How to Shatter 1,000 Beliefs and Crush a 7-Figure Exit W/ Hursh Dodhia-Shah | Elite Performance Podcast #59

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:06:10
Itamar Marani
You are measuring your potential with the wrong measuring stick because you're looking at specific other people that had very different goals than you.

00:00:06:12 - 00:00:30:01
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yes, it's a very interesting and challenging time, both the due diligence and all the different processes that happen when you have to sell a business is always one of those things where when I signed up for the arena, I was just like, Why am I adding like another thing to my plate? Very successfully exited agency, I kept the belief set in a mind frame throughout the entire thing that made the process not just not destroy me, but like really elevated me to another level.

00:00:30:01 - 00:00:34:22
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And you always kind of feel unstoppable and kind of unbreakable, which is pretty damn cool.

00:00:35:00 - 00:00:53:19
Itamar Marani
Welcome to today's episode, everyone. Today, I'm joined by Hursh to share how he built and grew a 7- figure agency, and now he's also exited and he's in the process of merging it into a bigger one. Hursh was one of my more enjoyable alumni in the program at a blast working with him, and he had a very interesting insight around week number two.

00:00:53:21 - 00:01:11:17
Itamar Marani
That was a giant trajectory setter, and I think it's something that a lot of entrepreneurs need to be reminded of. I kind of like his revelation and also just seeing the success he's had and the fact that obviously I enjoyed very much working together I want to have on the part. So first I wanna say Hirsch, thank you for coming on and appreciate you being here.

00:01:11:19 - 00:01:15:16
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
But absolutely stoked to be here. And yeah, let's dive into it for sure.

00:01:15:18 - 00:01:25:06
Itamar Marani
Cool. So before we get into the tactics and all that, can you please describe the before the arena and after. Both on a let's call the more tangible external level and from an internal level as well.

00:01:25:09 - 00:01:44:06
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
One Yeah, for sure. So basically before the arena, like, I mean, I've been to personal development and self-development, you know, for quite a long time. I've been running a business, I've been running a business for about eight and a half years as well, you know, done like a ton of really cool things in business, a bunch of self-development, that kind of thing.

00:01:44:06 - 00:01:59:02
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And I'm always that the kind of person that just likes doing the next thing and doing the next things, always keeping sort of step shop. So I guess I was just looking for whatever, you know, edge I could basically gain by going through the arena and the arena and yourself came very highly recommended from some previous alumni as well.

00:01:59:02 - 00:02:25:12
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So like, I really wanted to jump in and give it a go. At the time, yeah, I was running like a seven figure agency and you know, no no agency journey is without its own no business journeys. And that's ups and downs and challenges and this and that. So and around the beginning of the program was when I was really starting to get deeper and deeper and deeper into the due diligence process for the acquisition of our agency by, I guess, Alstead.

00:02:25:12 - 00:02:56:14
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So I'm in Western Australia, like WA is like the largest and most successful digital marketing agency was looking at acquiring us. So it was a very interesting and challenging time in the business to basically go through the arena because it was kind of like everyone that's based and sold a business before knows that when you're running the business, keeping things like obviously growing on a great trajectory while going through due diligence and all the different processes that happen when you have to sell a business, it's it's kind of like everything is sort of like all in one.

00:02:56:16 - 00:03:11:19
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And it's almost one of those things where when I signed up for the arena, I was just like, Why am I adding like another thing to my flight? But as you said, you signed up to that kind of really put the whole thing into perspective and just like flip the whole journey of that, like especially that sort of like three months.

00:03:11:19 - 00:03:34:01
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
That was just the craziest business spirit of my entire life. INTO Yeah, it was almost like an identity shift that transitioned from like the biggest challenge to like the, the biggest, most amazing, glorious moment. And in a weird way, you know, was working like a savage and navigating all the different challenges. And I was like relishing every single moment of it because of that one kind of simple belief shift.

00:03:34:01 - 00:04:03:06
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So super powerful. So I guess, yeah, in terms of tangible results, you know, off of the arena, very successfully exited my agency, which was amazing. So what was great for my life and for the business as well. So that was a fantastic result. But I think the most important part was I kept a, a mind frame and like, yeah, I kept the belief set in a mind frame throughout the entire thing that made the process like not destroying anything.

