Are You All In?

“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognised by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”

George Bernard Shaw

It’s something I’ve observed in myself and others:

• Thinking too much can paralyse us and stop us from achieving the one thing that makes the difference – action.

We often get caught up in overanalysing, hesitating, and thinking about every possible outcome. But what if the secret to progress isn’t in thinking more, but in being all in?

One of the most profound ways to grow and excel in what we do is to engage fully—to give 100% of ourselves to the task at hand – even if you don’t like what the task is.

When we do that, the results are often far greater than expected. In other words, to get more out of anything, we first need to put more of ourselves into it.

Look at how a young child engages with the world: Fully absorbed in making something, playing a game or discovering the joy of something new, like splashing in puddles. They are fully present, undistracted, and completely absorbed in their experience. In those moments, they are ‘all in.’

Now, contrast that with how adults often go through life: preoccupied with worries, distracted by technology, and constantly juggling multiple mental to-do lists.

As Neil Postman once put it, we are often ‘amusing ourselves to death,’ distracted from what really matters.

What if we approached our work, relationships, and life itself with the same focus and engagement as a child discovering the world?

What if we were ‘all in’? – Not half-hearted or distracted, but fully engaged.

The irony is that when we put more of ourselves into something, it often feels less like work and more like effortless productivity.

This week, maybe consider these questions:

• Where in your life could you be more ‘all in’?
• What tasks, relationships, or areas of your life could benefit from more focus and full engagement?

Make the deliberate decision to show up fully today in those areas and see how it shifts your results and experience.

Best,

Shane

PS – I’ll be sharing some insights around being at your best later today at 7.30pm GMT, when I chat with wellbeing expert Fiona Brennan on her monthly webinar. If you’d like to attend online, you can register here.

The Inner Edge Podcast – Most Recent Episode:

Ep 200: The PATH To Strategic Impact – An Interview With Dr. Michael Gerharz.

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