No One Wins Alone
Level 3: Master of the Mundane
Future Guardian! Here is the weekly Friday letter - and it’s an important one.
If it resonates with you, please feel free to share it.
What’s in todays newsletter?
Energy. The Biology of Energy and it’s magnetic attraction
Winning. Why it matters (it’s probably not why you think).
Purpose and full potential. What they mean and the process to achieving both.
This week as I'm writing, I'm taking more time out of my day to think.
I put words on the page and then I step outside into the beginnings of summer.
The warm embrace of the sun contrasted by the still quite cool breeze brushing past me and combing through the far too tall grass of my yard are my companions as I stand outside. The world silent beside the wind in the trees and the crunch of dry dirt under my feet.
It's the perfect opportunity to let go of thought and allow it to come back to me.
I ponder Identity - there's something about the concept that I need to write about,
But I realize a different idea is coming forward through the thoughts - like the breeze through the grass.
As the work of The Guardian Academy and Man Bites Dog1 come together, open doors reform opportunities and in general reflect back to me new emergence and things I am only now seeing in myself.
Writing here is my Engage the Field. Every word a step forward.
But,
It's only all coming together because of other forces ... other people.
The words may be really useful,
However they are not what makes it all come together.
...
I step away from my thoughts and let the words linger on the page ...
It's late now, and we're watching Attack on Titan.
A compelling story of fantasy.
With such a well crafted tension structure, I find the unrelenting cliffhangers and odd details that make you go "wtf does THAT mean?" to be so delectable.
As we addictingly watch from episode to episode, my eyes rivet themselves to the unfolding of the story,
Question after question revealed in new detail
And I scoff at the main character. (one of the main characters anyway)
Not because he's bad.
But because I see some of my much younger self in him.
He's a teenager puffed up with wild anger and arrogance that not only can he take on the entire world (enemy) by himself but that only he alone can defeat them.
I note in quiet tangent between episodes how well the characters match Dr Jeff's Life Lens Progression ...
But I set that thought aside for another time.
Heres how a scene might look with this character:
—
"I'm going to do it ..."
His brow furrows, his eyes narrow into daggers.
"I'm the only one who CAN do it."
He puffs his chest out.
His eyes wide and blaze with fury.
"It's ALL on my shoulders."
His breathing intensifies.
His anger pulsates throughout his body.
"I'M GOING TO KILL THEM ALL AND SAVE EVERYONE!!!!"
The arrogant adolescent rage painted into this character is so perfect.
I can remember that feeling.
That I'm better and more special than anyone.
That I alone am going to accomplish my task.
That no one else can do what I can do, see what I can see, and therefore I have to do it all myself.
All while ignoring every person around me making it possible.
Without spoiling the show,
I feel safe to say that after getting his ass handed to him over and over again, he finally realized that he's just a person ... just like everyone else. He's got his unique gifts, but so do they. They are all working together to see their goals happen and they all need each other.
Of course,
In that show (which is about humanity fighting against a force that's trying to exterminate them), the characters you watch have a clear unified objective to work together against.
In our everyday life,
It's far easier to think we are alone.
But no matter what your situation, the truth is, No One Ever Wins Alone.
This may be a lesson you can only viscerally fully learn. But I'll attempt to unpack what it means to me here, and how you might find this useful and accept the truth of it to move forward in achieving what you desire in life.
Energy
Lets get woo woo.
And actually, I'm going to reference a talk Dr. Jeff gave at our March 2024 TGA Event2. You can see the recording here if you are a TGA+ member. It's well worth the watch multiple times over.
The summary is this:
Our bodies are all made of cells which are all existing through vibrational frequencies. Our entire biology is a combination of vibrating energy.
And everywhere we go, we emit that energy.
Because we're all unique, have a unique makeup of cells, that means we actually all emit a unique frequency.
Not only do we have unique skills, abilities, personalities, but it all comes together to create a unique vibration.
And our vibration interacts with other people's vibrations.
All the time.
You can feel this. You may not be conscious of it, but you can feel what it's like to be near different people uniquely.
(Again, go watch that recording, it's a unique and powerful perspective, and Dr Jeff goes into so much more, I really just flit across the surface here)
Hold that thought for a moment on Energy,
It's important,
And I’ll bring it together with a few other pieces …
Winning
No one wins alone ... but what is winning?
In games of sport, this is clear. When you stand tall upon the podium above all other contenders. When you have the gold. When you are first cross the line.
You've won.
In the infinite game of life, how can you win?
There is no clear podium.
There is no finish line.
No matter what you might think there aren't other people you are standing in victory over.
Because the infinite game of live has no end point.
But you can still win.
In Attack on Titan it's simple. The only way they don't win is if they die. It's more clear cut of course - losing is death, winning is not being killed. The story creates this very nice delineation through the unified threat to their lives and existence.
But ... is that story all that dissimilar to real life?
The way you win is to not die.
How do you not die?
I think this is where the distinction lies. Because we humans are driven. We have a natural drive to do and create. To uplift ourselves and those around us. To have distinction.
We all have inner purpose built into our biology.
In AoT, their purpose is clear - to destroy the threat on their existence and set humanity free.
In our lives,
Our purpose lies in achieving something more than we are or have now.
I think we don't die (and therefore win) by pursuing our purpose.
After all,
If you don't pursue your purpose ... have you really lived?
Purpose
Purpose can be said to be many things ...
