How Three (Fictional) People Transformed Misery To Massive Success Using The Barbell System (Barbell #16)
As an appendix to the barbell series, let us continue with our three fictional characters, Tim, Sarah, and Extreme Eric.
They were introduced in my very first article, and learned my previous system 1-Glance here. However, much has happened then, and they have been forced to confront a lot of chaos. Here are their stories and how they vastly benefitted from Barbell.
Case-Study 1: Tim
Tim was a university student until recently. A major association within tennis came across his bio and talents. They wanted to hire him straight away, as both a tennis teacher and a board member.
Tim is extremely fond of tennis and immediately said yes. However, he was unsure if he wanted to quit his studies right off the bat. Tim started to work 70% and the rest for studying as a compromise.
It was here that things became very stressful. First of all, Tim was in constant doubt whether he should quit university altogether or if it was a fool’s bargain. Second, his time is extremely limited now, and he does not have a lot of free time, which his girlfriend does not appreciate. Third, he feels compelled to do all of this updating for his 1-Glance system, trying to modify something that changes too much.
When his girlfriend calls him out one day, he decides to switch. He has heard about the Barbell System and decides to test it right from the spot.
Tim learns Barbell: the effects
With some fast setup, Tim no longer needs to do all of this updating, thereby saving 2 hours each day. He does not need to feel that he should figure everything out all the time. Rather, now he starts to love this uncertainty.
More importantly, he decides to spend as little time in school as possible and more time spontaneously chilling with his girlfriend.
It was during a particularly romantic night that an epiphany happened. He suddenly realized that the tennis association offers way more options than his university program could ever offer. He realizes that his most fulfilled moment is seeing others extremely dedicated to tennis. Moreover, he already has some expertise, can learn from his students and can network up to future opportunities.
Tim quits university right from the spot and dedicates full attention to his newly found career. It turned out to be very favorable since he now is involved in multiple large-scale projects of popularizing the sport to more youngsters, especially those who spend too much time on their phones. His unique insights are greatly appreciated, and his reputation skyrockets.
Tim is convinced that this would not have happened unless he switched to the Barbell System. He could let go of his initial goals as Ph.D. and could seize the opportunity upfront without judgment. His girlfriend is extremely happy as well.
Case-Study 2: Sarah
Sarah has been promoted to CEO of the company, which is a dream come true. However, with increased salary and benefits came a stark realization.
It turned out that the former CEO had made some unfavorable moves now brought to light. It quickly lead to the loss of major clients and media coverage. Moreover, many Russian clients had to terminate their contracts due to the political situation in their home country.
She was totally not prepared for this dramatic chaos and suffers from great imposter syndrome being the new CEO. Although most of the board members believe in her, she feels she cannot keep up or get a clear picture of what to do next. She instinctively feels that trying to change her plans all the time is a futile battle, but she does not know any other option.
The final blow came to her after a telephone call from kindergarten. Her oldest kid has had a major accident and is now hospitalized for severe brain injuries. Everything crashed down for her when she heard her son being in a comatose state. She could not take it anymore and took an absence for one week, in a severely burned out and hopeless state, exacerbated by the constant guilt of not updating her plans.
After days of mental dispair and hopelessness, even considering suicide, she discovers the Barbell system. In the last effort to live, she tries it.
Sarah learns Barbell — the effects
When she realizes that goals, plans, and overall future thinking are extremely destructive, she feels relief. She no longer “maintains” the system, which is extremely liberating. After three hours of journaling with lots of tears coming up, she finally feels peace. No drag, just pure acceptance.
Now she felt that there could be hope. That she could go beyond her understanding and surrender to what is. She quit any thoughts of suicide and decided to do her best.
The next day, she woke up to two perspective changes previously not considered. First, she remembers an extremely prolific (but highly premium) brain surgeon known for “achieving the impossible.” Maybe he could save her child from the risk and despair of being functionally impaired?
She immediately calls him and offers 75% of the family’s net worth for him to rescue their son as soon as possible, which he quickly accepts. It turned out he also knew the Barbell System, which has helped him see opportunities better and not be stuck to futile planning.
Second, she realized that simply taking responsibility for the company situation, admitting the chaos, and even bringing her personal story could change the entire culture and bring lots of support.
