Normal Function vs. Optimal Performance

There's a massive difference between fixing your life and building an exceptional one.

Most people don't understand this.

They think once they get out of crisis mode, once they're no longer drowning, once they're functioning normally, they're done.

They're good.

They've won.

But they haven't.

They've just gotten to the starting line.

I was talking to a client who came to me completely broken.

His life was a mess.

His finances were a disaster.

His decisions were terrible.

Everything was chaos.

We worked together and got him to normal.

We got him out of debt.

We got him making good choices.

We got his life functioning like a regular adult's life.

And then he looked at me and said,

"I think I'm good now. I think I'm ready to stop coaching."

I had to draw him a picture.

Here's where you were when we started.

Here's where you are now.

Normal function.

You're running your life correctly.

You're making good decisions.

You're not in crisis.

But here's where we could be.

Here's optimal performance.

Here's where you're not just surviving; you're thriving.

Here's where you're not just making good choices; you're making extraordinary choices.

Here's where you're not just functioning; you're excelling.

The question is: do you want to stay here?

Or do you want to go there?

Because the work to get from crisis to normal is different from the work to get from normal to exceptional.

The first work is about survival.

The second work is about growth.

Most people stop at normal.

They get comfortable.

They think they've made it.

But normal isn't the finish line.

It's just the foundation.

If you want to actually build something, if you want to actually become someone, if you want to actually have the life you say you want, you have to be willing to do the work that comes after normal.

You have to be willing to go from functioning to thriving.

From good to great.

From surviving to dominating.

The question isn't whether you can do it yourself.

The question is: what's the opportunity cost of doing it yourself?

Every hour you spend figuring it out on your own is an hour you're not spending with your family.

Every month you take to learn a lesson is a month you're not moving forward. Every year you try to DIY your way to the top is a year you could have already been there.

So the real question becomes: is the money you save by doing it alone worth the time you lose?

• Where in your life are you confusing normal function with optimal performance?
• If you could get to your goal 50% faster with help, what would that be worth to you?
• What's the real cost of trying to figure it out on your own?