Aspirations. Goals. Achievement. Power. Family. Community. Leadership.
Whatever it is, I think Purpose is rooted in a desire to become.
What makes us who we are and how we live?
What drives us?
If we are stripped of our desire to become, would we not just lie down and die?
What else would we be? A biological form devoid of any drive other than to consume perhaps? But what would be the purpose of consumption if not to become something? Perpetuation?
I think humans have stepped beyond a basic biological drive of perpetuation, and that advancement lies in a drive to become.
The highest, clearest purpose to become which you can have is to live a life of Full Potential. A life of meaning where you are using your gifts to the fullest, having the greatest positive impact, where you are really becoming the best possible version of yourself you can be.
Personally,
I think that's what has brought me to fatherhood. I can't imagine a greater purpose and fuller potential than embracing the greatest creation we can be a part of - to be everything my children need me to be so they can grow beyond, and live their fullest potential.
No matter what, your life is a path that is yours alone to walk - you may (and will) walk it side by side with others, your path may (and does) support others.
But your path is still unique.
Walking the path of your Fullest Potential is the greatest Purpose we can have because it means we've lived our life as fully and as greatly as we can each uniquely possibly live it.
Full Potential
The following is an excerpt from our upcoming "Engage the Field Handbook”.
Dr. Jeff Spencer’s Three Potentials
The Three Potentials come from Dr. Jeff Spencer, Champion Maker and The Guardian Academy's Cornerman. According to Jeff there are three potentials.
1. Known Potential: This is what can be observed, tested and measured. Height, weight, speed, IQ, etc. Reaching your known potential can be done with hard work and a little bit of focus.
2. Unknown Potential: Unknown potential is an emergent property. You won’t be able to tap into it with more work or longer hours. It is something that is already inside of you, dormant. Unknown potential is awakened through exposure, proximity and receptivity:
Exposure to people, places and things that tease it out of you
Proximity to those people, places and things.
Receptivity, because it’s not going to be something taught directly to you.
Sometimes it’s overhearing a conversation between two people that awakens your unknown potential - and they don’t even know you heard it. Sometimes it’s just seeing how a group of people interacts.
When you do the work to reach your known potential and get the exposure and proximity to awaken your unknown potential the result is:
3. Full Potential: Exponential growth, impact and progress. Full potential is also an emergent property, it emerges when your known potential and unknown potential are reached simultaneously.
No One Wins Alone
If winning life is walking the path of your Full Potential,
And in order to achieve your Full Potential you need other people to help awaken that in you ...
Then theres no scenario where you can achieve your purpose alone.
But let's also bring back that energy.
Because what's really happening when you Engage the Field3 is that your unique energy vibration is going out there in the context of the thing you're trying to do and that energy vibration is interacting with everyone and everything else's energy vibration ...
And the result you are looking to observe is the emergence of combined energy vibrations.
As you do work, as you Engage the Field, you'll find yourself connecting with people who, for lack of a better word, you "vibe" well with. If you're Engaging the Field well and cultivating a sense of who you really are, having an understanding of what you really want then those people you connect with are likely also helping bring that out in you.
Even if you are connecting with people who you definitely DON'T vibe with, even if you end up working with someone who betrays your trust, someone who takes advantage of you, someone who seemingly gets in the way of your success ...
That still plays a roll in your path to win.
Remember it is all mirrors.4
As you Engage and learn and grow, your energy bounces off other people's energy and - while outcomes of engagement are emerging - your unique self is also being revealed in the reflections (if you pay attention).
Good, bad, neutral ... the reflections and the emergence of new outcome and behavior happens and benefits you.
Purpose, meaning, and living life are all realized through the combination and interplay between you and everyone else's uniqueness.
It just can't happen alone.
If you think you're alone, and you are growing and achieving things, look around you. There's people who are there supporting you. There are people involved who make it possible whether you realize or not, whether you acknowledge it or not.
We all stand on the shoulders of giants, and purpose willing, we may some day lift others above our own shoulders to grow as well.
That's Why The Guardian Academy Exists
Because No One Wins Alone.
We who make up TGA have come together to lift each other up because it is within this act and this practice and this field that we enact our known potential, discover our unknown potential,
And are able to live a life of Full Potential.
You are part of that.
You are here which means you have people who "vibe" with you (I know this because if you didn't connect on that level, you would have given up reading by now).
The Arena5 is an excellent example of this.
While Engaging the Field is an act of forcing interaction between your vibrational energies and others, The Arena is doing so in a way where you get to have people on your side amplifying your process by helping you understand what is emerging and what is being reflected, and how to keep going with that information.
It's a literal energetic force multiplier for the greatest thing we can do with our lives,
Live our purpose. Live our full potential.
All this comes together to paint one true picture:
Do the things.
Put your unique self out there.
Pay attention to what comes back.
And find your people who help you bring out your unknown potential.
That's how you live a life of Full Potential. That's how you live a life of purpose. That's how you "win" the infinite game of life.
Not Alone.
Be Useful. Be Present. Love the Journey.
Joseph Robertson, CMO The Guardian Academy
Engage in discussion with the author and TGA+ Community in the comments below - give us your 6WU and/or thoughts after reading. Together we make a rising tide that lifts all ships.
Ready to apply your ideas to reality? You may find our Engage the Field Handbook a useful and effective resource.6
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6wu: vibrations combined creates energetic force multiplier