Husband, High Performance & Productivity Coach, writer, speaker, financial & strategy advisor, nutrition & wellness consultant, entrepreneur, Ironman triathlete.

Sounds like a lot right? Comes across as dubious: no one can be active in so many areas and do well in all of them!

That's exactly why I got into High Performance & Productivity Coaching: to teach everyone who (like me) hates mediocrity that being a high performer is something which can be taught: my mission here is to teach you the tools (key word: "tools!") to achieve more in your life than you've ever done before. 

Here is my story:

My journey into High Performance Coaching started from a young age through a deep-rooted passion for teaching combined with an absolute hatred for mediocrity.

At school: When I was 14 years old, I taught myself about the newly evolving world of personal computers. A few months later, I landed my first paying job at my own school, teaching other kids about computers. To encourage my work ethic, my dad was matching whatever the school was paying me.

In college: I learned how to assemble computers from spare parts. I then started buying parts, assembling computers and selling them. In addition, I tutored a number of classmates on various topics, ranging from biology (when I was a pre-med undegrad) to finance (when I was in business school).

In my career: This passion for teaching continued through my career in investment banking, where I dedicated considerable time and effort to nurture and guide young talent.

On the flip-side, I've always been cognizant of the saying "those who can't, teach", so I went out of my way to excel at whatever I was doing, setting an example and "living what I preach".

I hit a low spot in 2008-9. Some may look at that period of my life as exactly the opposite: a period of achievement. I was a successful investment banker with a big Wall Street firm, and then I moved on to establish and run the regional office for one of the world's largest and most respected hedge funds. 

So yes, on the career side, things were going great. But on the personal front, my world was falling apart: family (on the rocks), health (chronic fatigue syndrome), fitness (~20kg overweight), no motivation and no sense of purpose. 

To cut a long story short, I decided on one fateful evening to take a hard look at my life and resolved to pursue what truly makes me happy and fulfilled. I wanted to die (hopefully many decades from now) having "lived". 

There is a quote by Brendon Burchard which resonates so well with me, and which I'll paraphrase here: what matters to me when I'm going to leave this world is: "did I live", "did I love", "did I matter"?

I'm certainly not the only one who gets to a point where she/he feels that a complete overhaul of their life is overdue and necessary. But where most people falter is when they realize that they MUST do something, but they don't know what that "something" is...

So they try dieting, going to the gym, changing jobs, moving countries, changing wardrobe, etc.  They embark on what I like to call a "trial and error approach to life". 

I've tried it. I've seen people try it. Its failure rate is 99.9%: there is that 0.1% chance that you might stumble on something that's a "revelation", but that is rare. 

So I started "project managing" my life. As a corporate advisor, I developed the skills to develop a step by step plan to help companies go from mediocrity to excellence. This entailed a multi-pronged approach: 

  • Identify the most critical areas (no more than 3-4)

  • Take a hard and honest look at them and assess them

  • Develop a clear plan to push EACH area's performance upwards

  • Build a habit of: assess, progress, assess, progress

So I approached my own life the same analytical way: 

I identified the most critical areas, assessed them objectively, developed a plan and started religiously executing and reassessing. 

But hold on: there is nothing special about me that allows me, but not you, to do the same! I just learned and developed tools! And believe me: these tools can be used by ANYONE seeking to improve their lives!

Since I started this journey:

  • I went from 92kgs to 78kg

  • I am fitter today than I've been since college

  • I completed Ironman triathlons, ultramarathons, 5 half-Ironmans, and dozens of other endurance events

  • I regained the trust and love of my beautiful wife

  • I visited and invested in East Africa, and even ran on the trails that produce Olympic marathon legends

  • I started a blog that quickly gained popularity, and transformed that into a full website and now business

  • I started (and continue) to coach athletes, from beginners to top-level athletes and consult for Olympic teams

  • I mentor entrepreneurs as well as senior executives

  • I read on average 1-2 books and 40-50 blogs and research papers every week

  • I sleep at least 7 hours every day

  • I spend at least 2 "quality" hours with my wife every day

  • I feel energized, present, enthusiastic about life EVERY SINGLE DAY

  • I teach...

Again, none of this makes me special: I learn, I adapt and create tools, and I use them to better my life on all fronts. 

You can do the same, and don't let anyone (including your own mind) tell you otherwise. 

Tony
#neversettle