The Daily Mastery Podcast by Robin Sharma

In today's episode of The Daily Mastery Podcast, I share one organizing principle I try to live my life by that has served me so well—it never hurts to ask.

Run your own race. Who cares what others are doing? The only question that matters is "Am I progressing?"

Life is a series of seasons. My harsh winters have given way to my sunny springs. My fallow fields of stifled creativity have led to the most abundant of harvests. Trust the process. Relax.

Every Leader Without a Title and world-class productive runs toward what they are most resisting versus toward the exit door. They feel the fear of tackling a game-changing project and do the project anyway. They acknowledge the sweaty palms before the high-stakes presentation, and give the presentation anyway. They experience the runaway heartbeats accompanying asking for the biggest order in the history of their company, and they ask anyway. And that’s what makes them great.

In this episode of The Daily Mastery Podcast, Robin Sharma shares a valuable insight on the leadership mindset.

One insight read in a single book could take your work and personal life to a whole new level. To earn more/have more/love more/be more, it’s mission-critical to read. Daily. Passionately.

You may find it odd that a teacher of Leadership and Elite-Performance in business is speaking of self-love. Yet it’s only once you learn to love yourself that you can love your visions and love your craft and give your heart to the development of your team and operate in full on service to your clients—and in the hot chase of a better world.

All fortune begins within—with you loving who you are, embracing your talents, taking really great care of you by avoiding toxic influences, ensuring that you are well treated by others and nurturing your body through exercise, exposure to nature, a healthy diet, sunlight and lots of deep rest.

This dramatic, tragic, messy and stormy period will—eventually—pass. And the insecurity will transform into our collective creativity while the volatility will become a most sensational serenity.And you know my brain tattoo around the concept: All change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.I pray you will leverage this season to reaccess the bigness, honour, kindness and strength that I know is you at your best. It’s the best time I’ve ever known to build your most exceptional you. And to upgrade your skills. And to lead your field.

It’s not so common to make the link between peak physicality and epic creativity, productivity and leadership. Yet, the more great health you have, the better your brain will perform and the more energy stamina you’ll have to bring on the fire of your finest talents. And, the supercool thing is that, as you do, you’ll automatically inspire the rest of us to do the same in our own lives.

Too many people talk too good a talk these days. Tons of empty promises. Tons of hyperbole. Tons of lofty statements that never amount to anything. Leaders are different. They talk less and do more.So make a commitment today to be impeccable with your word. And be a person of action. Someone who is all about generating results. Because getting great things done speaks for itself.

Getting great at being a great human being involves being fully present.Presence is rare these days - and a phenomenal gift to give those who intersect your days.Being fully present and genuinely engaged (versus checking messages or rehearsing your answer) as you hear the speaker makes the other person feel important, understood and safe with you. This accelerates trust massively. And trust is the bedrock of a great relationship, whether at the workplace or within your home life.

When you get out into “the wild” (I love to do a one hour nature walk at the end of my work day but the wilderness for you could be a quiet room in your home or running through your neighborhood), your brain waves slow down from beta to alpha.When this happens–amid solitude–the part of your brain responsible for self-criticism, mental chatter and constant worry shuts down. This silencing of the prefrontal cortex happens temporarily and is known to neuroscientists as Transient Hypofrontality.With the prefrontal cortex temporarily quiet and your monkey mind on a little vacation, you enter the Flow State. Elite athletes know this as “the zone” and it’s the place where all great performance begins. In Flow, your neurochemistry is altered. Dopamine (the neurochemical of inspiration) gets released. Anandamide (the neurochemical of bliss) shows up. And serotonin (the neurochemical of pleasure) kicks in.With what I call “A Pharmacy for Mastery” in place, you get your best ideas. Your creativity makes explosive gains. You begin to see around corners. And solve problems that few humans ever get to solve.

Good research confirms that what makes the best athletes the best in the world is not what they do in their sport but how effectively they recover. For example, it was the rituals that star tennis players did in between points that made them stars. What made the Russian weightlifters so undefeatable was their “work-rest ratios”.So, set a timer for 60 minutes and during those intervals, turn off your technology, shut your door and dive—with massive intensity—into the project that matters. Then, recover with a pristine break like walking, listening to music or reading. Just try this protocol for a month and witness the gains.

All adversity carries with it greater opportunity.Understand that the real reason for your life is to use what happens as fuel for your growth. As I wrote a fair amount about in The 5AM Club where Mr. Riley is teaching his students how to “enter the magic” while they meet on a vineyard in South Africa, life is not random [as far as I can tell]. So much of what happens to us arrives in our lives as perfect training to make us into the genuine heroes we’re meant to be.

The more people you enroll in your mighty mission and the more lives you serve, the more good things will unfold in your future.And the more humans you help the more fortune will help you.

