#118: I’m doing the opposite of what’s “required to succeed” in 2026 - here’s why

31:38But if you guys are in that reading room and we're reading books together, one of the books is The Case for Christ and it's grinding my gears. There's aspects of the way it's written and religion and the emotional aspect of it that I'm really struggling with. It just gets annoying. and yeah i i think i think i'm still trying to see where i arrive at i'm not sure if i'll ever arrive at something i think it'll just keep evolving um but that's great i think it's exciting that um i'm aware of it now i also think what's also awesome is i didn't grow up with any religion. So what that allows me to do is have a clean slate and to take on board what I think serves me and challenge the things that don't so that I'm not just treating everything like gospel, even if it tickles me in the wrong way, or even if it doesn't feel right.

32:41So that's been fun. But yeah, I guess I have a plan. I'm not too sure what that plan is, but maybe, just maybe, it's god's plan and again not sure what that god is but everything's turning out just fine the copycat trap this is a concept i came up with i was in the gym with a good friend wade pappenfuss when i was back in australia on the gold coast and he started talking about this problem with fashion and with things about how something becomes attractive. So then everyone starts to do it. And then because everyone starts to do it, it loses attraction. And I just thought, man, we have to unpack this more.

33:34So I went home and got to work and I've called it the copycat trap. Once upon a time, a single spark of uniqueness caught a woman's eye. Maybe it was a man's style, distinctive smell, tattoos, slang, or anything else under the sun. In that moment, he stood out. But as soon as others see that spark gain attraction, they chase it, and they fall into the copycat trap. A place where uniqueness turns into a wave of replicas, and the magic attraction dissolves, leaving you stuck with nothing but a subpar version of the person you copied. When everyone tries to become the same version of attractive, that label turns from attractive to typical.

34:16The only real answer is to be no one but yourself. Attraction comes from authenticity. A trend is fleeting, you are not. But hey, if you want the trendy BPN hat and the tattoos, go for it. But only if it's really you. Don't try to be someone else just to be liked, because that only takes you further away from true connection. for everyone that's in Australia or someone that doesn't know what a BPN hat is, is all the boys. I love them all. They're legends. All the boys in Austin, Texas are rocking these BPN supplement red hats and they've got all the tattoos and the tan and they're all jacked and they all look the exact same.

34:59And they're all legends. Great guys. But it is interesting how they've coined this style and everyone's trying to adopt it. And what's going to happen is it's going to get old because everyone's going to do it. People are going to just start calling you typical for doing that thing as opposed to being attracted to you. And so the only way out of that copycat trap is to be you, no one else. And I think that's a really good segue and reminder about authenticity. When I think about all of the things that have garnered me the most amount of success in my life in every area, the underlying thing has been me being authentic, me being myself.

35:44Because trying to be someone that you're not is making people like a persona of you, not who you are. and the thing that happens is that feels very very hollow and I felt it when I started blowing up on social media what happened was I started getting perceived in a way that I didn't feel was me this is before I had the podcast because podcast at least allows me to have this long form raw authentic nature of me so obviously you guys are listening however long into this pod It's not just like a 40 second clip. But when people are starting to see a lot of short form of you and not a lot of long form, they're starting to form a perception of you that's not you.

36:34So then they start liking you, not for you, but for how you look and for how you act and for how they perceive you in a short period of time, not from actually spending a lot of time with you. And when you try and show up like someone that you're not, you're going to be liked for someone that you're not. And it's going to feel very hollow. And so the underlying key to true fulfillment has to be authenticity. You want to be liked? Be authentic. If you want to be liked for someone that you're not, or if you want to be lonely and isolated, be unauthentic. You can get short-term gratification if you be unauthentic because you can get liked in the short term, but then you're still going to feel hollow.

37:23you're going to get praise but you're not going to feel full and authenticity is the thing that unlocks that it's the key to true connection it's the key to true fulfillment it's the key to true peace you be authentic everything in your life will start to change we're going to go and talk about dreams and more specifically dreaming without action and the effects that that has. Here we go. Is having a dream without action worse than having no dream at all? When you dream but never move, you live knowing there's more for you, but yet you'll never reach it. That's torture. At least without dreams, you can sleep without regret.

