I hope your week is going well.

During a 4-night stay in Ubud, my partner and I both caught a bout of food poisoning within 2 days of each other. We spent more time in bed (or on the toilet) than exploring or sightseeing.

Fortunately, we bounced back and transitioned to solid foods after experiencing an involuntary "calorie deficit" reminiscent of my bodybuilding era.

In the hours I spent cradling a stomach, I was humbly reminded of the importance of hand sanitisation and practicing caution while eating foreign foods—practices we'd both been slowly neglecting.

Even though the same thing happened to us when we travelled to Vietnam years ago, life often continues to give you the same "challenges" or "tests" until you learn the lesson.

"In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson."

— Tom Bodett

📚 Learning—it never stops

I'm going to share something with you that I haven't shared publicly or with many people.

And it's because most people don't understand, or ever will.

But as you're reading this, you're most likely a growth-minded person that'll get it.

To date, I've personally invested tens of thousands of dollars into my own self-education beyond university.

It's easily totalled more than the cost of a Bachelor degree at one of the world's leading universities.

Why?

Because I believe that real learning starts at the end of formal learning.

Sadly for a lot of people, getting a degree marks the end of investing in their self-education, for either personal or professional pursuits.

Unless an employer funds professional development through job-related upskilling, it really doesn't go much further.

And the stats are showing that this trend is on the rise.

"The results show 25% of the general Australian adult population have NOT read or listened to a single book (in any format) in a year. This is a marked increase on the findings of the Australia Council x Macquarie University Reading the Reader survey, which showed 8% of the population had not read a book in a year."

Source: The National Reading Survey 2021 © Australia Reads 2021

Regardless that I was Valedictorian of my graduating class, nothing in my formal education remotely helped me form the building blocks of creating a meaningful life, such as:

And the list goes on.

Now I'm not writing off educational institutions as worthless

BUT within a few years of entering the real world, far away from outdated textbook theories and hypothetical tutorial discussions, I quickly realised that I still had a lot of unanswered questions stemming from a mini-existential crisis.

And I asked myself:

"How the f*ck do I consciously create a life I love by design, and not by default?"

Like you, I don't want to follow the masses and settle for a life of mediocrity.

🙅🏽‍♂️ Drifting through life on auto-pilot with no intentional direction.

🙅🏽‍♂️ Outsourcing my critical thinking to whatever is served in my newsfeed.

🙅🏽‍♂️ Living in accordance to what everyone else is thinking, saying and doing.

F*CK. THAT.

My friend.

You only get one shot at this thing.

There's no "practice" run.

You're in the real thing.

Right now.

And one day, it'll end.

It could be in 50 days, 50 weeks, 50 months or 50 years.

While I hope it's the latter, none of us truly know.

But what I do know is that you don't want to look back on your life with the weight of regret.

The regret of not living the life you were capable of living.

⚡️ Your Vibe attracts your Tribe

Following that existential crisis, I went in pursuit of answers.

This led me into the self-development space and resulted in the first self-funded book purchase that wasn't a high-school English novel or a required textbook for university.

It was Napoleon Hill's seminal classic Think and Grow Rich.

In researching for the book, Hill interviewed over 500 successful (and unsuccessful) businesspeople in the early 20th century to identify the drivers that resulted in lives rich in abundance of wealth, health and relationships.

One of those concepts that stuck with me is the Mastermind principle that Hill described as:

"The coordination of knowledge and effort between two or more people who work towards a definite purpose in a spirit of harmony. No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind—also known as, the Mastermind."

— Napoleon Hill

I thought back to all of the incredible results I'd achieved when working in alignment with others—whether it was sports teams, co-curricular activities & group projects.

If we achieved remarkable academic or athletic results together, why wasn't I applying the same principle to the most important areas of my life?

🚀 From Surviving to Thriving

Since learning this principle, I started seeking out and investing in joining Mastermind groups to accelerate my learning and growth across the areas of life that I was struggling in, or didn't have answers in.

Doing so gave me access to the combined knowledge, expertise, energy, passion, beliefs, support and consciousness of those on the same path as me, while also having their guidance to help me create a game plan tailored for me across areas such as:

Now—I love and respect those in my immediate circle, such as friends, family & colleagues.

But I constantly found that the majority of them weren't in a place where they were similarly committed to self-development, growth or living aligned with their deeper calling.

And that's OK.

They may be in a season of their life where they're operating from a state of "Getting By," otherwise known as a "Survival" state.

So instead of trying to force anything onto them, such as books, courses or resources, just let them be. Realise that you'll have more of a positive, inspiring influence on them through how you are (your being) rather than what you say to them (your teaching or "preaching").

For you, it's time to focus on you and finding your tribe.

Because in surrounding yourself with like-minded people, you'll tap into a deeper level of energy and consciousness of what's possible for you across all areas of your life.

Earlier this week, I polled my community to gauge if they were part of their own Mastermind group and the results show that ~80% either weren't a part of one, or had no idea what one was.

👉🏽 And if you fall into that category, then this is for you

If you're looking to join a tribe of purpose-driven people that are leveling up their life and work, consider exploring Mastermind groups in your area or online.

The benefits are immense. Access to combined knowledge, shared accountability, accelerated growth, and a community of people committed to becoming their best selves.

Whether you're building a business, pursuing a creative passion, or simply trying to live more intentionally, a Mastermind group can be a game-changer.

Start by identifying the areas of your life where you most need support and guidance. Then seek out people who are further along that path and are willing to share what they've learned.

Otherwise, I'll see you in the next one!

Mamba