A wise guy from New Zealand once told me, "You are the cosmos." I had to take a step back, "I'm sorry, what?"

He had spent over 60 years teaching yoga and philosophy around the world, and explained that each of us is a complete universe. We are a web of experiences and connections to other people that cannot be replicated. We are each a grain of sand, ever shifting yet ever whole. 

Today we're focusing on the unique web that is you. Who are you connected to? How can you alter context and build relationships to leap into your next step? Sometimes meeting the right person can crack open a new chapter we didn't see coming.

-Sam

This week's rundown:

• 🕸️ Your Shortcut to What's Next

• 🏆 Prompts for Growth

• 🍭 What We're Excited About

Your Shortcut to What's Next 

Competition is for losers.

You heard me. The more we see other people as our competition, the more we diminish our own power.

I hear job-seekers say, "Well I know it's a crowded market, other people have more expertise..."

I hear entrepreneurs say, "Well we did some competitive research, so this is how we should launch..."

I hear creatives say, "Other artists are doing that though, I don't feel like there's room for me..." 

Y'all this is so wrong. 

In marketing and in life, I don't believe in competitive review. It prompts you to analyze all the other boxes on the shelf and squeeze yourself into a box to fit alongside them. Nope! Get out of there. Get out of the aisle. Get out of the store. 

You are the cosmos. 

Your unique blend of life experiences and the people you know makes you, YOU. When you tap into your authentic story and put it on the table, the right opportunities appear. You become magnetic. 

So if you're wondering, why am I not THERE yet? Then look at who's in your corner. You are also the people you know and the support you have. 

We think we have to muscle through the journey alone but rarely does it happen that way. Any genius who has created anything significant has not done so in isolation.

People attribute success to fixed and innate things but in fact, success is contextual and relational. It likes to sit just on the other side of the right person who's fresh perspective allows us to make the leap to what's next. 

So, who may end up accelerating your journey? 

• Family and friends

• Network of current and past colleagues

• People we see at a weekend fitness class over and over

• Neighborhood barista

• Therapist

• Professional coach

• The high school friend who's in your industry but you haven't talked to in over a decade

• The people just outside this web that are in arm's reach... and might just change your life

Over the last few weeks, I've done this myself (I believe in testing concepts before writing about them). I went to three networking events and scheduled 8 'coffee dates' with fellow coaches, past connections, and friends of friends. I didn't have an agenda, but I was open to seeing what might shift.

Guess what happened?

The first networking event I went to I left with a new business partner. At first I was hesitant (and tired) but I wanted to support my friend who invited me. The host and I bonded over coaching and now we're creating a mastermind group for female entrepreneurs.

I had coffee with someone I did a past yoga teacher training with who wanted to get some advice on her business ideas. By the end of it, she proposed, "I want to create a community space and I have the commercial property + investors for it... are you in?" 

When we're open to meeting people and seeing how we can benefit them, we often leap forward in our own pursuits too.

PROMPTS FOR THE SHORTCUT

1. Who's on your team today?

2. What roadblocks are you running into? Can you outsource support for any of these?

3. Who do you want to add to your team? How might you benefit them?

WHAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT

1️⃣ Work Jams: This Mellow Playlist has us feeling the cosmos. 

2️⃣ Quick Read: You're Not Paid Based On Your Performance. 

3️⃣ Free Resource: We've been loving the meditations and movement options on the Open app. They serve up (unique and thought-provoking) meditations we actually like, along with breathwork, pilates, and other classes. Sign up for 1 month free here 👇

LET THIS SINK IN

That's a wrap. See ya next week! 

🖤 Your Local Boys

WANT TO BECOME A LOCAL BOYS PARTNER?

Click here to fill out a short survey. We'll get back to you within 24 hours.