38:14Dreaming without action might just be the worst place to be. Man, it's fun to dream. It's great having big goals and it's even better achieving them. because if you dream without acting, you know what's out there. You know you can obtain that, but you aren't willing to get it. And that would keep a lot of people up at night. That would keep me up at night. When you have big ideas, big goals, but you just don't know what you need to do to get them, it is even more important to take steps in the dark, trusting in the process, trusting that you will be able to achieve them. Because if you don't, you are aware of the dreams, but you'll never achieve them.

39:10So you're aware that you can get them, but you never get them. And I don't know about you, but that sounds like torture. Because those dreams will lurk on your mind. They won't go away. Don't expect to wake up one day and think that that's not going to still be in the back of your mind. It is act without question. Without the action, you are going to have this lurking thought in your mind. It's 2026. What are all the dreams that you have? What are all the things that you want to achieve in 2026? If you got to the end of the year and you were deemed this year as a success, what would have you have achieved?

39:53What would have you ever achieved? What would be the things that you could look back on and go, fuck yeah, I did that. I acted on that. I gave that a crack. I got back up when I got slammed on my face. I can get to the end of 2026 and I can say, I am so glad that I tried. Having the dreams at the start of the year and not acting on them is possibly the worst thing that you can do. Because guess what? If that is your pattern, you're going to get to 2027. You're going to set these dreams. You're going to set these goals and you're not going to do it. And then you're going to get to 28. Set these dreams.

40:31Set these goals. And then you won't do it. And what happens is you start to develop this hatred for yourself. You start to lack confidence. You start to never be able to believe in anything that you do. You show up in the world as an inferior version of yourself.

40:52And I'm not here to tell anyone how to live their life. but if you're this far into a solo podcast and me talking, you know you have big dreams. You know you want more from this life. So go and get them. For me, when I tied in to my life and how I said at the start of this, how I don't want to compromise and I want to achieve all of my dreams in an unorthodox way, I thought around this is there's certain prices that I'm not willing to pay. There are certain things that might get me to the top of Everest quicker, but I'm not willing to pay the cost of that speed. And what comes with that speed is maybe associating with people that are so transactional that see me as a dollar sign and not as a person.

41:44I'm not willing to pay that cost. I'm not willing to sap my energy from energy vampires and people that want me for what I have, not for who I am. that's a cost I'm not willing to pay. And if it means that I can take a little bit longer to go up Everest, but it means instead of going up, I'm like taking the longer route, I think the journey will be far more enjoyable and I'm willing to do that. I'm not willing to pay that cost. Another cost I'm not willing to pay is my health. And then the cherry on top, one that I'm not willing to pay is peace of mind. I've spent too long. I've spent seven years sacrificing all my peace of mind.

42:26I sacrificed all of my calmness. I felt so on edge for so long. And I feel like I deserve some peace of mind. I deserve deep connection. I want to build loving connections with the people that matter most and I want to disregard everyone else because I know if I can do that I can show up in the best way possible in front of these cameras and be the global legacy and impact that I know that I can be and I think the moment that I take away peace of mind I take away deep connection with the ones that matter most I'm not gonna show up as me the best version of me the one that radiates light, the one that people are attracted to.

43:15So I think a powerful task and an action item for you guys to do is understand what costs you're not willing to pay. What items do you want in the store and how much should they cost? Because a lot of the time you can still obtain that item without the same price tag. you know it might be a little less convenient to get but maybe it's a price you're willing to pay so what are all the price tags that you're not willing to pay for the things that you want in your life and design your life around things that don't have price tags you don't want to pay only pay the price you're willing to pay and if you don't have boundaries in that realm you're

44:07I don't want that. So. This one's about success. Success has a strange duality. You work so hard to become someone people admire, only to realize the climb slowly disconnects you from the very people you wanted to feel seen by. You gain status, followers, momentum, yet lose the simple connection you once had. People assume you're too busy, so friends and family stop calling, and you drift further into isolation while everyone insists you're living the dream. The pursuit keeps pushing you away from being relatable until success starts to feel hollow. Some say religion is the answer, and I'm not quite there yet.

