What if the finish line wasn’t the end of a journey, but the peace you could enjoy before it ends? In this episode, we share Drew’s recent “red dot” talk, titled ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’, where he shares the vulnerable story of how he learned not to chase potential beyond his health and happiness. We unpack some key insights from his talk, including his relationship with potential, what it looks like to accept the changes that life brings, and how to recognize and nurture healthy ambition. Our conversation also explores whether you can truly be both ambitious and happy and how to evaluate your goals based on what truly matters to you and your team. Tune in to gain practical tools and perspective shifts that can help you pursue success without losing yourself along the way!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Personal takes on ambition, work, and mental health behind this episode. [0:00:30]

• Drew’s “red dot” talk: how a health scare prompted a re-evaluation of his goals. [0:05:13]

• What your understanding of striving for potential can do to shape your life’s journey. [0:14:18]

• Reflections on the talk and Drew’s perspective on his delivery. [0:19:09]

• Unpacking the metaphor of the mind as an operating system. [0:25:04]

• Factors that led to Drew accepting the benefits of his new capacity. [0:33:00]

• Questions to ask to differentiate healthy ambition from unhealthy ambition. [0:44:10]

• Exploring whether you can be ambitious and happy at the same time. [0:50:00]

• Determining if a new goal is worth striving for (for you and your team). [01:01:05]

Quotes:

“The people in your life who love you, they don’t love you because of what you might be one day. They’re not in your life because they bought you low as a stock and they’re hoping to stick around until you finally pay off.” — Drew Dudley [0:09:40]

“Potential is the word other people use to describe how much money they think you should make.” — Drew Dudley [0:14:23]

“Finish lines are not the end of a journey. The finish line is the peace that you get to enjoy before the end of the journey.” — Drew Dudley [0:16:34]

“Do not chase your potential past your health and past your happiness.” — Drew Dudley [0:17:42]

“[Ask yourself:] whatever the things the people who love me the most value the most in me, how prevalent are those things in my workplace?” — Drew Dudley [0:41:41]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Field of Dreams

Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership

Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership