160. The Good People and Experiences that Improved Our Lives

Do you know how hard it is to say to you in a nice way, stop ruining the business, go and rest you. In fact, I'm just gonna start saying it like that now because like you go way too hard and it's like, no, dude, it's like, could you imagine someone that's like, got Covid and they're just so sick and they're trying to run a marathon and you're like, bro, you can't even breathe. You're gonna die. Just please stop. I can't watch this anymore.

I'm trying, man. I'm trying. I'm trying. Welcome back to another episode of the Better Bergs podcast. I'm Ben, your favorite high school dropout and founder of Collective Shift alongside Ms. Bergs, your favorite MBA and CEO of Collective Shift. Join us as we bring you world class crypto research and strategies to help you dominate this crypto bull market as well as behind the scenes view of us scanning a fully remote subscription research business here in Australia. If you like the podcast, we'd love for you to leave a subscribe. If you're on YouTube or if you're on the podcasting app, leave us a follow up so you get notifications of when we drop more alpha and insights to you each and every week. And this week we have a little episode about why spending time with good people in your life can change your life. We all know those people that we've had in our lives, our friends. Maybe it's one of your parents, maybe it's both your parents, maybe it's your next door neighbor and it's just fucking hard to deal with. And whenever, whenever you speak with them, you just want to fall asleep and run away. It is just tiring, it's negative, it's annoying and it can really bring you down burks. And it's like I have realized more recently as I'm growing up that if you can surround yourself with the right people, being positive people, influential people, people that are ahead of you, people that are doing good stuff, they are the people that fulfill you with that energy that you end up becoming and their battery charges, not battery drainers. And you and I every year we do that yearly reflection and we had the, we had the list of people who moved out of our lives and people that bring come into our lives and also battery drainers and battery chargers. And I feel as though that as we grow and as we have more employees and more staff and more followers and more community and whatever, you always tend to find the battery drainers mate.

Yeah, man, just as you were speaking there, when you're talking about, you know, those people, so many people popped into my head. Even environments like my previous work environment when I was at the hospital, that was horrendous. And just changing that environment changed my life, you know, just getting somewhere else and doing other things.

You know what? I actually resonate with that. Like, not that I've. I've worked in government, but when I used to be a basketball referee and, you know, I used to manage 40 BAS referees back in Tassie, and it was the most political.

Nonsense, drama, bitching of an environment. Like, it was just like, you just end up consuming your night, talking about the most meaningless stuff in the real world. But because you're caught in this bubble and this environment where everyone else is talking about it, you get trapped in the. In, you know, within it. And it's not until you get out of the vortex, you look back and go, wow, what an absolute waste of time and energy. Not refereeing itself, but just like the basketball parents, everyone wants their kid to succeed. Everyone's not getting enough court time. All the refs are the coaches, shits. Like, you know what I mean?

Absolutely, man. Like, geez, Even when you think to friendships, relationships, like, you don't realize until you think deeply about it, you reflect, and then you modify that relationship, and you're like, oh, that was really draining and really negative and having quite a large effect on my life. And as I get older and older, I just keep thinking of, it's not necessarily, like, adding more positive things to my life. It's reducing those negative things that has the largest impact. Like, stop drinking so much. Stop hanging out with people that are haters and overly negative. During a board meeting, we had one of the board members, and she asked a question because it's, like, part of her role. And she said, she goes, there is a right answer to this. And she goes, do you think it's better to reduce, like, negative energy or add positive energy? I don't know if she used the words energy, but is it better to reduce negativity or to increase positivity? So what do you think?

Reduce negativity?

Yeah. And it's a. It was amazing because we had a psychologist on the board. So she, like, puts her head up and she explains it, and she was saying, reduce negativity because it has a greater impact on our brains than positivity. When something bad or negative happens, there's a huge outsized reaction compared to something positive happens. It's a really consuming emotion. And if we think about this, I've got a couple of examples here I just thought of. Let's say you lose $100 or you lose your wallet. How is that going to feel versus finding $100 or finding a wallet? You want to avoid that loss or you lose a friend or you gain a friend. Losing that friend is going to hurt way more and you're going to think about it more. Or your boss tells you you're in trouble versus your boss tells you you're great. And these negative things and emotions can affect your thoughts, behaviors, and affect your life outcomes.

Man, I couldn't, I couldn't agree more. It's like that real ex girlfriend energy, mate. Like, looking back, I'm like, I am so happy right now, you know, not having to worry, and I can't. This is my, you know, I'm not a married man. I'm so, you know that you're, you're.

In a different position in life.

You've got kids, marriage, you know, it's, you know, you're on the journey of, of where you're at. But like, right now, it's actually reflected. I was just this morning, I was thinking about this. I'm like, I'm happy, I'm single. I just got no one have to worry about. I can just do my own thing, focus on the business. Don't have someone screaming at me or telling me I'm not, you know, giving enough.

And, you know, I think I've taken over that role, Ben. Like, I scream at you, I tell you you're not good enough.

You're enough. You're enough.

It's like, you know, you have to put up with me for that long, mate.

It was funny like last night, like, you know, my, my housemate, he's like, oh, I'm going out for dinner with, you know, a couple, couple of friends want to come out and, you know, catch up. And I'm like, no, like, not that I don't want to hang out with you, but I just can't be fudged and I just want to sit down and do nothing and I don't want to talk to anyone. But yeah, like, all day, every day, we work and we grind and we do the things we want to do. And like, sometimes it's just like, you know, I don't want to have to. And not to say that I don't even know who we know who the friends were. Not to say they were battery drainers, but it's just like sometimes, sometimes it's just like it's just good to be in your own world and not have to do what other people want you to do. You know what I mean?

Oh mate. Like forced.

Social or compliance things, mate, that is just the worst where you feel guilty and you go to like, let's say a social thing, right? And it's like, yeah, you need to do those things and generally you feel good but sometimes you're just like no. Or if you know it's going to be draining. But relating this to forced compliance things, like when I was at work previously, just going through these draining meetings, the same thing over and over, and sending emails and then having meetings about their emails and these things going nowhere. You all know it's going nowhere, but you put on the theater and the show because you need to somehow show that you're working by talking at meetings and preparing for them and presenting. But it's not actually adding to, you know, top line revenue or sales or whatever you're working on. It's not adding any value. Then it uses so much of your time. I found that so draining having that same conversation for the 20th time. No, he's going nowhere but I have to show up, otherwise a decision will be made against me. Like weird stuff like that.

And it was just, and just impacts everything else. So you come home, you're negative, the miss, you know, she's not happy, then you're just getting pissed off.

It's just like.

And, and I think that also goes through like you know, hiring and new people. Like we recently had a couple of new highs in the business and it's just like the difference between a good hire, like an A grade player and a B or C grade player is just like worlds apart. Yeah, we, you know, I've made some, some, some average highs in the past and I made some good ones. And just the results, the energy, the drive, the excitement you get when you get someone that's in it. They're passionate, they're good at what they do, they're best in class, you know, and it brings everyone else up versus someone that's just like constantly talking about problems, constantly bringing you shit you need to fix. It's just like, it's just such a worlds apart.

We did hiring very differently this time.

We needed two roles. One was a software developer and one was a sales slash member success. And with this time around, we really thought about what we needed, what was important, we took our time. Even though the some candidates seemed amazing, you're like, yes, sign me up. But then you think about how are they going to fit in the business? Like cultural kind of fit? Do their values align? Are they easy to teach? Are they eager to learn? Because a lot of skills can actually be taught. In both instances, we said no to a few people that we would have normally hired. We took our time and now we've got two great people in our business.

Yeah, I think, I think we spent a lot more time. I personally am not one that pays a lot of attention to detail. As Perch will know.