44:52I believe to stop this connectionless pursuit to obtain success is to do it with others on the same mission, a few key brothers that live close in proximity and a wife by your side the whole way, because without that, the journey to the top only gets lonelier the more you climb. Again, I'm not sure what that God is, but there is a God's plan. There's something up there. But that's a good representation of my life. I found myself achieving more success, but then I stopped getting invited to dinner parties. I found myself achieving what people wanted, but then had less people calling my phone. It was quite weird, right?

45:40And they stopped calling me because they thought I was too good now. They thought that my life was not like theirs anymore and I wouldn't want to hang out with them. But I still want the invite, man. I still want to feel connected. I I want to feel a part of it. I want to have normal experiences. I want to go and kick the football. I want to just go and have a sauna and chill and chat. I want to cook a steak on the barbecue.

46:15And I stopped getting it. I stopped getting anything. And then I would run into these same people and they'd be like, dude, you're crushing it. And I'd be like, thanks, man. But I saw you had three different events on and I didn't get a single invite. And if you think I'm crushing it and you're keeping up to date, then surely you're not disinterested in me. Then why don't you invite me? Success does come with some weird things where, yeah, people start to treat you differently. And you start meeting new people and your friendship changes and all of this. But I've really started to realize that I really want to hone in on the people that matter most.

47:00and I think that, I think that's the key. Yeah, I think being able to cherish and work on the relationships that matter most is very important. And for me, I think it's just a few brothers and a wife that can be the mother to my children and then obviously my family, of course. And yeah, there's one more line on this. I'll find it for you. with so much growth came so much distance i'd grow as a person in my health awareness business and ability thinking what would come with that is a more attractive person to be around so i thought more growth meant more connection that was true for the connection with myself but certainly not the connection with others my growth became a repellent a disgusting smell pushing people away from sending me an invitation to the party dialing my number responding to my texts.

47:55My life was full of let's catch up soon interactions where the soon never came. It's a weird duality. You feel you're doing well, you're working hard and you're getting praise, but your environment doesn't really reflect that. It's connectionless, like a magnet turned the wrong way. That's one thing that I think is just really important to be aware of when we're chasing these external successes. They're not bad. They're amazing. Money's awesome. It unlocks so much freedom and it's so great. I mean, life is so great, but I just think that there is an element of being aware of what's happening and what the other effects are of obtaining all these things that we want.

48:44We're going to go to some questions from people in my Instagram to close this out. And yeah, hopefully some of these can connect with you and hopefully I can answer some of your questions. So we'll just do a few of these and then we'll call it a day. This one's from Noah Stone, a friend of mine that I've been developing, which has been great. He's married to Savannah Faithstone, which I've had on the show. I actually brought both of them on and And they're just awesome people. I have so much time for Savannah and for Noah. He said, what are a few areas of life you're looking to grow in this year?

49:20Looking to grow my love and my consciousness. They're the two things. I want to grow love romantically and platonically. I want to cherish the connections that I have. and then I want to expand my consciousness. I want to be so aware that I get phased less. I want to grow in my mind internally and I think when I look at all of the things that I'm wanting to achieve, you know, yeah, I want to make a million dollars this year. Yes, I want to continue living in big places and in really cool areas. I want to drive a nice car. I want to take my family on holidays. I want to do all of these things that are quite materialistic.

50:11But I think the way I'm going to achieve that is by looking within and spending a lot of time within, spending a lot of time being aware of what I'm thinking, what I'm experiencing, the life I'm living. So expanding my consciousness is something that I'm really focusing on. And And that's why I'm doing the early mornings. I'm getting up at 4 a.m. every morning. Because what it's doing for me is it's giving me this silence for hours. Undistracted silence. There's the quote. The answers you're looking for is in the silence you're avoiding. You don't have the answers right now, but you're also not giving yourself any time to be quiet.

50:58to be in peace, to be able to think, to be able to feel. You want the answers, but you don't want the silence. I'm sorry, buddy. You can't have both. You only get the answers through the silence. You can't have all of this, like, noise going around, music in your ears, you know, people all around you, a phone call every time you go on a walk, wake up to an alarm to get ready for a job that you hate, to please all these people you don't even care about, and then go home and eat garbage, and then watch garbage, and then go to sleep, and then you do it all again, and then you're wondering why you're not happy, you're wondering why you don't have the answers, you're wondering why you feel missionless, you feel useless, you feel worthless.

