How to Win at Life: The 4 Levels of an Undeniable Leader

Welcome to Built For The Game, where we talk about the systems for winning in business and in life for the long haul, so you can thrive in any situation. I'm your growth coach, Rob Cressy, and what I want to talk about today is the 4 Levels of Built For The Game. And with this, I'm going to dive deep into each one because this will become a roadmap for everything that we talk about and take action on moving forward with this podcast.

So, here are the 4 Levels to Built For The Game. Number 1, self-creation. Number 2, lifestyle design. Number 3, self-mastery. And number 4, holistic success. Because when you look at what does it take to win in business and in your life, it starts with yourself, self-creation, and your ability to create yourself into whoever you want to be the most powerful version of yourself every single day. Because who you are creates your actions, and your actions create your results.

And self-creation is a superpower. And it is something that when you look at the inches of greatness, it is something that, one, I don't hear very many people talking about. Two, I know even fewer that have learned how to master the skills of self-creation. And number 3, this is what is going to separate you and help you thrive in any situation. Because you've got the power to create yourself into the person that will create the actions and the results that you want to in your life.

As for lifestyle design, this is about something, and I remember my branding coach taught me this quote. Live by design, not by default. So much of the world gets up every single day, does the same things every single day on the hamster wheel of life. But here's the thing. Even people who make tons of money, they are oftentimes living on default as well. Why? Because the only bucket they fill up in their life is the business or money bucket. They look at everything else, and it's kind of empty there. So lifestyle design is about doing more of what you want in your life and designing your life that way. Where business isn't the only bucket you fill up.

And third is self-mastery. Your ability to master yourself. This is about intention. This is about awareness. This is about consistency. This is about some Bruce Lee stuff where you are a master in all areas of your life. And this is when your standard is world class. Because no one is going to hold me to a higher standard than me. Because I am a master of self. Because I'm aware of everything going on in my life. And so are you.

And last but certainly not least is holistic success. Because when we talk about Built For The Game, it's about being ready for the long term, the long haul, sustained success. Holistic meaning all areas of your life. Your health, your wealth, your love, your happiness. You name it. Once again, so many people do not fill up all the buckets of their life. And they let something slip. And then they make excuses. And we are not about that life. Because we hold ourselves to the highest standard as high performers.

And that's what Built For The Game is all about. It is a framework. It is a roadmap. But more importantly, it is systems. Systems that you run every single day. Habits, routines, mindsets, ways of being. All day, every day to win at the game of business and in life. And we dominate and crush like the best. So let's break this down. And this podcast is an overview podcast. To help you understand where we're going. Where we're going to be deep diving. How we are going to be getting intentional about every single areas of your life.

So let's dive into self-creation. And self-creation for me is around one word. Being. Your state of being. Your identity. Who you are. Your ability to create your truth. And step into the power of the most powerful version of who you are. And for me, there's three areas that dive into self-creation.

Number one, self-talk. Becoming aware of your inner dialogue. And enabling you to not only identify it and address your negative self-talk, but reframe it and use it for power for yourself. One of my favorite books, The Obstacle Is the Way. What stands in the way becomes the way. Champions, we turn adversity into opportunities.

Number two, elite self-clarity. Your ability to identify it. Gaining clarity on the most powerful and elite version of yourself. What does that look like for you? Envisioning yourself every single day as the best version of yourself. And this is something that I've been living for a decade. The ability to run a system and a process of your vision and your most powerful version of yourself. Man, you just radiate everywhere. And this is how you create more of what you want in your life.

And then last but certainly not least, and as Tim Grover says in the book, Relentless, everything's labeled number one. Why? Because everything's most important. We are about that life. It is winning language. Your ability to create it and speak it. Your ability to adopt language that empowers you. Creating a positive mindset and reinforcing the best version of yourself. And there's a concept, abracadabra, I create as I speak. What you speak into the world, you give life to. And this starts with your thoughts and your listening and then your language out there. And this is something that is so easy for people to not be intentional about or not be hyper-specific about.

Because for me, you will not hear me saying things that limit me or others. On the same way, when I'm listening to everyone I work with or in any situation, I listen as if you are the best version of yourself. Anything that you speak that is incongruent with that, immediately red flags go off in my head. Once again, this is a system and a process for awareness. And this is all about what self-creation is. And this is something I am a master creator. And I want to help create you into a master creator. And self-creation is such a gift. It is such a blessing. And it is so important. It is the foundation that we are building upon with Built For The Game.

All right. Up next, we've got lifestyle design. And this is about vision. Your vision of what your ideal life, your ideal day, your ideal everything looks like. And we're going to start with this. Number one, the life vision. Envisioning the life that you want to create. Your relationships, your experiences, your environment, how you spend your time. And this goes beyond just personal growth and development. This is about creating a fulfilling and purpose-driven life for you. And this is where I would encourage you to give yourself the gift of dreaming and get that on paper. Because we can turn this into processes for achieving each of those things. But without the vision, you don't know where you're going. This is lifestyle design 101.

Up next, habits. This is about creating habits that serve you. That you sustain. That align to your goals and your well-being. And this is something where this is the gift that keeps on giving the things that you are doing every single day. This is the power of consistency. It's why I always talk about one of my favorite books is The Power of Consistency by Weldon Long. And what he says is most people just don't spend enough time going over their dreams every single day.

When you understand that consistency once a day, once a day, once a day, once a day, once a day. That stacks up. As I'm sitting here 13 plus years into the power of consistency, I can tell you this is what helps you win for the long haul. And most people say, oh, that's so far out in the distance. Throw that in the trash. All we get to create is in this moment right now. One of one. One of one. One of one. One of one. That's how we create powerful habits that serve us.