I'm like just fucking, let's get it done and move on. But that doesn't work when you've got new people, especially in really critical roles. So I spent a lot more time, you know, developing a 90 day plan, a lot more time with the KPIs, a lot more time in the training. And it really like, it really took it out of me and, and it was a lot. But to see where we are now with that, with that person and even in your developer vergs like what you see are those outcomes when you, when you put in the right time and you wait to find that hell yes. Like that was one. That was one of the biggest lessons I've learned in hiring. It's like it has to be a hell yes. Like you have to come off the back of your first or second interview going this guy is the guy or gal. And if not, it's not a, it's not a hire.

Yeah, if it's not a hell yes, it's a no. So at our latest EO forum, we had one guy, he's got a manager in his business and he's like, oh yeah. But you know, she's like this but does a really good job. But then I haven't really done this and I could be doing a lot of stuff better. But then I've told her to do this, she comes back and does that. Goes on and on and on. 10 minutes go by, 20 minutes, 30 minutes. And I just look at him like, bro, if it's not a hell yes, it's a no. You know the answer. You just don't want to go through the pain of hiring someone else.

Mate, this is so funny, right? So I was, I had this very similar scenario on my, on my retreat recently. One of the guys in our EO group, he's talking about this person is role and she, you know, she's not pulling away. And like he brought up like three or four times a day. Then he calls her up and she's still not doing it. He gets off the call, he's Like, I don't know, guys, like, maybe I'm not doing the right thing. Maybe not push it. And we're all just like, mate, shut the fuck up. Like, she's got to go. Like she's, you know, you're complaining about it. You're basically saying that, you know, she's not an, a great player, but you still hit. You just don't want to take action. Right. And I think that's, that's been the biggest thing that we've implemented. That sort of high, slow fire, fast attitude. It's like if it's not, it's not it.

That's exactly it. Like we're not going to stay in the pain. And we even updated our company values. And one of the behaviors is we only do long term things with long term people.

Like that goes for our members, our platinum group, our B2B partners and our staff.

Yeah, yeah, 100 and anything.

Yeah. Any deals we do along the way as well, it needs to be long term with long term people. Not quickly get the money in and then ruin everything that just goes against our values. And just having that to look back on and base our decisions on is, has been changed. Life changing in the business.

Yeah, I agree. And also I think the other thing that's that, that I've been trying to implement more is like doing more outside of business because I'm so addicted to business. I love it too much, but it's also very much the can play the other side where it's like, you're burnt out, you cooked. I come to meetings, burgers, tell him I need to go to bed or shut the computer off because you just, I'm just annoying him.

Like, do you know how hard it is to say to you in a nice way, stop ruining the business, go and rest, you idiot. Like, in fact, I'm just gonna start saying it like that now because like you go way too hard and it's like, no, dude. It's like, could you imagine someone that's like, got covered and they're just so sick and they're trying to run a marathon and you're like, bro, you can't even breathe. You're gonna die. Just please stop. I can't watch this anymore.

I'm trying, man. I'm trying, I'm trying.

No, but it's good because you really take it on board.

Like you listen, it's my kryptonite too, right?

Yeah, exactly. This, this was everyone I used to previously work with at the Fiona Wood foundation was like this where you work like your hair's on fire, but then you burn out. But working like your hair's on fire was what was rewarded. But you suffer and then you end up being less productive. But it wasn't seen that way within the organization. But they didn't step back and look at it and be like, okay, this is a pattern that's happening. And because that behavior was modeled and rewarded, that's what we all did.

Yeah. And I think that's again going back to good people. Like, you know, one, one of the best hires I made was bringing you onboard a couple of years ago. And initially it was more around a product focus role. And I feel as though it's probably going to go back to more product focus role, you know, now or into the future. But you know, you as CEO right now is. And from a strategy perspective has helped me focus my time, my attention and cut out the shit that doesn't matter. Because I'm like the, what's it called? The in, in eos, it's like the, what's it called? The visionary and you're the implementer integrator. So one of the, one of the things is like when you have good people around you that are giving you skill sets or insights that you don't have or that aren't your skill sets, then that's what allows you to really create a lot of value and leverage. And I think that's what Bergs really helped me with is like, I'll just go, go, go, go, go. But I might be working on stuff that doesn't really matter or just doing shit half assed or not having the right time to think about what is the best thing to be working on. And, and I just get shiny object syndrome. So having good people around you and Burges will constantly go, that doesn't matter, that doesn't matter. Fuck that off. These are the three things you need to work on. Like just do this. And I think that's been a real, a real sort of advantage for us.