51:50Duh! Of course you do! You don't have any time for yourself. This is why shower thoughts are a thing, because it's the one moment where you're there. Like all these things are not rocket science. If you want answers, then quiet your mind. It's that famous quote, I've got a busy day today. I'm going to meditate for six hours instead of three. Consciousness is something that I'm... I'm just honing in on. And I really hope it reflects in the work that I put out. I really hope that I can speak to people more. I hope that people can feel my message more. I hope I can leave so much more global impact by spending these hours in silence.

52:39I really do. And I don't see how it won't. But I think I've got a unique edge. I am on my so-called competition. I'm like 15 years younger than them all. And how exciting is that? When I'm 15 years younger than my competition, if I can make people listen to me for the words that leave my mouth, I must be doing something right. And spending time thinking, reading, learning, writing, and seeing what's inside yeah and and bringing it to life i think is going to be the biggest game changer and then the other pillar there was just love i want to love i've spent so much time alone i'm ready to do this thing called life with someone and you know i have trust in the process I'm not saying it has to be with a specific person.

53:41As I said, there is someone that I, yeah, frankly, I'm in love with right now, which is crazy.

53:51But it may not be her and I'm okay with that. You know, it's a hard pill to swallow, but like, I'm truly okay with that. I've spent so much time being so alone that I think I have this deep rooted trust in whatever happens. And I'm just blessed to be in that position. So yeah, strengthening connection with self and being conscious and aware. And then strengthening connection with others and developing love romantically and platonically. Wow, this one's a deep question. The Scotsman, if you were to start all over again in life, what would you do differently?

54:47i would act quicker i would shorten the gap between the idea of doing something and doing it

54:59i would figure out ways to reduce the friction to completing the things that I have desire of doing. Because if you think about something and don't act, you won't grow from that thought. But if you think about something and have a desire of doing something, and then you act on doing the thing, you will grow. And that's the whole goal. because when you grow you find out more about what you like and what you don't like you find out more about who you are and who you're not the only way you do that is by acting so yeah i would shorten the gap between my desire of doing something and actually doing it and then the second thing would just be i'd be very aware and i'll spend a lot of time alone I would think and I would ponder and I would speak to people that are very conscious and aware.

56:01Yeah, that's what I would do. Next one is from Margaret Davies. Sum up your Jordan year, 23, in one song.

56:19Probably my number one Spotify song, actually. Sometimes I feel like I can feel. The red clay strays, I'm still fine. Let me play it. Sometimes I feel like I can feel. This isn't real. I should be at it. I walk alone I'm on the stone You're looking down Yeah, that's it. Sometimes I feel like I can't feel this isn't real. Yeah. I've had a lot of moments in 2025. 25, the year 23, my age, where I have felt very numb.

57:29Felt like the success wasn't real. I felt like nothing mattered for a lot of 2025. five. I felt that I was going around in circles.

57:52I felt that

57:57I felt that I was doing things wrong constantly. And I didn't feel like I had anyone to help me.

58:12I felt like I was trying but questioning everything.

58:20And I'd make progress and I wouldn't give myself any praise because by that point I didn't even think that was progress that was worth praising. And so I felt very nice.

58:43Um, yeah, you know, and I think maybe that's why I've been changing my lens this year.

58:58Because I've just questioned my path so many times.

59:08um yeah I just I just know I'm on the right path I know I'm doing the right thing but I just felt like I kept going around in circles and putting myself in positions that would just make me feel so stressed and like I'd have anxiety that would just run up my whole body and clog my throat and and it was just so much external praise but so little internal praise

59:46and so yeah i think felt real there's actually another song that i'll play which really hit home from justin bieber it came on randomly

1:00:06and, yeah, his song Lonely, the lyrics in this, man. I don't know if I'm going to get banned on Spotify or whatever for having this. Let's see. Everybody knows my name now But something about it still feels strange Like looking in a mirror Trying to steady yourself And seeing somebody else And everything is not the same now It feels like all our lives have changed Maybe when I'm older I'll let go down Mound and it's killing me now I'm gonna get copyrighted if I play it any longer But he goes like Used to have it all With nobody to call Oh no, he goes If you had it all With nobody to call Maybe then you'd know me And uh Yeah It's uh It's a weird one Success It's that weird duality Um He's like maybe then you know me it's still fucking lonely and then he goes I'm so lonely I'm not a singer but yeah he um he hits home there it like I feel for someone like that that has so much success externally from such a young age like Like no one understands him.