00:04:03:06 - 00:04:19:19
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And that and not, not just not destroying, but like really elevated me to another level and kind of instilled like a belief set here that taking into anything else you almost without sounding too cocky or anything like that, you always kind of feel unstoppable and kind of unbreakable, which is pretty damn cool.

00:04:19:21 - 00:04:31:07
Itamar Marani
That congrats both in the extra on the internal stuff. And yeah, thank you. So let's kind of dive into it. What was that shift for you? Can you share from your words?

00:04:31:09 - 00:04:48:14
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah. So basically it was, as I said, it was going through the hottest period of business in my entire life. Like, you know, like good, hard, not like we were in debt and about to go bankrupt. It was just like everything was kind of a lot like, well, yeah, it was a lot. And, you know, jumping into the arena was like another thing that I was pumped to do.

00:04:48:14 - 00:05:20:13
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
But it was just like another thing to kind of at the plate. And I, I think when you're going through due diligence of like selling a business, this there's a lot of it that kind of feels quite even if you know you've run an exceptional operation, that's a very, you know, it's a sellable business. You feel like, you know, all these people that are a lot more experienced than you are and a lot further and the junior essentially like, you know, kind of digging into all the dirty laundry and like pulling up like this number and this metric and this and that, and you basically kind of feel, know, very naked in the business of

00:05:20:13 - 00:05:48:15
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
a sense. And your it's a very, very, very psychological like, you know, psychologically challenging time because you're essentially exposing absolutely everything, having someone objectively critique every single part of it and giving you like a numerical and like a basically the numerical value, essentially defining a value based on your business. And it's it's a completely separate activity to still running and growing the business is when you're involved in growing the business at that time, you don't want that business to kind of go backwards.

00:05:48:15 - 00:06:09:10
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
When you going through that to the sort of things as all these different things like, you know, allow you to have a, a really successful kind of transition to the next phase and a really successful sale. So it was basically just a ton on my plate. I like being very involved in my business. I really enjoy it because I just I enjoy it like just really kind of optimizing performance.

00:06:09:10 - 00:06:35:11
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
I really do. I kind of give that up. And we were also growing as well because we borrowed more and you operations manager of a couple of months before this kind of all happened as well. So everything was moving forward and stacking this kind of on top. And there's different times when you just take on that much of a workload that your confidence can get knocked around a bunch and not just your confidence, but you can you can start resenting the process, you can start thinking that it's all really difficult.

00:06:35:12 - 00:06:57:18
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
You can start like getting overwhelmed by just how challenging, just how brand new and just how difficult it kind of all is, basically. And you can start to yeah, like really kind of like, you know, we can mentally and want to kind of like either not so much give in and tap out but it's hard to describe. It just it just becomes it can sort of crush you.

00:06:57:20 - 00:07:24:06
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
It really can if you don't if you're not armed with the right sort of beliefs and mindsets. And basically because that woman in week two, when you were going around asking everyone like, you know how the weeks been, we're going through the different activities to take a stand. It's like a six week process. And the language I was using was very defeatist, I would say, because I was probably at the stage where it was all so much and I was getting through it, but it was the times exactly cost me.

00:07:24:06 - 00:07:26:13
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So I was using very kind of defeatist language.

00:07:26:15 - 00:07:47:07
Itamar Marani
Can I try my rehearse? Yes, I do want to give a context for people who are listening. It wasn't defeatist language. It was just wasn't your kind of language. So by that point, we'd already had a one on one call and already the start of the program. And I remember the person who I met on the one on one calls and you were you like challenges.

00:07:47:07 - 00:08:07:00
Itamar Marani
Like I remember he said like, oh, I went to this Himalaya track, we did this, we did that, we talked to Nims, I did all these kind of things and I was okay. This is obviously an individual who enjoys challenges. And the biggest thing is it wasn't that you were necessary defeated, it was just that you were speaking about these experiences from a perspective that is not the one you usually hold.

