1-2-3 Inner Game
- Dhiren P. Harchandani
- Dec 22, 2025
- 3 min read
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
The Cost of a Bad Start
1-2-3 Inner-Game
Why Do We Lose Our Mojo
Brain Candy
What's Fueling My Curiosity
Listen to the audio format of this issue
Was this newsletter forwarded to you?
Here’s a lesson I keep relearning.
If a relationship starts off difficult, it usually stays difficult.
Recently, I decided to work with someone I’d known for a while on a project.
On paper, it made sense.
History was there.
Intent sounded right.
The opportunity looked fine.
But early on, the signals were off.
Goalposts kept shifting.
Replies were slow or inconsistent.
Commitments felt loose.
Nothing blew up. Nothing was “wrong.” It just felt heavy from the start.
I don’t judge people for what they say.
People mean well. Life gets messy. Intent matters.
But I do pay attention to what people do.
Because behavior is data.
When clarity is missing early, it rarely shows up later.
When responsiveness is shaky at the start, it usually stays that way.
When values aren’t aligned upfront, the cost doesn’t vanish. It just shows up later as wasted time and mental drag.
Looking back, I could have saved myself a lot of headspace by remembering a Buffett truth: a bad partner ruins a good deal.
You can’t strike a good deal with someone who isn’t aligned with your values, no matter how good it looks on paper.
If you’re an entrepreneur, or know one who would benefit from creating clarity, aligning their team, building momentum, and growing their business with the Bloom Growth system, I’d love to connect.
Where do you feel the most pressure to move fast?
Strategy
Execution
Team Decisions
Relationships and Conversations
Here's some Inner Game wisdom to chew on this week
1 question to punch your brain this week
Are you reacting to your life, or responding to it? (Click to Tweet)
2 questions (and answers) from me
What’s the most expensive habit leaders have? Emotional reactivity. It turns small moments into unnecessary damage. (Click to Tweet)
What creates real leverage in leadership? Knowing when not to act. Restraint is often the highest form of power. (Click to Tweet)
3 insights for the Inner Game Junkies
Awareness Beats Intelligence Smart people fail all the time. Self-aware people adjust in time. (Click to Tweet)
Your Triggers Hold Data Every emotional spike is information, ignore it and you repeat it. (Click to Tweet)
Calm Is Contagious So is chaos. Leaders set the emotional temperature whether they want to or not. (Click to Tweet)
Why Do We Lose Our Mojo
Dhiren and Nikos dive deep into why entrepreneurs lose their drive and passion on their journey. The conversation explores the connection between physical and mental energy, and how entrepreneurs might push themselves too hard, neglecting their body's signals. They emphasize on developing an internal awareness of where your energy comes from and how you're feeling is crucial for navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship.
Available now on Apple Podcasts and everywhere you get your podcasts
Brain Candy Tweets That Made Me Think, Laugh, or Go ‘Huh, Interesting!
Value isn’t in the intelligence. It’s in the work it removes.
What we become matters more than what we accumulate.
What's Fueling My Curiosity
📹 WATCH NEXT
This short film by Case Neistat challenges excuses with a powerful story. The film follows an athlete's journey through the New York City Marathon 2025. Witness a deeply personal and inspirational strugglen againsgt all odds.
📖 BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Andre Agassi had his life mapped out for him before he left the crib. Groomed to be a tennis champion by his moody and demanding father, by the age of twenty-two Agassi had won the first of his eight grand slams and achieved wealth, celebrity, and the game’s highest honors. But as he reveals in this searching autobiography, off the court he was often unhappy and confused, unfulfilled by his great achievements in a sport he had come to resent.
👓 INTERESTING READ (6 min)
The greatest breakthroughs often come from outsiders who can take a fresh perspective
I'm rooting for you to continue crushing it! 💪🏼
Dhiren
Comments