WEBVTT 00:00:02.890 --> 00:00:05.389 Hi, and welcome to a new How Did You Make It? 00:00:06.089 --> 00:00:09.609 I'm Yusra, your host. And if you're a new joiner, 00:00:09.630 --> 00:00:14.689 I'm so glad you made it here. And if you're a 00:00:14.689 --> 00:00:18.010 regular, I'm glad you're still here. This podcast 00:00:18.010 --> 00:00:21.809 wants to empower you throughout your teenage 00:00:21.809 --> 00:00:25.570 life, but as well as a young adult. Because in 00:00:25.570 --> 00:00:28.989 this podcast, you'll get to meet different, brilliant 00:00:28.989 --> 00:00:34.049 humans. who had similar challenges as you're 00:00:34.049 --> 00:00:37.369 having as we speak. So they will tell you about 00:00:37.369 --> 00:00:39.750 their own life. They will tell you about their 00:00:39.750 --> 00:00:42.750 own story. But here's the thing, is that as they 00:00:42.750 --> 00:00:44.770 go through their story, they will share with 00:00:44.770 --> 00:00:48.189 you pieces of advice, tools and things that you 00:00:48.189 --> 00:00:52.789 can take home and leverage. And all of that to 00:00:52.789 --> 00:00:56.460 help you make it through those years. So we'll 00:00:56.460 --> 00:00:58.979 talk about their habits, their passion, their 00:00:58.979 --> 00:01:02.439 interest, every single thing that has shaped 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:08.640 them to help you move forward and make it. I 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:10.239 just want to mention one thing before we start. 00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:14.420 Do you remember last year, back in 2025 on the 00:01:14.420 --> 00:01:18.299 pod, some of the guests were mentioning how they 00:01:18.299 --> 00:01:20.099 would be super happy if you reach out to them 00:01:20.099 --> 00:01:21.719 and ask them questions about their path, about 00:01:21.719 --> 00:01:24.500 how they made it? And during episodes as well, 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:27.840 some were mentioning how they were highly inspired 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:32.739 by athletes for similar reasons. So given those 00:01:32.739 --> 00:01:36.620 two points, I was thinking, why not bring athletes 00:01:36.620 --> 00:01:40.359 behind the mics? Okay, some of them did not answer, 00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:43.340 but rejection is part of the process, right? 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:47.000 And I managed to get absolutely fantastic athletes 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:51.019 behind the mics for you for 2026 who have shared... 00:01:51.310 --> 00:01:54.409 incredible tools, incredible insights, incredible 00:01:54.409 --> 00:01:58.290 advice. And here we are. We are starting with 00:01:58.290 --> 00:02:01.590 Paul today. He lived in the United Kingdom before 00:02:01.590 --> 00:02:04.629 moving to China. So he's joining us from Shanghai. 00:02:04.890 --> 00:02:07.290 I'm not going to spoil you. So he will tell you 00:02:07.290 --> 00:02:10.870 what choices he made. So here, get ready to learn 00:02:10.870 --> 00:02:14.050 so much. And I have three things that are coming 00:02:14.050 --> 00:02:17.129 to mind as I'm introducing this episode is that 00:02:17.129 --> 00:02:21.680 you will learn how consistency, beats talents, 00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:25.620 how disciplines allows you to take more risks 00:02:25.620 --> 00:02:30.259 in your life. And another thing would be how 00:02:30.259 --> 00:02:33.919 visualization in your day to day can change your 00:02:33.919 --> 00:02:38.819 life. So let's get into it. Ready? Okay, take 00:02:38.819 --> 00:02:43.759 notes. Hi, Paul, and welcome to the podcast. 00:02:43.860 --> 00:02:46.680 I'm very happy to host you. So I'll just give 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:48.139 you the floor and let you introduce yourself. 00:02:49.129 --> 00:02:52.050 Sounds good. Thank you, Asra. Looking forward 00:02:52.050 --> 00:02:55.090 to this conversation, actually. And I was thinking 00:02:55.090 --> 00:02:58.229 about it today as I was coming back home and, 00:02:58.270 --> 00:03:01.990 yeah, I was just looking forward to it. So, you 00:03:01.990 --> 00:03:04.310 know, starting with the basics, I guess. You 00:03:04.310 --> 00:03:07.409 know, my name is Paul Ifrim. I just want to go 00:03:07.409 --> 00:03:10.770 back, I guess, back in time and sort of like 00:03:10.770 --> 00:03:12.569 capture that because I think that's important 00:03:12.569 --> 00:03:15.370 context, like moving into this conversation. 00:03:15.770 --> 00:03:20.479 So I grew up. in a small mountain town in the 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:23.759 Carpathian Mountains in Romania. And I think 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:26.280 as a child, you know, just looking back at my 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:28.479 experience, I used to spend a lot of time outdoors 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:32.539 in nature. I used to play a lot of sports, biking, 00:03:32.819 --> 00:03:35.259 hiking, skiing and snowboarding in the winter. 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:38.860 And later on, I got introduced to luge, which 00:03:38.860 --> 00:03:40.800 I'm, you know, we're going to unpack quite a 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:45.039 bit during today's conversation. And that happened 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:49.610 at around 10 years old. And that was, you know, 00:03:49.629 --> 00:03:52.310 from my dad, who happened to be the national 00:03:52.310 --> 00:03:59.069 team coach. And looking at sort of long story 00:03:59.069 --> 00:04:01.090 short, and again, although we're going to expand 00:04:01.090 --> 00:04:05.349 on this, reflecting on my, what ended up being 00:04:05.349 --> 00:04:09.490 about a decade and a half of competing professionally, 00:04:09.770 --> 00:04:14.550 it really was about the journey. And I keep reflecting 00:04:14.550 --> 00:04:17.959 on that. when you don't reach the ultimate goal, 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:22.319 right? It's how that journey was. And I consider 00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:27.800 that a very valuable lesson. And as of today, 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:29.300 I guess, you know, I lived in three different 00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:32.060 countries, you know, from Romania to the UK to 00:04:32.060 --> 00:04:35.000 China. Within China, I moved into two different 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:39.519 cities. And I went into teaching. After I ended 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:41.480 up my professional career, I went into teaching, 00:04:41.779 --> 00:04:46.259 did some coaching as well. after I decided to 00:04:46.259 --> 00:04:49.839 end that professional luge career and have been 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:52.680 into education ever since. I'm currently head 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:55.740 of PN Sports in an international school in Shanghai. 00:04:56.040 --> 00:04:58.779 I lived in Beijing four years prior to this. 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:03.839 And also in 2021, I've had the pleasure to sort 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:06.279 of be part of the coaching staff for the Chinese 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:10.120 national luge team here in China. And in every 00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:14.259 role, looking back, I've discovered one fundamental 00:05:14.259 --> 00:05:18.000 truth i guess and that's you know people generally 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:21.139 those are that are making it aren't necessarily 00:05:21.139 --> 00:05:24.319 the most talented ones but they're the ones that 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:27.379 generally show up they're the ones that are generally 00:05:27.379 --> 00:05:31.259 consistent and they're pushing through when it's 00:05:31.259 --> 00:05:34.040 hard and that's something that i'm hoping to 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:38.319 unpack a bit further today because so um yeah 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:40.980 looking forward to unpack this conversation with 00:05:40.980 --> 00:05:44.279 you today And so am I. Thank you so much for 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:46.939 this intro, Paul. And before we start talking 00:05:46.939 --> 00:05:49.279 about your teenage life, can you share with us 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:51.560 your definition of success? Looking from that 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:54.060 journey perspective and from that journey lens, 00:05:54.180 --> 00:05:56.319 I guess, it's about the journey, not necessarily 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:58.120 about the destination, right? And that's how 00:05:58.120 --> 00:06:00.740 I look at things. Success is not necessarily 00:06:00.740 --> 00:06:03.800 a destination that you reach. It's really a direction 00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:07.379 you keep walking in. And what I mean by that 00:06:07.379 --> 00:06:10.500 is... is doing the right thing all the time, 00:06:10.579 --> 00:06:14.439 you know, being consistent with that. But for 00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:21.019 me, that meant waking up early to train, you 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:24.839 know, in my early days. Not because someone forced 00:06:24.839 --> 00:06:27.740 me, but because you respect your craft and you 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:31.959 respect yourself and it's a case of being consistent 00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:35.259 with what you're trying to achieve. In education, 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:37.459 that looks probably something a bit different. 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:42.560 Success for me now means helping others, becoming 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:45.759 better humans. And generally speaking, I like 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:48.740 to look from that bigger perspective, right? 00:06:48.779 --> 00:06:51.240 Zooming out, not necessarily what we're doing 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:53.899 on a daily basis, but what's the ultimate goal 00:06:53.899 --> 00:06:58.819 here? And if I can touch on someone's life, if 00:06:58.819 --> 00:07:01.699 they can make even the tiniest improvement, then 00:07:01.699 --> 00:07:05.220 that's mission accomplished for me. So looking 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:08.819 at whether... Students leave my class with more 00:07:08.819 --> 00:07:11.500 discipline. Right now, you know, perhaps more 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:14.980 courage and perhaps having more clarity about 00:07:14.980 --> 00:07:18.959 what they're capable of doing. So success is 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:23.480 that consistency in small things. Success sometimes 00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:29.779 means failing well. You know, I didn't necessarily 00:07:29.779 --> 00:07:33.139 win at the Olympics, right? But I succeeded in 00:07:33.139 --> 00:07:36.089 how I responded to that. So it's what happens 00:07:36.089 --> 00:07:39.430 to us when it comes to how we're reacting to 00:07:39.430 --> 00:07:42.250 things, right? So I succeeded in using that as 00:07:42.250 --> 00:07:46.149 a fuel that helped me to become better, helped 00:07:46.149 --> 00:07:49.509 me with my daily habits. I had to define that 00:07:49.509 --> 00:07:52.790 in one sentence because I sort of touched on 00:07:52.790 --> 00:07:55.230 a few different things there. But if I had to 00:07:55.230 --> 00:07:58.350 define in one sentence, success is essentially 00:07:58.350 --> 00:08:01.689 becoming the person you know you're capable of 00:08:01.689 --> 00:08:06.370 becoming through small... daily habits that will 00:08:06.370 --> 00:08:09.610 essentially compound into who you are. There 00:08:09.610 --> 00:08:12.230 are so many takeaways already from the success 00:08:12.230 --> 00:08:15.470 piece. And there's something that stood out to 00:08:15.470 --> 00:08:19.430 me around respecting yourself, how showing up, 00:08:19.430 --> 00:08:23.550 how being consistent is you. Yes, you who's listening 00:08:23.550 --> 00:08:28.129 to us. Those are actions that are showing that 00:08:28.129 --> 00:08:30.129 you're respecting yourself, that you're respecting 00:08:30.129 --> 00:08:32.669 your craft, that you're respecting your ambitions. 