00:08:07:01 - 00:08:25:23
Itamar Marani
Yes, Most people hold this perspective like, Oh, it shouldn't be this hard, it shouldn't be challenging. Life should just be rainbows and easy. And I was like, okay, this is the issue here because you're not usually that guy. And that was for me, the alarm bells. It wasn't a you were defeated. Like, that was clear. I want to and I also like to be very, very clear.

00:08:25:23 - 00:08:37:05
Itamar Marani
It's like there's still a lot of room between where you were to being sounding defeated in sound like a victim. You were that at all. It was just that you weren't at the same knots. Are you usually are? Does that make sense?

00:08:37:06 - 00:09:02:03
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yes. Yeah. No, I said no. You're sorry. Yeah. You. You hit the nail on the head just then. It was it was very much like a reminder. I think you you said you basically stop me in my tracks when I was, when I said you speaking from someone who didn't reflect my true self of of that person that basically like, you know, didn't like relish challenges and essentially put myself in really difficult, challenging situations because I love overcoming them like we did the major Himalayan expedition.

00:09:02:03 - 00:09:34:03
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
I've done lots of endurance events. I've done like all these other different kinds of things. Like I was often talking about how much I enjoyed the challenges, the and the grind of business and that kind of thing. And when it when it all sort of seemed to become a little bit too much, the way that I was speaking wasn't like, you know, like who I who I know that I basically am and you very much just like, stop me in my tracks as initially you didn't like you know, you didn't sort of call me out, but you basically very quickly kind of snapped me back into the reality as to which is basically true, where

00:09:34:05 - 00:09:55:14
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
you essentially reminded me of that in that nature that I kind of have within myself. And that's when that the whole statement of basically one identity can shatter a thousand beliefs is like you said, you reminded me that I basically hold an identity that I actually absolutely love challenges. I love new challenges, I love unexpected challenges, and I thrive even more.

00:09:55:14 - 00:10:15:12
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And I become like the best version of myself. And I genuinely enjoy overcoming those challenges. So you were just like basically remind me that like by having that identity, which is my true self, of just like identify as a person that relishes challenges and loves overcoming them, it's all of these different things that I was sort of going through was like, Well, did you think that it was going to be easy?

00:10:15:17 - 00:10:39:15
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And these are the challenges that you love, the challenge that you kind of like ask me for. And it landed. It was so perfect cause it landed so, so, so, so, so well that it was almost like that was the moment in me during the arena. It was like a before that moment and of that moment and everything from there was like when it all kind of became a lot, I was just like, It's a new challenge and I love challenges because that's who I am.

00:10:39:15 - 00:10:57:18
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
It wasn't even like a a belief that I had to, like, adopt. It was just, you know, when you embody that's exactly who you are, you don't need to believe in like, I believe that I love challenges, that I believe I can overcome challenges if that's who you are. The police don't even matter.

00:10:57:20 - 00:11:04:10
Itamar Marani
Honorary points here. So I kind of want to rephrase it just to make sure that the audience understands it. Also that you can from This is what I mean by that.

00:11:04:12 - 00:11:05:02
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah.

00:11:05:04 - 00:11:33:18
Itamar Marani
So challenging someone's core beliefs, there's a lot of value because if you challenge one belief and it affects the way you think about a lot of things, it's really great. It has a lot of impact. However, sometimes beliefs can be made completely irrelevant if an identity is behind them. Here's what I mean by that. What you were saying for example, selling a business and going through that transition while also growing the business of the sale is, you know, this stays high that it it up.

00:11:33:20 - 00:11:52:05
Itamar Marani
That's a challenging thing. We can agree on that whether it's a belief, a truth, whatever it may be. If someone holds an identity that I can only handle a certain amount of challenge before I burn out or whatever it may be, then that kind of thing of having sell a business because they believe it's challenging, it'll be sound terrifying.

00:11:52:06 - 00:12:10:08
Itamar Marani
This is a lot. I'm not sure I can handle it. However, if somebody holds identity of like what? And this is a quote from you from what you wrote in your workbook, I am a savage. This is who I am. I challenges for breakfast. I get it done. Then when they come across this kind of situation where they hold a belief that this is a challenging business, So what?

