Self-Performance Strategies Podcast

Episode 23: Performance Origins with The Art of Purpose.
 

Welcome to the SPS Podcast.

The Art of Purpose is a former public school teacher of 20 years, turned millionaire, turned full-time business owner. On Twitter, he has 150K followers and a successful content creation community called Masterclass. 

You can follow AOP here on Twitter

Stephen links:

Get your Free Pattern//Breaker WorkBook:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/patternbreaker

Download the Pattern//Breaker Workbook + Email Coaching to Rebuild Identity & Take Focused Action in Under 90 Days

✅ Get clarity on your hidden resistance (with AI-powered prompts)
✅ Build a 90-day plan grounded in identity, not hustle
✅ Shift from “knowing” to “doing” in one afternoon

Visit the website:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/

Follow me here:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Big love,
ST

Welcome to the SPS Podcast:

This week we are talking about Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to define your business and career

​​

Main quote:

Maslow's hierarchy of needs applied to your modern working life:

"Musicians must make music; artists must paint; poets must write if they are to be ultimately at peace with themselves. What human beings can be, they must be. They must be true to their own nature. This need we may call self-actualization."
​- Abraham Maslow

​

Main Takeaways:

There are 5 levels to Maslow's hierarchy of needs

But what do each of these 5 levels look like in your day-to-day work life

How would you show up in general at each of these levels

Let's find out...

​

1) Survival

You are barely getting by

You work purely because you have to, might even have a few jobs

You leave work as soon as you; you watch the clock constantly

You find work frustrating; you are not satisfied with life.

​

2) Security

You have become a hamster on a wheel.

You will work overtime; you never take your sick days

You accept poor working conditions or feel you have to

You dislike your manager, team, and job, but you get on with it.

​

3) Belonging

You feel connected, but you also feel stuck

You enjoy what you do 60/70% of the time

You know you are part of something larger than yourself

You are proud you have a good job, but you would still leave for career and life development

You often ask, is there more?

​

4) Importance

You work mainly in your groove and feel a vital part of the team.

You also feel your work is helping people and is important

You are known as an achiever

You are busy and possibly stressed often

You have a deep feeling you are being called to do more in life.

​

5) Self-Actualization

You now work for yourself

You want to help others and inspire them to do their best

You love what you do and would do it for free, but you get paid well

You have time, location, and financial freedom

You have the ability to explore who you are and grow exponentially.

​

To truly self-actualize in the modern world, you need to create your own wealth.

You need to be in control of your calendar and be able to decide who you work with.

To do this, you create time, location, and financial freedom; based on your unique abilities.

​

Two famous quotes that support this idea:

"As long as you're working for someone else you will never be living entirely true to yourself and your passion."

- Gary Vaynerchuk

"Turning your passion into your job is easier than finding a job that matches your passion."

- Seth Godin

​

The way I look at it, you help yourself self-actualize when you help others do the same.

When you help improve the consciousness of those around you, you improve the world around you.

And that is part of my mission with the SPS Podcast.

Stephen links:

Get your Free Pattern//Breaker WorkBook:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/patternbreaker

Download the Pattern//Breaker Workbook + Email Coaching to Rebuild Identity & Take Focused Action in Under 90 Days

✅ Get clarity on your hidden resistance (with AI-powered prompts)
✅ Build a 90-day plan grounded in identity, not hustle
✅ Shift from “knowing” to “doing” in one afternoon

Visit the website:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/

Follow me here:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Big love,
ST

Welcome to the SPS Podcast.

Let's talk about Avoiding Distractions.

​

Main quote:

"You can always find a distraction if you're looking for one."

-Tom Kite.

​

Main takeaways:

The best defence from distractions is a strong sense of purpose.

You love distractions.

You love the dopamine hit they give you, but that hit of dopamine is a productivity killer.

It's rewiring your brain to always focus on new exciting things.

You need to have clear goals and a clear direction in life.

Also...

You need to find a way to have your favourite distractions locked away.

The tip here is to write out your top 5 distractions and plan to avoid them.

If you don't, you fall into the Distraction Spiral.

How to stop the Distraction Spiral.

​

Sorry, you are a distraction addict, and you're hooked on that sh*t.

Certain mental triggers make you check your phone, start thinking about the past, and get frustrated with situations.

You let your mind spiral and repeat negative actions, thoughts, and patterns that distract you from maintaining focus.

​

As Will Durrant said:

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

​

You have let these triggers become habits.

And this is why you spiral then, doom scroll, Netflix binge, or spend hours procrastinating when you know it's work time, not relax time.
​
But how do you avoid the Distraction Spiral?