00:08:33.470 --> 00:08:35.950 and everything that goes with it. And I'm sure 00:08:35.950 --> 00:08:38.129 we'll get back to everything you mentioned. So 00:08:38.129 --> 00:08:41.009 let's talk about your teenage life. So what can 00:08:41.009 --> 00:08:43.690 you tell us? What kind of students were you? 00:08:43.789 --> 00:08:46.710 What were your habits, your interests? Walk us 00:08:46.710 --> 00:08:50.669 through everything. Yeah, no, absolutely. Those 00:08:50.669 --> 00:08:53.009 are the best times, isn't it? They are. But yeah, 00:08:53.110 --> 00:08:55.690 I guess, you know, early on, I've discovered 00:08:55.690 --> 00:09:00.269 that I was set on... Everything that has to do 00:09:00.269 --> 00:09:03.009 with physical challenges. I had a love for sports. 00:09:03.509 --> 00:09:06.070 I, again, you know, growing up in nature, you 00:09:06.070 --> 00:09:08.629 know, playing sports all day long. That was my 00:09:08.629 --> 00:09:12.230 identity, you know, from early on. And I love 00:09:12.230 --> 00:09:16.169 testing myself. I wouldn't say, you know, I was 00:09:16.169 --> 00:09:19.850 necessarily the most naturally gifted athlete, 00:09:19.909 --> 00:09:22.289 you know, to start with. But I was, I had that 00:09:22.289 --> 00:09:25.750 obsession early on when it comes to pushing harder 00:09:25.750 --> 00:09:30.730 than everyone else. And that shaped really my 00:09:30.730 --> 00:09:34.450 identity. And I think that's still who I am today, 00:09:34.649 --> 00:09:38.230 right? But I really enjoyed, you know, throughout 00:09:38.230 --> 00:09:40.909 my, I guess, middle school years, anything that 00:09:40.909 --> 00:09:44.370 has to do with practical subjects. You know, 00:09:44.409 --> 00:09:46.269 I wasn't necessarily the kind of student that 00:09:46.269 --> 00:09:51.850 was sitting in the classroom and was memorizing 00:09:51.850 --> 00:09:54.450 a lot of stuff. And I was actually quite pushing 00:09:54.450 --> 00:10:00.259 back on stuff that nature. I just couldn't necessarily, 00:10:00.539 --> 00:10:03.019 I wasn't interested. Maybe that's a better word. 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:05.440 I wasn't necessarily interested in memorizing 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:09.259 just for the sake of memorizing things, right? 00:10:09.320 --> 00:10:13.000 I wanted to understand sort of what the logic 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:15.659 behind that is. This is so understandable. And 00:10:15.659 --> 00:10:19.000 for you who's listening to us, it's super important 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:22.440 that you keep that desire to understand why you're 00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:24.919 studying what you're studying and hold on to 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:29.080 it. It might uncover, interests that are yet 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:32.720 to come. The longer you hang on, by that I mean 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:35.620 studying to the best of your ability, the more 00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:39.379 opportunities you will get to identify what you 00:10:39.379 --> 00:10:42.580 are truly interested in. And this is exactly 00:10:42.580 --> 00:10:45.360 what we are doing on the podcast. Some guests 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:48.539 shared that they preferred math as they were 00:10:48.539 --> 00:10:51.340 able to problem solve. They needed something 00:10:51.340 --> 00:10:54.379 concrete where you had eventually a solution 00:10:54.379 --> 00:10:57.909 to find. while others shared their interest and 00:10:57.909 --> 00:11:00.870 love for history, as it allowed them to understand 00:11:00.870 --> 00:11:04.470 how the world worked and its impact on today. 00:11:05.230 --> 00:11:07.309 But yes, Paul, I completely understand. As a 00:11:07.309 --> 00:11:09.809 teenager, the classes can get incredibly overwhelming. 00:11:10.029 --> 00:11:12.789 For some of us, we didn't get the chance to understand 00:11:12.789 --> 00:11:16.789 why we were doing what we were doing. I guess 00:11:16.789 --> 00:11:21.250 I grew up in those years when we were just told 00:11:21.250 --> 00:11:24.990 what to do. We were... you know, told you need 00:11:24.990 --> 00:11:28.129 to memorize this for next day. And then you would 00:11:28.129 --> 00:11:32.110 listen in front of the classroom and embarrassed 00:11:32.110 --> 00:11:35.049 and all that kind of stuff. So that's sort of 00:11:35.049 --> 00:11:38.250 my experience with the middle school years. So 00:11:38.250 --> 00:11:41.690 I struggled, I guess, with that. You know, I 00:11:41.690 --> 00:11:46.129 wasn't, again, the type of student that did necessarily 00:11:46.129 --> 00:11:50.269 well academically. And somehow, ironically, now 00:11:50.269 --> 00:11:54.409 I became a teacher, right? And it's interesting 00:11:54.409 --> 00:11:58.990 to see how sort of like life leads in different 00:11:58.990 --> 00:12:01.509 directions because you just never know where 00:12:01.509 --> 00:12:04.590 you're going to end up. But obviously PE was 00:12:04.590 --> 00:12:06.950 my favorite, right? Sports, anything that had 00:12:06.950 --> 00:12:12.029 to do with sports. And, you know, even like through 00:12:12.029 --> 00:12:16.149 that, it was, again, the daily habits that are 00:12:16.149 --> 00:12:20.120 still with me now that have started. sort of 00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:23.340 shaped me from that very young age you know with 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:26.299 waking up earlier and that's when it started 00:12:26.299 --> 00:12:29.320 to sort of take sports a bit more seriously and 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:32.740 particularly luge you know I had to wake up earlier 00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:36.860 to train earlier to you know put myself outside 00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:40.139 of that comfort zone which I still do which I 00:12:40.139 --> 00:12:42.139 still wake up early to this day you know just 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:45.799 because Those became habits. It became part of 00:12:45.799 --> 00:12:48.700 my identity. Respecting, you know, discipline, 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:52.700 structure, having the structure in place, which 00:12:52.700 --> 00:12:55.559 helped me tremendously with my education career. 00:12:57.120 --> 00:13:02.259 And the very important aspects that, you know, 00:13:02.259 --> 00:13:06.779 sort of have been decisive in who I am today, 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:11.919 essentially, right? But it's also having those 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:18.120 mentors that are guiding you and that can really 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:21.360 amplify the direction that you're going into. 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:24.860 Because if you have the right people around you, 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:30.399 then you can do so much more than just figuring 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:34.620 things by yourself. So in a nutshell, those were 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:38.440 my... middle school years and when I started 00:13:38.440 --> 00:13:42.379 really taking sports a bit more seriously. Can 00:13:42.379 --> 00:13:45.340 we talk about mentorship? You know, a lot of 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:49.399 guests I've had on the pod, but as well as people 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:54.279 out there have been inspired by athletes. So 00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:58.059 do you think that mentorship is key for success? 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:02.679 And how do you find a mentor? If you cannot have 00:14:02.679 --> 00:14:05.139 mentors, do you think there is something in life 00:14:05.139 --> 00:14:08.519 which is as valuable, which is teaching you things 00:14:08.519 --> 00:14:13.259 that are making you grow and making you more 00:14:13.259 --> 00:14:18.620 successful? I think that's the exact environment 00:14:18.620 --> 00:14:21.399 where you actually want to find a mentor, right? 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:23.980 Anything that has to do with practical, and it 00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:26.159 doesn't have to be a sport, it can be arts, it 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:29.879 can be music, learning an instrument. It can 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:34.929 be any sort of... practical craft that it's sort 00:14:34.929 --> 00:14:36.970 of the best environment when it comes to finding 00:14:36.970 --> 00:14:41.570 a mentor because you can replicate what they 00:14:41.570 --> 00:14:46.450 have done, right? You can physically see what 00:14:46.450 --> 00:14:48.610 they have done well. You don't have to reinvent 00:14:48.610 --> 00:14:51.210 the wheel. You can replicate what they have done 00:14:51.210 --> 00:14:54.450 well, right? The best of your ability and try 00:14:54.450 --> 00:14:56.210 and do that over and over and over again until 00:14:56.210 --> 00:14:59.690 you build up that skill set that will help you 00:14:59.690 --> 00:15:03.659 to reach whatever goal that is right so finding 00:15:03.659 --> 00:15:07.779 someone that can support with that that's absolutely 00:15:07.779 --> 00:15:11.259 fundamental for your development whether it's 00:15:11.259 --> 00:15:14.740 a physical development a sport again art music 00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:17.159 you name it it can be any sort of industry right 00:15:17.159 --> 00:15:22.000 but it's also working on that and for me it was 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:27.159 an obsession with being able to challenge myself 00:15:27.159 --> 00:15:31.039 physically And that really taught me something 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:35.080 profound that the obstacles are your teachers, 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:38.000 right? Oftentimes we're looking at the obstacles 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:41.460 being an enemy. You know, we're looking as a 00:15:41.460 --> 00:15:44.600 hindrance, right? We're looking at an obstacle 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:47.379 being something that's bad and is a boogeyman. 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:51.360 But the reality is from that, from the obstacles, 00:15:51.399 --> 00:15:54.139 that's where all the good lessons are coming 00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:57.340 from. Right. If you're someone who's learning 00:15:57.340 --> 00:16:01.720 early on to sort of like reflect on that. It's 00:16:01.720 --> 00:16:04.519 a bit like the universe saying you need to do 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:06.779 things differently. You need a new strategy. 00:16:06.940 --> 00:16:12.399 You need to dig deeper. You know, that sort of 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:14.480 became a life skill for me, you know, not just 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:17.580 a sports skill, because, you know, sure, you 00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:20.759 have teachers that can specifically challenge 00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:24.529 you and you're going to come across. various 00:16:24.529 --> 00:16:28.049 different people with different approaches to 00:16:28.049 --> 00:16:32.190 how you're doing things and whether they can 00:16:32.190 --> 00:16:35.090 guide you in a specific direction or not but 00:16:35.090 --> 00:16:38.850 you know I realized early I guess and reflecting 00:16:38.850 --> 00:16:42.309 on what I just said I realized early that discipline 00:16:42.309 --> 00:16:45.789 and that obsession for pushing yourself further 00:16:45.789 --> 00:16:48.669 but that discipline it's sort of a form of freedom 00:16:48.669 --> 00:16:56.019 rather than a restriction so It felt moving on, 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:59.039 sort of like going into like my high school years 00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:02.360 and sort of like moving on. And when I started 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:04.480 going really seriously into my professional career, 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:09.279 it was the case of it felt more free for me than 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:13.720 anyone else with having that restriction, let's 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:16.880 call it, right? The discipline, because I knew 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:19.200 exactly the direction that I was going into. 