Aerial View:

• Intro thoughts

• Mindful Minute: "I don't operate that way."

• Conscious Consumer: FROPRO Snack Bars

• Quote of the week

• 3 key questions to reflect on

Welcome back men. Wanted to start this edition with a quick moment of gratitude for you. Thank you for being here. I am incredibly humbled and grateful to be able to share my thoughts with you in this format. With each passing day, and each passing journal entry, poem, or thought that I jot down, I deepen my love for writing. Being able to share some of those thoughts with you here adds an entirely different dimension to it and has become truly special to me.

My business has an email list of over 180,000 people, and an Instagram account with about 100,000 followers. Which is cool, I suppose. But this intimate community here, all 109 of you, 110 including me, hits home differently. I’m learning so much on this journey of self growth, about myself, about others, about life. Writing about it helps me to understand it better. Sharing it here helps me to feel it deeper, knowing my words and experiences aren’t only impacting myself. It’s a really unique feeling and again, I thank you for being here and providing me this opportunity.

Alright, Monday, 8:04 PM EST, let’s get into it. Tonight, we’re talking confidence.

Mindful Minute: "I don't operate that way."

I’ve been writing a lot lately about confidence. This topic is on my mind quite often as of late, and for a handful of reasons. As I’ve gotten older, my confidence has grown immensely. I’ve had more life experiences, stacked a handful of wins, and learned through countless losses and mistakes. With each experience, I grow in one way or another. However, it is not the experiences alone that led to the self expansion I have experienced, but rather, what follows.

As evident by my proclivity for writing and the topics I explore, I am quite introspective. I spend serious time in my own head reflecting (a blessing and a curse.) These reflections are the breeding ground for the true learnings.

I often find myself reflecting deeply on my past, specifically on certain periods of my life when I felt on top of the world. I am thinking of one particular period right now. At the time, I viewed this as confidence. Looking at it now, I realize it was arrogance. 

The young, insecure me looked externally to derive confidence, ie: possessions or accomplishments, regularly comparing himself to others. I didn’t have what I envisioned as successful, and wasn’t proud of what I’d done, as there wasn’t much on that list. And so, I was coming up short on sources of confidence. Enter arrogance.

As I’ve evolved, my source of confidence has too. Rather than letting what I have or what I’ve done be the foundation for self esteem, I look at who I am. 

Insecurity disguised as arrogance has turned into authenticity embodied as confidence.

I repeat: I derive and build my self esteem from who I am, not what I have (or have not) accomplished. One is firmly rooted in the internal while the other stands foundationless in the external.

If you strip away all of the external, what are you left with? Yourself. Is that enough for you? If not, you have some work to do. It’s okay if you’re not where you want to be with this yet, you can start now. I assure you the work is truly invigorating and is always worth it.

I spoke to a good friend of mine recently, one who I hadn’t seen in about a year or so. As we sat there drinking our coffees catching up, he said something that really stuck with me. Little bit of context here: this guy owns and operates a very successful business in the which he services multiple massive corporate accounts- think some of the biggest name department stores out there. 

We were discussing the nature of these interactions and the communication that ensues within. He highlighted how they are entirely transactional, and lack any real human decency on the corporate side. But then he said something that really held extreme power. He said “But I don’t operate that way.” It was likely insignificant to him in the moment, but it sent me into an immediate internal analysis. He said it so simply and perfectly in stride, with natural, effortless confidence, which was the inspiration for today’s edition.

We talked about how the smaller clientele (by business size) relationships have an entirely different dynamic to them. Notice the word relationship in there? Exactly. Real, robust, meaningful relationships. Sure, they are built around business and involve transactions, but there is much more to them than that.

He maintains that personal, real, human, approach across his entire client list, even to those that do not reciprocate. And as a result, he knows (consciously and subconsciously) that he holds himself to the higher standard- the human standard.

It is from this place that he is able to derive deep rooted, authentic confidence, knowing that he “doesn’t operate that way” but plays by his rules- rules that put people first.

The old expression of “Character is what you say or do when no one else is looking” seems fitting here, but I’d like to add a line of my own. “Character is what you say or do when no one else is looking. Confidence is feeling proud of your character.” -Some guy & Dan Baird

Bruce Wayne is able to be confident not because of his actions as Bruce, but because of his actions as the Batman. No one else knows he is Batman, but no one else needs to know. HE knows. Thus, confidence is built in the shadows, and revealed in the light. (Superhero reference, nice, I know)

My father always said to us growing up “You always know when you’re doing the right thing, and you always know when you’re doing the wrong thing.” We must make deliberate efforts to be guided by and take action on that which we instinctively know is right. Not just sometimes, but all the time.

Remember, how we do one thing is how we do everything. 
Do the right thing, not only for others, but for yourself. You deserve it. 

A confident you starts here.

Conscious Consumer

Quote of the week

This quote makes me think about it’s application to the self. How to persuade yourself to be confident? Lead with integrity around the clock. Amplifying today’s topic. Become confident by knowing internally you’re dialed in with your authentic best self in each area of your life. When you know you left it all on the table, you feel proud and accomplished because it’s impossible to do anything more. Our best efforts are sufficient ALWAYS.

Rise and Reflect - 3 Questions to Inspire Impactful Action and Critical Reflection

1. What is ONE area in your life you can better align your actions with your internal moral compass?

2. Do you maintain the standard you set for yourself across each sector of your life?

3. What would the best version of myself do in this situation? That is the question you should ask yourself when faced with any decision making confusion.

My Ask of You

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Thank you for being here.

Sails up, eyes open.

Until next time,
Dan Baird