​
​Take 10 mins and write down anything you think triggers the distraction spiral.​

Examples:

What thoughts lead you to stop working and get distracted when you read something that triggers you?

When you pause working, what thought patterns make you reach for your phone or open a new tab?

What memories or feelings come up as you try to work?

​

Journal for 5 minutes about the whole process: how the spiral starts and where it goes.
​

Bring awareness to this process. 

With a better understanding of this, you will identify the thought triggers as they happen.

​

Now you have identified the triggers, you need a system or plan to help you stay focused.

The system that works for me:

As you feel the spiral starting, you can take a few deep breaths, identify it, even journal quickly and then let the spiral pass and not get sucked into it.
​
Now, this does take practice, and you have to take the time to journal out the thought process and patterns that occur.

How do you go from working on something to sitting on the sofa scrolling on Instagram?

You need to find your triggers and build systems to stop the spiral.
​

If you can do this, you will find a handful of emotional and underlying issues that commonly trigger you.

Once you have awareness around these patterns and triggers, it gives you perspective to see it happening as it happens.
​

A powerful process if used correctly.

Stephen links:

Get your Free Pattern//Breaker WorkBook:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/patternbreaker

Download the Pattern//Breaker Workbook + Email Coaching to Rebuild Identity & Take Focused Action in Under 90 Days

✅ Get clarity on your hidden resistance (with AI-powered prompts)
✅ Build a 90-day plan grounded in identity, not hustle
✅ Shift from “knowing” to “doing” in one afternoon

Visit the website:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/

Follow me here:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Big love,
ST

Welcome to the SPS Podcast

This week we are talking about creating an effortless life by doing less dumb stuff. 

​

Main Quote:

“It takes a lot of effort to make something look effortless.”

― Ben Mitchell

​

Main Takeaways:

The steps 1st of an effortless life
​

Your results start becoming more powerfully when you stop suppressing your energy with:

- Overeating

- Netflix binges

- Weekends of no sleep

- Overuse of sugar and stimulants.
​

The healthier you get, the more effortless success and life become.
​

Every success journey starts somewhere, and to master the art of results; you need to review where your energy is being depleted.
​

Take 5 minutes and ask yourself: Which actions do I take each day that deplete my energy?

Then take another 10 minutes and plan to remove these actions over the coming weeks.

​

What I learned from reading Effortless by Greg Mckeown.

​

The idea of having an effortless life sounds very appealing.

But to have an effortless life, you must understand how to create one.

Effortless is split into 3 parts; I have pulled out my favourite concept from each section with an outline of that chapter.

​

Part 1: Effortless State

You experience this state when you are physically rested, emotionally unburdened, and mentally energized.

You are completely aware, present, and focused on what’s essential at the moment.

You can focus on what matters most with ease.

​

Big takeaway: REST

Discover the art of doing nothing.

Do not do more today than you can completely recover from by tomorrow.

You do this by breaking down essential daily work into 3 sessions of no more than ninety minutes each.

Set your days up so your next is effortless.

​
​Part 2: Effortless Action

You accomplish more by trying less. (very Yoda like)

This helps you stop procrastinating as you focus on the obvious next step.

You make progress by pacing yourself rather than powering through.

You then overachieve without overexerting.

​

Big takeaway: DEFINE

When you start a project, first define what done looks like.

Establish clear conditions for success; when you get there, stop.

Use this idea daily; take 60 seconds to write a done-for-the-day list.

Male this list achievable and create effortless days.

​

Part 3: Effortless Results

As you work in an Effortless State and take Effortless Actions, you achieve the results you want more easily.

But you want results to flow to you with as little additional effort as possible.

You now create systems for Effortless Results.
​

Big takeaway: LEARN

You have to learn the principles, not just facts and methods.

Understand the key principles deeply and then apply them repeatedly.

Don’t reinvent the wheel; use the principles, then develop your unique style, which will create endless opportunities.

​

Bonus big takeaway: INVERT

Don’t ask, “Why is this so hard?” Invert the question and ask, “What if this could be easy?”

When you frame things as hard, you try to solve the whole puzzle at once.

When you ask, “how can this be easier,” you start thinking in specific steps.

​

Now go and make your life more effective and effortless. 

Stephen links:

Get your Free Pattern//Breaker WorkBook:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/patternbreaker

Download the Pattern//Breaker Workbook + Email Coaching to Rebuild Identity & Take Focused Action in Under 90 Days

✅ Get clarity on your hidden resistance (with AI-powered prompts)
✅ Build a 90-day plan grounded in identity, not hustle
✅ Shift from “knowing” to “doing” in one afternoon

Visit the website:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/

Follow me here:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Big love,
ST

Are you on the Hedonic Treadmill?