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:25.220 For me, the discipline and having a precise structure 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:29.640 of a schedule, that was more freeing rather than 00:17:29.640 --> 00:17:33.220 just wandering around and being pulled in different 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:37.420 directions, I guess. So there's certain values, 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:39.759 I guess, there that I locked in from a very young 00:17:39.759 --> 00:17:43.059 age, particularly with having respect for your 00:17:43.059 --> 00:17:47.079 body, having respect for your mind. respect for 00:17:47.079 --> 00:17:49.859 people in general, but having integrity at the 00:17:49.859 --> 00:17:53.380 same time and doing the right thing. And even 00:17:53.380 --> 00:17:56.039 when nobody's watching, and oftentimes that's 00:17:56.039 --> 00:17:59.079 when it counts the most, right? Because we're 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:02.079 looking at any professional athlete, right? They're 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:06.000 competing, you know, for 50 seconds or so, you 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:08.400 know, in a luge race in particular, that's sort 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:12.720 of like an average time. But you don't see the 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:15.970 amount of... hours they put into that practice 00:18:15.970 --> 00:18:20.490 right you see that final craft that final outcome 00:18:20.490 --> 00:18:25.569 of all the early mornings all the setbacks you 00:18:25.569 --> 00:18:30.329 know the the potential distractions um everything 00:18:30.329 --> 00:18:34.549 that comes with that right um and i was i guess 00:18:34.549 --> 00:18:37.970 lucky in that sense that you know nobody needed 00:18:37.970 --> 00:18:41.440 to push me Like, you know, I was seeing around 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:44.440 me a lot of different types of athletes and I 00:18:44.440 --> 00:18:48.660 was the type of athlete that I didn't need a 00:18:48.660 --> 00:18:52.420 push from someone. Right. And I think that's 00:18:52.420 --> 00:18:55.200 when I learned one of the more important lessons 00:18:55.200 --> 00:19:00.619 that success comes from internal drive, is really 00:19:00.619 --> 00:19:03.680 an internal drive rather than an external pressure. 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:07.359 Because once you get to that point of being externally 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:09.569 pressured. and you're waiting for someone to 00:19:09.569 --> 00:19:11.869 motivate you, I think you're already behind, 00:19:12.130 --> 00:19:15.769 right? Compared to someone that does that willingly, 00:19:15.930 --> 00:19:18.329 and they have that obsession, and they have that 00:19:18.329 --> 00:19:22.130 drive. I completely lost count of the takeaways. 00:19:22.769 --> 00:19:25.369 There's so many of them. Hey, the good thing 00:19:25.369 --> 00:19:27.930 is it's a podcast, so you can always listen back. 00:19:28.809 --> 00:19:32.509 Absolutely, and you need to listen back to everything 00:19:32.509 --> 00:19:36.390 that Paul just said. Okay, so let's recap. The 00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:38.819 first thing that you can... Takeaway from that 00:19:38.819 --> 00:19:45.039 is mentors can show you through their behavior 00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:48.059 what is needed from you. It can be fundamental 00:19:48.059 --> 00:19:50.900 for the situation you're in. For example, your 00:19:50.900 --> 00:19:54.279 goal is to compete internationally, nationally, 00:19:54.460 --> 00:19:59.980 wherever it is, whatever it is. It is a game 00:19:59.980 --> 00:20:04.079 changer in that situation. It is not only a game 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:07.410 changer, it's crucial and fundamental. And you 00:20:07.410 --> 00:20:09.869 know how I started this episode. People have 00:20:09.869 --> 00:20:15.369 been inspired by athletes. So you don't have 00:20:15.369 --> 00:20:19.609 to be actively part of a group, a team, etc. 00:20:20.069 --> 00:20:23.309 to be inspired and to follow the behavior of 00:20:23.309 --> 00:20:27.670 someone. At least not in this era. And the third 00:20:27.670 --> 00:20:29.869 thing that I absolutely want you to remember 00:20:29.869 --> 00:20:33.990 is, to quote Paul, obstacles are your teachers. 00:20:34.839 --> 00:20:38.500 So whenever you are facing a challenge, an obstacle, 00:20:38.700 --> 00:20:41.779 you have to readapt, right? You have to find 00:20:41.779 --> 00:20:46.680 a way to pass it, to move through it. So they 00:20:46.680 --> 00:20:51.539 are incredible teachers. Because most likely... 00:20:51.539 --> 00:20:55.220 Paul, can you tell us more about your high school 00:20:55.220 --> 00:20:59.740 years now? High school, for me, is where that 00:20:59.740 --> 00:21:03.859 trajectory sort of like shifted from being... 00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:06.779 you know, in school a lot of the time, which 00:21:06.779 --> 00:21:09.759 it was the case in middle school, but I started 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:12.559 to, you know, go six months a year, seven months 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:16.380 a year traveling with the team. And it was the 00:21:16.380 --> 00:21:19.839 case of identifying that I was more interested 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:23.160 in biology, how the body works. I wanted to understand 00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:25.880 the science behind performance. So I started 00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:29.789 doing a lot of... reading about that but i created 00:21:29.789 --> 00:21:33.289 a really good foundation of good habits you know 00:21:33.289 --> 00:21:37.109 discipline just became something automatic early 00:21:37.109 --> 00:21:41.170 mornings were something that was i wasn't necessarily 00:21:41.170 --> 00:21:45.690 looking at that being something tough because 00:21:45.690 --> 00:21:50.569 i had in mind that late gratification and i knew 00:21:50.569 --> 00:21:53.470 that down the line i'm gonna i'm gonna sort of 00:21:53.470 --> 00:21:58.529 be happy with those choices And saying no to 00:21:58.529 --> 00:22:02.289 things just didn't seem like it's hard for me 00:22:02.289 --> 00:22:06.509 to do at that stage because it was just who I 00:22:06.509 --> 00:22:10.349 was essentially, right? And, you know, just sort 00:22:10.349 --> 00:22:16.849 of like looking specifically at a few things 00:22:16.849 --> 00:22:19.150 there, you know, with regards to like consistency. 00:22:19.589 --> 00:22:23.470 That's where really where it started being really, 00:22:23.529 --> 00:22:26.119 really important for me because... One thing 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:29.640 that I learned during that time. And a lot of 00:22:29.640 --> 00:22:32.339 these things I haven't actually reflected on. 00:22:32.539 --> 00:22:36.539 I look back in hindsight, right? But at that 00:22:36.539 --> 00:22:39.000 moment in time, I wasn't necessarily conscious 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:42.859 about this, right? But consistency oftentimes 00:22:42.859 --> 00:22:47.700 beats intensity, right? And what I learned was 00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:49.819 that I didn't necessarily need perfect days, 00:22:49.920 --> 00:22:52.819 right? Perfect training sessions. You just need 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:55.250 good weeks. You know, being consistent with good 00:22:55.250 --> 00:22:58.029 weeks, you know, having a bad day is fine. Absolutely. 00:22:58.309 --> 00:22:59.769 Right. There's no problem with that whatsoever. 00:23:00.490 --> 00:23:03.509 You need then from there, you know, good steady 00:23:03.509 --> 00:23:07.150 months, let's say. And that's where really the 00:23:07.150 --> 00:23:10.670 magic happens, because when you have small daily 00:23:10.670 --> 00:23:15.069 choices, right choices, right, those will stack 00:23:15.069 --> 00:23:17.490 on top of each other. And you're just creating 00:23:17.490 --> 00:23:21.460 those good habits. As an example, a kid that 00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:25.900 trains, let's say, consistently at 70 % capacity 00:23:25.900 --> 00:23:31.160 will always be above someone who trains 100%, 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:34.220 but he's just training from time to time because 00:23:34.220 --> 00:23:37.380 he's naturally gifted. And I've seen this over 00:23:37.380 --> 00:23:40.839 and over again with people being not exceptionally 00:23:40.839 --> 00:23:44.779 gifted, but they were lazy because they knew 00:23:44.779 --> 00:23:47.980 how good they were and then they fell behind 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:51.170 purely because of that. mindset and mentality 00:23:51.170 --> 00:23:55.009 and now you have someone who's really consistent 00:23:55.009 --> 00:23:59.230 who trains maybe you know a bit less in terms 00:23:59.230 --> 00:24:02.390 of capacity but he goes steadily every single 00:24:02.390 --> 00:24:04.950 day every single day every single day and that 00:24:04.950 --> 00:24:08.190 normally that person will overtake that naturally 00:24:08.190 --> 00:24:12.589 gifted person eventually with time right and 00:24:12.589 --> 00:24:17.609 you know pain is there's something to be discussed 00:24:17.609 --> 00:24:21.069 about pain with consistency because it's not 00:24:21.069 --> 00:24:24.009 easy to be consistent without struggling at some 00:24:24.009 --> 00:24:27.130 point right and that's where sort of like pain 00:24:27.130 --> 00:24:31.490 comes into into the picture here but that can 00:24:31.490 --> 00:24:34.210 be really used as information you know not necessarily 00:24:34.210 --> 00:24:37.130 thinking about it as punishment because if you 00:24:37.130 --> 00:24:40.210 look at it from that perspective you tend to 00:24:40.210 --> 00:24:45.150 step back a bit and you know you know taking 00:24:45.150 --> 00:24:47.309 as an example when you get hurt when you fail 00:24:47.309 --> 00:24:50.819 and i put air quotes here fail you know for for 00:24:50.819 --> 00:24:53.799 the listeners when you because it's more of a 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:56.279 lesson right always is rather than looking at 00:24:56.279 --> 00:25:00.720 it as a failure but when you're rejected that's 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:02.859 not necessarily again the universe saying you're 00:25:02.859 --> 00:25:06.960 not good enough it's what it's saying is showing 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:09.680 you exactly where you need to grow it is you 00:25:09.680 --> 00:25:12.579 know what you need to do further sometimes you 00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:15.000 have to figure that out but you know i tell my 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:18.730 younger self to And sit with that discomfort 00:25:18.730 --> 00:25:22.170 instead of running away from it. Because that's 00:25:22.170 --> 00:25:24.589 how you become a better person. That's how you're 00:25:24.589 --> 00:25:28.390 going to grow. Absolutely. And eventually what 00:25:28.390 --> 00:25:31.609 you're going to find as an athlete or going through 00:25:31.609 --> 00:25:34.150 that sort of like middle school, high school 00:25:34.150 --> 00:25:38.470 years. And I think as human beings, we try to 00:25:38.470 --> 00:25:41.690 please people. It's just naturally embedded in 00:25:41.690 --> 00:25:46.730 our DNA. And you'll soon learn that. You're not 00:25:46.730 --> 00:25:48.329 going to be able to please everyone, and that's 00:25:48.329 --> 00:25:54.470 fine, right? So you can even stop trying pleasing 00:25:54.470 --> 00:25:56.490 people, although it's hard, right? And we all 00:25:56.490 --> 00:25:58.910 know because we're all going through that process. 