Are You A Spectator Or A Player?

We have a choice to make today & everyday. How will we choose to play the game of life?

As a spectator on the sidelines watching others play the game and chase their dreams? Or on the court in action?

Spectators are comfortable. They don’t have to risk anything. They live a “someday” life:

Someday I'll start studying for my degree.

Someday I’ll start developing my skills and applying for jobs.

Someday I’ll take action and pursue my dreams.

On the other hand, the people on the court playing the game realize life is short.

They’re willing to risk playing the game and experience the loss, hurt, and embarrassment that might come with it. They gladly pay that price because it affords them the opportunity to experience the joy of winning.

The spectator, although safe on the sidelines, will never have the opportunity to experience that elation.

Please don’t be a spectator in your own life.

Too many people go to their grave with their dream and passion still stuck in their head and heart. Get on the court and have the courage to risk taking action on your dreams.

Not simply thinking and talking about your dreams (although that feels good).

I’m talking about taking courageous ACTION.

Action is the gateway to your greatness and the answer to all of our problems.

Do you feel uncertain about where you want to go in life and what you want to do?

I certainly have (pun intended) &, if you feel that way, overanalyzing isn’t the answer. Action is.

Life is an experiment and when you take action and try things those experiences teach us something more about ourselves and we get closer to knowing our truth and our purpose.

Try a new job or profession, try making a YouTube channel, try reading a book, try a test like Gallup StrengthsFinder to learn about your strengths and double down on them.

I tried out tech sales when I was a new college graduate and, although I didn’t immediately fall in love with the career, it led me to discover my strengths and meet new people and experiences that got me to where I am today.

Facing and solving your problems might be your call to purpose and adventure.

The overweight & out of shape person who transforms their health suddenly finds themselves called to help others do the same as a trainer, coach, and content creator.

The struggling entrepreneur who fails miserably but pushes through and cracks the code to growth is called to help others launch their businesses. The person whose dating life is desolate but eventually discovers the secrets to confidence and connection finds themselves empowering others as a dating coach.

Challenges offer us the opportunity to experience the triumph of overcoming and the meaning of helping others overcome as well.

That path to triumph and service is unlocked through action.

Do you feel depressed?

Thinking your way out of the gutter isn’t the answer. Action is.

During the pandemic I fell into a clinical depression.

But even though I wanted to stay in my bed everyday I made a decision to exercise and it boosted happy chemicals in my brain.

I made a decision to do community service which brought joy and shifted my focus off of myself and my problems and onto others.

I made a decision to do small productive things that made me feel proud.

Those little actions added up and were my way out.

Do you feel anxious or afraid to do something?

Fighting your thoughts with thoughts is not the answer. Action is.

When we expose ourselves to our fear and allow ourselves to feel it and act anyway something incredible happens.

No, our fear doesn’t go away…but our courage grows and we get stronger.

If you're afraid to speak in public then start doing more of it.

If you’re afraid to pick up a phone and cold call then do more of it.

If action is the answer why do so many people get stopped and not take action?

Our subconscious brains are wired to avoid threats, keep us safe, and stay comfortable.

It’s afraid like a little child.

What does it fear?

Uncertainty.

We don't know how to do what we want to do or have the perfect plan mapped out. We don’t know how we’ll handle & sustain the success that comes. We don’t know what will happen.

We need to remind ourselves that when we take action we learn and the path reveals itself and opportunities emerge.

We need to trust that we can figure things out.

That’s true confidence.

Our subconscious brain also fears failure & rejection.

When you fail enough you learn that there is no failure, just learning opportunities and the chance to improve based on that learning.

The only true failure is not trying at all or giving up.

When I started my YouTube channel I had a day that I filmed for hours and realized that it wasn’t recording the right way and it looked horrible.

I got so upset I broke a light and cut myself. But then I gathered myself, figured it out, and refilmed. I pushed through. I learned from it.

