Frozen Knees to Success: Lessons from the Chill
My arse was frozen.
Legs...frozen.
Hands... you guessed it...frozen.
My nose was redder than Alex Ferguson's hooter after a post-match bottle of 1988 Petrus Pomerol Grand Vin.
It was 2014 and I was sitting with clients at the Olympia Stadion in Munich.
The former home of the German football giant Bayern..er...Munich.
I was -5oC and the Champions League game was about to start.
I was out there entertaining clients from the huge energy company E.ON.
All the other guys had blankets over their legs.
One of the traders turned to me and said 'Are you OK?'
'Mate I'm fucking freezing'...I said through chattering teeth.
He kindly gave me a sliver of his blanket which kept my right knee warm.
So there I sat, for 90 minutes...
...drinking ice-cold beer to fit in... slowly turning blue.
The worst thing is they were playing Hapoel Tel-Aviv F.C.
Being kind here but it wasn't a high-quality game.
I can't remember much about the match because I was ill-prepared for the arctic weather.
My eyes were frozen.
But here's the pivot in the story...
It would never have dawned on me back then...
That seven years later I would be in the London offices of EON...
Giving a talk about the Pressures of Fatherhood.
I'll share just one of the slides from yesterday's event, below
It covers a few of the Silent Struggles and coping mechanisms that some men use.
This slide led on to one of the biggest takeaways from the talk...
...and it's a simple one I'll give to you.
The aim in life is to THRIVE, not just survive.
Why? Ok well here's my take on it.
It's crucial for a man to thrive rather than merely survive because (let's get deeper here)...
...true fulfillment lies in surpassing mere existence.
Thriving allows men like you and me to embrace our potential...
...contribute meaningfully to our family, community, workplace...
...and lead a purpose-driven life.
Where do you start with all of that?
One powerful idea to thrive is buidling resilience through adversity:
View challenges (they are everywhere) as opportunities for growth, learning, and personal development.
This means you transform obstacles into stepping stones toward your success, brother.
Anyway, I'll leave you with that to think about.
What's one thing you could do, or could stop doing, to start to thrive more?
Also, I'm currently in London writing this...
We had our latest WMA dinner last night.
9 men intent on leading an epic life.
Some of them are in The Network.
Some of them are considering joining before we close the doors for new members until 2024.
I'll be back on Monday to tell you about some big lightbulb moments from the conversation.
Have a great weekend.
And remember, the world needs strong men.
Anthony
Whole Man Academy
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