00:25:59.009 --> 00:26:01.609 But essentially what I'm trying to say with that 00:26:01.609 --> 00:26:08.869 is just focusing on becoming the person you respect 00:26:08.869 --> 00:26:10.869 and the person you see in the mirror, right? 00:26:13.230 --> 00:26:15.329 Essentially, you're going to attract a lot of 00:26:15.329 --> 00:26:18.289 people around you that will vibrate with you. 00:26:18.390 --> 00:26:22.390 And that will happen naturally. You don't have 00:26:22.390 --> 00:26:27.450 to try to attract people through trying to please 00:26:27.450 --> 00:26:33.890 them. And everyone else will have an opinion 00:26:33.890 --> 00:26:36.869 about things. And if you focus on their opinion, 00:26:36.950 --> 00:26:40.950 you're just wasting your precious energy on someone 00:26:40.950 --> 00:26:43.779 else rather than... putting that energy to use 00:26:43.779 --> 00:26:48.200 towards your goals. So focusing on you, it's 00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:52.240 really, really important. There's a lot of struggles, 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:55.680 you know, that made me who I am today. And if 00:26:55.680 --> 00:27:00.220 I would have understood earlier that failing 00:27:00.220 --> 00:27:04.599 well is a skill that matters more than succeeding 00:27:04.599 --> 00:27:09.640 easily, because when you succeed easily, you 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:13.539 tend to... Not learn that much from it. But when 00:27:13.539 --> 00:27:16.339 you go through those daily struggles and you 00:27:16.339 --> 00:27:21.200 fail, the best way of looking at it is reflecting 00:27:21.200 --> 00:27:23.539 at it, understanding what's happening, understanding 00:27:23.539 --> 00:27:26.980 the process behind it, and then learn from it. 00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:29.740 And then you're going to improve that craft. 00:27:30.660 --> 00:27:33.519 So you mentioned elements that are crucial and 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:36.339 they are applicable to your own life. Yes, you 00:27:36.339 --> 00:27:38.660 who are listening to us, whether you're practicing 00:27:38.660 --> 00:27:42.250 any sports or not. So Paul mentioned consistency, 00:27:42.789 --> 00:27:47.529 rejection, pain, failure, learnings, successes, 00:27:47.750 --> 00:27:51.990 and being your best self. So let's take one of 00:27:51.990 --> 00:27:55.109 them. Let's take consistency. And the example 00:27:55.109 --> 00:27:58.529 that Paul mentioned, someone who is super good 00:27:58.529 --> 00:28:03.069 at any class, let's say math, biology, whatever 00:28:03.069 --> 00:28:07.490 it is, versus someone who gives a certain number 00:28:07.490 --> 00:28:11.630 of hours. dedicated to those homeworks that are 00:28:11.630 --> 00:28:14.309 given to you that are assigned to you and even 00:28:14.309 --> 00:28:18.410 go beyond and that person does that consistently 00:28:18.410 --> 00:28:23.369 will catch up with that gifted human that gifted 00:28:23.369 --> 00:28:27.509 human who's probably not practicing every day 00:28:27.509 --> 00:28:31.549 so if you take it in your own hands you can make 00:28:31.549 --> 00:28:34.569 it through those difficult classes day by day 00:28:34.569 --> 00:28:37.730 with the resources that you have, which I mentioned 00:28:37.730 --> 00:28:41.089 in past episodes. So leveraging YouTube, online 00:28:41.089 --> 00:28:44.849 classes, content creators who are helping you 00:28:44.849 --> 00:28:48.829 understand the topic better, or even listening 00:28:48.829 --> 00:28:52.650 during your classes and staying focused. And 00:28:52.650 --> 00:28:55.450 if we take failure and learnings, those are the 00:28:55.450 --> 00:28:58.589 things that you can face at the beginning of 00:28:58.589 --> 00:29:01.009 those classes, throughout those classes. But 00:29:01.009 --> 00:29:04.880 keep in mind what Paul said. Use that information 00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:08.640 to identify where you need to go, what you need 00:29:08.640 --> 00:29:11.400 to do further, and sit down with that discomfort 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:18.099 to then only go upwards. Paul, do you have any 00:29:18.099 --> 00:29:22.980 last closing remarks? Learn along the way. Be 00:29:22.980 --> 00:29:28.819 consistent. Be disciplined. And things will, 00:29:29.140 --> 00:29:31.299 you know, once you create a really strong foundation 00:29:31.299 --> 00:29:35.480 of... good habits that you can apply on a daily 00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:41.480 basis, you can apply that in any situation, you 00:29:41.480 --> 00:29:46.420 know, whether it's academics, whether it's learning 00:29:46.420 --> 00:29:49.460 a sport, whether it's learning an instrument, 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:53.400 you know, those are really transferable skills. 00:29:53.619 --> 00:29:58.220 And I would say, you know, there's really the 00:29:58.220 --> 00:30:04.049 foundation of Setting yourself for success. And 00:30:04.049 --> 00:30:06.950 that's something that I would say, you know, 00:30:06.950 --> 00:30:10.609 it's a really big takeaway. Thank you so much, 00:30:10.609 --> 00:30:13.390 Paul. So can you now tell us a bit more about 00:30:13.390 --> 00:30:16.690 your studies? You studied PE, physical education. 00:30:17.470 --> 00:30:21.309 So this is an interesting one because I didn't 00:30:21.309 --> 00:30:26.269 necessarily choose the direction I ended up going 00:30:26.269 --> 00:30:32.240 into. I look at it as it shows me, but I made 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:35.480 that once it happened, I guess I made a conscious 00:30:35.480 --> 00:30:39.420 decision to pursue it with intention, right? 00:30:40.140 --> 00:30:44.140 Because I was very unsure what I want to study 00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:49.079 further at university. And that happened to come 00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:52.519 my way. And I said, sure, you know, let's do 00:30:52.519 --> 00:30:55.819 it. I was competing professionally. So it made 00:30:55.819 --> 00:30:59.660 sense to be. in that field of study, right? Physical 00:30:59.660 --> 00:31:04.759 education, you know, specializing on something 00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:08.440 during my university and sort of getting that 00:31:08.440 --> 00:31:11.819 degree in physical education. And it happened 00:31:11.819 --> 00:31:15.140 and I chose to pursue it intentionally and I 00:31:15.140 --> 00:31:20.319 sort of made that commitment and conscious decision 00:31:20.319 --> 00:31:25.019 to sort of finish that, obviously. And again, 00:31:25.079 --> 00:31:28.519 I was on the road. A lot of time, six, seven 00:31:28.519 --> 00:31:31.619 months a year, came back, had to catch up with 00:31:31.619 --> 00:31:36.099 studies. So it wasn't straightforward. A lot 00:31:36.099 --> 00:31:40.299 of bumps, a lot of setbacks, a lot of things 00:31:40.299 --> 00:31:45.339 happened. And I was sure I was competing in luge, 00:31:45.380 --> 00:31:49.759 but also I was aware that at some point, and 00:31:49.759 --> 00:31:51.940 especially with a sport like luge, which is, 00:31:51.940 --> 00:31:56.259 you know, crazy tough, that... anything like 00:31:56.259 --> 00:32:00.819 an athletic career can become fragile and can 00:32:00.819 --> 00:32:04.920 end up quite abruptly. You know, because injuries 00:32:04.920 --> 00:32:08.119 happen, right? Injuries happen, politics happen, 00:32:08.359 --> 00:32:10.660 you know, sometimes you're, you know, hundreds 00:32:10.660 --> 00:32:14.079 of a second away from a medal which happened 00:32:14.079 --> 00:32:17.500 and, you know, you crash and something happens 00:32:17.500 --> 00:32:20.819 and, you know, things happen, life happens, right? 00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:26.970 So it was just a case of... looking ahead and 00:32:26.970 --> 00:32:32.930 thinking okay once i finish my once i'm done 00:32:32.930 --> 00:32:36.349 with sports like what do i want to do what's 00:32:36.349 --> 00:32:40.670 my direction in life and i i seriously didn't 00:32:40.670 --> 00:32:43.009 know and this is something like if any of my 00:32:43.009 --> 00:32:46.730 former team members will listen to this they 00:32:46.730 --> 00:32:50.250 will recall this conversation because i was constantly 00:32:50.250 --> 00:32:55.299 discussing about okay i'm you know At that time, 00:32:55.420 --> 00:33:03.259 20, 22, and I was thinking, well, you know, I'm 00:33:03.259 --> 00:33:05.220 looking down the line. If I'm going to be 35, 00:33:05.319 --> 00:33:08.440 let's say, you know, I finish my luge years, 00:33:08.559 --> 00:33:11.700 my professional sports, you know, what am I doing 00:33:11.700 --> 00:33:17.480 then? Like starting fresh from scratch at 35, 00:33:17.660 --> 00:33:21.140 38, 40, you know, some people are competing, 00:33:21.279 --> 00:33:26.700 you know, over 40 years old. And my thought and 00:33:26.700 --> 00:33:31.099 something that not bothered me, but constantly 00:33:31.099 --> 00:33:35.099 came back as a question in my head was, what 00:33:35.099 --> 00:33:38.700 are you doing with your life, Paul? Which direction 00:33:38.700 --> 00:33:44.720 are you going into? And that sort of stuck with 00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:48.660 me for a number of years. And I did not have 00:33:48.660 --> 00:33:54.160 an analyst for many years to come. And eventually, 00:33:54.799 --> 00:33:58.519 you know, I competed in Vancouver in 2010 at 00:33:58.519 --> 00:34:01.460 the Winter Olympics, then finished my degree 00:34:01.460 --> 00:34:05.660 after that, you know, 2012, then went to my master's. 00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:14.119 And those were, from a competition perspective, 00:34:14.320 --> 00:34:18.440 those were my best years. And that happened after 00:34:18.440 --> 00:34:23.500 the Olympic experience. Because everything that 00:34:23.500 --> 00:34:26.400 I learned and I acquired throughout the years 00:34:26.400 --> 00:34:30.940 helped me to look fundamentally different at 00:34:30.940 --> 00:34:35.980 how I was competing. And I stopped focusing on 00:34:35.980 --> 00:34:40.380 the outcome and I started focusing on the process 00:34:40.380 --> 00:34:44.500 more. And that's when really that perspective, 00:34:44.739 --> 00:34:48.280 that shift happened for me. And it really helped 00:34:48.280 --> 00:34:52.579 with competing at the... vastly different level, 00:34:52.679 --> 00:34:56.260 essentially. Once I was done with my studies, 00:34:56.519 --> 00:35:00.119 once I was done with my career, it was the case 00:35:00.119 --> 00:35:04.219 of what am I doing now? And it ended up quite 00:35:04.219 --> 00:35:07.900 abruptly for me because before Sochi in 2014, 00:35:08.340 --> 00:35:11.380 Winter Olympics, I fractured my collarbone in 00:35:11.380 --> 00:35:17.940 a training run. And that, again, hit me hard. 00:35:18.800 --> 00:35:21.239 And it was, again, the same thought that I had 00:35:21.239 --> 00:35:24.079 for many years. What are you doing if that will 00:35:24.079 --> 00:35:30.000 happen? And I was home for a while, not for too 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:33.840 long, actually, but less than six months, probably. 