.They looked at me and said, “Hey, Coach Fergie, every time I leave the store, even for a few minutes, I feel guilty.” Now understand, the business wasn’t struggling, customers weren’t walking out, nothing was falling apart. So I asked a simple question, “What happens when you stop?”

There was a long silence, and then they said, “I don’t know what to do with myself.” Boom. That wasn’t a business problem. That was an identity problem.

See, sometimes we convince ourselves we’re disciplined, when in reality we’re just afraid to sit still long enough to hear the thoughts we’ve been running from. There’s a huge [00:01:00] difference. Discipline helps you do hard things. Avoidance keeps you from doing things so you never have to feel the hard things.

From the outside, they look exactly the same. Both people are working, both people are producing, both people are winning. While one is building a life, the other is escaping one. So let me leave you with three coaching challenges this week. First, schedule ten minutes of silence. No phone, no music, no distractions, just you.

And I’ve did this, squad. It is tough just sitting by yourself. Nothing. Can’t sleep, no phone, no distractions, just you. One thing I can tell you is really concentrate on your breath and maybe just count the breaths. Okay. Secondly, ask yourself this question: What am I trying not to think about? Don’t judge the answer, just be honest.

And finally, remember this: your work is something you do, it’s not who you are. Because if you can only feel valuable when you’re producing, you’ll never truly experience peace. The strongest people I know aren’t the ones who never stop. They’re the ones who can work with intensity and rest without guilt.

And if you’re struggling with anything, [00:02:00] maybe, like being by yourself or feeling like the work’s never done, please give me a call directly. Two four eight- seven three nine six three six two.

Again, two four eight- seven three nine six three six two. Two four eight- seven three nine six three six two, or go to timetoshinetoday.com/hop or timetoshinetoday.com/hop for Our Power. So until next week, again, stay uncommon. Get out there, live, laugh, love, and thank you so much for everything that you do and all the support.

If you like it, please hit the like button. If you feel someone who might need this, please pass it on to them. So again, until next week, absolutely love your guts.