00:12:10:10 - 00:12:28:09
Itamar Marani
It's what I do. And instead of that belief ending up intimidating them, it actually excites them because they also recognize, you know what? This is where I shine and most people don't. So if I embrace the situation, I can actually create separation. This is where I have opportunities. First off, does that bring it home? Which you said.

00:12:28:12 - 00:12:30:21
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah, yeah. Now at 100%.

00:12:30:23 - 00:12:33:07
Itamar Marani
Great. So question then.

00:12:33:09 - 00:13:00:10
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
That's exactly what I'm trying to get across. Yeah, it's not so much the, the challenging of the beliefs and I got to be it doesn't have any value. It's more just in that moment for me, it was almost reminding myself of my natural identity rendered the need to try and really rewrite their beliefs almost like redundant because the the, the reminding myself that identity was just like kind of shattered all of that and we're just like anything else is right feel at home.

00:13:00:12 - 00:13:14:11
Itamar Marani
Yeah and I think also a lot of it so this is where a lot of the movie stuff comes out and people are saying this is a negative belief, this is a limiting belief, a positive whatever it may be. Some things are just truth. Like it's just challenging because they are selling a business while you're running it. There's a lot to deal with.

00:13:14:16 - 00:13:31:16
Itamar Marani
It is just challenging and there's no need to try to fluff it up and say it's not challenging, it's positive. It's amazing. Amy But if you're going to say it is challenging. However, I'm also fully capable of handling that, and that's my identity. That's why I decide to identify as it makes it irrelevant. And also it doesn't feel like fluffy or both.

00:13:31:18 - 00:13:55:00
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah, I think. And then basically what happened was after that moment, it was kind of like when that really kind of sank in and sort of internalized. I looked at everything after that moment as well. This is just a part of the process that you or I or anyone has to go through to achieve this goal. Not like this is a unique and insurmountable challenge that I must like.

00:13:55:02 - 00:14:09:04
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Try the hottest that I possibly can to kind of get over it because it was just like it very much like it didn't so much downplay the challenge, but it was just like, well, it's you've identified this person and this the challenge. This is the road that I have to walk. And then it actually just became a process.

00:14:09:06 - 00:14:29:23
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And then all of a sudden it's like the shift of that, like the reminder of that, like identity kind of just tend to the 16 hour days and the beast and that this and feeling exposed and all the internal stuff that's going on in the death, the death of the identity of my old business being acquired by you and all that kind of stuff, it just kind of became like it was all still it was difficult and it was hard to go through internally.

00:14:29:23 - 00:14:50:03
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
It was emotionally challenging and physically challenging and all these different kinds of things. But it was at the deepest level was it? It was just accepted as a part of the process and in a weird way actually became enjoyable because it was met with that identity of I love challenges, challenges of breakfast, therefore the height of the challenge, the deep of the fulfillment.

00:14:50:05 - 00:14:54:12
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So it just turned it into a process really.

00:14:54:14 - 00:14:56:16
Itamar Marani
Can offer a bit of a different thought.

00:14:56:18 - 00:14:59:03
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yes, absolutely.

00:14:59:05 - 00:15:21:10
Itamar Marani
So it's hard for us to bullshit ourselves. And here's where I'm going with that. Like you said, you didn't try to discredit how challenging the thing was to do. That wasn't the point of saying this actually isn't challenging. It's easy. But instead of just trying to like, minimize that that belief and make it so it's not as hard.

00:15:21:10 - 00:15:37:01
Itamar Marani
You said I'm actually more more capable if you remind yourself of that. So even though it was you're doing a hard thing, you just remind yourself how capable you are. So it's not about a lot of times it's trying to bullshit ourselves and say, Oh, this is not hard. This is amazing. There's a strong way behind that. Amy But it's actually just recognize, you know, this is challenging.

00:15:37:01 - 00:16:02:20
Itamar Marani
However, I am more capable than this challenge, so therefore I shouldn't fear it because I think a lot of times, especially when you said there's so many things going on from so many different angles, we we almost lose sense of herself at times. Like we get a little bit about feedback somewhere and then we get a little bit about feedback there and all of a sudden our sense of confidence or sense of self gets degraded and then social must snowball downhill.