00:35:34.079 --> 00:35:39.619 And then with my then girlfriend, now wife, we... 00:35:39.619 --> 00:35:45.039 And this is like a crazy story because... We 00:35:45.039 --> 00:35:51.159 bought a one -way ticket to London and we had 00:35:51.159 --> 00:35:54.880 very little money in our pockets and we had no 00:35:54.880 --> 00:35:58.920 place to stay and we had no jobs. Okay. And we're 00:35:58.920 --> 00:36:04.460 like, okay, let's just go. So we somehow found 00:36:04.460 --> 00:36:07.400 a common friend that had an apartment, had a 00:36:07.400 --> 00:36:10.780 spare room in their apartment and allowed us 00:36:10.780 --> 00:36:14.199 to stay for like three weeks. And within the 00:36:14.199 --> 00:36:17.880 first couple of days, it's interesting because 00:36:17.880 --> 00:36:21.079 I went with that mentality that it's going to 00:36:21.079 --> 00:36:26.320 work out. And I knew I was 100 % sure that I'm 00:36:26.320 --> 00:36:28.179 not going to return back to Romania and be like, 00:36:28.280 --> 00:36:32.380 what was that? What was in my head, even thinking 00:36:32.380 --> 00:36:38.960 that I can make it that way? There's that gut 00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:42.090 feeling that people are talking about. That gut 00:36:42.090 --> 00:36:44.030 feeling for me was, it's fine. It's going to 00:36:44.030 --> 00:36:47.750 work out. And the first couple of days, I spent 00:36:47.750 --> 00:36:50.730 them online looking for jobs. My girlfriend did 00:36:50.730 --> 00:36:55.789 that as well. And then I came across supply teaching, 00:36:56.030 --> 00:36:59.190 right? Which is like substitute teaching for 00:36:59.190 --> 00:37:03.570 some people listening to this. And I had no clue 00:37:03.570 --> 00:37:06.769 that that was a thing even. Like back home, that's 00:37:06.769 --> 00:37:10.190 not a thing. And I'm like, oh, that's interesting. 00:37:10.860 --> 00:37:14.360 Maybe I can teach a bit of PE in different schools. 00:37:15.139 --> 00:37:17.159 And that's how it started for me, going into 00:37:17.159 --> 00:37:18.860 education. That's how it started. And that's 00:37:18.860 --> 00:37:21.639 why I'm saying, I said at the beginning, I didn't 00:37:21.639 --> 00:37:24.019 necessarily choose it. Like not even the studies 00:37:24.019 --> 00:37:27.059 and not even my profession. It happened that 00:37:27.059 --> 00:37:31.820 way, right? And again, it's just about, I guess, 00:37:31.840 --> 00:37:36.760 in a way, attracting those things. And I started 00:37:36.760 --> 00:37:39.139 doing a lot of supply teaching and then eventually 00:37:39.139 --> 00:37:42.739 got a... A full -time job, a contract in a school. 00:37:43.380 --> 00:37:46.300 My girlfriend did the same because we met at 00:37:46.300 --> 00:37:49.159 university. She had the same studies. She used 00:37:49.159 --> 00:37:53.099 to compete in handball. She used to do handball 00:37:53.099 --> 00:37:57.519 back home. And we got into teaching. You know, 00:37:57.519 --> 00:38:07.539 fast forward to 2017. We came across two PE roles. 00:38:08.480 --> 00:38:11.579 physical education teacher's roles in Beijing, 00:38:11.679 --> 00:38:14.920 in China. And I said, you know, let's jump into 00:38:14.920 --> 00:38:17.119 it. Let's try it out. Let's see how it goes. 00:38:17.380 --> 00:38:22.039 China sounds interesting, right? And yeah, we 00:38:22.039 --> 00:38:25.219 moved to China. But before I sort of go into 00:38:25.219 --> 00:38:28.599 that, with that fracture that I've mentioned 00:38:28.599 --> 00:38:30.679 earlier, with that collarbone fracture, that's 00:38:30.679 --> 00:38:36.929 not how my career ended. So... Before I sort 00:38:36.929 --> 00:38:38.750 of like go into that experience with moving to 00:38:38.750 --> 00:38:43.130 Beijing, when that fracture happened, and that 00:38:43.130 --> 00:38:47.130 was again before Sochi 2014, I just didn't want 00:38:47.130 --> 00:38:50.929 to stop that way. I wanted to remember my experience 00:38:50.929 --> 00:38:54.869 and looking back, knowing that I ended up on 00:38:54.869 --> 00:38:58.409 a good note in that sense. I didn't want to look 00:38:58.409 --> 00:39:00.369 back and say, yeah, so, you know, I ended up 00:39:00.369 --> 00:39:03.630 my professional career by fracturing my collarbone 00:39:03.630 --> 00:39:06.289 and that was it. Like I just, I didn't want that 00:39:06.289 --> 00:39:09.550 for my story. And because I was doing supply 00:39:09.550 --> 00:39:11.670 teaching in London, that gave me the flexibility 00:39:11.670 --> 00:39:15.050 time -wise to go back and train with national 00:39:15.050 --> 00:39:18.710 team and to go back in the season. And, you know, 00:39:18.730 --> 00:39:21.309 I was doing doubles and my partner was available 00:39:21.309 --> 00:39:24.630 and we're like, let's just give it another shot. 00:39:24.969 --> 00:39:29.389 Let's see how it goes. And that was a great decision 00:39:29.389 --> 00:39:33.860 because those... few months back with the team 00:39:33.860 --> 00:39:36.139 and I only did half a season and I'm going to 00:39:36.139 --> 00:39:39.679 get into why I did half a season only but those 00:39:39.679 --> 00:39:43.519 couple of months were the best months of my career 00:39:43.519 --> 00:39:49.860 and we had multiple podium finishes in Nations 00:39:49.860 --> 00:39:53.000 Cups which are the qualifying races for the World 00:39:53.000 --> 00:39:57.519 Cups and It just gave me that confidence again 00:39:57.519 --> 00:40:00.400 that I can still do it. I went back to that very 00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:04.519 track where I fractured my collarbone and I went 00:40:04.519 --> 00:40:08.400 down back on it and I just wanted to prove myself 00:40:08.400 --> 00:40:11.980 that I can still do it and I can overcome that. 00:40:12.239 --> 00:40:16.219 And that's not an easy way to, or not an easy 00:40:16.219 --> 00:40:20.780 thing to put yourself through because it really 00:40:20.780 --> 00:40:24.639 takes you outside of that comfort zone. It really 00:40:24.639 --> 00:40:30.179 stretches your mental toughness. And that's exactly 00:40:30.179 --> 00:40:34.300 what I wanted to do. And I proved myself that 00:40:34.300 --> 00:40:38.500 I can still do it. We essentially got into the 00:40:38.500 --> 00:40:44.340 last World Cup of that first part of the season. 00:40:44.719 --> 00:40:46.960 We got into the seed group, which is the top 00:40:46.960 --> 00:40:49.719 10 in the world. So we managed to get in that, 00:40:49.800 --> 00:40:56.949 which is quite an elite. the elite half of the 00:40:56.949 --> 00:41:01.250 athletes within the circuit. And that was a major 00:41:01.250 --> 00:41:05.090 achievement for us at that stage. And then when 00:41:05.090 --> 00:41:09.969 we managed to do that, I said, I'm done. I'm 00:41:09.969 --> 00:41:14.909 getting out. And they were like, what? How? Why? 00:41:15.070 --> 00:41:17.090 Because you're crazy. Like, that's not how it 00:41:17.090 --> 00:41:18.829 works. I'm like, no, that's how it works for 00:41:18.829 --> 00:41:20.949 me. Yeah, that's exactly how it works for me. 00:41:20.969 --> 00:41:24.349 That's where I want to stop. That's where I want 00:41:24.349 --> 00:41:28.250 to exit. And I realized, you know, because I 00:41:28.250 --> 00:41:31.329 stepped away a bit from the sport with the injury 00:41:31.329 --> 00:41:36.469 and getting into teaching. And I wasn't in that 00:41:36.469 --> 00:41:39.969 environment for a few months. And I realized 00:41:39.969 --> 00:41:43.269 that I didn't necessarily love the sport. I liked 00:41:43.269 --> 00:41:46.289 it because I've done it from such a young age. 00:41:46.730 --> 00:41:50.489 I didn't necessarily love it. And there's a lot 00:41:50.489 --> 00:41:52.829 to unpack there, but I'm not sure if it's necessarily 00:41:52.829 --> 00:41:58.190 the conversation for today, but the realization 00:41:58.190 --> 00:42:01.230 that I don't love the sport made my decision 00:42:01.230 --> 00:42:05.550 so much easier with stepping away from it. And 00:42:05.550 --> 00:42:11.250 then just immerse myself into going back, move 00:42:11.250 --> 00:42:17.289 to Beijing, go into teaching, and, you know, 00:42:17.409 --> 00:42:21.800 just... That's where I am from 2017, essentially. 00:42:21.940 --> 00:42:27.059 Four years in Beijing and four years in Shanghai. 00:42:27.539 --> 00:42:31.500 So yeah, that was sort of a lot to unpack there, 00:42:31.559 --> 00:42:35.059 I guess. But yeah, I hope that made sense. It 00:42:35.059 --> 00:42:38.760 did make sense. And to unpack everything, I'll 00:42:38.760 --> 00:42:42.119 start from the beginning. It was very impressive 00:42:42.119 --> 00:42:45.519 to just hear you saying you went to London with 00:42:45.519 --> 00:42:49.130 your partner. You didn't have any plan and you 00:42:49.130 --> 00:42:51.949 just trusted the process. You trusted your gut. 00:42:52.510 --> 00:42:56.090 So my question to you is how do you build the 00:42:56.090 --> 00:42:59.409 confidence to go for things when there is so 00:42:59.409 --> 00:43:03.510 much uncertainty waiting for you down the line? 00:43:04.289 --> 00:43:07.510 I think once you build that really strong foundation 00:43:07.510 --> 00:43:11.829 and you have a discipline, you have a structure 00:43:11.829 --> 00:43:16.590 in place, you're... building that consistent 00:43:16.590 --> 00:43:20.690 habit of doing things because that's the right 00:43:20.690 --> 00:43:23.110 thing to do not because they're easy but it's 00:43:23.110 --> 00:43:25.989 because they're the right thing to do and you're 00:43:25.989 --> 00:43:29.530 exposing yourself to being outside of that comfort 00:43:29.530 --> 00:43:35.570 zone is the case of going for it and what's a 00:43:35.570 --> 00:43:38.349 better time to go for it than when you don't 00:43:38.349 --> 00:43:42.449 have responsibilities like a family to look after 00:43:43.159 --> 00:43:45.820 You know, because it's a different conversation 00:43:45.820 --> 00:43:49.820 if you're in your 30s. It's a different conversation 00:43:49.820 --> 00:43:56.900 if you're 16, 17, 20, in your 20s. Right? And 00:43:56.900 --> 00:43:59.239 that's the best time. That was the best time 00:43:59.239 --> 00:44:02.900 for me. Like me now, you know, with a family, 00:44:03.019 --> 00:44:10.000 with a child, to do something crazy like moving 00:44:10.000 --> 00:44:14.300 to... a new place getting a one -way flight ticket 00:44:14.300 --> 00:44:17.199 and moving to a new place you know that's not 00:44:17.199 --> 00:44:20.559 necessarily feasible right because there's so 00:44:20.559 --> 00:44:23.000 many different aspects and looking after the 00:44:23.000 --> 00:44:26.000 family and providing and all that kind of stuff 00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:30.460 but it's sometimes it's not even necessarily 00:44:30.460 --> 00:44:34.480 having the confidence but it's listening to that 00:44:34.480 --> 00:44:37.699 gut feeling knowing that this is the best time 00:44:37.699 --> 00:44:42.440 to try and make that And take that step because 00:44:42.440 --> 00:44:45.400 what's the worst that can happen? Like what's 00:44:45.400 --> 00:44:48.579 the worst outcome here? If you think about it 00:44:48.579 --> 00:44:51.300 and if you really want to turn it on all faces, 00:44:51.460 --> 00:44:56.420 you're thinking about, well, if it works out, 00:44:56.440 --> 00:44:59.719 great. If it doesn't work out, well, it's not 00:44:59.719 --> 00:45:03.739 the end of it, right? Because I'm young, I can 00:45:03.739 --> 00:45:06.940 do other things. But at least you've tried it 00:45:06.940 --> 00:45:09.079 and you're not going to leave with that regret. 00:45:09.849 --> 00:45:12.769 that you haven't tried it, right? And then when 00:45:12.769 --> 00:45:14.909 you're in your 80s and your 90s and hopefully 00:45:14.909 --> 00:45:17.349 in your 100 and something, you're looking back 00:45:17.349 --> 00:45:22.889 and what's the self -talk that you're going to 00:45:22.889 --> 00:45:25.789 have at that stage? Are you going to be happy 00:45:25.789 --> 00:45:28.590 that you didn't go for it? Or are you going to 00:45:28.590 --> 00:45:31.570 be like, you should have, right? You should have 00:45:31.570 --> 00:45:35.449 taken that risk, right? Because now I'm certainly 00:45:35.449 --> 00:45:38.210 happy that I've taken that risk when it was the 00:45:38.210 --> 00:45:41.690 case of risking it. And that's when it's the 00:45:41.690 --> 00:45:43.909 case of risking it. When you're young, when you 00:45:43.909 --> 00:45:47.510 have less responsibilities and when you can afford, 00:45:47.809 --> 00:45:53.349 again, air quotes, a failure, right? If it doesn't 00:45:53.349 --> 00:45:55.769 work out, you're going to learn from it. It's 00:45:55.769 --> 00:45:59.510 not in vain. I mean, it's really something that 00:45:59.510 --> 00:46:02.409 you're going to learn from it and you're going 00:46:02.409 --> 00:46:04.469 to adjust into whatever you're going to be doing 00:46:04.469 --> 00:46:09.829 moving forward. But again, consistency. really 00:46:09.829 --> 00:46:15.070 beats talent and is looking at essentially finding 00:46:15.070 --> 00:46:19.590 a way of listening to that gut feeling having 00:46:19.590 --> 00:46:23.369 that right mindset and really having the the 00:46:23.369 --> 00:46:28.349 belief that it's going to work out right risk 00:46:28.349 --> 00:46:30.889 it like you know whatever it is just go for it 00:46:30.889 --> 00:46:36.190 uh try it out you know normally generally speaking 00:46:36.190 --> 00:46:40.420 and oftentimes it will