Yeah, you need someone that has that inside, that has your back. And there's a beautiful model out there called the Johari Window. J O H A R I So I think it was made by Johan and Harrison. They smashed their names together. This is one of my most favorite models. So It's a classic NBA 2x2 matrix. So on the vertical you've got known to self, unknown to self. And on the horizontal you've got unknown to others, known to others. So if you look at the known to self and known to Others, that's the open self. This is information about you that both you know and others know. Then you've got the hidden self, which is known to you but not known to others. So this is like a facade. This is information you know about yourself but others don't know. Things you put out there. Now let's get to the interesting side. The unknown self, which is unknown to you but known to others. So this is the blind self. This is your blind spot. So these are things, Ben, where I like Ben, I can see it plain as day. This is what you're doing. This is going to be the outcome you need to stop.

And what is that? What's my blind self? Do you think?

Oh, mate. Okay, so I don't have 15 hours to explain everything, Right? So a lot of. A lot of your blind self is.

You just don't know. So I think it's naivety in things that you do. That's a blind spot for you, which is actually great. And we want that in the business, because if we're all old and all thought we knew everything, we would do nothing. The other blind spot you have is your very trusting of a lot of people way too early. So that's. That's something that's. Although it's kind of known to you, it's not settled within your net yet, so it's still unknown. The other one is the path that you put yourself on where you have. I think you feel a lot of.

Guilt and sense of responsibility for the business, and you will burn yourself into the ground to do things that fundamentally, over the long term, probably won't matter. We talked about that recently without going into, you know, specifics, but you have that huge sense of responsibility where you just keep going and going and going and burn yourself into the ground. It's unknown to you what those triggers are and how that happens, or even the work you've done with Trav. You may have some triggers and strategies, but you. You put that to the side and you're hyperfocused on this goal. And when you come out of that hyperfocus, you're like, I'm exhausted. I think they're just a couple of ones I can think of, of the top of my head.

That's true, man. Okay, that's. Mate, you're. You're smart cookie. I'd agree with that.

And then the. The other one in this model is the unknown self. So this is unknown to yourself and unknown to others. This is information about you that neither you nor others know. And this is Kind of you discover through, I think, personal growth, putting yourself in difficult situations and doing things you've not done before. So you're not going to discover things about yourself by doing things you've always done. But when you start doing new things and experience new things, you don't know what's going to happen or how you're going to react. And that's the unknown self, which is amazing. We do that quite a lot and that's how you grow and it's quite rewarding.

Yeah, no, I agree, I agree. So I think it's about.

Yeah, for me, what's really helped me in my business and in personal life is surrounding myself. I mean, my housemates, Forbes 30 under 30, crushing it. Massive business. My age, just killing it. You know, the team that we've been able to build a great players, like, you know, friends I hang around with and people, the EO buddies. Like, it's just really surrounding yourself with people that are really crushing it and doing well. With the platinum members we have, we have 40 high net wealth crypto investors that are doing businesses and they're growing things, they're traveling and they're just doing amazing things. We go out for lunch with them, I meet with them one on one. Like, it's, it's unbelievable who we get to meet.

Exactly. Right, man.

And.

I think, like.

I thought of another, another blind spot for you, mate. You, you want to. You ready to keep bashing your mate? Let's go. I think. No, these are, these. I don't know if they're blind spots or if they're known to you, but you are overly optimistic in a lot of areas, especially around time. Optimism and what we can actually achieve.

Oh, no, that's very true.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's, that's a really interesting one. And I was, I was just thinking as you were talking before about, you know, structuring your day and the things you like to do. And I've recently, now, now I've got a personal trainer, everyone to be held accountable. Got a pt, absolutely loving it.