1:01:46And I just think that for me, like I don't have a lot of success comparatively to like a celebrity or someone. It's such a micro fame level that I'm at. But I just feel that I felt so alone last year. And honestly, that's why when I met this girl, I just froze. I went like nothing else matters. And yeah, it made me think. And from that moment, I just started redesigning my whole life to craft it in a way that I got to be excited and would spring out of bed every single morning. Because a lot of last year was tough. It was the most life-changing year of my whole life. But it was also the most challenging year of my life.

1:02:39So it's funny how that works, isn't it? Seems to be a common theme. The hardest is the most life-changing. Ironic. Yeah. So now I'm excited about 2026. I have a new light that's like lit up inside me. And it's like brighter than it's ever been. And I'm ready to serve and make global impact and really help people. and put service at the forefront of everything that I'm doing, and love, and kindness, and empathy. And yeah, I feel like I'm in the position to be able to do that. And I'm going to keep on documenting this and what I'm doing. And all I'll encourage you guys is, 2026, if you have a fucking dream, chase that thing.

1:03:33Nothing else matters. Please do it for yourself. don't do it for anyone else and um yeah this has been uploaded on my birthday i'm 24 years old and if there's one thing i can ask from you is just for my birthday if you can just leave a comment to let me know that you've made it to the end and if you can just let me know how you discovered me and what's been your favorite moment or episode or memory that has me in it from the perspective of impact because for me that's what lights me up most when I see someone's life be changed from something that I've done or played a role in and contributed in it means more than any present I could ever receive so if you could leave a comment down below.

1:04:30That would mean the world and leave us a five-star review on Spotify because it will really help the show grow and help us keep getting awesome people on the show. We're leveling up this year and I'm excited for you guys to be on the journey with me. And the final thing I'll just say is Intaken and Coaching's just gone live to work with me to build your podcast in 2026. So if you are someone that wants to have a show and you want to share your thoughts, you want to interview people, maybe you have a business that you want to grow authority in, you want to get connections and grow your network, podcasting is the thing that will change that.

1:05:13Netflix are starting to have podcasts. Podcasts, there's going to be rewards on the red carpet now for podcasts. Podcasting is booming more than ever. And it's never been easy to stand out the pack because while there's a lot of podcasters starting, they all don't know what they're doing. And I'm just blessed that two years ago, I obsessed and I took a punt on obsessing over capturing feeling through content. Because what I truly believe that is if you can capture feeling through content, you will win. And now more than ever, as AI is automating the world. People are craving human connection. It's the main thing that matters.

1:05:50And podcasting unlocks that. And I'd love to help you do that. So if you click the link in the description or the show notes below, you can apply to work directly with me, or you can join the pod community and we can keep on growing together. So put your details in the information or in the link below. I'm excited to work with you guys. I'm excited to bring your dreams to a reality, or at least help play a role and teach you everything that I've learned on this journey of being in a small town in Australia to starting social media to launching a podcast. And then even just last year, going from 2 million views a month to 30 million views a month.

1:06:27And we're well on our way to building the biggest show in the world. I'm the only person with a successful show in the whole world that is helping other people do it. So go to the link in the description below and apply to work with me today. Thank you guys so much. I really appreciate you guys from the bottom of my heart. Thank you in advance for all the birthday messages. You guys are all the best. And for making it this far into a solo episode, you mean the world to me. So lots of love, guys. Signing out for this episode. And we'll see you very, very soon. Bye-bye. I'm Serena Williams, and I'm healthier on Roe.

1:07:02I've lost 34 pounds in a year with GLP-1's diet and exercise. On Rho, you can access GLP-1 options, including the first FDA-approved GLP-1 pill for weight loss. Go to Rho.co slash journey to see if you qualify. 14 to 20 % average weight loss in one year in non-diabetics with obesity or overweight with a weight-related medical condition versus 2.2 % to 3.1 % in placebo R. RX only. To stay informed about serious side effects, go to Rho.co slash safety.