Has your ego, self talk, resentment ever got the best of you? I mean like in a sneaky & surprising way? Story #8 is exactly one of those time my emotional baggage got the best of me. And Ill cut right to the chase, the lesson I took from the experience is surround yourself with courageous people. People that care more about you Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be than they care about hurting your feelings. Do you have OGs like this in your space? Are you that person for someone else? If the answer is no, you best hop to it before you drop the ball the way I did.

It happened at a National Craft Competition in Maui, back in the 1900's😉. The conference center was the fanciest place I had ever been and this competition was the biggest thing I had ever been a part of. I felt appreciated and remember thinking: every apprentice should be able to experience this type of environment, we could all benefit from this type of appreciation.

Anyhow, after all the hoopla it was competition time. I was competing against 20 or so other plumbing apprentices from around the country and I had a game plan. I was there to beat me, be better than I was the day before. This thinking helps me stay within myself and focus on the one person I have the most influence on, ME. I began by carefully planning my approach to the build, which meant I wasnt installing and my competition was. This rattled me a bit. I recited the quote by Bruce Lee, its the same quote I would tell myself when I was up to bat back in the day

After getting my plan set I got to work. It was clear that I did things differently than others, by this time everyone else was banging away at their installation and I was just getting started. I let resentment sneak in, I allowed my mindset to be clouded with the pains of the past. I was no longer focused on my game, I was focused on theirs. My approach made me feel different, I felt less than. I lacked the maturity to recognize that me being "different" was my advantage. The unique differences in our thinking is what sets us apart. The combination of many unique differences is what makes us greater than what we can be independently. 

But, I did not have this insight back then. I was angry. I was gonna show everyone that they were wrong about me. I forgot that I was there to compete against me, I got lost in "showing them". 

Shortly after I began the installation I caught up and passed many of them and because I was in a negative state of mind I got cocky. My cockiness led to unnecessary cigarette breaks and celebrating before I crossed the finish line. Youll have to get the book or listen to this story to find out how it ends.

Just know that I wasnt my best self that day. Thinking back, I was full of resentment. Mostly due to my lack of boundaries. "Establishing Boundaries" wasnt even in my vocabulary back then. Today it is, and part of my mission is to help people embrace mental wellness. More specifically experiment with accessing support to help mend the invisible scars that we all carry. 

To that end I invite you to sign up for this 👉Online Workshop👈 on The Value of Boundaries.

Be cool and we'll talk at you next time✌️