"The more successful I got, the more miserable I was"
Words of wisdom from Adrian Chiles on World Book Day
It’s World Book Day! In case you weren’t aware, I recently wrote a book - Champion Thinking: How To Find Success Without Losing Yourself. The response has been fantastic.
Yesterday I spoke to Adrian Chiles for an upcoming podcast, and he came out with some interesting lines which totally resonated with my book’s big idea. He said:
“The more successful I got, the more miserable I was.”
He then added how he was happiest when lost in the moment, whether broadcasting or riding his motorbike through to, interestingly, ironing. (“I wish you were,” my wife quipped.)
He suggested that he is increasingly envious of people not obsessed with ambition, but who were, to use his words, simply “comfortable in their own skin.”
And therein lies my point, ‘success’ is frequently underwhelming, but when we lose our sense of self in the moment it is inherently enjoyable.
Flow can seem like an elusive state that you therefore have to go searching for, but it’s also a recognition. When we notice we are aware of our thoughts, feelings and the like - we can drop into the ever present peaceful background presence. It’s always available, we just get lost in experience - which is part of the human game!
I talk about this recognition in much more depth in the videos I am putting out on my subscriber only feed. Thanks to everyone who has subscribed - come join us!
Also, a huge thanks to everyone who has bought my book, and especially those who have kindly left a review. Speaking of which, the response to my competition was great, and we now have a winner! Check your inbox to see if it’s you…
And finally, I just wanted to flag what I consider to be a brilliant substack post about the ‘dopamine cartel’ of social media. Compelling and chilling in equal measure.