Welcome to the SPS Podcast.

​

Main Quote:

"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need."

― Chuck Palahniuk

Main Takeaways:

Buying more stuff you don't need is procrastination.

​

Many fall into the trap of keeping up with their social group, thinking they need that new car, clothes, or toys.

But all of this is a distraction and a form of procrastination that does not help your long-term happiness.

​

Hedonic Treadmill states: "You will always return to your base level of happiness, whether something positive or negative happens."

If you get that new car, you experience a spike in happiness; then, eventually, you will return to your original happiness level.

​

Quick note: This works on the negative side as well.

If you have a terrible breakup, lose money, or lose a job.

There will be a low period, but you will return to your normal happiness levels.

You might even buy shit you don't need to speed that bounce back up.

​

Let's focus on the procrastination trap of the Hedonic Treadmill.

You buy the shit you feel you need to make yourself happy.

But it does not bring you the fulfillment you imagined it would.

You go out and buy more shit.

Making yourself addicted to "new stuff = happiness spike."

​

This is a loop a lot of society is on.

Looking for the new and exciting from external sources to fill a void in their lives.

This loop helps you avoid the pain of not chasing your dreams and meaningful goals.

Which makes this whole process a giant form of procrastination.

​
The goal is to find what you really want in life.

To grow, you need to lose the necessity to 'show off' or keep up with others.

Your happiness will continue to spike up/down if you don't.

Returning to a mediocre baseline because you never do anything meaningful.

​
The spike of happiness from new stuff is not sustainable; you will constantly feel you're chasing a horizon you never reach.

The only way to escape this procrastination trap is to invest your time and energy into figuring out who you are and improving your baseline of happiness.

​
To improve your baseline of happiness there are key areas to focus on:

-Fitness

-Journaling

-Meditation

-Eating healthy foods

-Figuring out your why

-Having goals and a life vision

-Saving money and investments

-Reading books on self-actualization

​

Knowing who you are and what you want from life will help you break free of the Hedonic Treadmill.

It will help you avoid this giant form of procrastination that most of society has fallen for.

You will start making smart choices that create meaningful results in your life.

​

However, don't feel bad about treating yourself to things; if you need a new laptop or car, get one.

But recognize that you are not your clothes, toys, or car.

You are a person who is capable of massive growth and can achieve many great things during your life.

Stephen links:

Get your Free Pattern//Breaker WorkBook:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/patternbreaker

Download the Pattern//Breaker Workbook + Email Coaching to Rebuild Identity & Take Focused Action in Under 90 Days

✅ Get clarity on your hidden resistance (with AI-powered prompts)
✅ Build a 90-day plan grounded in identity, not hustle
✅ Shift from “knowing” to “doing” in one afternoon

Visit the website:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/

Follow me here:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Big love,
ST

This week we are talking about Using Stoicism In Real Life.

Welcome to the SPS - Self-Performance Strategies Podcast

​

Main Quote

When I first read the Stoic master Epictetus say:

"Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it."

I instantly realized

I needed to start talking less about my goals

And start delivering more results.

​

Main Takeaways:

What Is Stoicism? (my thoughts)

"Doing the right thing in every situation to the best of your skills, knowledge, and abilities."
- Me

At every turn, you have an opportunity

To take a step back

Observe, reflect and then act

If you rush in or ignore signs

You will not be operating at your best levels

And not be able to do the right thing

​

Let's talk about making better decisions using Stoicism.

What does that even mean?

Stoicism is an emotion-processing tool and way of thinking.

It can help you make better decisions.

Regulate your emotions, and plan for the future.

And deal with the ups and downs of life.

Here are three quotes that support my points.
​

"If you live in harmony with nature you will never be poor; if you live according to what others think, you will never be rich."

― Seneca

Seneca tells us to live in harmony with our current environments

And ignore the often distracting noises in society.

​

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters."

― Epictetus

It is essential only to control what you can control.

And that's your thoughts, actions, and words.

It sounds simple, but with practice, this idea can lead to stronger decisions more regularly.

​

"If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it."

― Marcus Aurelius

Pretty straightforward this one.

If it's not right, why would you do it?

If it's not true, why would you say it?

If that does not help you make decisions, you might be lost.

​

Life goes by fast.

You can get dragged along making decisions that you may not be aware that you're making.

However, if you sit down and think about Stoicism and these quotes, they can help you make better decisions.

Building this resilience can be challenging.

It takes many hours of mental training in the gym of life.

Keep doing the reps to build your resilience.

Because Stoicism tells you to slow down, think about what's right, and think about your decisions.

And that is part of my mission with the SPS Pod to help you do that.