00:16:02:22 - 00:16:16:10
Itamar Marani
And I think that's a lot of times the power of that. It's not about trying to say, okay, this actually isn't that challenging because it is. And if you try to say that your brain won't believe you, it's not going to be like, let's change this positive belief into and it's negative, believe it positively if it doesn't by that.

00:16:16:12 - 00:16:43:01
Itamar Marani
But if you can say, and this is where I talk to you about it, like, listen, the past has shown that you really like challenges. There's evidence here, like how you said, the Himalaya drugs, endurance events, all that kind of jazz. So remember who you are Now With that, I want to ask you a question here, because in that state, when we're not fully confident, it's sometimes hard for us to hear other people like get back on the horse, so to speak.

00:16:43:03 - 00:16:56:04
Itamar Marani
So what do you think it was both about perhaps where you were, thought you were capable of receiving that and how I delivered it that actually enabled you to receive that? Like for someone listening back home, what is the formative first mistake?

00:16:56:06 - 00:17:25:23
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah, so the the first one I think was the you were extremely confident and extremely like it's as if you just like you immediately recognized the problem and you immediately recognized the shift that need to be made within like an instant because you've done this for such a long period of time. It's like an elite performance coach. It was a conviction which you delivered it that that quickly.

00:17:26:00 - 00:17:44:01
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And because for me, like, I think the reason that it sank in instantly is because I knew it was true, but I couldn't say it for myself or I didn't have the level of perspective or the external perspective, which I think is so important when it comes to coaching that allowed it to well, allowed me to kind of recognize that sort of within myself.

00:17:44:03 - 00:18:08:05
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
But you saw it like straight, that you saw it straight away and delivered it basically when I when I when I sort of needed it most in that time. And the reason that it landed internalized super quickly was because I think it hit like one of my deepest kind of like truths of my identity. So it was it was almost like an instantaneous like a as I said, the whole like the whole investment was worth it in weight.

00:18:08:05 - 00:18:13:00
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Two, because of that one moment kind of thing, because it so shifted everything.

00:18:13:02 - 00:18:33:23
Itamar Marani
And can I add one big thing here? Yeah, because I'm not sure else you're aware of this. The reason that would not have landed for some people. The reality, though, was even though you came to that call like a bit overwhelmed, you always you came on to the call with a desire to win, not to receive sympathy. And that's the big difference.

00:18:34:01 - 00:18:52:15
Itamar Marani
A lot of times people, you know, they fall into this. I'm not like a micro victimhood or we have a lot going on and we just want some sympathy. And you didn't want that. You were just like, I just I want to win. You got this real innate hunger to win. So when all of a sudden there was a line, sorry, a light was shined on that, you were like, Oh, okay, this is exactly what it is.

00:18:52:15 - 00:19:10:19
Itamar Marani
This is what I mean, let's go. And I think it's a big thing for people back home. Like a lot of times we fall into the situations and natural default is like we want a little bit of sympathy or empathy and it's understandable. But they can't fall into like micro victimhood and you just have this innate desire to win and you with that.

00:19:10:21 - 00:19:19:17
Itamar Marani
And that's why when you receive this opportunity, how can I view it in a different way that would allow me to when you jumped on And that's a crucial, crucial thing. Does that resonate?

00:19:19:19 - 00:19:35:21
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, 100%. Like I was ready to. It's always I was just I was just super solution focused and it was another reason why I was in the arena was just like, I just want the good stuff to get me to the next level. Like I don't give a fuck how that comes to me. Basically, like, you just got to say what you're going to say and it'll, it'll end.

00:19:35:21 - 00:19:55:20
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And I'll just like, I'll take it and, and, and, and obviously try to make the best out of the escalation possible again, because it's like I wasn't, I just, I wouldn't have it any other reason aside from just like I want to, I want to take everything from this and just like implement in my life as quickly as possible to get the results as fast as possible, basically.

