Speaker 1
And so I made sure the On Purpose was on Chrome, and there are other things that I fought for, and there are other things that I just accepted, and there's compromise. And the book's out now, i'm holding in my hand and it looks beautiful right um but i'm telling you that story because uh there is what i believe in and what i'm willing to fight for but then there's also because of business um picking your battles and accepting some things right but i think that's very different. You know, using this example, like my book cover not being completely to my liking, because it's not an independently self-published book, it goes through a publisher. That's very different than selling your soul, right? And so yes, these days, of course, I collaborate and compromise and I try not to be difficult, but I don't sell my soul. I don't participate in things, whether it's business or relationships, that will make me not like myself. And that's also with friendships. That's also with anything. Anyway, going back to what I want for myself in 2025, going back to how I started this episode, my definition of alignment, a very long definition. it's what i want i want to arrive i want to um be aligned i think alignment and arrival i think they're they're tied you know i don't because i don't think you can arrive if you're not aligned um And I don't know if you can be aligned if you haven't experienced some form of a rival. And by rival, I mean connecting to self. A lot of people, when they think about the word arrival, they think like what they've accomplished, how much money they've made, the corner office, not just in their belt. But my definition of a rival is more about being in alignment and grounded. Grounded yet also elevated, you know, knowing that what you're living is also greater than you. It's not just about what you want. It's about your story and how it can help others. And so I've been thinking about that a lot these days. I don't know exactly what alignment would look like. But I do think that it's going to come in everyday practices. It's not going to come in like some giant thing. Like I think a lot of people, when they think about alignment, like it's going to come in some kind of huge life change. And I guess it can. You know, like I guess you can say this career path isn't aligned to me and you make your decision to pursue a new career path, which then, of course, changes your day to day. And overnight, that's going to change your life in some way, right? Or maybe your marriage isn't aligned. Or maybe your friendships aren't aligned and you make some hard decisions. I don't know. But for me, it's the subtle things that happen that I try to notice. And the example I want to tell you about is, so I found fitness and functional movement and CrossFit at 35. I'm now 51. So for the last 15-ish years, I have been very, I have drank the Kool-Aid when it comes to CrossFit. I have been very competitive in a good way, I think, in a healthy way, and have gone really hard in class, and also at one point I was doing some local competitions, and recently, it all stopped. So I'm still moving, I'm still working out, I'm still doing some CrossFit stuff. But I don't have the desire or ego to want to win. I'm not punching my numbers into a, you know, into the leaderboard. I'm not having drive homes where I feel like I could have pushed myself harder. Lately, and this has only been for a few weeks now, I just kind of go in, do my thing in the corner by myself. A couple times a week, I may take class because it's fun social uh but my whole mindset and the way that i work out has changed and so i think that's a form of alignment you know uh it's my truth it's where i'm at and it's okay because there's this other part of me that's very kind of david gogggins who's like what the fuck are you doing you're not pushing hard enough you know you gotta you gotta make a sweat angel on the floor and be on your back or else it wasn't a workout because that's how I used to think and I don't know I don't that doesn't feel aligned to me like to go in and push myself as hard as I possibly can and then then some I don't I mean that was very aligned for me in the beginning it was all new and different and it was the stretch but recently it just and it's not I just don't feel it you know I may feel it twice a week but I don't feel it every day and I think that's. So that's the other piece is that me being okay with it. That's the alignment piece, right? And so I think alignment comes in moments like that. I don't think it's about some big life change. Of course it can be, but it's like me noticing that the way I work out is different and what I want from a workout is different and that it's okay. That to me is alignment. Another example is, so I have a new book out and when your book comes out, it's a big deal. You know, you do all your podcast tours and you're talking about it and trying to get people to help you push it and all that. And this time around, this is book number six, if you count my workbook at seven, I don't have that drive. I mean, yes, I'm doing some podcasts, I'm promoting it, of course, but I'm not like hustling. And I don't want to. It's not, I'm okay with not doing it. There's a lot of pressure in the book business when your book comes out to get pre-sells and, you know, ask for favors and all this. And, you know, I fell into it for a few days and I was like, that's not aligned with me with this book. People will talk about it if they want to, you know, and I'm not gonna be lined with desperation and so that's another form of alignment you know so my question to you and I don't know what you want for yourself in 2025 but if it's alignment ask yourself what that looks like a lot of it does require surrendering a lot of