To heal an emotional wound you need to feel the emotional wound. Our society encourages suppression and repression of natural feelings. And so the majority escapes from this unconscious “field of hurt” into distraction, procrastination and addiction.

Learn one of Robin Sharma's SOPs [standard operating procedures] that he encourages you to wire into your daily life through consistent practice, because as you know so well: Consistency is the Mother of Mastery.

Learn to forgive those who have hurt you. Everyone is doing the best they can, based on where they are at on their human journey. Their criticism is awesome soil within which to grow your faith in yourself. And your ironclad trust in your finest instincts. Bless them rather than cursing them. For they are helping your rise.⁣⁣

Elite performance without deep recovery leads to the depletion of your productive assets. Rest isn’t a luxury—it’s an absolute NECESSITY [for growth and the full expression of your gifts + talents]. There’s a full chapter in The 5AM Club on the model that has been so helpful to the titans of industry, sports superstars and elite performers Robin Sharma has coached. It’s called “The Twin Cycles of Elite Performance” and once you learn/apply it you’ll multiply your productivity considerably yet work less.

For those who have been doing the early morning work to fortify their 4 Interior Empires of Mindset, Heartset, Healthset and Soulset this period of deep volatility will present opportunities to create, grow, strengthen and serve.

Leadership isn't just for CEOs and presidents. We ALL can lead. Because leadership's mostly a mindset and a way of doing things.

The thing you most fear carries your greatest growth.We must notice any fear, lean into it and then send it on its way. It’s in the face of fear, doubt and danger that we are given the chance to test out our wisest, bravest and biggest selves.

There are two types of income: external [money and title] and internal [pride in doing great work and pursuing mastery]. The ordinary chase the first. The exceptional want the last.

Learn the ultra-valuable framework that has helped Robin Sharma's private clients implement serious optimizations in their life.

In this episode of The Daily Mastery Podcast, Robin Sharma deconstructs how to leverage the neurobiological phenomenon of Transient Hypofrontality to step into your primal genius.

Too many of us encounter an obstacle and drop into victim-mode, giving away our power to it and throwing in the towel.Instead, use “The WTOH Question” and ask what’s the opportunity here?This ritual has saved my life. It has allowed me to leverage the unexpected into pure possibility. And turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.It’s helped my team produce epic results in the face of Plan A not going to plan.And it’s moved my clients to achieve legendary businesses as well as lives they adore.

Leadership has less to do with authority and more to do with a mindset. Where the victim sees a problem, a leader sees an opportunity.So during this storm, rather than play victim and wish things were the way they used to be (those days are gone), elevate your leadership game and out-invent everyone around you.

Betraying your originality—whether in your craft or within your private life—is a guarantee for the experience of misery.Yes, it takes strength of character, deep courage and a craving for originality to break free of the seductive beliefs and habits of the herd......And yet, working on these qualities are among the finest moves you can make to build your empire [whether an empire of money or fortunes of creativity, productivity, adventure or contribution to society].

The Nightly 3 routine involves simply writing down three great things that happened to you during your day.The brain has a negativity bias we need to relentlessly fight against. This primitive instinct served us 1000+ years ago. Destroys our brilliance today.Noticing items to be grateful for is the antidote to apathy. And the cure for stagnation.

Bravery is not a natural gift, but a developed talent. Practice it just like you train in a sport to get better. And please remember - the best work you can ever do is working on a braver you. Our world needs you to rise up to your best, as never before.

To arrive at your end without intimacy with your natural heroism is a heartbreaking move. In the quietude of the early morning, you’ll be able to reclaim the strength and wisdom that is who you truly are. Before a cold and noisy world caused you to forget. So at the end, you’ll have been fully human. And genuinely amazing.

In this episode of The Daily Mastery Podcast, you'll learn how to begin your day in what Robin Sharma teaches in his proprietary method, The Tight Bubble of Total Focus Strategy (TBTF). Robin Sharma's highest level clients in IconX as well as those he is mentoring in his online program The Circle of Legends are saying that taking his advice to install their Tight Bubbles of Total Focus [TBTF] so they read the news selectively, avoid toxic people and insulate their positive focus is allowing them to thrive professional and personally as the world falls apart. So do whatever it takes to find time to create, stay productive and remain inspired right now. And find your personal sanctuary so you get great work done.

Upgrade your life and you upgrade the world’s life. As you strengthen and improve, the way you reply to [and view] the crises will be reshaped. You’ll see what’s happening through the eyes of a warrior sage versus from the perception of a terrified victim.So in this time of enforced quietude, work on you. Your inner core. Because life always reflects you. And during this time that many of us cannot go outside, the smartest among us are going inside. So that when this all ends, they will model mastery, act on possibility and completely lead the field.