00:19:55:22 - 00:20:12:00
Itamar Marani
Yeah. So I wanted to this is something else I wanted to bring up because you mentioned this, it was interesting to me that you had never done group coaching before, but for whatever reason the group coaching said it helped it feel less intense, like it's not something special, the special obstacle that you're going through. Can you speak to that?

00:20:12:00 - 00:20:13:04
Itamar Marani
What do you mean by that?

00:20:13:06 - 00:20:33:01
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah, so it's sort of I've done a lot of like, you know, 1 to 1 coaching before and and that kind of thing. But the, the group coaching environment that was a very focused kind of a structured format with other people. I think you selected the people or the the arena selects people that are of a decent like a pretty decent caliber.

00:20:33:03 - 00:20:56:22
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
I mean, there's obviously people doing different revenue levels, different levels. It's like external success and that kind of thing. But it very much selects people that have that know growth mindset that if you've got that growth mindset and you're super driven to achieve outcomes in whatever aspect of your life, you are going to come across universal problems that everyone else kind of faces at some stage.

00:20:57:00 - 00:21:24:16
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So like a lot of the a lot of the time when you were coaching other people and other people were kind of sharing their stories, it felt like you could relate to every single person there because you were either going through it whether it was subconsciously or consciously at the time, or you'd recently gone through something similar or you'd gone through something similar in the past, or it was kind of like, Oh wow, I didn't consider that for the future kind of thing.

00:21:24:16 - 00:21:40:09
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So it was very much because of the like mindedness of all the individuals in the group and because of the willingness of everyone to kind of like come out and share and the more open one person is, the more open every single person is, and then the more open everyone else becomes, more and more and more and more and more.

00:21:40:09 - 00:22:15:07
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So it really became like a very positive environment for vulnerability, but like in a productive way, because everyone was of that caliber, that they're all chasing better things in life. So they're all coming up against very universal kind of blocks as well. So it was it was almost like, Oh, wow, it's not only me. And I think that everyone is going to feel like, Oh, wow, it's not only me, because a lot of the time you finish a 1 to 1 with someone on the call and it's almost like it's like the question that you're about to ask and only of been answered or you would almost change the question that you were about to

00:22:15:07 - 00:22:22:19
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
ask would change some of that you're kind of struggling with because it landed for you in a way that kind of helped you when you're coaching someone else as well.

00:22:22:21 - 00:22:45:10
Itamar Marani
So to kind of repeat that, you're saying that sort of gathering a lot of times, let's call it the internal, the challenges we face, they feel much more challenging than they actually are because we think, oh, this is something unique that perhaps I'm not doing well, so therefore I should feel a bit bad about myself. Yeah. However, when we see that in so many other people in America, it's not my problem, just the problem.

00:22:45:13 - 00:22:53:12
Itamar Marani
Then it becomes like you said earlier, Oh, this is just a part of the process. This is not something I need to have more stress or anxiety about it. Whatever. And when you.

00:22:53:12 - 00:22:54:09
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Look.

00:22:54:11 - 00:22:56:23
Itamar Marani
Around a lot of people, you just see that all the time.

00:22:57:01 - 00:23:17:03
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
It depersonalized it as well. So, yeah, you hit the nail on the head. Basically, it's not my problem. It is. It is the problem or it is a universal problem. And in a way, yeah, it makes you get out of your own head about it, makes you feel less. Yeah. Like, almost like, like personally. Kind of like not, not less.

00:23:17:03 - 00:23:21:16
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Partially responsible, but like, it's it's not just unique to you and so that you're this, like, you know.

00:23:21:18 - 00:23:28:04
Itamar Marani
For an individual, you've done something wrong. I think that's the big thing. It's something you've done something wrong. It's just it's part of the process.

00:23:28:06 - 00:23:30:19
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah.

00:23:30:21 - 00:23:44:23
Itamar Marani
Cool. Before I say with a different thing, is there anything else you want to say about that vanity piece? I think that was so powerful. The lessons that you want to share for someone who's kind of like forgetting themselves a little bit in hard times or whatever it may be.

