You’re not stuck because you don’t know enough. Right now, someone less qualified than you is getting promoted. Someone less attractive is crushing it in relationships. Someone with fewer skills is making more money than you.
The brutal truth? You’re stuck because you’re in your own head. You’re your biggest obstacle, and I’m about to show you exactly how to get out of your own way.
The Winner Effect: Your Secret Weapon
Here’s something fascinating. When Mike Tyson got out of prison, they didn’t throw him against heavyweight champions. They put him against “tomato cans” easy knockouts that built his confidence. A few quick wins later? He reclaimed the World Heavyweight Championship.
Scientists proved this with mice too. When they drugged one mouse’s opponent to guarantee a win, that “winner” mouse kept dominating future fights against normal, undrugged opponents.
Winning creates momentum. But here’s the kicker: your brain can’t tell the difference between something you vividly imagine and something you actually experience. Ever watch someone doing crazy parkour on your phone and feel your palms sweat? That’s your brain treating imagination as reality.
This works both ways. When you take action, you tap into the winner effect and gain energy. When you don’t, you slip into what I call the “loser effect.” That psychological weight you’re carrying from all those things you should be doing? That’s not laziness. That’s the loser effect crushing your momentum.
I learned this the hard way. When I was focused on hitting one million subscribers, I posted five shorts daily and filmed three videos weekly. Everything felt effortless because I was in creative flow. But after hitting that milestone, something shifted. I started overthinking every post: the script, lighting, audio, pacing. Posting became this massive production that happened once a week.
The solution? Document your wins daily. Write down five wins every day, no matter how small. Made your bed? Win. Sent that email? Win. Had a good conversation? Win. Your brain will start noticing more wins everywhere, creating that positive feedback loop you desperately need.
Motion vs. Action: The Clarity Trap
James Clear nailed this distinction. Motion is planning, researching, strategizing. Action is rolling up your sleeves and doing the actual work.
Motion feels productive, but it doesn’t produce results. You research the perfect workout plan, find the best supplements, read about intermittent fasting. Action? You show up at the gym for five straight days or prepay for 20 training sessions.
Here’s the trap we all fall into: “If I could just have more clarity, then I could take action.” But I’ve learned something counterintuitive in over a decade of creative work. You don’t get clarity so you can take action. You get clarity BY taking action.
Want to find your YouTube niche? Stop researching and start filming. The feedback you get from actually creating will show you what resonates and what doesn’t. You’ll cut years off your journey by producing more content, not by planning the perfect content.
The 10-10-10 Rule: Your Decision Filter
Before making any decision, ask yourself: Will this matter in 10 minutes, 10 months, or 10 years?
Want to approach someone attractive but feel nervous? In 10 minutes, you might feel slightly rejected. In 10 months, you won’t even remember it. In 10 years? Not a chance.
Want to post that video even though you feel awkward? Same thing. The temporary discomfort fades fast, but the potential upside compounds.
But here’s where it gets powerful: Flip the question. If you DON’T do this, what happens in 10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years?
Don’t film that content for your business? In 10 minutes, you’ll feel relief from avoiding the discomfort. In 10 months, you’ll start seeing the negative effects of lost opportunities. In 10 years, you’ll be in the exact same spot, wondering “what if.”
This rule changed everything for me as a drummer. At 18, I asked myself: “Is what I’m doing now good enough to achieve my dream of being a professional drummer?” The harsh answer was no. I could be the world’s best drummer, but if nobody knew I existed, I had zero chance.
So I put a drum cam on YouTube and filmed myself playing my favorite songs. Eight years later, someone named Andrew found those videos and invited me to tour worldwide, opening for major bands. My childhood dream became reality because I chose action over motion.
Your Move
You have everything you need right now to start moving forward. The people in the rooms you want to be in aren’t smarter than you. They’re just willing to ask questions, take action, and tap into the winner effect instead of getting stuck in endless motion.
Stop killing the part of you that’s willing to be cringe. Kill the part that cringes at taking action.
Start documenting your wins today. Choose action over motion tomorrow. Use the 10-10-10 rule for every decision that scares you.
The gap between where you are and where you want to be isn’t knowledge. It’s action. And you already know what your next move should be.
What’s the one action you’ve been avoiding that could change everything? Do that first.
If this post sparked a thought, shifted your mindset, or gave you something meaningful — don’t let it end here.
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