I had two client conversations today that I will not forget for a while.
Two clients. Both wildly successful. One’s a former pro athlete who’s dominated their sport for years and is now contributing to their sport in an even bigger way after retirement. The other’s a CEO who’s built a company where 4000+ people feel proud to work.
And guess what? Both were drowning in the same damn doubt.
“Maybe I’m too much,” they said. “Maybe I should dial it back.”
Sound familiar?
Here’s what I told them – and what I’m telling you right now: Going all-in and giving all of yourself isn’t your problem. It’s your f*cking superpower.
The World Wants You Small
Let me paint you a picture. You’re out there crushing it, building something that matters, chasing a vision that keeps you up at night (in the best way possible). And what does the world tell you?
“Slow down.” “Be realistic.” “Get some balance.” “Take it easy.”
Nonsense.
You know what balance gets you? Average. And average doesn’t cut it.
I’ve spent 16 years in tech, climbed every ladder they put in front of me, played by every rule in the book. And you know what? It was comfortable. It was safe. It was slowly killing my soul.
The day I stopped playing small and started giving all of myself to what mattered – that’s when everything changed.
That’s when I started actually making a dent in the universe. And not feeling tired and exhausted even if I was spending longer hours.
Working more doesn’t make you tired or exhausted.
Holding yourself back and playing small does.
Take “Balance” Out of Your Vocabulary
Here’s a radical thought: What if I told you to delete the word “balance” from your vocabulary entirely?
Look around. Show me where balance exists in nature.
The mountain doesn’t apologize for being grand. It doesn’t try to balance itself with the valley. It stands tall, unapologetic, magnificent in its commitment to being exactly what it is.
The ocean doesn’t balance its waves. Some are gentle laps on the shore, others are tsunamis that reshape coastlines. The ocean gives what the moment demands.
The lion doesn’t balance its hunt. When it’s time to strike, it gives everything. When it’s time to rest, it rests completely.
Nature doesn’t do balance. Nature does seasons. Cycles. Rhythms of intensity and rest, of growth and dormancy, of all-in effort and complete recovery.
You’re not a spreadsheet that needs equal columns. You’re a force of nature with your own seasons of intensity.
When it’s time to build, build with everything you’ve got.
When it’s time to rest, rest completely.
When it’s time to lead, lead without apology.
The word “balance” is just another way society tries to keep you small, predictable, manageable.
Your greatness isn’t balanced. It’s seasonal, rhythmic, and unapologetically powerful.
Good vs. Going All-In: The Real Talk
Here’s the brutal truth nobody wants to say out loud:
GOOD will get you applause. GOING ALL-IN will get you misunderstood.
Good follows the rules that someone else wrote for a game you didn’t even choose to play. Going all-in? Going all-in throws out the rulebook and writes their own damn game.
Good asks for permission like a kid asking to use the bathroom. Going all-in gives itself the green light and floors it 🙂
Good fits in, plays nice, doesn’t rock the boat. Going all-in builds boats that others can’t even imagine yet.
And here’s the kicker – going all-in gets called crazy. Too much. Too intense. Too focused. Too different.
That’s not criticism. That’s confirmation you’re on the right track.
The Gift Nobody Talks About
True commitment gets a bad rap because mediocre people don’t understand it. They see your fire and think it’s going to burn them. They see your intensity and feel inadequate about their lukewarm approach to life.
But giving all of yourself? It’s a gift.
It’s what drives you to stay up until 3 AM perfecting something that already works because you know it can work better. It’s what makes you see solutions where others see problems. It’s what turns your crazy ideas into world-changing realities.
I’ve seen it with every leader I work with. The ones who change everything – they’re all committed at a level others can’t fathom. Committed to their standard. Committed to their craft. Committed to their calling.
Not sometimes. Not when it’s convenient. Every. Damn. Day.
Plan B Is the Killer of Plan A
Here’s where most people miss. They hedge their bets. They keep Plan B warm and ready, just in case Plan A doesn’t work out.
Let me tell you something I learned the hard way: When you’re built for Plan A, Plan B becomes a safety net that turns into a noose.
Plan B whispers in your ear when things get tough. “Maybe this isn’t working,” it says. “Maybe you should take the safer route.”
Plan B is seductive. It promises comfort, security, the approval of people who never dared to dream as big as you do.
But Plan B kills Plan A every single time.
You know what successful obsessed leaders do? They burn the boats. They stand in the fire. They make Plan A the only option because that’s how you get obsessed enough to make the impossible happen.
The Misunderstood Truth About Balance
Everyone’s preaching balance like it’s the holy grail. Work-life balance. Balanced approach. Balanced perspective.
But here’s what nobody tells you: Balance doesn’t change the world. True commitment does.
Steve Jobs wasn’t balanced. Oprah isn’t balanced. Elon Musk sure as hell isn’t balanced. Every person who’s ever shifted culture, created something revolutionary, or built an empire that matters – they went all-in.
Now, I’m not saying neglect your health or your relationships. I’m saying stop apologizing for caring more, working harder, and dreaming bigger than everyone else around you.
Your commitment isn’t taking away from your life. It IS your life. It’s the thing that makes you come alive, that gives meaning to every breath you take.
What They Don’t Want You to Know
The people telling you to slow down, be realistic, find balance? Most of them are projecting their own fears onto your dreams. and they are not to blame for that.
They see your commitment and it makes them uncomfortable because it highlights their own settling. Your intensity reminds them of dreams they gave up, risks they were too scared to take, visions they let die in the name of being “practical.”
Don’t let their fear dim your fire.
When they call you too much, too intense, too focused, too different – that’s not feedback. That’s confirmation that you’re operating on a frequency they can’t understand.
And that’s exactly where you need to be.
The All-In Manifesto
So here’s what I want you to do. Stop apologizing for your commitment. Stop dimming your light to make others comfortable. Stop second-guessing the fire that burns inside you.
Your willingness to give all of yourself is your compass. It’s pointing you toward the impact you’re meant to make, the legacy you’re meant to leave, the change you’re meant to create.
Let them call you too much. Own it. Let them say you’re too intense. Embrace it. Let them wonder why you can’t just be normal. Thank them for the compliment.
Because normal doesn’t innovate. Normal doesn’t inspire. Normal doesn’t transform industries, lives, or the world.
Your commitment isn’t your weakness. It’s your strength. It’s your edge. It’s your secret weapon in a world full of people who’ve convinced themselves that average is acceptable.
Don’t stop until the vision you carry becomes the reality you live.
The world doesn’t need another balanced leader. It needs more leaders who are willing to go all-in.
Are you ready to give all of yourself?