Hey Folks!  Tommy “Tahoe” Alaimo here.  Welcome back to The Weekly Six-Pack where I share the six best things I’m enjoying, thinking about, and experiencing each week.

Quote of the Week

“Life is happening for us, not to us.”

– Tony Robbins

 

Weekly Six-Pack
Here are the 6 things to check out this week:

  1. I’m looking to up-level my knowledge in tech, startups and SaaS and asked for book recommendations. Here’s what the people of Twitter said (thanks to everyone who chipped in). What would you add?
  2. I dove head first into “Building A Story Brand” by Donald Miller. Highly recommend for anyone in sales or marketing.
  3. My girlfriend and I just bought the Jerusalem cookbook and have basically lived off of hummus and lamb the past 3 days. 
  4. This Rich Roll podcast talking about gut health was super interesting. My takeaway: a diversity of different foods and plants (rather than always eating the same things) can do wonders for your health.
  5. If you’re looking to be inspired, look no further than Maria Menounos talk about using humor and positivity to overcome serious health issues with Ed Mylett. 
  6. I enjoyed this article from Ryan Holiday on the definition of success. 

 

This Week

I’ve been obsessed with decision making recently. How do the brightest people make the biggest decisions in their lives? The professional cross in the path, who their life partner is, where they live, etc. And what exactly is a “big moment” anyways?

 

I’ve seen two trains of thought on “big moments”. One is to acknowledge them and plan accordingly and the other is to treat all moments equally regardless of their significance.

 

In the latter camp is sports psychologist Michael Gervais. In a podcast episode, he told me that there are no such things as “big moments”. Every day has the same 24 hours and he’d prepare for a championship fight the same way he’d prepare for a normal practice day. This mindset helps to take the pressure off that we might feel before a big game, a meeting with our boss or other major life event.

 

On the other side of the fence is Bill Belichick. The ultimate planner, he is known for preparing for every possible event in a game or season. The Patriots even practice what their Halftime routine will be during their Super Bowl runs, because of the extended delay that J-Lo’s dancing causes. The benefit of this level of preparation is to provide comfort and confidence that you can handle any situation life throws you.

 

Which of these positions is more helpful? I’m not sure there’s a correct answer.

 

In either direction, I believe the first way to make a decision – whether “big” or not – is to create and follow your principles. Legendary investor Ray Dario likens principles to recipes for success that he can apply in various scenarios. Principles can help guide everything from your morning routine to your career path to your home-life balance (or lack thereof).

 

Let’s make this more tangible. I’ve been hunting for a new career opportunity (for reasons we can get into another day) for the past few months. In addition to it being potentially the worst job market in a century, I had another obstacle to overcome: I’d never changed jobs before. The longer we live, the fewer “firsts” we have.

 

How do I do something I’ve never done before? Follow my principles.

 

One of my key life principles is to always have a Growth Mindset and to prioritize learning. Similar to investing thousands of dollars now to make a million later, I want to double down on learning in my 20s and 30s so I can have freedom and opportunities later in life.

 

This puts me on the right path – find a challenging role, a growing company, a leader you’ll learn from – but it can only narrow your view so much.

 

And while principles can lead you to the right path, I believe the final decision has to be made from your gut.

 

This may sound weird but I hear my gut best when I’m alone and it’s quiet. It could be early morning or late at night, when the rest of the world is asleep and I’m alone with my thoughts.

 

There’s a feint whisper. You may have heard it before too, saying “you should write that book”, “he’s not the right guy for me”, “what the hell was I thinking?”

 

One morning recently, that voice came to me and told me what to do.

 

Principles were Dwayne Wade throwing the ball in the direction of the hoop and my gut was King James slamming it home with authority.

 

So I did a thing. I put my name on a DocuSign this week, embarking on a new challenge. I have a few weeks of battery recharging and then it’s full tilt into the new opportunity.

 

Guided by principles, finished by gut.

 

And for what decision was? You’ll have to stay tuned 🤫

 

Liked what you read? Check out my new sales eBook:

 

BUY IT HERE