00:23:45:01 - 00:24:23:12
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah. So what you brought up before about like, especially when you've got like empirical evidence of, of who you are in the past, I think that every single person when they get to like when they get to a certain challenge or a roadblock that they have to overcome, that seems extremely stressful or extremely challenging. It's it also reminded me that previously the qualities that I had to have and that I the qualities and the values that I, I embody to get over previous massive challenges all seemed just as massive as the one ahead of me back in the day when I kind of went over them.

00:24:23:13 - 00:24:46:02
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
If I was to go over the exact same road bump with the exact same challenge a second time, obviously the easier because I've tried myself kind of through it. But every brand new challenge and brand new mountain that I kind of had to climb on seen the exact same way at the start. And it was a very, very, very kind of like a typical process to be like, Oh my God, this is going to be like crazy, head down, just kind of get through it anyway.

00:24:46:04 - 00:25:04:21
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Feel that like always loved the process more than you enjoy. Like, like solving the challenge and having that glory at the end of solving this, like, massive, insurmountable challenge that you just thought was, How the fuck I'm going to get through this? And then, you know, then you return to like a status coin anvil version of yourself, like afterwards.

00:25:04:23 - 00:25:20:12
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
But it's that the initial part, that's, that's what's massively changed me. Almost certainly that initial part that's like when you get to this mountain, it's like seems insurmountable. It's the it's the, the initial part where you're like, Oh my God, how the fuck am I do? This is changing to like.

00:25:20:13 - 00:25:22:07
Itamar Marani
Let's go, let's go.

00:25:22:07 - 00:25:40:07
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
This is I was like, this is going to be crazy and it's going to be brutal, but like, let's go because there's a deeper belief that you can get through it and you will get through it because you're the person that gets through it and you enjoy getting through it. So it's it's just it changes that need to stop that thing at the start.

00:25:40:09 - 00:25:57:19
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Can be the thing that either makes you procrastinate for hours, days, weeks, months, never gets you started, or is always kind of in the back of your mind when you kind of going through the process. So it makes it a lot more painful and doesn't allow you to, like, go all into it. Just kind of like get to the other side like sooner rather than later.

00:25:57:21 - 00:26:02:17
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So it's that initial piece of super powerful that's the biggest shift I think.

00:26:02:18 - 00:26:05:22
Itamar Marani
Yeah, can add a ripple for you with that.

00:26:06:00 - 00:26:07:14
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah.

00:26:07:16 - 00:26:31:09
Itamar Marani
So this is especially of for you as you're a very competitive individual and for anybody else out there as well that likes competition, the best way of her this set is there's a YouTube video called The Last Lecture. It's a famous lecture given by a professor, Carnegie Mellon, that he basically was diagnosed with cancer. He had a certain amount of time left to live, and he gave the last lecture about his life lessons.

00:26:31:11 - 00:26:55:15
Itamar Marani
And he said the walls in life are there for us. They're there to keep those other people out. They're there to help us show how much we actually want. And I remember hearing that it stuck with me because the reality is, if it's not challenging, you don't have the opportunity out the side because everybody would decide to take it if there isn't that mountain to climb, so to speak, you don't get to have that peak for yourself.

00:26:55:17 - 00:27:20:06
Itamar Marani
It just doesn't exist. So beyond that being the thrill of the challenge and pursuing it and solving it, so this is the recognizing that like I don't get to have the gift without this both external gift, but also the internal gift. Like you said, about growth. And for me, that's always been an interesting perspective when I face the challenges of saying, you know what, thank God this challenge is here, because if it wasn't here, there wouldn't be the reward because everybody would have already done it.

00:27:20:08 - 00:27:22:19
Itamar Marani
And it's recognizing that as well.

00:27:22:21 - 00:27:44:03
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Big time. It's almost yeah, it's just it's as cheesy as it sort of sounds. The reward really is kind of who you become on the other side of it. And without the challenge, there is no like there is the tree, like no evolution. Like it's obviously it's cliche, but it's super, super, super, super, super true. But it's going back to identity.

00:27:44:05 - 00:28:03:00
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
It's actually like it was just it was just recognizing that like you enjoy the process of the evolution because a lot of people don't. I feel like a lot of people don't enjoy the parts of the evolution they like smashed through challenges because they have to get somewhere and like, oh, like you know, it's like they're like, oh, like I have to do this and this and this, this and this.

