2mm Off Course: the Game-Changer You’ve Been Ignoring

Small Changes, Massive Results: Why Self-Awareness is the Game-Changer You’ve Been Ignoring

Introduction:

One of the first principles I took to heart was Jack Canfield’s Success Principle #1: You are responsible for 100% of what happens to you. Although I stumbled upon this wisdom in my early 20’s, it took nearly 15 years of trials and tribulations to truly grasp its significance.

While the topic of self-development can get deep fast, today we’ll discuss the importance of minor changes that lead to huge results, the avoidance of suffering, and the development of sustainable routines and approaches to enhance our lives with.

Imagine this: You're standing on a golf course, club in hand and ready to impress your peers. You swing. A mere 2mm off, and your ball lands yards away from the target. Although you have practice and relied on this swing while playing alone, it resulted in disaster around others.

The same applies to self-awareness and improvement. A 2mm change (less sugar, more I Love You, 10 minutes of exercise, etc) can lead to a different result in short periods of time, and it all begins by understanding ourselves and our habits.

Ever wondered how these minor misalignments in life can set you off course by miles? That’s where self-awareness comes in—it’s the coach that points out your poor form, illuminating the areas you are unaware of that could lead to the success you seek.

A 2mm mistake can throw your whole game off. Are you letting small errors impact your life's trajectory?

Your Own Lens vs. Others’ Expectations:

Think back to your early days—blasting your favorite band in your room, feeling the tremble of the bass against your chest. For many of us, our early experiments were rebellions against emotionally uncomfortable frameworks. I myself traded Sunday school for a heavy metal stage and later, the wild freedom of extreme sports over the certainties of college. Through all the amps and adrenaline, what I really sought was myself.

But I stumbled and suffered plenty on my way to answers. To acquire a set of solid principles and beliefs to live my life by took multiple — and massive — failures, until I found balance between extremes.

Discovering self-awareness and its ramifications through experience, I became adept at improving without the pain: changing behaviors, beliefs, and reactions that I believed were an integral part of me, but that worked against my dreams and personal goals.

Self-awareness, like in my case, is your personal compass, helping you navigate through a world that hands you maps but conveniently forgets to mark the true north. Understanding yourself before trying to adapt to countless others will give you solid footing to start any journey, and the reassurance that clarity of mind translates into peace of mind.

📝 Exercise: Write down an early experience where you defied unreasonable expectations. How did it make you feel?

Invisible Forces That Hold You Back:

Picture a high-stakes poker game. You're dealt a good hand, but your opponent? A combination of fear, ignorance, fear of being ignorant, and fear of admitting it. This invisible beast bluffs with unwritten rules, like the expectation to match your wealthier partner’s lifestyle or to get a degree in exchange for your parents' unconditional love. And boy, do unwritten pressures have a poker face.

I was raised under strict religious guidelines, somewhat reluctantly, and taught to avoid worldly pursuits and to succumb to others, or burn in eternity if I opposed. But an unexplainable force within me took precedent, and I explored, tried, and tested different approaches and principles until I came up with a better set of conclusions. It also helped to ask myself “how am I creating the situations I despise?” That marked the beginning of self-awareness and assertiveness, or at least inner peace.

Self-awareness gives you the advantage in life's high-stakes game.

Decisions Against Our Better Judgement:

Ever find yourself pushing a cart down the grocery aisle, only to realize it’s loaded with sugary snacks? It's like walking into a casino rigged against you. You're playing, but you can't win. We work harder to have more money so we can have more time (sooner or later), but find ourselves without one or the other in an endless cycle of a meaningless pursuits. This pushes us into a self-defeating downward spiral that's difficult to escape, eventually leading us into emotional despair.

Self-awareness lets you see the trap before you walk in, exposing many patterns you embody without knowing—or asking yourself—why. By understanding the underlying reasons behind your actions, you will gain clarity and regain self-control. Many of our habits resemble death by a thousand cuts, with results that can be undone and improved at a similar pace.

📝 Exercise: Next time you indulge in things that don’t align with your beliefs, pause before acting. How will your actions actually serve your goals?

Fear and Your Journey Ahead:

Remember those horror movies where the protagonist walks into a dark room and the tension builds? Fear is that dark room. Your senses tell you something's off, but you can't see the danger. The same goes for those invisible barriers that prevent you from being yourself or making choices that align with your deepest moral and ethical beliefs.

Self-awareness is the flashlight revealing what's hidden in the shadows, allowing you to confront it, deal with it, and move on. Exposing yourself to new situations will shed light on who you are, what you like, and how to overcome your fears. Perhaps you’ve been labeled as shy since an early age, but you later realize you love Toastmasters. Many live their lives through the lenses of others' beliefs or expectations, and self-awareness is the key to these invisible handcuffs.

Shine a light on your fears. You may find they aren't as scary as you thought.

Resisting Pressure:

Let's say you’re at a bar (that you don’t want to be at), and everyone is encouraging you to take another shot. You hesitate. This is your 2mm moment. Ask yourself, “If peer pressure was off the table, would I still take this shot?” Some fear the disapproval of their friends, take the shot, and drive home, only to end up in jail.

But if the answer is no, congratulations, you’ve just corrected your life’s trajectory by 2mm, which will land you miles away from disaster. You have defeated an invisible boss, fear or undesired consequence, to prioritize your well-being and relationship with yourself. At the end of the day, it's you who suffers and faces the consequences of others' expectations, while they carry on without second thoughts.

📝 Exercise: For a week, jot down moments when you felt pressured to make a decision. Were they in line with your values?

Conclusion:

While these are mere examples of the importance of self-awareness and how it impacts our lives, to uncover oneself is a life-long pursuit, one that makes life well worth living.

In the grand course of life, self-awareness isn’t just your caddy—it’s your pro-level coach, your state-of-the-art club, and your perfect swing technique all rolled into one. To know yourself is to abide by the person that matters most, to reap the emotional (and related) benefits, and become a positive ripple of change for yourself and those you love.

Sometimes a 2mm adjustment that can turn your bogeys into hole-in-ones.

Make the 2mm adjustments in life and celebrate your victories.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate you.

Until next time,

Victor.

If you’re interested in how self-awareness transformed my life and helped me find the ultimate treasures: Love, Purpose, and Peace, check out my new book “No Grail Without Dragons”. In it, I share my massive experiences, darkest moments, and the mindset shifts that helped me navigate life's toughest challenges.

No Grail Without Dragons: A Man's Unconventional Path to Love, Purpose, and Peace.