Control freak is a word people with low standards use to describe people with high standards. You’re not a control freak — you just want it done right the first time. You’re not anxious. You care.

Most people want a silver bullet—but great products are built from 100 golden BBs. There’s no silver bullet, only hundreds of tiny improvements.

Do not expect mediocre people to support world‑class goals.

If you’re aiming to build something exceptional, you’ll inevitably outpace people whose ambitions or standards are lower. Their skepticism or lack of follow‑through isn’t a personal attack, it’s simply misalignment of vision.

World class goal building

Shortcut solutions rarely deliver breakthrough results. Instead, excellence compounds through a thousand small refinements—each one barely noticeable on its own, but together they add up to market‑leading quality.

Micro-optimizations

Taking criticism personally gives it power. By keeping in mind that every critic is mortal—and that their words will fade—you detach your self‑worth from momentary jabs.

Insults

A deliberately provocative way to underscore mortality—every adversary will die long before you. In practice, it’s a reminder to stop over‑investing emotional energy in petty conflicts.

Murder is just picking when someone dies.

You’re not making as much money as you want because you’re not as good as you think you are… You’re not struggling from imposter syndrome, you’re a student pretending to be a teacher.

If you’re doing what everyone else is doing, you’ll blend in. Standing out—even if it feels awkward—is a sign you’re on the right path.

Excellence rarely looks “normal.”

Affirmations alone won’t create results. True self‑worth arises from demonstrated competence or achievement—not just positive self‑talk.

The way you know you’re worthy is that you have it.

If you haven’t gotten what you want then you’re not worthy of it, period—and that’s okay. Now you can admit that you suck and improve.

The only insults that hurt are the ones we believe. Next time someone insults you, remember—they’re going to die. Everyone will forget about them, and if no one will remember, you might as well forget about them now.

Reminder that if you want to be exceptional, you’re going to be different from everyone else.

Exceptional work or leadership will look “weird” to the crowd precisely because they’re not doing it. Embrace that discomfort as proof you’re on the right track.

Standing out isn’t a bug—it’s a feature of excellence.

Hormozi redefines impostor feelings as accurate self‑assessment: if you haven’t yet mastered or proven something, you’re not an imposter to be “fixed,” you’re legitimately still learning.

Imposter Syndrome

Owning your current shortcomings is liberating: once you admit “I’m not there yet,” you can map out exactly what skills or habits to build next.

Positive Narrative

Alex Hormozi is a founder, investor and an author.Alex’s Twitter continually has been one of my favourite sources of great insights over the last few years. Today we get to go through some of my favourite lessons from him about life, human behaviour, psychology, business and resilience. Yet again this is so, so good.Expect to learn why being called a control freak isn’t an insult, how to stop making the same mistakes over and over again, why being at the top will always require you becoming uncomfortable, Alex’s guide to surviving cancellation, how to get more comfortable telling the truth, why it's good to remember that all your critics are going to die and much more...Sponsors:Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours with your first box at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (automatically applied at checkout)Get 10% discount on Marek Health’s comprehensive blood panels at https://marekhealth.com/modernwisdom (use code: MODERNWISDOM)Get 20% discount on Nomatic’s amazing luggage at https://nomatic.com/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM)Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period from Shopify at https://www.shopify.com/modernwisdom (automatically applied at checkout)Extra Stuff:Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/booksTry my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdomEpisodes You Might Enjoy:#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: http://tinyurl.com/43hv6y59#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: http://tinyurl.com/2rtz7avf#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: http://tinyurl.com/3ccn5vkp-Get In Touch:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillxTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillxYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcastEmail: https://chriswillx.com/contact- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Life lessons from the greatest thinkers on the planet with Chris Williamson. Including guests like David Goggins, Dr Jordan Peterson, Jocko Willink, Dr Andrew Huberman, Dr Julie Smith, Steven Bartlett, Ryan Holiday, James Clear, Robert Greene, Balaji Srinivasan, Steven Pinker, Alex Hormozi, Douglas Murray, Chris Bumstead, James Smith, Dr David Sinclair, Mark Manson and more. Understanding the world is hard. This podcast will help.

Standing out isn’t a bug—it’s a feature of excellence.

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