That was, I don't think it's your blind spot, but I think I've tried to push you so you are capable, I think physically of a lot more than what, like when you first started out at collective shift. Like you've, you've, you've, you've slimmed up, mate. You're in much better shape than where you were when you first came across a crypto, which is usually the opposite.

Oh, yeah, for me, it's definitely, it's Known to you. And it's known to me as well. Like, I know I'm a lazy piece of shit and I need to do more, right? So now I finally got the. Got a pt. Doing things, like, properly, in a structured way. Actually going to the gym using my gym membership. And this helps because it gets me out of the house.

It.

I see other people that are getting after it as well. And it actually reduces a lot of my stress, increases resilience, reduces pain. That's been a huge game changer. Another one is twice a week I just catch up with mates just for lunch. And that's amazing. Just to hear what's going on in their lives. Have a beer, have some food and then come back and do some more work. It's really amazing just to get out and connect with those people.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. You've got that balance is super important.

And just focusing on things now like eating and sleeping. Like, how good is a good sleep, mate?

Like this eight sleep, mate. Game changer.

Still going all right, still cracking. Like, big scores on your woof, mate.

Good, good, good scores.

Yeah, I just. I just feel refreshed and putting in the big days. I feel less burnt out at the moment, you know, Like, I'm still pushing in big hours, but I can get a good night's sleep. Like, that's been one of the best investments with the mattress and everything else. Like, yeah, that's good. And mate, I've got my. Got my half marathon this weekend. This. Now, this will be posted after I've run it. So if I don't come back, everyone, it will be called the Berg show from here on in.

Let's be honest, it's already the Berg Show. Like, let's. Let's not muck around. Like, you know, I think we need.

To have a vote, mate. We need to ask the listeners, all 700 listeners.

Look, all the values, definitely on this side. You're like the color commentator that adds like a little bit of flavor here and there just to break things up, mate.

Mate, I'm the guy that makes this thing, you know, entertaining. You might have the value, but like, if we're just listening to you, man, oh, my goodness, what a boring show, mate.

It would be amazing. Like, the majority of the clips are about me anyway. Like, let's be honest, like I say, really profound. You're talking about your Tesla, mate. We know what it is.

So how. How far is a. A half marathon? Do you know?

I think. I think it's 21km.

It is 21 cases. I just want to be clear because a lot of people don't actually know how far it is. And what is the furthest you have run so far?

15 kilometers.

Okay. And that's kind of what's expected before you do a marathon?

No, it's expected to do more. I've just completely under trained. So I've, yeah, I've been working with Jordy. Have not hit my pre training KPIs because I've been running. I've been so busy trying to get a.

This is so you. I've not hit my KPIs, but look at this amazing thing over here that I've done. I'm like, but Ben, we're not working on that. I don't understand. We don't need a boat. We need sales. What are you doing, mate? But the boat, and it goes so fast. And look at my goal swing.

It's like, it's. It's so hard to get like a two, three hour run in. Like, when the hell does anyone have time to do that? Like, at the moment, I just don't.

Mate, you're a Single guy. You're 25. You just need to wake up and do it. Mate. Just sack up. Jesus Christ.

Here we go.

That's so long to train for this thing. So hang on, hang on.

Making it sound like I do nothing. I sit around like my bum all day.

Mate, mate, I've seen you walking around, having coffees, got your journal out that you haven't written in for six years, pondering life, doing strategy, even though I do the strategy. What are you talking about?

But seriously, do you. Are you gonna make this like. Oh, wait, wait. Okay, so without recording, it is now Thursday.

So it's two days until racist says Saturday. And also I messaged Louisa because I'm like, I actually don't know. I don't know where it is. I don't know what time it is. I actually don't know how to get there. Like, it's in.

It's in Noosa.

I don't know where. Like.

What? Like Queensland you have to go to. Okay, so you've not even organized how to get to Queensland.

