Work on Your Life Force

I recently watched the new documentary by Jonah Hill on Netflix, called “Stutz”. It’s very different from any documentary I’ve ever seen before. The film is about Hill’s therapist, Phil Stutz. Well, sort of. It’s also about Hill’s therapy and the tools that Stutz has taught him during their work together over the years. It takes a magnificent turn shortly into the piece that opens up a world of possibilities for them and us as the viewer. Suddenly you realize they are telling a much bigger story together. There is a tragedy they both share and that obviously has created a lasting, loving bond between the two men. They have a bond that goes beyond the professional capacity you’d typically imagine and shows the power of human connection. It’s a powerful story that unfolds as each share their own journey with mental health, growth, and loss. 

My interest was instantly piqued when I saw the trailer weeks ago and I’d been looking forward to seeing what this film would entail. As I began watching it, I immediately understood that I was witnessing something way more valuable than the usual Netflix popcorn and that this piece was not just for casual viewing. What Hill and Stutz created together raised the stakes on storytelling and it was clear. So, I paused the film, grabbed my notebook and pen, backed it up a bit, and started taking diligent notes making sure to replicate the images Stutz draws to convey his masterful tools of personal growth and development. 

As I continued pausing and working through the tools and concepts shared, I began to see how these correlate to my own journey, and most of all, to the journey of my clients. As humans, all of these concepts apply, but as creatives and business owners there is another layer that made sense to me and what I know about my fellow craftspeople. Clients consistently share stories of their insecurities, challenges, and problems as we work on building a business that supports them and their loved ones while integrating with their life. They say 20% of our work gets us 80% of our results. 20% of the work I focus on with clients is the mindset piece. The way we see the world as well as ourselves is critical to our journey in life, as well as how we show up in it. It’s easy to look at the business-specific goals, tasks, and strategies necessary to move a business forward. Where it gets really powerful is when we work on your mindset and what’s going on inside — your why. 

They also say life is a marathon, not a sprint. I spoke to this recently, and how what I’ve learned is that it is a series of sprints with moments of reflection and rest in between. If you are in this for the long game, you have to work on yourself. This includes your mind, body, and spirit, as much as it does your business plan, processes, and pricing. Over the next several weeks I will share my journey and the insights I’ve gleaned from it as it relates to the tools Stutz and Hill provide during the documentary to help you do just that. 

LIFE FORCE PYRAMID

First, let’s start with the Life Force Pyramid. Stutz begins with the most important thing we should work on, our life force. He posits that if we ONLY work on the three levels of our Life Force Pyramid everything else in our life will fall into place. 

BODY

The bottom level of the pyramid is your Body. This includes three key areas: sleep, diet, and fitness. I connected with this level immediately because these are three areas I’ve been very focused on in the last year or so. I have issues with insomnia, similar to Tim Ferriss, and have learned a lot from him on his journey with this struggle. A good night’s sleep is critical to our body’s ability to rest and recharge after the intense amount of work we put it through each day, physically, mentally, and emotionally. One of the things I’ve gleaned from Ferriss and his experiments is to have a wind-down period before bed. I’ve shared previously that I bookend my day with, what I call, my Evening Chiller, to help me downshift from my day. Similarly, I do a Morning Booster to spool my day up which gets me into a good state in mind and body so that I can tackle another day with grace, gratitude, and a gung-ho spirit! Diet and fitness have also been a major focus for me over the year. Those of you that have been following my journey with my trainer, David Martin, know that it has made a massive change in my life. I track my daily macros and caloric intake, no longer drink alcohol, do circuit training workouts four days a week and practice yoga at least five days a week now. It’s been a challenging shift in my life but I changed my mindset to be the person that does these things because I didn’t want to be who I was anymore. I still struggle with insomnia, love pizza, and not wanting to work out some days, but I’ve built habits, developed tools, and partnered with allies like David to help me honor the commitments I’ve made to myself. Are you ready to be the type of person that puts yourself first? 

PEOPLE

The middle level of the pyramid is People. This area is about connection, community, and relationships. The twist is that you have to take the initiative to reach out to people. You have to initiate the connections with the intent of growing the relationships, regardless of how interesting the person is or isn’t. Whether personally or professionally, we can learn so much from each other in some capacity. We just have to be open to the gifts we receive from the interactions we have with others. This is another area I’ve been focusing on growing. My love language is Quality Time. I love connecting with friends and family members. Not everyone wants to get deep though. I tried to connect more deeply with friends I’d known for over a decade and was finding resistance. I started The Artful Podcast to make an attempt to connect more deeply with others as well as to improve my active listening skills. Once coaching and I found each other, I saw that I could do this all the time. Clients need you to go deep to focus on them and their needs without judgment or expectation. As I’ve grown as a coach and practiced the tools more and more, I reached out to friends with a new perspective on connection, listening to them with more intention and curiosity. I found that we had, even more, to learn from each other and we both were being more open and honest about our journey in life. Some very dear friends came to visit last weekend and we were able to be open and vulnerable with each other in even bigger ways because we gave each other the space and permission to do so. I was even able to help mu buddy uncover a major bucket list item that is tied to his ten-year vision he hadn’t allowed himself to imagine before. He’s now working on laying the foundation for his own service-based business that he is ready to build from the ground up over the next several years. Are you ready to connect more deeply with others to grow your relationships and the larger community? 

YOURSELF

The top level of the pyramid is Yourself. This level is all about fostering a relationship with your unconscious and the way to do it is by writing. Simply writing in a journal or notebook is all it takes and it doesn’t matter what it is. As you write your unconscious will come out in the process itself. One of the fascinating results of doing this work is that it will help you to discover your passions in life. I know so many people that don’t know what those truly are. Often I’ll ask clients and friends what they want and they don’t know. I’ll ask if they have a bucket list of the things they want to do before they die. Most will say no. They’ve not really gone through the process of experimenting and discovering what they are. Some people know one or two things but haven’t continued to explore the possibilities waiting to be uncovered and enjoyed. Most people are scurrying along in life, working away, running their kids to school, and filling up their days with busy work. Oftentimes, we deal with busy work at the office too! I hear about it or see it constantly from friends and family. Being busy is generally not being productive and most certainly isn’t being present and actively pursuing the things we most care about and enjoy. I’ve been journaling as well as writing a weekly blog for most of the year. Growing up I had so many unfinished notebooks, intermittent journal entries, and unfinished thoughts. It’s been a challenge to get to this place in life where I’ve surrendered to the power of connecting to my voice, my ideas, and my unconscious. I’ve seen the benefits of doing so and understand its power for myself and others. I recently got a beautiful email from a stranger, named Cristina, who read my blog post, “Why My Purpose is Helping Others Live Theirs”, and shared how much it resonated with her. The work we do on ourselves doesn’t just improve our lives. It improves the lives of others. It gives them the space and permission to do the same. Just as this work does for me and this message can for you. Are you ready to connect with yourself and your unconscious to uncover its mysteries, wonders, and wisdom? 

My invitation to you is to take a look at your Life Force Pyramid and see what areas might need to be addressed. Start with uncovering where your mindset might need to shift or change. Decide the type of person that you will become as you focus on your life force. Take small, humble steps each day to support each of the three levels of the pyramid so that everything in your life can fall into place. DM me if you want clarity, alignment, and focus on what matters most to you. I’m ready to do the work if you are. Lets’ go!