work out And then you're 00:46:40.420 --> 00:46:45.119 just on the way, you know. Okay, so hear me out. 00:46:45.400 --> 00:46:48.280 What I'm getting from this is that if you try 00:46:48.280 --> 00:46:51.159 hard things when you're young, when you're younger, 00:46:51.300 --> 00:46:54.960 and obviously depending on your situation, you're 00:46:54.960 --> 00:46:59.739 more likely to take bigger risks when you're 00:46:59.739 --> 00:47:03.300 older. Because you've been putting yourself outside 00:47:03.300 --> 00:47:06.809 of your comfort zone for so long that... Moving 00:47:06.809 --> 00:47:09.190 forward with putting yourself outside of your 00:47:09.190 --> 00:47:11.809 comfort zone but to the next level completely 00:47:11.809 --> 00:47:15.329 makes sense for you. So trying hard things or 00:47:15.329 --> 00:47:17.449 putting yourself outside of your comfort zone 00:47:17.449 --> 00:47:21.269 can mean something different to you or the person 00:47:21.269 --> 00:47:24.630 next to you or to the people around you. It can 00:47:24.630 --> 00:47:28.610 mean taking a very difficult class, putting more 00:47:28.610 --> 00:47:32.610 hours to learn about a new skill, a new class, 00:47:32.670 --> 00:47:37.170 a new course, trying a sport. don't think you're 00:47:37.170 --> 00:47:40.429 good at and still pushing through, seizing more, 00:47:40.590 --> 00:47:43.769 or it can be seizing public speaking opportunities 00:47:43.769 --> 00:47:47.769 as someone who doesn't feel comfortable with 00:47:47.769 --> 00:47:50.769 that. But here the idea is that the more you 00:47:50.769 --> 00:47:54.349 try and the more likely you are to find things 00:47:54.349 --> 00:47:58.550 that interest you. Or eventually you'll feel 00:47:58.550 --> 00:48:02.130 comfortable moving abroad because you've done 00:48:02.130 --> 00:48:06.010 difficult things. Your mindset really determines 00:48:06.010 --> 00:48:10.769 your ceiling, essentially, right? If you have 00:48:10.769 --> 00:48:15.250 the right mindset, if you fix that self -thought, 00:48:15.349 --> 00:48:23.110 if you fix that self -talk, then, you know, that's, 00:48:23.110 --> 00:48:29.329 I mean, the sky is the limit, really. Live by 00:48:29.329 --> 00:48:32.179 that. The sky is the limit. So everything that 00:48:32.179 --> 00:48:35.820 is in your control, work on it. Everything that's 00:48:35.820 --> 00:48:38.320 outside of your control, forget about it. But 00:48:38.320 --> 00:48:42.980 move forward. Paul, you were mentioning obstacles 00:48:42.980 --> 00:48:46.760 earlier. Can you tell us about learnings you 00:48:46.760 --> 00:48:50.880 have? How did you manage to work around them, 00:48:51.059 --> 00:48:55.300 with them, through them? Tell us. Sometimes we 00:48:55.300 --> 00:48:58.199 cannot really see past the obstacle. But what 00:48:58.199 --> 00:49:01.659 we can do is focusing on what's in our control. 00:49:02.820 --> 00:49:06.980 So through that and making just tiny incremental 00:49:06.980 --> 00:49:12.440 improvements, that will get us closer and will 00:49:12.440 --> 00:49:17.099 help us go past that obstacle. And I'll give 00:49:17.099 --> 00:49:20.300 you an example. My first training camp that I 00:49:20.300 --> 00:49:23.960 did with a national team, we went to Germany 00:49:23.960 --> 00:49:32.280 and out of 50 runs, I crashed 46, 47 runs during 00:49:32.280 --> 00:49:36.460 the week. Within a week, I was bruised everywhere. 00:49:37.539 --> 00:49:42.099 I couldn't eat. I just lost appetite, right? 00:49:42.219 --> 00:49:44.099 Because I was stressed. I didn't even know what 00:49:44.099 --> 00:49:48.360 stress was at that stage. I just knew something's 00:49:48.360 --> 00:49:51.239 wrong, but I didn't know what it was. Right? 00:49:51.300 --> 00:49:53.019 So I was stressed. I couldn't eat. I couldn't 00:49:53.019 --> 00:49:55.639 sleep properly. And I knew that the next day 00:49:55.639 --> 00:49:57.099 I'm going to wake up and I'm going to go back 00:49:57.099 --> 00:50:01.329 up. I'm going to try again. And if it doesn't 00:50:01.329 --> 00:50:03.190 work out, it doesn't work out. I'm going to try 00:50:03.190 --> 00:50:06.269 again. And if it works out, it works out. But 00:50:06.269 --> 00:50:11.730 the idea is, I didn't quit. I took one run at 00:50:11.730 --> 00:50:15.349 a time. And I've tried to understand what's going 00:50:15.349 --> 00:50:18.869 on, what's going wrong, what can I do, what's 00:50:18.869 --> 00:50:22.489 in my ability, what can I control in this situation 00:50:22.489 --> 00:50:28.579 that can help me go past that obstacle. And that's 00:50:28.579 --> 00:50:32.059 something that I focused on until it worked out. 00:50:32.599 --> 00:50:37.679 But it was a very hard lesson and a painful one. 00:50:38.840 --> 00:50:45.420 And that really held me with that mental toughness 00:50:45.420 --> 00:50:51.059 and held me with that perception of looking at 00:50:51.059 --> 00:50:55.619 what is in my control. rather than focusing on 00:50:55.619 --> 00:50:58.800 the obstacle. Because if I went back up to the 00:50:58.800 --> 00:51:03.039 track and started a new run and then thinking 00:51:03.039 --> 00:51:05.420 about that obstacle that will come at some point 00:51:05.420 --> 00:51:10.920 in that run, I wasn't controlling what's in my 00:51:10.920 --> 00:51:14.380 control. I was just fixating on that, on that 00:51:14.380 --> 00:51:19.659 problem, on that obstacle. And if you take that 00:51:19.659 --> 00:51:22.460 focus away from that, which is very hard to do, 00:51:23.150 --> 00:51:25.110 If you take that focus away from that and you 00:51:25.110 --> 00:51:29.690 actually focus on what you can control, you generally 00:51:29.690 --> 00:51:33.510 have better chances to succeed in that situation. 00:51:33.530 --> 00:51:37.210 That's how it helped me and that's how it built 00:51:37.210 --> 00:51:40.449 that confidence to carry on and to not quit. 00:51:41.429 --> 00:51:46.110 And I didn't. And for that reason, from then 00:51:46.110 --> 00:51:49.130 on, it was just a case of... improving every 00:51:49.130 --> 00:51:51.230 single year but it was a lot of hard lessons 00:51:51.230 --> 00:51:56.389 of a lot of crashes a lot of setbacks and that 00:51:56.389 --> 00:51:59.949 mentality that perception about controlling or 00:51:59.949 --> 00:52:05.730 focusing on what's in your control and not fixating 00:52:05.730 --> 00:52:10.309 on the goal because again it's not about that 00:52:10.309 --> 00:52:13.969 destination it's about the journey along the 00:52:13.969 --> 00:52:16.969 way and that's what's going to get you to where 00:52:16.969 --> 00:52:20.699 you want to get Okay, so what's the biggest takeaway 00:52:20.699 --> 00:52:23.719 here? Focusing on the problem, the obstacle, 00:52:23.840 --> 00:52:27.619 the challenge won't help you. You need to identify 00:52:27.619 --> 00:52:30.780 the steps to move forward gradually towards a 00:52:30.780 --> 00:52:35.440 solution. Let's take another example. You had 00:52:35.440 --> 00:52:39.840 exams in one class and the past two exams you 00:52:39.840 --> 00:52:43.639 didn't. Your grade was not as good as you hoped 00:52:43.639 --> 00:52:47.440 or as good as you aimed for. So what's the first 00:52:47.440 --> 00:52:49.889 step you can take? You can either go to your 00:52:49.889 --> 00:52:53.710 teacher and ask for some feedback, some guidance. 00:52:54.570 --> 00:52:58.269 Another step can be readapting the way you have 00:52:58.269 --> 00:53:01.469 been approaching those exams, practicing more, 00:53:01.690 --> 00:53:05.230 looking into online content, videos, written 00:53:05.230 --> 00:53:08.510 formats, asking someone to support if you can, 00:53:08.630 --> 00:53:12.389 and so on and so forth. If you focus on the opportunities 00:53:12.389 --> 00:53:16.750 you have to reach the next step, a better situation, 00:53:17.090 --> 00:53:22.030 etc., you'll get there. So continue to ask yourself 00:53:22.030 --> 00:53:25.230 questions, what you have done, what is missing, 00:53:25.429 --> 00:53:30.730 what you can do, and what hasn't worked. Paul, 00:53:30.809 --> 00:53:32.190 can you tell us a little bit more about your 00:53:32.190 --> 00:53:35.010 Olympic experience and more about luge as well 00:53:35.010 --> 00:53:38.630 as a whole? For those not familiar with luge, 00:53:38.869 --> 00:53:42.429 it's actually a sled, right? It's a French word 00:53:42.429 --> 00:53:48.139 for sled. It's a... It's a winter sport, one 00:53:48.139 --> 00:53:53.340 of the fastest sports on ice, actually. And it's 00:53:53.340 --> 00:53:57.360 really a crazy sport. And I got into it because, 00:53:57.360 --> 00:54:01.699 you know, my dad used to be the coach for the 00:54:01.699 --> 00:54:03.599 national team and he did that for many years. 00:54:04.079 --> 00:54:07.239 Now he's retired. And, you know, essentially 00:54:07.239 --> 00:54:13.880 my experience of the Olympics was a really interesting 00:54:13.880 --> 00:54:20.500 one. the race itself was maybe not you know what 00:54:20.500 --> 00:54:24.119 i was hoping for but there's a lot that i've 00:54:24.119 --> 00:54:27.079 learned from that and that helped me with really 00:54:27.079 --> 00:54:30.159 becoming so much better in the in the following 00:54:30.159 --> 00:54:34.440 years of my career and helped me to improve my 00:54:34.440 --> 00:54:38.340 craft and Just the whole experience, generally 00:54:38.340 --> 00:54:41.579 speaking, you know, from entering the stadium 00:54:41.579 --> 00:54:45.880 and representing your country and waving at people 00:54:45.880 --> 00:54:49.980 and, you know, all that experience in the Olympic 00:54:49.980 --> 00:54:52.920 Village. And it's something really, really special. 00:54:53.039 --> 00:54:57.619 And I think every athlete is one of that top 00:54:57.619 --> 00:55:03.260 goals, top experience that anyone can have in 00:55:03.260 --> 00:55:08.000 their athletic career. right, as an athlete for 00:55:08.000 --> 00:55:11.179 the most sports. And it's something really special, 00:55:11.260 --> 00:55:14.039 you know, that will stay with me and will stay 00:55:14.039 --> 00:55:17.639 in my heart from, you know, for the rest of my 00:55:17.639 --> 00:55:20.340 life, I guess. With that Olympic experience, 00:55:20.699 --> 00:55:24.159 you know, things change fundamentally because 00:55:24.159 --> 00:55:27.920 you become, I guess you become a different person, 00:55:27.980 --> 00:55:31.360 you know, you could say. Not necessarily better, 00:55:31.440 --> 00:55:34.699 not worse, but just different. It just, it changes. 00:55:35.360 --> 00:55:39.260 perspective on a lot of things and it just humbles 00:55:39.260 --> 00:55:44.099 you put things into into perspective so look 00:55:44.099 --> 00:55:47.360 with the with the Olympic experience it was something 00:55:47.360 --> 00:55:51.980 very special right from the moment of knowing 00:55:51.980 --> 00:55:55.199 that you can represent your country in the Olympics 00:55:55.199 --> 00:55:59.920 right the whole process of qualifying prior to 00:55:59.920 --> 00:56:02.059 the Olympics that whole process of qualification 00:56:02.059 --> 00:56:06.190 that's That's something that's quite a tough 00:56:06.190 --> 00:56:10.309 one. And if you make it through that, it's an 00:56:10.309 --> 00:56:14.690 achievement in itself, right? Because in Luz, 00:56:14.769 --> 00:56:16.949 there's four different World Cups that you have 00:56:16.949 --> 00:56:19.190 to qualify and you go for that qualification 00:56:19.190 --> 00:56:21.769 criteria. And at the end of it, if you're in 00:56:21.769 --> 00:56:25.210 the top 20 in the world, then you can essentially 00:56:25.210 --> 00:56:27.269 get to represent your country at the Olympics 00:56:27.269 --> 00:56:31.500 in Luz. So that experience was quite fascinating, 00:56:31.820 --> 00:56:35.500 you know, but I didn't necessarily aim with my 00:56:35.500 --> 00:56:41.159 partner for Vancouver. And we were that 29, 2010 00:56:41.159 --> 00:56:46.400 season, which was the Olympic season, was our 00:56:46.400 --> 00:56:52.940 first full year as seniors, right? We were, prior 00:56:52.940 --> 00:56:55.519 to that, we were part of the junior. team and 00:56:55.519 --> 00:56:58.920 we were going for the junior circuit and the 00:56:58.920 --> 00:57:02.119 start of the track was a bit lower so we had 00:57:02.119 --> 00:57:06.039 to adjust to all this different new it's almost 00:57:06.039 --> 00:57:08.699 a different environment that we had to adjust 00:57:08.699 --> 00:57:13.500 to and we just said you know together with our 00:57:13.500 --> 00:57:17.139 coach we said let's just go for it let's see 00:57:17.139 --> 00:57:21.440 how it goes and we eventually made it and it 00:57:21.440 --> 00:57:25.219 was an incredible experience from the qualification 00:57:25.219 --> 00:57:29.239 standpoint from the actual race at the Olympics 00:57:29.239 --> 00:57:32.340 which was very special you know with the crowds 00:57:32.340 --> 00:57:35.119 with the television obviously we were used to 00:57:35.119 --> 00:57:37.739 that because you know world cups and world championships 00:57:37.739 --> 00:57:41.300 but it's a whole new level right when you're 00:57:41.300 --> 00:57:44.920 when you're speaking about the Olympics the Olympic 00:57:44.920 --> 00:57:47.260 village and the experiences you're getting there 00:57:47.260 --> 00:57:50.980 you know from seeing other olympians and other 00:57:50.980 --> 00:57:54.340 people that you generally see on television you 00:57:54.340 --> 00:57:57.960 know skiers ski jumpers you know you name it 00:57:57.960 --> 00:58:04.280 and it was such a such an interesting experience 00:58:04.280 --> 00:58:08.559 that changed me fundamentally and helped me again 00:58:08.559 --> 00:58:12.800 with becoming a better person and becoming better 00:58:12.800 --> 00:58:17.099 in the craft that i was doing with luge and essentially 00:58:17.099 --> 00:58:22.699 finding that Finding that mindset where you focus 00:58:22.699 --> 00:58:26.960 on what you can control rather than the outcome. 