I know a girl who had the same thing happen. She was filming Sephora makeup videos and wanted to grow a channel. After she didn’t record right after hours of filming she got discouraged & never filmed again.

Don’t let that happen to you.

Rejection is usually not personal and I believe that rejection is God’s protection and points us in a new direction.

Early in my career there was a job I really wanted. But I didn’t get it.

I learned from the experience & took an honest look at how I could have improved.

I used those learnings to get an even better opportunity.

Fear is what fuels the voice inside of our head to tell us to not take action.

Yet in spite of our tendency towards comfort we’re capable of acting anyways and when we do it is transformative.

In elementary school my friends and I would run races at the playground everyday at recess .

Even though I was one of the fastest kids, if I thought someone else was faster than me and doubted my chances of winning I wouldn’t race them.

There was a small voice inside saying “Chris don’t even try to race the. They are faster than you and you’ll probably lose. And you’re going to fail and look bad in front of everyone.”

I gave into that voice and listened to it too many times for most of my life.

Fast forward to age 26 and I was working at Google.

I was in the office one day and a boisterous colleague of mine Ryan suddenly said “Chris you should arm wrestle Joe. I dare you.”

Immediately that small voice in my head said “Don’t do it. Joe is bigger and stronger than you. You’ll lose and embarrass yourself in front of all your co-workers.”

Suddenly all of my co-workers were gathered around. And although tempted to give into the voice in my head I chose not to listen to it act anyway.

The arm wrestling match with Joe was on.

I sat down at a table right across from Joe and clasped his hand.

My heart was beating out of my chest.

Ryan said “3,2,1” and boom our hands were shaking as we thrust everything we had into each other's palms.

We stayed there shaking for what felt like an eternity. Maybe 1-2 minutes in reality.

And then something miraculous happened.

I WON!

And in that moment a simple arm wrestling match caused transformation in my life.

I broke through an invisible barrier and I told myself I would no longer give into that small voice again but instead use any self doubt and fear as an invitation to action.

Don’t waste years of your life before you figure out that you don’t have to listen to the voice that tells you to not go for it.

Have the courage to take bold actions because every time you push yourself out of your comfort zone it gets bigger and bigger and bigger and eventually the whole world fits within it.

I want to finish up with one of the most courageous and greatest actions you can take. Asking for help.

People make a mistake in thinking that asking for help is weak but the reality is the strongest people in the world whether in business, athletics, acting, etc have all gotten really good at asking for help. The people at the top all know that they can only go so far on our own strength but we can all go much further together.

Celebrities accept their awards and thank everyone who supported them.

Google was built by two engineers who coded side by side and learned how to leverage each other's strengths. I know a CEO who is a visionary but not technical and he relies on his technical counterparts to help the company succeed.

The ability to take action to enlist the help of others is called synergizing and it is one of the most powerful skills. When you ask someone to help you are actually giving them a gift. The opportunity to contribute. People want to help and make a positive difference so give them that chance.

Here is my call to action to you:

What are your dreams? Write them out along with 1-3 things (no matter how small) that you can do today to start taking action on them.

When you do those then the next day take the time to write 1-2 more things.​

Do that every day for a month and see what happens.

Also ask yourself, where do I need help and who can I reach out to for help?

Start reaching out.

A personal dream of mine has been to launch my business Tech Sales Accelerator which is a collection of courses designed to deliver a complete blueprint for landing an entry level sales role (SDR) at a tech company you love, getting your first promotion, & becoming a consistent 6 figure earner.

I’ve been working on it for nearly 2 years & I’m finally releasing the initial courses in the coming month! It’s time to LAUNCH!

Whatever your dreams are, whether it be breaking into tech sales, starting your own business, or both you’re worthy of those dreams and they’re available to you in an abundant and giving world.

Start taking courageous action towards your dreams today. I dare you.

And when you do, watch this abundant world respond.

Happy Selling & Happy Living,

Chris