Welcome to 1-2-3 Inner Game, your weekly hit of actionable strategies to achieve a high-performing, healthy, and thriving life.
Today's Highlights
How a Snack and a Nap Can Save Your Relationships
1-2-3 Inner-Game
The Pivot Playbook: Why The Best Leaders Never Stay Still
Forget Balance, Find Your Fire
Brain Candy
Rundown of Cool Stuff This Week
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Hi,
The other day, my wife and I got into a fight. Not a big, dramatic fight. Just one of those stupid, unnecessary fights that somehow got bigger than it needed to be.
At first, it was about something small—I don’t even remember what. But suddenly, it wasn’t just about that. It was about everything. The tone got sharper. The words got heavier. And before we knew it, we were in the middle of an
argument neither of us really wanted to have.
Why? Because we were both hungry and tired. 😤🍔
That’s it. That was the real enemy. Not the silly thing we were bickering about. But in that moment, we both forgot that. Instead, we did what humans do best—we made it personal.
This happens all the time, not just in marriages, but in business, friendships, and leadership. A deal falls apart, a team member starts underperforming, a client suddenly turns difficult—and we assume the problem is the surface-level issue. But often, the real problem is underneath: exhaustion, fear, insecurity, hunger (literal or metaphorical).
⚡ The Simple Fix: Pause & Check Yourself
Next time you find yourself in an argument, pause. Ask yourself:
🔍 What’s really happening here? Is it actually about the thing you’re fighting over, or is it something deeper? 🛑 Are you HALT-ing? (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). Because if you are, anything minor will feel like a catastrophe.
⏳ Can you zoom out? Because in five hours, five days, or five years, will this even matter?
For my wife and me, the argument ended with food and sleep. 🥗💤 The next morning, neither of us cared about what we had fought over. It wasn’t the problem in the first place. It never was.
Most fights aren’t about what they’re about. They’re about unmet needs—hunger, exhaustion, stress—hiding behind the excuse of an argument. And if you don’t catch it in time, you end up fighting the wrong battle, against the wrong enemy, with the person you love.
🎯 The Power Move
Next time you feel yourself gearing up for war, ask yourself—do I need a snack, a nap, or a deep breath? Because more often than not, the solution isn’t to win the argument. It’s to stop fighting ghosts. 👻
Master this, and you won’t just save yourself a fight—you might just save your marriage, your business, and your peace of mind. 💡🔥
Which of these is your biggest time-waster?
📆 Endless meetings – Too many calls, not enough action
⏳ Low-impact tasks – Checking boxes, but not moving the need
⚠️ Obligations that drain you – Saying yes when you should s
🤖 Busy work disguised as progress – Looking productive but
Here's some Inner Game wisdom to chew on this week
1 question
Overthinking is just fear dressed up as logic. Make a decision. Take action. Clarity comes after movement, not before. How do you stop overthinking?
2 questions (and answers from me)
What’s something that felt like torture as a kid but is elite as an adult? But here’s the plot twist—this stuff isn’t punishment. It’s fuel.Turns out, the things we avoided as kids are actually cheat codes for life—more energy, better focus, fewer regrets. What once felt like a chore is now the ultimate competitive advantage.
Exercise? A punishment.
Sleep? A missed party.
Waking up early? Cruel and unusual.
Drinking water? Boring.
Eating healthy? Why would I pick salad over fries?
Funny how that works. Or maybe, that’s just growing up. 🚀
How can I guarantee making the wrong decision? Easy—ask everyone. The more opinions you gather, the more confused you’ll be. Instead of clarity, you’ll get contradiction, hesitation, and a dozen different perspectives pulling you in every direction. At some point, you won’t even remember what you wanted in the first place.
3 insights from me
The 5-Step Deep Dive: Why chatGPT’s First Answer is Trash Most people stop at the surface. The real gold is five levels down. Try this: 1️⃣ What’s the obvious take? (Shallow) 2️⃣ What’s the nuance people miss? (Better) 3️⃣ Give me a real-world example. (Concrete) 4️⃣ What’s the strongest counterpoint? (Sharpens thinking) 5️⃣ Now, what’s the truth underneath it all? (Insight unlocked) 🚀 The magic isn’t in step one—it’s in step five. Push deeper.
Goals vs Standards Goals are hopes. Standards are habits. A goal is “I want to run a marathon.” A standard is “I run every morning, no excuses.”
Want More? Ask. Follow Up. Be Kind. Want more of anything? 1️⃣ Be kind. 2️⃣ Ask for what you want. 3️⃣ Follow up. That’s it. Most people don’t even get to step 2.
What's new with the Pod - Emergence Now
The Pivot Playbook: Why The Best Leaders Never Stay Still
Forget Balance. Find Your Fire.
Work-life balance is a pretty idea. A neat little pie chart where everything gets its fair share.
But life isn’t a pie chart—it’s a wildfire.
The people who make the biggest impact don’t balance. They burn for something.
Think about it—when have you ever felt truly alive? Was it when you were carefully dividing your time like a human spreadsheet? Or was it when you were so locked in, so obsessed, that hours disappeared and you didn’t care?
🔥 Burnout isn’t working too much—it’s caring too little about what you’re working on. 🔥
The fix isn’t balance. It’s alignment.
Work on things that pull you in instead of weigh you down.
Design your days around energy, not hours.
Learn the difference between exhaustion from passion and exhaustion from friction.
Forget balance. Find the thing that sets you on fire—and build your life around it. 🚀
Brain Candy Tweets That Made Me Think, Laugh, or Go ‘Huh, Interesting!
Real friendship isn’t about who shows up to your birthday 🎉—it’s who shows up when everything goes sideways 💥.
Invest in good people ❤️. Most are just passing through 🚶♂️—find the ones who stick.
Your brain takes cues from your environment. Low ceilings = focus mode 🎯.
High ceilings = expansive thinking 🚀. That’s why you feel like a genius staring at the sky but feel stuck in a cramped office 🏢.
Need big ideas? Change your space.
Here’s a rundown of some cool stuff I’ve been diving into this week.
📽️ 📖 What books to try based on the movies you loved last year.
I'm rooting for you to continue crushing it! 💪🏼
Dhiren
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