Then miracles happened.
The brain surgeon took an express flight and quickly discovered the issue, compared to the other surgeons. In careful acts, he managed to recover the child from a certain paralysis and locked-in syndrome thanks to advanced, breakthrough, and intuitive procedures. “Thank God his brain is still very plastic,” he says.
Also, during the subsequent press conference, Sarah admits what has happened in the company and offers the next steps, but she is humble to point out that they can change at any moment based on their clients. The media and stakeholders greatly praise her courage, charisma, and rippling story. In the room, many adults broke into tears as well when hearing the story of her child.
The stock quickly rose, and the firm got many new and old clients. The clients that this company, abandoning formal strategic planning that never worked, could take them more seriously than competitors since they receive the most attention. Sarah’s reputation skyrocketed.
Most of all, the hospitalized child finally wakes up. Despite severe memory loss and some initial retraining, as well as some minor speech impediments, he is completely restored. Even better, it seems like he has got a sixth sense for everything music now.
Everyone is ecstatic in sheer joy. The surgeon receives tons of accolades and media coverage, as well as the child himself. All of the involved become celebrities. But none of this is compared to the family’s happiness of having their son fully rescued.
Today, Sarah has made the Barbell System mandatory for every company employee. Because they abandon forecasts, the company will create its own unique category and increase its impact 20-fold.
Case-Study 3: Extreme Eric
We previously left the hot-shot extreme Eric quickly rising to fame in the investment firm. However, the unthinkable happened.
The investment firm got bankrupt and had to lay off 95% of the workforce, including extreme Eric.
It was a total nightmare for Eric, who had bet his entire future on this firm. It was a black swan totally unexpected, and Eric did not know what to do. He was still not distinguished enough to be acquired by other firms, compared to many of his Wall Street colleagues.
Extreme Eric broke into tears when he canceled his perfectly laid out plan and strategy. Everything he knew is now obsolete. One of his weaknesses is being too narrow and not handling ambiguity. He was so certain that no rare events would happen to him, and now he has student debt to pay.
After three days of pure nihilism, he visits the site where he learned 1-Glance in pure resentment. Eric is looking to blame the blogger for his misfortune, destined to wreck his reputation.
However, to his surprise, he realizes that the blogger behind 1-Glance has dramatically shifted in perspective too and abandoned 1-Glance. Eric quickly scans all the articles and becomes truly mind-blown. It seems like the blogger has come to the conclusions Eric initially felt and offers tools to dominate uncertainty and chaos, which Eric desperately needs.
Extreme Eric starts to trust this blogger again, especially seeing as the blogger is vulnerable enough to admit his former mistakes. In 10 minutes, he sets up the Barbell System.
Extreme Eric learns Barbell — the effects
Extreme Eric is still very smart, although he was fragile and falsely certain before. It took only 20 minutes of abandoning his plans, seeing his options, and writing things done for him to discover the amazing opportunity that he previously missed.
He realizes that many of his clients might still want to do business with him. He also realizes that he could use the Barbell System to his investment strategies, betting on companies and stocks with potentially large gains. After learning that chaos is something to celebrate, not avoid at all costs, he decides to start his investment firm called Barbell Investments with three other laid-off friends.
Extreme Eric was right. Many of the clients he interacted with wanted to collaborate with him and his friends. They realize that Eric might be a unicorn in the jungle, that his unique perspective might bring everyone massive fortunes.
And this is what happened. Barbell Investments were the first ones to massively gain from the previous turbulence. In just one month, Extreme Eric achieved the lifestyle he had planned for five years ahead, capitalizing on others going bust. Barbell Investments became the top firm of Wall Street, and opportunities are constantly flowing.
So much luck you can unlock from adjusting to the present, delighting your clients, going against predictions, as well as taking more responsibility and handling ambiguity.
Today, Extreme Eric has all the wealth he could think of and more. However, he does not need it since he can always be constantly fulfilled in the present moment, regardless of what happens (his major strength).
Most of all, he is extremely convinced that the Barbell System was the sole catalyst to all of this positive upside. Therefore, he always makes sure to read the blogger’s newsletter first thing in the morning to stay informed and constantly learning.