Co-written with Life Coach, Mark Person
A Stranger Sparks Awareness
I’ll tell you a little story about a mysterious mindset shift message from a stranger.
Towards the end of 2021, when post-pandemic life started to ever so slightly return to “normal”, my husband, Rich, was out on one of his regular walks along the beachside boardwalk.
On that particular day, he noticed a very elderly man (probably 90) far ahead of me and walking towards him. He was moving quite slowly with his head down. Rich had witnessed probably 100 people pass him in either direction as he approached. He did not react in any way to any of these other passing people.
As the elderly man was about 15 feet in front of Rich and about to pass, he suddenly looked up, straight at Rich, and altered his path directly at him.
Rich could tell he wanted to say something so he stopped.
He looked Rich in the eye, smiled, and asked “Do you know Napoleon Hill?”.
Rich assumed the man was looking for someone he knows. So, I politely replied, “No, sorry, but unfortunately I don’t know that person.” He then smiled back at Rich, and with even wider eyes he said, “You will.”
Then both continued in opposite directions.
At first, Rich dismissed this interaction, thinking the man was lost or maybe a bit confused.
As he continued walking he kept thinking about that name.
Curiosity finally got the best of him, so I stopped and Googled Napoleon Hill.
Much to his surprise, he learned that Napoleon Hill was a well-known philosopher, perhaps from that old man’s generation. Rich read up on him with increasing fascination, as he seemed to have a lot of wisdom in his writings, with many long lists of quotes that he found to be insightful and timely for his life situation.
Normally Rich doesn’t believe in fate, superstitions, or even luck. However, this unusual meeting with this old man and his purposeful seeking him out in a random crowd simply to convey this message did seem to be more than a coincidence.
Do you know Napoleon Hill?
Fast forward, a few months later, I am having a conversation with my Podcast Guest, Life Coach, Mark Pearson.
I had just asked Mark the question “What does intentional living mean to you?”
Mark eloquently described the “Trifecta” model and how he applies it for “winning at” living his purpose. In this model, a combination of Awareness, Intention, and Action results in “winning”, meaning helping one arrive at living intentionally.
To “win” Mark shared that he doesn’t need to be “full throttle” or “100%” in all three areas.
Rather, he mindfully starts with that awareness piece.
“That awareness might be operating at 1% – that seed is sown. And that gets multiplied by the intention like maybe 10 times – so maybe you are starting at 1% with awareness, it gets multiplied by 10 times, so you are 10% with intention, but through action, say maybe we multiply that just by 8 times, then you are at 80%. And to me, that’s winning. For me operating at 100% all the time is kind of just not realistic. To me, that’s winning! To me winning is operating at that 80% space?”
At this point Mark paused, and then asked me “Do you know, Napoleon Hill?”
Are you aware of moments of drifting?
Apparently, Napoleon Hill believed 98% of the population are “drifters”.
Mark described drifters as “those people without intention, sort of going through life.”
Recalling a chapter from Napolean’s book “Outwitting the Devil”, which was written in 1938, Napoleon describes the mindset or lifestyle of drifters.
What resonated with Mark was “the definiteness of purpose, so that the 2% of people that have within them the Awareness, and the Intention, and then take it to Action. Those are the people that really get successful. That is reaching 80%. Those are the people that are really winning at life.”
Just as in the spirit of Yin-Yang each of us likely has at least a few “drifter” moments in life.
When you learn to notice signs of being in a “state of drifting” without purpose, such awareness can help you pause, and then reset your intention for your life.
5 Mindset Characteristics of a Drifter
- You don’t have clarity in what you want in life.
- You are stuck in a lifestyle that leaves you unmotivated and unsatisfied.
- You lack a roadmap to navigate the life of your dreams.
- You own a limiting mindset or are unaware of your intentions.
- You lack the initiative to take action.
Strategies to Steer Away from Drifting in Life
Mark offered a metaphorical example to help summarize drifters vs. non-drifters.
Drifters can be seen as people sailing along on a boat that is surviving by sometimes catching a fish, sometimes eating rations, and sometimes randomly finding a safe harbor where they stay as long as they can.
Non-drifters can be seen as keen navigators, well-stocked in resources to support them physically and mentally, who aim for and stay on track toward one harbor after another, always building on their successes like adding links to a chain.
Drifters get blown by the wind reaching random places sporadically vs. non-drifters who harness the wind by purposely adjusting their sails and rudder to get to one specific location after another.
The Trifecta Strategy
As coaches both Mark and I agreed that the Trifect Strategy has been effective not only as a personal mindset tool but also as a tool to help our clients. He believes we each have a choice to first start with a sense of awareness of our choices and how that affects us.
In essence, if you’ve become aware that you’ve been drifting, and you aren’t satisfied then introspect on what your core values are, and set your intentions for the path you’d like to be on.
And, next, take action.
3 Steps to Take Action on Your Intentions
- Gain Awareness – Assess all aspects of your life, and assess your mindset. Take time to identify your core values, and consider how your values affect the quality of various areas of your life. Also, take time to introspect on your role, in how you have arrived at where you are in life – your mindset includes your attitudes, behaviors, thinking patterns, and habits.
- Set Your Intentions – Identify what shifts you’d like to manifest in each area of your life. To spark your motivation create a positive statement in the present tense that you can affirm each morning, or throughout the day to allow your mindset to stay tuned into your goals. For example, I am healthy and vibrant. Also, ground yourself through a gratitude practice – to recognize what you already have, and recognize that even the challenges are opportunities.
- Take Action – Prioritize on what you value most, and which areas you’d like to focus on to make the shifts. Then for each of those areas set goals, with clear actionable steps. Develop the skill to create a roadmap towards your goals, and allow your mind to make it real through a vision board, or images of the outcome you desire. Also, consider an accountability buddy or coach to help you remain on course.
Podcast Guest on Omnipresent Awareness, Life Coach Mark Pearson
This article was written in collaboration with Mark Pearson.
Mark Pearson is the founder and CEO of 369 Consultants. He formed 369 Consultants, a life coaching practice, to serve people that need help in achieving their goals. He works both as a generalist able to help anyone who wants to affect change in their lives and also as a specialist serving parents of toddlers to teenagers to increase their ability to foster harmonious and loving relationships using a strengths-based system for improving client’s self-awareness, understanding, wisdom, and ability to communicate and nurture their relationships.
To learn more about Mark, listen to our conversation here on the podcast Omnipresent Awareness.
