Because he was used to flying with the freedom of a skydiving suit, Felix dialed up Gervais when he was on the verge of quitting.
When asked about the most important piece of all performance, he said that having a life philosophy comes first and is often the most important piece:
It may be the fundamental force that shapes how you experience life. You just need to uncover it. Your philosophy is revealed by the choices you make and the actions you take.1
—Dr. Michael Gervais
Start thinking about what your life philosophy could be—What’s the first phrase or sentence that comes to mind? Your first intuitive hit contains the gold, and there’s no right or wrong answer.
However, to do it right, your life philosophy will need the following four components:
It must be concise. Ideally, a life philosophy is less than 25 words. If you need more, you’re not clear enough. Drill it down until it becomes short and to the point.
It must move you emotionally. Your philosophy has to move you. Even declaring it should raise your heart rate and shift your awareness ever so slightly. You need to feel it within.
It must be (truly) yours. We’re conditioned to say things that society wants for us, or what our parents told us we should say. Not here. This must be yours, and you must take complete ownership.
You must show proof of living it. A life philosophy isn’t some future aspiration or hope. It’s not an affirmation. It’s a statement of who you are—and what you embody. Break down the word embody, and you notice it’s saying, “in body.” In other words, it’s within.
Like everything in life, your philosophy will evolve. This is part of the human experience of growth. However, your life philosophy is a place you can always come back to during the ebb and flow of life.
Here are some examples of life philosophies (some of these summarized by me):
Steve Jobs, Apple: Creative expression through technology
Martin Luther King: Civil rights and nonvio
lence
Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks: Compete every day
John F. Kennedy: Dare to dream big
Barack Obama: Hope
Your Life Philosophy
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Leap Tip: Intuition Always Wins
When crafting your life philosophy, go with your gut (or intuition). Don’t write down what others want for you, or what sounds great on a Hallmark card.
What are you about? What do you want to be about? Don’t wait. Write 10 possibilities right now. Go with the one that feels best.
Step 2: Identifying Your Core Principles (or Values)
If your life philosophy was the summary of who you are, your core principles require a deeper look. They are the pillars of what make up your philosophy and how you actually get there. If your philosophy is the end result of a delicious meal, then your core principles are the ingredients you used to make it.
These principles are what you believe in, and they permeate every part of your experience: your thoughts, your thought patterns, your worldview, and your behaviors. Principles can also be called values and are a crucial step in self-awareness, fulfillment, and performance. Here’s why:
They make decision-making easy. If integrity is one of your core principles, you’re unlikely to pick up and keep the wallet you pass on the street. You’re more likely to pick it up and take steps to return it to its rightful owner. You won’t choose to start a pyramid scheme or lie to your partner. You’re automatically going to only allow people, environments, and other things in life to support those principles.