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September 25, 2024

The Value of Going Solo -- and How to Access Your Secret Superpower

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Hi Reader!

Thank you for checking out my newsletter 'GO FOR GREATNESS'!

I am so excited to share with you my humble insights on self-improvement topics for business, life, and everything in-between.

The goal of this newsletter is to help you achieve personal greatness, whatever that may mean for you in your life.

Self-Improvement. Self-Reliance. Solo-preneurship.

These three topics really resonate with me more than any other.

If you were to review my internet search history over the past year, you would see these three topics dominate it 1000%.

And it shows in pretty much every aspect of my life.

For example:

• Far too easily I get sucked into self-help books such as “How To Win Friends & Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, and “The 12-Week Year” by Brian Moran – I’ll occasionally spend hours of an afternoon (by accident) reading and burning holes in my notebook.
• My wife and I regularly spend time leading self-reliance groups with our church, focused on helping individuals and families with personal finances, finding a better job, or starting a business in a mastermind group setting.
• I’m actively working on building my own personal brand/business based on microblogging, weekly newsletters, books, and courses.
• I also have (crazy) dreams of building my own barndominium someday by myself with the help of my family (and sub-contracting out only where necessary).

Just the other day I took a step back and realized there’s a lot of ‘self’ and ‘solo’ in these topics. And before you jump the gun and call me a narcissist, I assure you that it’s not that I’m self-centered or only thinking about myself.

Rather, I’ve recognized the reason for this is I feel a profound sense of accomplishment when I get something done without calling on an ‘expert’ to do it for me.

My crazy habits and wild dreams come from this personal philosophy – I internally believe I am extremely capable and want the satisfaction of completing all that I can by myself before reaching out for help from others.

This singular tenet is the core of why coaching others is valuable.

Helping others see what they can’t see in themselves and getting them to believe it with so much passion that they start taking action to change their situation.

I’ve had the privilege of coaching many dealership technicians and service management teams during my professional career.

In almost every encounter, I’ve witnessed a sense of hopelessness – throwing frustrated hands up in the air and asking for escalted help because they have already tried ‘everything’.

And I’m not trying to call anyone out here – I truly believe that they (in most cases) have really done all they can before asking for help.

But it got me thinking.

Why do so many of us only ask for help when all hope has been replaced with despair?

What is it about people that we refuse to get help before reaching our wit’s end?

Needless to say, necessity is often a reason – maybe all you’ve got to rely on is yourself sometimes.

But I believe an underlying factor is also the desire to be great.

My 3-year-old is a prime example of this.

Anytime he wants to put his shoes on (and we’re rushing out the door), or putting clothes on, or washing his hands, or brushing his teeth, or buckling his car seat straps or countless other examples, if I try to intervene and help him, he SCREAMS:

“NO! I go do it!”

He refuses my help, or my wife’s help, when we offer it.

Though he’s clearly struggling, he insists on doing it himself.

From an outside perspective, it seems like silly behavior. So why does he do it?

Simple.

He wants to be a big boy.

That is his underlying, motivating factor – his vision of greatness for himself.

Even when little boys grow up, the same motivation is there, though it will manifest itself in different ways for different people.

But trying to do everything yourself can be a downfall. Self-reliance taken too far can lead to self-righteous pride – and may instead lead you to helpless isolation.

Even the DIY enthusiasts armed with the world’s greatest supply of Duct Tape and butter knives require external help at times. No one on this earth is capable of doing everything alone.

If you get stuck in the pit of despair from trying to dig yourself out of the hole you’re in, put down your shovel and remind yourself that the opposite of despair is hope.

Literally – the etymology of the word ‘despair’ is from Latin ‘desperare’: de- ‘down from’ + sperare ‘to hope’.

Hope is a superpower.

Hope comes from a belief in a higher power.

Willingly choosing to accept the presence of a higher power will give you greater access to this superpower.

Personally, I find hope in Jesus. Others find strength from other sources.

From recent personal experiences, I know my family is receiving help from this higher power – this Hope has been our superpower lately.

I’m confident that your hope in a higher power coupled with a passionate belief in yourself and what you can accomplish will allow you to 'Go For Greatness'.

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To your success,

T. W. Mulder

P. S. On the topic of self-reliance, I've been working on something I find to be very exciting -- an email course targeted around coaching individuals on improving their personal finances.

My wife and I have been volunteering as Self-Reliance specialists in our church for over a year, leading 12-week discussion groups on Personal Finances, Business Growth, and Career Advancement.

We know the time commitment (multiple hours per week for 12-weeks) can be daunting, so that’s why we’ve created a 6-module email course to make learning more accessible. Each day for a week, the reader will receive a concise, actionable lesson straight to their inbox.

If that interests you, check it out!

Here's a sneak peek of the landing page. The course is still under construction, so nothing will happen yet if you sign up.

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