The Week That Almost Broke Me — And What I Learned From It

Everything hit me all at once.

A demanding time in my business.

Some personal turbulence.

An unfair lawsuit — where I had to protect myself and my assets.

At the beginning of the week, I felt like I was on top of the world.

Business was growing.

Life was improving.

Things looked great.

But I didn’t realize how much perseverance it would actually take.

It caught me off guard.

Completely.

Luckily, I knew what to do.

The reason this email wasn’t sent on Wednesday?

Exactly that.

I went through the hardest week I’ve had in the last 12 months.

It tested me on every level.

Resilience. Focus. Discipline.

Everything had to be on point.

But I’ve learned that success is built in those moments — when the pressure is high and the heat is on.

Because when life turns up the heat, you either create diamonds…
or burn away all the coal.

Here are the lessons that helped me survive this week — and every other hard time in my life:

1. When you’re winning, you feel unstoppable. When you’re losing, you feel worthless. Neither is true. Stay grounded.

Being easily excited is a gift.

Your activation energy is lower.

You take action faster.

You have more zest than most.

But there’s a price.

The same intensity that lifts you up when life’s good…drags you down when it’s not.

You ride the highs.

But you also crash with the lows.

And I’ll pay that price every day — because the upside is worth it.

Still, I’ve learned to combat the negative spirals with detachment.

Here’s how I do it:

• Meditating.

• Journaling.

• And sometimes… reminding myself that I’m just a monkey with a plan on a rock, floating around a gigantic atomic bomb (aka the Sun), in an infinite universe that’s expanding forever.

(It helps. Seriously.)

2. In some seasons of life, maintaining is winning.

You want big things.

You’re driven.

You’ve got goals.

You want to live well.

But here’s the truth:

Progress isn’t linear.

It’s a series of losses… followed by a few big wins.

And those few wins pay back everything you lost — and more.

So real growth isn’t about pushing all the time.

It’s about not stopping.

Especially when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

This week, it was impossible for me to play offense.

I couldn’t grow my business.

I couldn’t level up my life.

So I chose to maintain.

And it still feels like a win — because I didn’t lose ground.

Now that I’m back, I can pick up right where I left off.

How can you apply this?

1. Define your most important life areas. Mine are: health, wealth, love, and happiness.

2. Find the 20% of actions that give you 80% of the results (low effort, high impact).

3. Write them down. Do them. Consistently.

Example:

If fitness is one of my key areas, the 20% that gives me 80% of the results is:

• High-protein, moderate-calorie diet

• Strength training 2–3x a week

I ignore meal timing, vitamin stacking, sauna, stretching, and other “optimizations.”

Why?

Because the highest ROI tasks become the priority in tough seasons.

3. The harder the things that happen to you, the better.

Sounds strange.

But it’s true.

Every hard thing I’ve ever gone through… is now an advantage.

I know what I’m capable of under pressure.

I trust myself in the dark.

And when future obstacles show up — I just compare them to that one horrible thing.

And they all shrink in comparison.

Perspective is everything.

Make sure you choose yours.

Don’t borrow someone else’s.

4. Leadership is what they see — not what you feel.

One of the most inspiring leadership stories I’ve ever heard is that of Sir Ernest Shackleton.

In 1914, he led the Endurance expedition to cross Antarctica — a feat no one had ever achieved.

He’s now remembered as one of the greatest leaders in history.

But what struck me wasn’t just what he did — it was what he wrote.

Outwardly, he was unshakable.

He gave rousing speeches.

He kept morale high.

He projected calm and certainty — even as their ship was crushed by ice.

But privately?

In his diary, he wrote about fear.

Doubt.

Crushing responsibility.

He didn’t know if they would survive.

He feared failure.

He feared death.

And yet — every single day — he showed up strong.

Because that’s what leadership required.

That’s what being a leader is.

It’s not about how you feel.

It’s about what you choose to show.

5. Surrender to the moment.

I love being in control.

I like being in the driver’s seat.

It’s served me well.

But sometimes… you can’t control anything.

Like when a plane takes off and you’re strapped in your seat - powerless.

You just have to trust.

Wait.

Hope for the best.

In those moments, I whisper a mantra to myself:

Surrender to the moment.

Don’t fight it.

Don’t force it.

Don’t control what’s uncontrollable.

Let go.

Let God.

Let life flow.

Staying calm when you can’t move forward…

Is one of the most underrated skills you’ll ever develop.

Much love,
Adrian