How do you find success without struggle.. when it all seems so hard?

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You know, as far as I can work out, there are three groups of people out there…

First, there are people forcing their way to success: struggling, stuttering, mis-firing, they want greater control, lifehacks, shortcuts, the next magic bullet, to-do list tweak, or iPhone app.

So they study, prepare, and analyse. But no matter what they try, the diet, the business idea, the next project, never quite works out as planned. So they keep searching, forcing, and stressing. They continue with their attempts to control the uncontrollable, fighting the currents that they can’t see. They can’t find the easy way, so they drive themselves on, hungry as ever. I’ve been there.

Secondly, there are people who are kicking back, going with the flow, not really playing the game. They talk about it, they disconnect, they bliss out, they ‘Kumbaya’, and live a life of bland mediocrity. They hope that they can achieve something without getting their hands dirty; faith in the practical application of cosmic energy, crystal magic (and no effort). Looking for the easy way, they float on. I’ve also been there.

… and finally there are the few that give themselves to the game; surfing the unknown, paddling forward with the flow. They get things done (and enjoy it). They have a plan (which they improvise), and create wealth for themselves (and everyone else). They don’t want the easy way, because they’ve found ‘The Groove’.

I’ve spent a decade in management consulting for large corporations, Accenture, Vodafone, Pepsi Co., BAA, EDF, etc. and I’ve spent a lot of time helping teams take on of fix impossible projects. And I recognize this third tribe. They are the movers and the shakers, the easy hard workers, the few that enjoy themselves and seem to have a ready smile – a vibrant energy. They have something… and I’ve spent a lot of time with them working out what it is.

The Groove?

I was looking for a word that represents what I see in this third tribe. What I want for myself and my clients… but you know, it’s really not that easy. The components of success all seem to come with side effects.

• High productivity and achievement – comes with associations of struggle, stress, overload, and forcing yourself forward. No fun.
• Enlightenment – seems to have been polluted with associations of fluffy passivity and disconnection from the world. A lack of fun, Sunday school heaven. Blissed blandness disconnected from rational thought.
• Excitement – speaks of short term fun at the expense of the future (and other people). It talks of paying for feelings. Superficial highs and lows, things that don’t matter.

But what if you and I want all of the best bits of life woven together?… what do you call that?

When you’re really firing on all cylinders, completing projects, making things happen, and enjoying yourself?

When you find peace – not passively on the side lines – but in the way a sail boat hums when it’s cutting through the water at just the right angle to the wind.

When you find regular excitement, surprise and fun; not with cheap candyfloss sugar highs, but in a way that makes sense, and improves the world for other people. Is there a word for that?

Then one day I saw some definitions of how people use the word ‘groove’ :

And I realised that this is what I’m after. The Groove! The slang uses arise from people looking for a word that doesn’t exist… and adopting ‘the groove’ as a way of describing it. It talks about exceptional performance, harmony, pleasurable excitement, and getting into a habit.

And even better, it’s unpretentious, unacademic, real life, and not so serious (a good thing).

So that’s what this site, and it’s products and services are about…. The Groove: an epic life of success without struggle.

• Taking productivity, and enlightening it
• Taking ancient wisdom, and making it active and practical
• Taking excitement and surprise, and adding a purpose
• Surfing the unknown, and playing the game
• Creating the habit that brings this alive

Whether the answers come from my extensive experience in business consulting, my time in medical school, the wierd and wonderful personal development world, Zen texts, Taoist thought, or what I heard from someone this morning in the coffee queue. My aim is to weave this all together in a way that works for me, and hopefully for you.

If this is something that resonates with what you’re looking for… if you are one of the ‘third tribe’… sign up below, and let’s talk!

Tired of the struggle? Sign up for 'The Groove' and receive regular practical bite-size insights - for productive fun & enlightened achievement

I hate spam just as much as you