Because up next, we've got routines and your ability to create daily routines that maximize the consistency in the things that you want to create more of in your life. The productivity, the love, the power, the things that serve you to do and be the best version of yourself every single day. Morning routine, evening routine, reading routine, fitness routine, shower routine. High performance is a mindset, a lifestyle, and a way of being.

So what we do is we build systems and processes every single day that reverse engineers who we want to be in the future, the things that we want to create for ourself and say, all right, how can I create a routine that I love? Those are the words that I love, that I can create. And when I do this over time, this becomes effortless. Yeah, it's going to take some time for you to make these things unconscious for yourself, aka turning them into your autopilot. But this is what being Built For The Game is all about. This is your DNA. It's like an operating system. We'll get to that in a second.

Up next, we've got self-mastery. And this starts with mindset, developing the key foundational mindsets, growth mindset, positive mindset, self-awareness. That way you can overcome challenges, embrace personal growth, and unlock your full potential. Because this is the way that you think about every single thing. And mindset can feel very hollow or out there. But I can tell you, when you build a bulletproof mindset, when you build a world-class mindset, it doesn't matter what business or life throws at you. You know that you are equipped to handle the situation. It doesn't mean that every day is puppy dogs and rainbows. But you know you've built that inner fortress inside yourself with your mind because you've put in the work. And you've got this system in the process with your mind to thrive in any situation.

Up next, we've got autonomy. Your ability to steer your own ship by cultivating self-sufficiency and personal responsibility. Making decisions that are aligned to your values. And developing a relationship to time that serves you. And this is something that one of the biggest things you will hear me talk about is your relationship to time. It is literally one of the most important things in your life. Yet something that is so easy to not be accountable for.

And autonomy is such a gift. This is your ability to say, you know what? No one ever has to tell me what to do because my standard is as high as it gets. Because this is the way that I want to operate and I want to live. Because I am building myself for the game for the long haul. Once again, this game never ends. Entrepreneurship, ups and downs. It's a roller coaster of life. So your ability to say, you know what? I got this. It may not be difficult right now. But I got this because I know I want to steer my own ship. And number one is saying you want to steer the own ship. Number two is, all right, let's learn how to steer this ship. Building the systems and the processes all around. Autonomy. You got this. This is who I am.

And then last but certainly not least with self-mastery is your ability to master your energy. Developing your energy and your presence. Creating a positive and lasting impact. Not only on yourself, but on others as well. And this enhances the way that you show up in every single area of your life. And for me, creating energy is one of my superpowers. That I've learned along the way. That the way that you create yourself, energy is transferable. You cannot give to others that which you are not experiencing yourself.

So your ability to create a lens of the world that creates this energy in yourself. And for me, I'm a spiritual billionaire. Boom. I create this energy for me every single day. It's why I radiate. It's why I jump off the screen and the camera. Because I'm so excited about life every single day. Because I've built the system and process for being excited about life every single day. And so can you.

And this doesn't have to mean that you have a personality that is like mine. Where you jump off the screen. This is an internal thing. This is in your loins. It is in your being. This is your internal fortress. Where you've got an energy. Because there is also quiet strength. There is dark energy. There's so many energies that you can tap into. And your ability to understand and master your ability to create energy that serves you whenever you want. And have it be who you are for the long haul.

And then the last bucket that we have here. Or the last level. Holistic success. Filling up all the buckets of your life. And this is about creating your operating system. Where you establish your personal operating system. Your core values. Your non-negotiables. That guide your actions and decisions in all areas of your life. Creating a consistent and empowering foundation. For holistic success.

And when you create your lens and operating system of the world. Where you legitimately see success as filling up all of the buckets of your life. And being intentional about all of them. And aware about all of them. And taking action for all of them. This is the next level to the game. Because the majority of the world doesn't do almost anything that we are talking about here. But that's irrelevant to us. Because the standard that you and I have is one of one best in the world. So we build an operating system. A standard of action and being for ourselves. For how we fill up every bucket of our life. This is about fulfillment. This is about the long haul.

Because up next becomes your standard of action. How well oiled is your machine? And this is creating high standards of action. In consistency. In mastering the execution of your plans. On a moment to moment. Daily. Weekly. Monthly. Yearly. Decade plus basis. That way you ensure that you perform at your best. And achieve outstanding results. In every aspect of your life. Are you hearing me here? This is what the standard is.

This is what Built For The Game is. Because we don't know what life is going to throw at us. And you know what? We do know there's going to be obstacles. There's going to be adversity. There's going to be a lot of unknowns in there. And the more that we prepare ourselves and say, you know what? I know what my standard of action is. I know my operating system. I know how I'm getting down. This is how you win at the game of business and in life.

Because the last thing here, we are going to cement a winning nature. Solidifying a lasting foundation for success. By integrating your growth and positive behaviors into an intrinsic part of who you are. Ensuring a lifetime of consistency, progress, and fulfillment in every single aspect of your life. So this goes from, all right, this is new to me. To, all right, I'm tracking this. I'm feeling tons of momentum. Two, I do this every single day effortlessly without even thinking about it. Because it is who I am. This is my DNA. And this winning nature is an energy. It's a mindset. It's a lifestyle. It is a way of being. It is how you create everything that you want in your life.

And this is something that we as entrepreneurs, high performers, and leaders, we lead ourselves so that we can lead others better. This includes our family. This includes our friends. This includes our employees and our team members. So those are the four levels of Built For The Game. I'll recap them again. Number one, self-creation. Number two, lifestyle design. Number three, self-mastery. Number four, holistic success. This is the world we are building out, the systems we are building out together for Built For The Game. I am committed to helping you win in all areas of your life.

Rob first taught this framework under his show's earlier name, Built For The Game. Transcript cleaned up for reading.