00:58:27.239 --> 00:58:29.559 And I've mentioned about this, but I think that's 00:58:29.559 --> 00:58:32.679 something that fundamentally changed how I looked 00:58:32.679 --> 00:58:38.440 at competing. Because now you're going from passive 00:58:38.440 --> 00:58:43.900 to sort of like active in the sense that you're 00:58:43.900 --> 00:58:49.599 going for more in a race. you're controlling 00:58:49.599 --> 00:58:52.260 what you can control. But now you're not just 00:58:52.260 --> 00:58:54.260 trying to, you know, let's say after the first 00:58:54.260 --> 00:58:58.420 run, you're on the eighth place. You're not just 00:58:58.420 --> 00:59:01.039 trying to protect that eighth spot. You're trying 00:59:01.039 --> 00:59:06.820 to go after seven and six. And there's a constructive 00:59:06.820 --> 00:59:11.539 aggression, I like to call it, that helps you 00:59:11.539 --> 00:59:14.780 to really, really focus on the things that you 00:59:14.780 --> 00:59:19.960 can control. Not necessarily focus on the outcome, 00:59:20.179 --> 00:59:24.320 but try within the run to be 100 % present in 00:59:24.320 --> 00:59:27.340 the moment. Control those variables that you're 00:59:27.340 --> 00:59:31.719 able to control in the moment that will most 00:59:31.719 --> 00:59:35.260 of the time generate a good outcome and whatever 00:59:35.260 --> 00:59:39.059 you're aiming for. But again, you know, from 00:59:39.059 --> 00:59:42.420 the good, from the bad, you're learning, you're 00:59:42.420 --> 00:59:46.179 reflecting, you're learning from that and that 00:59:46.179 --> 00:59:48.570 helps you with. just becoming better, moving 00:59:48.570 --> 00:59:51.429 forward. And that's why I keep talking about 00:59:51.429 --> 00:59:55.670 reflection, creating that consistency with regards 00:59:55.670 --> 00:59:59.869 to, you know, what you're doing. And that will 00:59:59.869 --> 01:00:04.449 help you to stand out because you're the one 01:00:04.449 --> 01:00:09.329 that works on that daily craft on a daily basis. 01:00:10.750 --> 01:00:13.250 So now it's your turn. You have identified a 01:00:13.250 --> 01:00:15.789 problem, a challenge, something that's preventing 01:00:15.789 --> 01:00:21.260 you. from reaching a specific goal, your responsibility 01:00:21.260 --> 01:00:26.300 at this stage is to break down potential steps, 01:00:26.539 --> 01:00:30.500 potential solutions that are taking you gradually 01:00:30.500 --> 01:00:35.460 closer to a solution. And if it's studies related, 01:00:35.599 --> 01:00:39.239 you have so many episodes on studies, how people 01:00:39.239 --> 01:00:42.920 face difficulties, how they manage to move forward. 01:00:43.019 --> 01:00:47.579 So use that information. to identify how can 01:00:47.579 --> 01:00:52.780 you go for it. Paul, can you walk us through 01:00:52.780 --> 01:00:57.800 your process once you're about to compete? What 01:00:57.800 --> 01:00:59.980 is going through your head? How are you preparing? 01:01:00.480 --> 01:01:03.260 What are you thinking about? What are the things 01:01:03.260 --> 01:01:06.659 that the people who are listening to us could 01:01:06.659 --> 01:01:09.699 duplicate to their own preparation before an 01:01:09.699 --> 01:01:11.900 exam, before an interview, before something that 01:01:11.900 --> 01:01:16.550 is very important to them? Essentially, We're 01:01:16.550 --> 01:01:18.050 going through this practice of visualization 01:01:18.050 --> 01:01:22.889 because luge, it's a sport that doesn't allow 01:01:22.889 --> 01:01:28.289 you to do a lot of runs on a daily basis. The 01:01:28.289 --> 01:01:33.409 physical demand of doing a run is quite considerable. 01:01:33.929 --> 01:01:36.210 And most of the times we're doing two, three 01:01:36.210 --> 01:01:40.010 runs, you know, there's a lot of G -forces. It's 01:01:40.010 --> 01:01:44.139 just that the toll is taking. on your body it's 01:01:44.139 --> 01:01:48.000 quite significant and to compensate for that 01:01:48.000 --> 01:01:50.900 lack of repetition that we can do on a daily 01:01:50.900 --> 01:01:53.039 basis we're going through this visualization 01:01:53.039 --> 01:01:58.679 process and that really looks like this you're 01:01:58.679 --> 01:02:02.519 sitting in the changing room you close your eyes 01:02:02.519 --> 01:02:07.360 and you visualize that perfect run right because 01:02:07.360 --> 01:02:11.730 with luge you cannot really consciously make 01:02:11.730 --> 01:02:15.150 a decision saying, oh, I went a bit late in this 01:02:15.150 --> 01:02:18.269 corner, so now I have to sort of drive this way. 01:02:18.949 --> 01:02:21.349 It doesn't allow you because of the speed, because 01:02:21.349 --> 01:02:23.610 by the time you consciously think about that, 01:02:23.710 --> 01:02:28.130 that corner is gone, right? So going through 01:02:28.130 --> 01:02:31.489 that visualization process helps us with not 01:02:31.489 --> 01:02:35.349 just memorizing the track and knowing every single 01:02:35.349 --> 01:02:38.550 centimeter of the track by heart, but it helps 01:02:38.550 --> 01:02:42.260 with that muscle memory. And what that creates 01:02:42.260 --> 01:02:45.239 when you're actually sliding down this track, 01:02:45.400 --> 01:02:51.380 now you're able to almost unconsciously drive 01:02:51.380 --> 01:02:54.639 the sled, to put it in very simple language, 01:02:54.900 --> 01:02:59.980 drive the sled down successfully and not having 01:02:59.980 --> 01:03:03.260 to think consciously about what you're doing 01:03:03.260 --> 01:03:06.519 next. Because again, it happens so fast that 01:03:06.519 --> 01:03:11.019 you cannot think that way, right? muscle memory 01:03:11.019 --> 01:03:13.179 so we're going through this visualization process 01:03:13.179 --> 01:03:17.199 we're doing that separately but we're also doing 01:03:17.199 --> 01:03:20.900 that as a as a team right so with my partner 01:03:20.900 --> 01:03:25.679 so we would go through the verbal process of 01:03:25.679 --> 01:03:29.199 right we start now we're in the next corner can 01:03:29.199 --> 01:03:30.800 you make sure you're doing this make sure you're 01:03:30.800 --> 01:03:33.760 doing that so it's just the case of wording the 01:03:33.760 --> 01:03:37.639 visualization process which is very interesting 01:03:37.639 --> 01:03:40.789 but It allows you, and there's a lot of science 01:03:40.789 --> 01:03:44.530 actually behind this, you know, actually tricking 01:03:44.530 --> 01:03:47.289 your mind into thinking the mind is doing that 01:03:47.289 --> 01:03:52.610 very thing. And that's exactly what we're doing, 01:03:52.710 --> 01:03:54.610 right? We're just going through that process 01:03:54.610 --> 01:03:57.710 of going down the track at that same exact speed 01:03:57.710 --> 01:04:02.849 that allows us to trick essentially our mind 01:04:02.849 --> 01:04:05.510 into thinking that we're doing that. And when 01:04:05.510 --> 01:04:09.079 it comes to doing it in real life, Now you're 01:04:09.079 --> 01:04:12.159 familiar, you're accustomed with that feeling, 01:04:12.380 --> 01:04:15.920 right? So that's how, in simple terms, it looks. 01:04:16.980 --> 01:04:20.860 It's fascinating because for you, you have to 01:04:20.860 --> 01:04:22.920 practice visualization because of the impact 01:04:22.920 --> 01:04:26.780 of that training on your body. But for people 01:04:26.780 --> 01:04:28.739 who are not competing, who are not athletes like 01:04:28.739 --> 01:04:32.599 us. Practicing visualization is fascinating because 01:04:32.599 --> 01:04:35.440 we have our own challenges. For example, we don't 01:04:35.440 --> 01:04:38.019 have enough time prepared for an exam, for an 01:04:38.019 --> 01:04:41.019 interview. So trying to practice visualization 01:04:41.019 --> 01:04:45.280 can actually help us ace it. Yeah, look, visualization, 01:04:45.500 --> 01:04:48.960 it can be applied in everything in your life. 01:04:49.179 --> 01:04:53.300 And I think it's stuck with me from my loose 01:04:53.300 --> 01:04:57.539 days because... then you can visualize an outcome 01:04:57.539 --> 01:05:02.139 at work, or you can visualize becoming a great 01:05:02.139 --> 01:05:08.099 artist, or playing the guitar, or whatever it 01:05:08.099 --> 01:05:12.980 is, right? You can do that, not just in sport, 01:05:13.079 --> 01:05:16.699 you can visualize the outcome of something. And 01:05:16.699 --> 01:05:20.940 that's such an important thing. And it's almost 01:05:20.940 --> 01:05:25.150 like having an edge. things because now you can 01:05:25.150 --> 01:05:30.429 practice in your head if i can put in that simple 01:05:30.429 --> 01:05:34.769 language you can essentially you're practicing 01:05:34.769 --> 01:05:38.969 in your head you know whatever that skill may 01:05:38.969 --> 01:05:47.010 be or whatever if you want to become something 01:05:47.010 --> 01:05:49.949 that you're not currently that visualization 01:05:49.949 --> 01:05:54.159 process can really help you And are there any 01:05:54.159 --> 01:05:56.460 tools or the techniques you've been using or 01:05:56.460 --> 01:05:58.260 any other advice you would like to share with 01:05:58.260 --> 01:06:02.639 us? You know, if I would have, I guess, an advice 01:06:02.639 --> 01:06:07.019 for the listeners and especially for the younger 01:06:07.019 --> 01:06:14.420 ones, right? It's small daily habits that matter 01:06:14.420 --> 01:06:22.710 much more than perhaps your talent. Because the 01:06:22.710 --> 01:06:29.269 reality is the secret to success, not just in 01:06:29.269 --> 01:06:32.409 sport, in life, you don't have to be a genius, 01:06:32.610 --> 01:06:37.409 right? You just have to be consistent. You just 01:06:37.409 --> 01:06:43.170 have to do things repeatedly, consistently, and 01:06:43.170 --> 01:06:47.190 you just have to become good at that. And you're 01:06:47.190 --> 01:06:50.630 creating that discipline. And it's just a snowball 01:06:50.630 --> 01:06:53.349 effect, right? Because from there, you're just 01:06:53.349 --> 01:07:01.230 improving. It's like we said earlier, it's that 01:07:01.230 --> 01:07:04.550 compound interest on discipline, right? Because 01:07:04.550 --> 01:07:07.789 once you establish that discipline, everything 01:07:07.789 --> 01:07:13.429 will just be compound interest. And don't wait 01:07:13.429 --> 01:07:16.670 to feel ready. And that's important because oftentimes 01:07:16.670 --> 01:07:23.449 we wait to be motivated. delay things i'm gonna 01:07:23.449 --> 01:07:26.409 start tomorrow i'm gonna start next week and 01:07:26.409 --> 01:07:30.010 the thing is the reality is you might never feel 01:07:30.010 --> 01:07:33.130 ready like you might never feel both physically 01:07:33.130 --> 01:07:35.969 and mentally ready and it's just the case of 01:07:35.969 --> 01:07:41.590 start it now see how it goes start small tomorrow 01:07:41.590 --> 01:07:46.510 you're gonna do it again um a week later perhaps 01:07:46.510 --> 01:07:48.489 if you're doing it on a daily basis you're gonna 01:07:48.489 --> 01:07:52.980 start you know, noticing some improvements, you 01:07:52.980 --> 01:07:55.760 know, maybe you're playing a new instrument and 01:07:55.760 --> 01:07:58.940 you're learning that way. If you're doing it 01:07:58.940 --> 01:08:02.519 on a daily basis, it's going to show in a couple 01:08:02.519 --> 01:08:08.619 of, you know, a few short weeks. And then thinking 01:08:08.619 --> 01:08:13.460 about discomfort, that discomfort is not your 01:08:13.460 --> 01:08:17.199 enemy, right? It's essentially a feedback system. 