Read Time: 5 mins (or listen to this issue)

Comparison is the thief of joy

Hey pal,

I’m a big fan of the Smartless podcast.

Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes are three Hollywood celebs and friends. They invite household name guests on the show to talk about life, work, and everything else.

Hysterical, endearing, inspirational.

Since I listen while driving my sons to school and practice, my older son, Jason, has also become an admirer of the show.

Last night, he scrolled through the episode list. He found one with Stephen (“Steph”) Curry — a sports role model of his. Mine too.

If you’re not a basketball fan, Steph is one of the most celebrated point guards in the NBA (National Basketball Association). He’s played all 15 years for the Golden State Warriors, where he’s accomplished major milestones:

• 4 championships

• 2 league MVPs

• 2 gold medals in the FIBA World Cup

And on December 14, 2021, Steph broke the all-time 3-point record with 2,974 (and counting).

Total GOAT. But most impressive is that he’s done it all, despite the doubters, (there have been many) with the utmost class.

Sports <> Business

As a lifelong athlete, I love discovering inspirational sports stories that can be applied to the business world. They give us ambitious entrepreneurs the kind of shot in the arm we can never seem to get enough of. And this interview with Steph didn’t disappoint.

In particular, Jason Bateman asks Steph to share his advice to others listening, who aren’t world-class athletes, but similarly hope to handle big moments with the same confidence Steph oozes. In his case, “big moments” might be winning NBA championships. In ours: starting a business, launching a product, or landing a major client.

Steph’s answer was the hard truth we all know: “Confidence is built off your preparation. You need to be able to look yourself in the mirror and say that you did everything you could to put yourself in position to be prepared for that moment.”

But it got better from there.

As the conversation moved into overcoming the many failures we need to endure to become confident, Steph brought up a very real challenge that keeps us locked in inaction:

That quote hit hard for me this week. When I’ve been lost in comparison. Sizing myself up against everyone. Big-name creators in my space. People with 10k, 50k, and 100k newsletter subscribers. Those who seem to have cracked the LinkedIn code.

It’s like the judge and critic in my mind goes on a blood-thirsty quest for validation that others are winning, faster. Meanwhile, I’m stuck in quicksand. But that’s not only unfair, it’s untrue.

The truth is, we have zero clue about anyone else’s journey. How long and how hard they’ve worked to manufacture the shiny results we see today. To the point that their confidence seems cloaked on them — with subscribers, sales, and (sometimes) championships to show for it.

When I remember this truth, I’m able to let it go. In those moments, I remind myself of one thing: If I don’t quit, I can’t lose.

I stop trying to do everything, perfectly, all at once, on the first go. I focus on the stuff that’s working. I focus on the next step.

In Steph’s world, he doesn’t begin each season trying to win another championship. He and his team focus on winning the week. Because if you win enough games each week, you earn a ticket to the show.

That’s all any of us want, right? To show up each week and do work we’re proud of that propels us into next week. And over months and years, those won-weeks develop our unshakable confidence. Until we’re at the point that we can’t lose.

With that, I’ll wrap up with a quote by another GOAT, the Dalai Lama.

When asked what surprised him most about humanity, he answered:

I hope you live love your life. Or, at least your Sunday. ❤️

See you next week.

🌲 P.S. Speaking of building confidence, check out the tool I’m launching to help you take the first step to earning passive income.

Links to Level Up

❌ Have you been shadow-banned on Linked? Check your follow link before you spend hours on audience building that goes nowhere.

💬 And since I lost my follow link on LinkedIn, why not explore a new platform… Have you looked into AirChat?

(not a link) I had an absolute blast with everyone that joined my free training: Building Your LinkedIn Newsletter. Here’s an unhelpful GIF of what went down.

🪴 Passive Profits Community

Welcome Bella, Elena, Shivani, Joe, and more who joined this week. We’ve grown to 429 Founder-Creators. 🎉