Stephen links:

Get your Free Pattern//Breaker WorkBook:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/patternbreaker

Download the Pattern//Breaker Workbook + Email Coaching to Rebuild Identity & Take Focused Action in Under 90 Days

✅ Get clarity on your hidden resistance (with AI-powered prompts)
✅ Build a 90-day plan grounded in identity, not hustle
✅ Shift from “knowing” to “doing” in one afternoon

Visit the website:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/

Follow me here:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Big love,
ST

Are you stuck?

Welcome to the Self-Performance Strategies Podcast.

​

Main quote:

Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.

- R. Narayana Murthy

​

Main Takeaways:

Frustration sucks

​
You've been there, grinding away but feeling like you are standing still as life moves past you.

It often happens when you let the wrong activities deplete your energy.

The good news is a few changes can make an incredible difference in your life.

​

Life is simple; no one said it was easy.

The concepts that will help you are always the fundamentals.

The simple repetitive habits you do daily are what matters.

Complex ideas and systems don't help you grow.

Find a few habits you can do daily.

Stick with them for months.

You WILL see change and escape frustration.

​ 

Your results aren't growing because you're not growing.

​

6 reasons why you feel stuck:

​

Not regulating your mood:

You don't feel good, and your emotions affect your performance.

You need systems like journaling and meditation that allow you to focus on your wins and vision for life.

The right daily systems produce the energy you need and help improve your mood.

​
​Not being consistent:

You don't stick with what matters.

You jump from idea to idea.

You miss out on the magic of compounding.

You need to show up often to move your needle forward.

Focus on 3 key pillars in life daily, and you will quickly tap into the power of consistency.

​
​Not learning:

Your results don't improve because you don't reflect on your actions.

Get out in front of your mistakes.

Failure is only failure if you learn nothing.

​
​No freedom to focus:

You love distractions.

You can never find the energy to push yourself to get the work done.

You often find yourself procrastinating and then punishing yourself mentally.

Defeat this by finding space early each day to do deep work on your important tasks.

​
​No momentum:

Your life is set up to feel like you are starting and stopping.

You constantly feel frustrated and behind on your work.

Momentum happens when you focus on high-value and high-$$$ activities.

 ​
​No fun:

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.

Having fun is 100% different than being distracted.

When you focus on having a fun day once a week, your brain can relax.

A performance strategy that many people miss:

Your time away is as important as your deep work.

Stephen links:

Get your Free Pattern//Breaker WorkBook:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/patternbreaker

Download the Pattern//Breaker Workbook + Email Coaching to Rebuild Identity & Take Focused Action in Under 90 Days

✅ Get clarity on your hidden resistance (with AI-powered prompts)
✅ Build a 90-day plan grounded in identity, not hustle
✅ Shift from “knowing” to “doing” in one afternoon

Visit the website:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/

Follow me here:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Big love,
ST

Welcome to Self-Performance Strategies Podcast.

Our first longer form session:

Performance Origins with Clint Murphy

Performance Origins episodes are deep dive conversations exploring how successful business owners, executives, and leaders used their self-performances to create the life and business they have. 

Clint is is a husband and father to two young boys. By day, he's a chief financial officer, and in the evenings, he reads, invests, writes a fantasy novel series and hosts the Pursuit of Learning Podcast.

In this episode, we have a deep conversation about Clint's journey from being overweight and on the sofa to completing Ironman's and exploding on Twitter with over 135K followers. 

Check Clint out here:
https://twitter.com/IAmClintMurphy

Clint's website:
thegrowth.guide

Stephen links:

Get your Free Pattern//Breaker WorkBook:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/patternbreaker

Download the Pattern//Breaker Workbook + Email Coaching to Rebuild Identity & Take Focused Action in Under 90 Days

✅ Get clarity on your hidden resistance (with AI-powered prompts)
✅ Build a 90-day plan grounded in identity, not hustle
✅ Shift from “knowing” to “doing” in one afternoon

Visit the website:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/

Follow me here:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Big love,
ST

How to execute at pace.

Welcome to the Self-Performance Strategies Podcast.

​
​Main quote:

"Ideas are easy. It's the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats."

-Sue Grafton

Main takeaways:

Something that takes many people a long time to learn

(me included)

​
​Is that you've got to execute at pace.

​

You've got to execute at pace because it allows you to get feedback much faster.

You can pivot

You can adjust

You can go again

​
Way too many people have made up excuses in their minds why things won't work and never validate them.

But I've got to ask you this quick question...

​

When's the last time an idea in your mind paid your bills?

​

Test-Learn-Adapt

​

How do you execute at pace?