01:08:18.560 --> 01:08:23.060 The moment something feels hard, most of us will 01:08:23.060 --> 01:08:25.640 stop, right? Because naturally, we just don't 01:08:25.640 --> 01:08:28.920 like discomfort. We just like to be in our bubble. 01:08:28.979 --> 01:08:30.960 We just like to be in our comfort zone, right? 01:08:31.119 --> 01:08:33.560 But that's exactly what you should be paying 01:08:33.560 --> 01:08:38.579 attention to because the hard moment, that hard 01:08:38.579 --> 01:08:42.840 moment is, again, the universe showing you that 01:08:42.840 --> 01:08:44.939 you need to grow and it puts you through that 01:08:44.939 --> 01:08:47.960 discomfort. And if you're pushing through, It 01:08:47.960 --> 01:08:52.039 just helps you to become better at what you're 01:08:52.039 --> 01:08:55.659 trying to achieve and to set those great daily 01:08:55.659 --> 01:09:03.659 habits. And I guess lastly, you know, your character 01:09:03.659 --> 01:09:08.159 is the only thing nobody can take away from you. 01:09:09.399 --> 01:09:13.119 Because whatever you're building as a character, 01:09:13.260 --> 01:09:15.659 and we're referring back to that daily habits, 01:09:15.720 --> 01:09:18.710 to the consistency, to putting yourself through 01:09:18.710 --> 01:09:22.689 discomfort, that shapes who you are, right? That 01:09:22.689 --> 01:09:27.649 will build your character. That's going to build 01:09:27.649 --> 01:09:32.890 your identity around you and around, you know, 01:09:32.890 --> 01:09:36.869 who you are deep down inside. At the end of the 01:09:36.869 --> 01:09:41.409 day, you know, you can lose races, events, jobs, 01:09:41.609 --> 01:09:46.760 whatever it is in life, right? Money. But if 01:09:46.760 --> 01:09:51.920 you build essentially a character based on doing 01:09:51.920 --> 01:09:54.840 the right thing, you know, that's what truly 01:09:54.840 --> 01:09:58.880 matters because that's going to be with you forever. 01:09:59.140 --> 01:10:00.399 You know, it's going to stay with you. It's going 01:10:00.399 --> 01:10:04.239 to stick with you. So I guess, you know, you're 01:10:04.239 --> 01:10:08.359 listening because some of you want more and that's 01:10:08.359 --> 01:10:11.500 great. And you should go for more. You should 01:10:11.500 --> 01:10:18.170 find ways of growing. Because you're capable. 01:10:18.449 --> 01:10:22.350 Yes. And you should believe in yourself that 01:10:22.350 --> 01:10:25.210 you're capable. Yes. And that's really important 01:10:25.210 --> 01:10:30.069 to believe in yourself and not allow other people 01:10:30.069 --> 01:10:35.810 to think differently. Because just follow your 01:10:35.810 --> 01:10:41.010 intuition, that gut feeling. And essentially, 01:10:41.229 --> 01:10:44.880 every single one of you listening now. you're 01:10:44.880 --> 01:10:49.159 capable of so much more than you think. Absolutely. 01:10:49.619 --> 01:10:54.800 So just start today and just keep proving it 01:10:54.800 --> 01:10:57.779 to yourself because that's all that matters. 01:10:58.220 --> 01:11:03.640 Always is. In approaching life the way you have 01:11:03.640 --> 01:11:06.279 been doing has opened so many opportunities for 01:11:06.279 --> 01:11:09.300 you. You're currently living in China and you 01:11:09.300 --> 01:11:12.520 first live in Beijing where you had an incredible 01:11:12.520 --> 01:11:15.930 opportunity to coach the Chinese Olympic team 01:11:15.930 --> 01:11:18.130 in Luzh. Can you tell us about that experience? 01:11:19.029 --> 01:11:21.729 Yeah, absolutely. That was a really fantastic 01:11:21.729 --> 01:11:26.949 experience because and it started with that visualization 01:11:26.949 --> 01:11:34.350 process. It's interesting because I knew the 01:11:34.350 --> 01:11:36.970 head coach that was training the national team 01:11:36.970 --> 01:11:42.960 here and I started wondering you know what if 01:11:42.960 --> 01:11:47.020 what if what if and I was there very close to 01:11:47.020 --> 01:11:51.640 where they build the loose track and I just shoot 01:11:51.640 --> 01:11:54.020 him a message and I said look I'm I'm in China 01:11:54.020 --> 01:11:58.680 now and you know if you ever need any support 01:11:58.680 --> 01:12:04.300 with coaching with on the track you know I'll 01:12:04.300 --> 01:12:08.359 be happy to help out and yeah we met briefly 01:12:08.359 --> 01:12:12.279 and then Long story short, I stayed with the 01:12:12.279 --> 01:12:18.039 team for a season, and my school in Beijing agreed, 01:12:18.220 --> 01:12:21.100 and they were very flexible with this, but I 01:12:21.100 --> 01:12:27.220 was doing four days in Beijing at school, and 01:12:27.220 --> 01:12:31.359 then three days I was at the track. And I did 01:12:31.359 --> 01:12:34.619 that, essentially, for weeks and weeks and months. 01:12:37.529 --> 01:12:40.109 That experience, the coaching experience and 01:12:40.109 --> 01:12:49.149 what I was doing there, it was such an easy way 01:12:49.149 --> 01:12:54.130 of spending my time because I go back to my athlete 01:12:54.130 --> 01:12:58.489 luge days, although now I was in a coaching position. 01:12:59.409 --> 01:13:03.710 So slightly different, but I enjoyed it a lot. 01:13:03.869 --> 01:13:06.109 And that's why I didn't see it as work, essentially. 01:13:06.829 --> 01:13:11.810 That's the only way I could do four days there 01:13:11.810 --> 01:13:14.750 and three days there for a long period of time 01:13:14.750 --> 01:13:17.909 and not having essentially a day off because 01:13:17.909 --> 01:13:22.810 I didn't see that as work, right? I enjoyed that 01:13:22.810 --> 01:13:27.170 process so much. I think that's a key takeaway 01:13:27.170 --> 01:13:30.489 here would be if you do something that you enjoy 01:13:30.489 --> 01:13:38.890 a lot and you're able to earn from that. that's 01:13:38.890 --> 01:13:42.369 essentially a cheat code to life because you're 01:13:42.369 --> 01:13:44.350 just doing what you love and you're getting paid 01:13:44.350 --> 01:13:47.149 for it, right? And not too many people can claim 01:13:47.149 --> 01:13:51.449 that they're doing that. It's something that 01:13:51.449 --> 01:13:53.810 a lot of people are struggling with and, you 01:13:53.810 --> 01:13:56.569 know, it's the nature of how society is built. 01:13:57.170 --> 01:13:59.649 But yeah, if you can find that one thing and 01:13:59.649 --> 01:14:04.840 get paid for it, happy days. It is a cheat code. 01:14:04.899 --> 01:14:07.920 This is amazing. Congratulations for this amazing 01:14:07.920 --> 01:14:12.220 opportunity that you decided to seize. You decided 01:14:12.220 --> 01:14:15.939 to go towards that person that you've met, offering 01:14:15.939 --> 01:14:22.539 and then making the most of it. So for you who 01:14:22.539 --> 01:14:24.840 are listening to us, hopefully you'll find that 01:14:24.840 --> 01:14:28.619 cheat code, whatever it means for you. Let's 01:14:28.619 --> 01:14:32.359 find it out. So we are coming to an end. Thank 01:14:32.359 --> 01:14:34.199 you so much, Paul, for everything that you've 01:14:34.199 --> 01:14:38.079 shared with us so far. So to wrap this chat up, 01:14:38.359 --> 01:14:43.199 let's try to find three takeaways, three pieces 01:14:43.199 --> 01:14:46.439 of advice you would like to share with the people 01:14:46.439 --> 01:14:50.260 listening to us. It's hard to narrow it to three 01:14:50.260 --> 01:14:55.560 things. I will create a couple of things. Number 01:14:55.560 --> 01:14:59.319 one, consistency. You know, consistency beats 01:14:59.319 --> 01:15:02.460 talent. And that's going to be key in everything 01:15:02.460 --> 01:15:04.880 you're doing in life. If you're not consistent, 01:15:05.119 --> 01:15:09.439 you're going to fall behind. It's as simple as 01:15:09.439 --> 01:15:13.060 that. If you're consistent with whatever that 01:15:13.060 --> 01:15:15.979 looks for you in terms of what you're doing and 01:15:15.979 --> 01:15:18.939 what you're trying to achieve, consistency will 01:15:18.939 --> 01:15:23.699 get you there. It's about that small daily habits, 01:15:23.760 --> 01:15:27.500 that compound, as we were saying earlier. And 01:15:27.500 --> 01:15:29.539 that, I guess, leads me to the second thing. 01:15:30.439 --> 01:15:38.720 which is habits are the compound interest of 01:15:38.720 --> 01:15:41.180 self -improvement. And actually that comes from 01:15:41.180 --> 01:15:43.479 a book. I'm not sure if you're familiar with 01:15:43.479 --> 01:15:46.680 Atomic Habits from James Clear, but that comes 01:15:46.680 --> 01:15:50.100 from that book, which is a great book. And if 01:15:50.100 --> 01:15:55.579 you're interested in learning more about daily 01:15:55.579 --> 01:15:59.970 micro habits, consistency. You know, discomfort. 01:16:01.609 --> 01:16:06.090 That's a great book to read. Yes. And then a 01:16:06.090 --> 01:16:15.350 third thing, let's see. I guess the third thing 01:16:15.350 --> 01:16:18.909 would be start small. They're all sort of like 01:16:18.909 --> 01:16:24.069 connect, right? But start small. You know, don't 01:16:24.069 --> 01:16:29.090 wait for the right moment. Start. figure it out 01:16:29.090 --> 01:16:31.869 on the way don't wait for the perfect moment 01:16:31.869 --> 01:16:37.710 for the perfect day the one thing that if you're 01:16:37.710 --> 01:16:42.149 a bit tired your training won't count or your 01:16:42.149 --> 01:16:46.550 guitar lesson won't count or your whatever that 01:16:46.550 --> 01:16:51.689 is just do it anyways because down the line it 01:16:51.689 --> 01:16:56.989 will make a difference and it's better to do 01:16:56.989 --> 01:17:01.390 even 20 % of it, then 0%. That's always, it's 01:17:01.390 --> 01:17:04.630 math, right? That's always going to be better. 01:17:04.890 --> 01:17:09.590 So just start small. Learn along the way and 01:17:09.590 --> 01:17:16.350 figure things out along the way, you know. Every 01:17:16.350 --> 01:17:20.529 small choice, I would say, you know, it's working 01:17:20.529 --> 01:17:23.069 towards that person you're trying to become. 01:17:25.630 --> 01:17:30.229 everything will have an impact and will be beneficial 01:17:30.229 --> 01:17:39.810 down the line. So I'll stop there. And this is 01:17:39.810 --> 01:17:43.010 the perfect way for closing it. This is a call 01:17:43.010 --> 01:17:46.390 to action. So start small, start somewhere, but 01:17:46.390 --> 01:17:51.229 start. You can make it. Thank you, Paul. Thank 01:17:51.229 --> 01:17:52.930 you for everything you shared with us today. 01:17:53.010 --> 01:17:57.010 Thank you for the countless takeaways. And thank 01:17:57.010 --> 01:18:00.109 you for the countless takeaways. Hey, look, it 01:18:00.109 --> 01:18:04.409 was a pleasure. Thank you for having me. I really 01:18:04.409 --> 01:18:05.930 enjoy these conversations, you know, I have to 01:18:05.930 --> 01:18:10.789 say. Every time, it's rare these days that, you 01:18:10.789 --> 01:18:12.409 know, there's a lot of small talk everywhere, 01:18:12.689 --> 01:18:18.590 right? It's very rare that you sit down for a 01:18:18.590 --> 01:18:21.829 coffee with someone and actually have that person. 01:18:22.759 --> 01:18:25.439 active, 100 % listening to what you're saying 01:18:25.439 --> 01:18:30.720 is rare. And having conversations like this can 01:18:30.720 --> 01:18:35.420 really make a difference. And hopefully people 01:18:35.420 --> 01:18:39.159 will find a key takeaway. They might find something 01:18:39.159 --> 01:18:43.560 valuable in what we covered today. And for me, 01:18:43.560 --> 01:18:45.899 it was a pleasure. So thank you for having me, 01:18:45.920 --> 01:18:51.470 Alistair. And the pleasure was mine. Thank you 01:18:51.470 --> 01:18:53.310 to you. Thank you for listening to us. Thank 01:18:53.310 --> 01:18:56.850 you for waiting until the last moment to still 01:18:56.850 --> 01:18:58.829 continue to learn, to continue to take notes. 01:18:59.149 --> 01:19:02.310 We wish you all the best for the upcoming year. 01:19:02.850 --> 01:19:06.829 So may it bring you more habits, more discipline 01:19:06.829 --> 01:19:13.170 and more visualization. And wherever you're listening 01:19:13.170 --> 01:19:15.789 to this podcast, please don't forget to rate 01:19:15.789 --> 01:19:18.970 it, obviously five stars and give it a follow. 01:19:21.130 --> 01:19:24.050 Oh and also to share it with the person you think 01:19:24.050 --> 01:19:27.149 is definitely going to learn from this conversation. 01:19:28.090 --> 01:19:28.989 See you next week!