If you can answer yes to any of these questions, this article might have a great impulse for you.
What is a dark horse? The term stems from horse racing back in the day and to this day. The term was coined for a horse nobody knows and the gambles would be unsure of placing their bets on. They provide better odds, but also carry more risks. Would you bet on a horse or any contender in a race without ever having them seen racing? No? Well, that is normal and quite wise.

But what if the dark horse is you?

Let’s imagine for a moment, that you are that dark horse. Nobody knows you, at least nobody knows your potential. You are, however, in this race with all the others. Whether you are a doctor, a teacher, a construction worker, a cashier or a stay-at-home parent. You are in competition with your peers – to which degree is up to you. 

It is easy to look at others who have outperformed the rest of us in our field, whatever that may be for you, but what if you tried something new? Enjoy being underestimated. Bathe in the fact that nobody thinks of you and how much more you have the chance to surprise them?

The element of surprise is the key element of this article. The effect of you coming out of that gate and surprising all of those who did not bet on you. Taking the analogy of the horse race again, the gambles would now pay very close attention to that new race horse – you.

But how to get there?

Do you want an example? Kim Kardashian. Wait, what? Why am I mentioning her? She has been underestimated by so many. Laughed off as a 15-minute-of-fame celebrity, but she is still around and not going anywhere soon. She took advantage of being a dark horse and eventually surprised us all, whether we like her or not. It is a story that, despite anyone’s opinion, can be a great source for inspiration. You can achieve anything, maybe even faster and easier by being laughed at, despised, underestimated. 

If you prepare, maybe even grind a bit and get ready before you get out of your box and start running, you might just enjoy that moment on the podium at the top, having surprised them all. Worst case scenario? You did your best and you are praising yourself and achieved something you never thought possible.

Go out there. Be a dark horse.

I would like to invite you to remind yourself of you strengths. I know, at first it feels silly starting a list of things you are good at or you like about yourself. Trust me, it is not. You are working on your self-image. Most likely you are underestimating yourself the most, but why do their work for them? Work on estimating yourself correctly. Stand tall in front of the mirror, ignore the negative thoughts that come to mind and just for once, play a little game with yourself and name only the good things you see. 

Positive thinking is debated here and there, while some love the law of attraction, others think of it as spiritual nonsense. Does it matter? I don’t have a definitive answer for you, but what I can tell you is, that a positive attitude towards yourself can become a habit. It is a muscle. So why not do a little habit building. Just for one week, do this exercise each morning, just you in front of a mirror and tell yourself your strengths and what you like about yourself. 

Get back to me and let me know what you noticed.

Until then, your coach Philip.

Wouldn’t that be great? You read this article and figure out the secret and solution to everything? Well, it might be sobering to hear, but I have an idea…

These days, we spent hours online and we are bombarded with ads and call to actions all circulating around one thing: THE solution. The magic button, the ONE THING you have to do in order to rid yourself of excess weight, procrastination, addictions, and even uncontrollable elements such as “how to make everybody fall in love with you”. We live in a society where the quick fix seems everywhere and ever present. But does it exist?

Well, in certain circumstances it might. You will get tired quickly setting up furniture without a power drill. Simple problem – simple solution. For anything else more complex and of value to you, such as your life, your health, your love-life, the solution might be equally complex and require a thorough approach. Many of our everyday “issues” have been with us for months, even years and we have battled them countless times, right? This is not a scientific argumentation but how much sense does it make that you have pondered something over and over again and someone else now has the solution to your problem and it requires zero or minimal effort on your part. It is unlikely I would say. 

Let’s use a very common example – productivity. Many of us are struggling to make the deadline, juggle work and our social lives and follow all those recommendations of regular workout, meditation, etc. Do this, do that, but if you do THIS ONE THING you will be liberated from all your worries. Sounds a bit too good to be true. So why not try an old idea with a new approach? Work. Not hard but smart. When we hear work or hard work even, we tend to get demotivated. It is easy to go into a new year’s resolution and list a million things you want to do. Just start, don’t think about it. Well, I would say there is some truth to that, but instead of overthinking which won’t help you reach your goal, you might still want to consider way to make sure you work smart, not hard.  

Another example might be all too familiar. You gained a few extra pounds over the holidays or while you were stressed at work. Your new year’s resolution or new goal is to go to the gym and work out really hard very often. You imagine yourself at the end of your goal. The sobering realization will come all too quickly when you are on the treadmill in week 4 and you discover that it is hard work.

What to do? Well, I would suggest you start by researching weight loss and find out which body type you are. You might come across a few articles telling you that it is not just workout but also diet. You then go on to find which exercises you might like. Getting a fitness coach who will help you devise a plan and a strategy are also expensive but bound to get your the results you were looking for. The quick fix might be some processed foods in the form of shakes and some silly device promising to slim you down while you watch Netflix. Of course, the latter would be great, but if they worked we would all be using them. 

The downsides if you are chasing that quick-fix are most likely frustration due to false promises, thus a lack of motivation and also a bit of money. Quick fixes rarely come cheap. If  worse when you think about the effect.

In the example above there are 3 solutions. One, the quick fix, not yielding results and costing you money. Two, you try it yourself and work hard, without a plan and guidance or the necessary knowledge and skills. Option three is the true solution (of course only in my opinion) as it requires actual work and dedication, but making it as EFFICIENT as possible. You will get to your goal, but faster and smarter, staying motivated and on track. 

So what is the secret then?

Baby steps. The word is not very motivating, but Usain Bolt also started with baby steps, when he was a baby and when he trained to become an athlete. He has coaches too. He works smart.

Your coach, Philip.