It's going to be like, that's all that's organized. But I don't know where. Like in Noosa, where I'm going to go.

Like, anyway, it's gonna be like 99 humidity.

I've been training, the pouring rain, the freezing cold.

Oh my God. So what is, what is your pre training routine look like the next couple of days? Do you have things, activities you need to do.

It's a rest day. So I, I was thinking I was going to be having a big week, and I messaged Jordy on Sunday. I'm like, right, well, let's build it up. What are we doing? Like, no, mate, you got to take it light this week. Like, I was like.

But I have.

Gels.

I have energy gels.

Ben, you know you're gonna leave those in Melbourne. You're gonna forget them. Are you gonna. Now you got that gimbal camera. Are you gonna hook that up to your body and just, like, live stream the whole thing while you're running?

I bought all these gels, but, like, oh, man, I'm not gonna, I'm gonna forget it. I'd like, honestly, if I make it to the race, that's a win. At this point.

Did you hire a camera team to follow you around at the marathon?

You can just rip stuff just like, I'm 5Ks in. This reminds me of a time eight years ago when I was investing in crypto.

Like David Goggins style. Mate, think of the content, mate.

I, I, no, I'm. No, no. The answer is, are you, are you.

Going with anyone or are you just going by yourself? You're just rocking up?

No, no, I'm going. I've got to, I've got to make this running in Queensland. So, you know, it'll be fine. We'll get there, we'll figure it out.

You're not really instilling me with any confidence that you're going to make it, mate. Do you have like a. Is the goal just to make it, or do you have like a time goal or anything like that just to.

Finish at this point, really. But I'm not going to walk it. Like, I want to run the whole time. So, like, run the whole time and finish it is the plan.

So I'm coming to Melbourne next week and your legs are not going to work. This is going to be amazing. I'm going to hook it up. So we do a leg workout with Jordy.

What's going to drive me is the shame and guilt I'll feel if I don't make it. Like, that's what drives me. It's like just the fear.

You've talked it up for quite. You've had quite a long time to prepare as well. And you're like, my, like last year, my big thing is I'm going bungee jumping and I'm doing this and I'm doing that. And you did it to your credit. And you were scared shitless about that. You were terrified. Like you couldn't even talk about. You're like almost vomiting. And now a marathon is a pretty big goal. So I'm keen to see if you do it. And then I'm also keen to see what your next goal will be after this. Maybe we'll do some goal setting next week, Ben. We get goals for each other.

Okay. Okay. We have to go back to our yearly reflections because I feel as though we're on track.

Yeah, I'm definitely on track. I was thinking about that the other day. We'll do a reflection. Maybe we'll do it in person next week. Added upside, like how we're actually going.

That's good, mate. I can't complain. Pod's going good business. Good goodies up east up this half.

Marathon, this is a key thing as well. Like we're talking about good people positivity and reducing negativity. Things that really help me in life is having a goal to work towards that really helps me and drives me and having something to look forward to.

Yeah, yeah.

Like whether it's a holiday or know new experience, mate.

The Platinum annual event in Singapore, token 2049. That's going to speak so Benneberg's listeners, if you are in the Platinum membership or you. You're looking to join our top tier, if you're. If you're a. A larger crypto portfolio owner, we are hosting a. An event for our platinum members over in token 2049. We might do a little Ben and Bergs catch up. If there's some followers and listeners over there, let us know. Hit us up on Twitter or LinkedIn or Twitter or said it twice, Instagram, wherever, let us know and we might do a little pub catch up over in Singapore. If you're going to the token 249 event. It's the largest crypto event in Southern hemisphere, but yeah, that's something to look forward to. We're going to be doing our big platinum catch up over there, which will be super fun.

I'm so keen for the food and beers, mate. It's going to be amazing. I love singers.

All right, guys, let's wrap it up there. Thank you everyone for listening. If you liked the episode, we'd love for you to share it with a friend, family member or fellow crypto degen. It's how we grow the podcast each and every week and we'll see you on the next episode.

Thanks, Shabbyz.