It is helpful to have several mental models that help you take action.

The one I have found extremely helpful in life is:

Test-Learn-Adapt

​
A simple three-step loop you use to keep executing and creating results.

​

Test:

"Everything is a test."

-Terry Pratchett

​

One of the most critical parts of a success journey is seeing everything as a test.

Your pride or ego might take failure and defeat more personally when first starting out.

It is key to get over this quickly and see everything as one giant feedback loop.

​

Learn:

"It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer."

-Albert Einstein

​

Never stop learning when you put content out, do work, or complete a project.

Look for the wins; look for the areas you could improve.

Working like this gives you ideas and fuel for your next test.

You tap into the power of continuous improvement and momentum.
​

Adapt:

"Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

-George Bernard Shaw

​

The final part of this model is adaptation.

Take what you have learned from your test and pivot with what you think will be an improvement.

You won't always get positive results.

But you will get results, and with this model, results are all that matter.

​
​Now go out and test-learn-adapt yourself to success.

​
​

Stephen links:

Get your Free Pattern//Breaker WorkBook:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/patternbreaker

Download the Pattern//Breaker Workbook + Email Coaching to Rebuild Identity & Take Focused Action in Under 90 Days

✅ Get clarity on your hidden resistance (with AI-powered prompts)
✅ Build a 90-day plan grounded in identity, not hustle
✅ Shift from “knowing” to “doing” in one afternoon

Visit the website:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/

Follow me here:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Big love,
ST

Episode 14: Are you fulfilling your potential?

Welcome to the Self-Performance Strategies Podcast

This week we are talking about fulfilling your potential

​
​Main quote:

"The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a

new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be

released and channelled toward some great good."

― Brian Tracy

​

Main takeaways:

Help yourself fulfill your potential

​

You have the ability to tell others how capable they are and help them tap into their potential.

But you often lack the perspective or ability to see your potential.

This is why it is vital to have big goals and journal daily; you need to tap into your potential daily.

​

A useful weekly exercise is to ask yourself:

What was the most significant struggle I faced last week?

Then ask

How would I advise a friend dealing with this struggle?

Questions like this will help you gain perspective quickly and help you on the path to your potential.

​
​

What happens when you don't take action to fulfill your potential?

​

Life can be a spiral. Sometimes you travel up it, and other times slide down it.

When you work to fulfill your potential, you spend most of your time travelling up it.

You can continuously slide into trouble when you don't.

​

When spiraling down, you will experience these traps:

​

Lack of motivation

When you are not moving towards goals that align with your potential, you find it hard to get work done.

This is why you dislike busywork as a business owner or a corporate employee; it doesn't move you towards tangible results. There is no joy in the work.

​

Increased stress

It slowly builds chronic stress when you are constantly working on projects you have no interest in.

Like the death of thousand paper cuts, it will build over time until you snap.

You don't notice it on day one, but you will by day one thousand.

​

Cheap dopamine

In response to the stress and the lack of motivation from not working towards your potential, you will look for cheap dopamine TV, social media, movies, porn, etc.

You distract yourself with "fun" activities to suppress your pain, one of the worst traps to be in.

​

Addictions

Addictions don't happen overnight; they come from unresolved pain in life.

The more you suppress the pain, the worse the addictions can get. Porn, drugs, drinking, and abusive behaviour can become coping mechanisms to avoid the pain of unused potential in life.

​

Relationship trouble

When you don't fulfill your potential, have no direction in life, and seek cheap dopamine leading to coping mechanisms, You will push loved ones away and find it hard to develop loving and meaningful relationships.

Not a fun place to be.

​

Anger

You become angry at the world, but you are mad at yourself; the only way to overcome the anger of not moving towards your potential is to take 100% responsibility for your life.

This is the moment you suck it up and realize it's all in your hands. Control what you can.

​

Depression

It's hard to admit, but if you have spent months or years dealing with any of the above, you may have some level of depression.

But, with awareness comes the ability to do something about it, and you can pull yourself out with help and work towards your potential.

​

Summary:

As a Business Owner or Leader improving your personal performance is how you fulfill your potential while defeating procrastination and creating impactful results.

​

Stephen links:

Get your Free Pattern//Breaker WorkBook:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/patternbreaker

Download the Pattern//Breaker Workbook + Email Coaching to Rebuild Identity & Take Focused Action in Under 90 Days

✅ Get clarity on your hidden resistance (with AI-powered prompts)
✅ Build a 90-day plan grounded in identity, not hustle
✅ Shift from “knowing” to “doing” in one afternoon

Visit the website:

https://www.stephentimoney.com/

Follow me here:

Twitter

LinkedIn

Big love,
ST