In this episode of The Daily Mastery Podcast, Robin Sharma shares and deconstructs one potent tool that he's used in his own life to get through very difficult times.

Ultra-producers and genuine virtuosos focus on steady and incremental accomplishments acutely focused in the direction of their most important projects. They get that success happens through evolution – not by revolution. And that small daily micro-wins when done continually over time lead to staggering results.

Raw tactics for heavyweights who are serious about using the crisis to rise. Sorry—if you’re looking for sugary motivation this is NOT for you.

Reading a book is having a conversation with the author. And as you know, we are transformed by our conversations. Install a ritual of reading a book by one of the great women and men of the world for 60 minutes a day. Every day. Study how they set up their days, the beliefs on which they conducted their lives, the way in which they translated adversity into victory and how they continued to pursue their mission when they were exhausted, dispirited and attacked. The more time you spend with the best human beings who have graced our planet, the more peace you’ll feel as you make your own rise toward your very best.

Stop using victimspeak. Our words have dazzling power to shape our results. And to energize ourselves. Excuses, gossip and criticism diminish your native talents. And degrade your original magic. Deploy words of hope into the world and watch your creativity rise.

In this episode, Robin Sharma shares a profound quote to help you reclaim your primal genius, native artistry and a joy that exceeds anything society can provide to you.

In this era of massive distraction, diversion and social media seduction, only the clear and brave producers who have gone "fully minimalist” around their few priorities will dominate their domains. And lead their fields.

Producers with drained batteries are highly unproductive. ⁣⁣The idea that working longer and harder makes you more productive and better is outdated.⁣⁣Legendary producers outfocus, outinvent and outwork everyone around them when it’s game time. And then, after they’ve expressed their mastery in a hot burst of flaming audacity, they go dark. Ghost. Silent.⁣⁣And recover. And read. And exercise. And daydream. And regenerate.⁣⁣This seasonal or cyclical way of running a day and then a week and then a month and then your years is unpopular. And counterintuitive, given the way we’ve been socially programmed to think about productivity.⁣⁣Yet if you really want to express your genius, lead your field and stay in your sport for the fullness of a career, it’s the best way to operate. ⁣⁣

Perfectionism isn’t healthy. Yet, here’s the reality based on my nearly 25 years in the trenches with the titans of industry, world-changers, NBA superstars and music icons: the great ones are all obsessive. They cannot bear being mediocre. They cannot live stagnating at ordinary. They have uncontainable hunger to exploit their potential, bring on mastery and turn their entire field on its head. Mahatma Gandhi said it beautifully. "One cannot do right in one area whilst he is occupied and doing the wrong in another area."So please remember - the way you do one thing defines the way you do everything.

As a follow-up to yesterday's episode... the majority is caught up in the “relentless release of stuff.”Most producers rush to deliver many materials rather than investing the time and painstaking care to handcraft a single masterpiece that stands the test of time.I go into great depth on this pivotal subject in The 5AM Club yet for now please consider this: it’s wiser to make one Fifth Symphony versus many pieces of mediocrity [that never establish domain dominance].

In a marketplace suffering from what I call in my presentations The Collective DeProfessionalization of Business and in a society struggling with The Mass Mediocritization of Humanity, we absolutely must behold the fiery passion Steve Jobs has for perfection. One former teammate said that part of his genius was his ability to spot defects instantly. I recently heard that he told his design team everything they produced needed to be “Museum of Modern Art-level quality”. His consumer goods needed to have a legendary UX. All devices needed to function excellently. And everything they touched had to be nothing less than gasp-worthy.Above all else, I believe, Steve Jobs was a hippie at heart. A man who wanted to release amazing things into the world. A maker who dreamed as few have and relentlessly stayed true to his ideals. Sure he was broken [aren’t we all?]. Yet, at his core, he was a human being who wanted to build a better world.

You'll never perform higher than your self-identity. And what you believe to be possible.All outer fortune begins with rescripting your self-identity, maximizing your faith in yourself and optimizing your daily routines so you’re consistently operating at your peak.Commit to x25 your inner life and you'll x100 your outer world.

Real leaders truly get that learning and ideation is the fuel of life. And that all it takes is a single idea to change the game at work (and rescript the story that is your life).

Here is one of the uncommon rules that superstars of prosperity, elite performers, and titans of industry live by to make their mark on the world.

Distraction is the great destroyer of dreams. Why be busy being busy when you're built to inspire the world?

If you haven’t discovered how to “protect your hope” and enthusiastically continue on the path of your heroic mission in the face of naysayers, pessimists and cynics—you’ll stop. And lose. [And few things will make you suffer more than the pain of your genius unexpressed.]