00:28:03:00 - 00:28:19:06
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Like all like I just want to be on the other side kind of thing, which just makes the whole challenge so much more. You have to get you have to go through it. You just make it so much more painful to by relishing it, enjoying it, or having that identity like it's going to be hard, brutal, ridiculous. But I enjoy it.

00:28:19:06 - 00:28:29:02
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And this is like the pathway to the next level and the and the gift is the evolution. It's like you can't really fell that mentality. Or if you fail, it's another challenge.

00:28:29:04 - 00:28:53:00
Itamar Marani
So I want to add one more thing from a different angle, because that was one of the thing in the beginning of the program that I saw was kind of working against that was challenging that identity of yours. It was causing you to forget that bit, and it was one of the fears that you had that I'm currently not living up to my potential, and I felt that that was frustrating.

00:28:53:00 - 00:29:10:10
Itamar Marani
Your sense of identity because you felt like if I'm not living up to my potential, that means I'm being a bit of a wuss somewhere. I'm not really going for it or whatever it may be. And that created this confusion where it caused you to doubt yourself. Like, am I really that guy who loves challenges? Because if I am, I should be living up to my potential.

00:29:10:12 - 00:29:32:02
Itamar Marani
But what was interesting is that a lot of that self-doubt faded once you actually get context from. And when you realized this was just a wrong measuring stick that like some people have different measuring sticks in me. And so I'm basically my potential if they're measuring stick not on how I want it, where I want to have a more a broader life, then some people just want to focus on a specific angle.

00:29:32:04 - 00:29:38:08
Itamar Marani
It freed a lot of that for you. Am I right to have read it like that or what was it from your angle?

00:29:38:10 - 00:29:43:00
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah. So actually, sorry, I just said it again.

00:29:43:02 - 00:30:01:04
Itamar Marani
So one of the things I noticed as detracted from your ability to remember who you are and that you do love challenges and that you love going for them was that you had this belief that I'm currently not living up to my potential, and obviously that would cause someone to feel like, okay, if I'm not living, I'm talking potential, maybe I'm not really is that maybe you're not really that guy.

00:30:01:06 - 00:30:16:23
Itamar Marani
And the moment you recognize, you know, it's either you're not living up to your potential, it says that you are measuring your potential with the wrong measuring stick because you're looking at specific other people that had very different goals than you. And then you say, well, I'm not doing what they're doing. And the moment you kind of recognize that, a lot of that faded as well.

00:30:17:01 - 00:30:23:17
Itamar Marani
And I'm curious if that was something that was relevant for you as well. Just something that I saw from the side that didn't have that big of an impact.

00:30:23:19 - 00:30:58:04
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
No, it was definitely it was definitely, definitely, definitely relevant to a certain extent. Like I think I'm you the whole the measuring stick thing is one of the hardest things to make, you know, internal rather than external because your whole life you're doing it externally. But then when you realize obviously yet every single individual person's context is their own or their value systems is their own, the way they've grown up, what their preferences are, how they want to live, what results they want to achieve, what they saw, dedicate all their time to business, what they want to have, all the pursuits like outside of that.

00:30:58:06 - 00:31:24:17
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And you know what that success kind of means to them. But you very much look externally to gain knowledge or inspiration or wisdom or whatever that can very quickly turn into like, you know, almost like a bit of comparison or just like taking on other people's measuring sticks in terms of like being like, well, yeah, you know, the best mountaineers do these mountains in this kind of order or like, you know, the I've seen agency like on a scale ten times bigger than what I have.

00:31:24:19 - 00:31:49:01
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
But then what does that mean for the past, the present, the future, what the other goals in life are, that kind of thing as well. So I think it just it just it basically just takes the pressure off and actually allows you to relish in the process and relish the challenge. And it was it just gives you yeah, it gives you peace and and also it gives you that fulfillment because it is 100% your pathway and your pursuit.

00:31:49:03 - 00:32:07:18
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And, you know, in the same of like returning back to your self, it all comes down to the intuition that you basically feel in terms of like, this is right for me or this is not right for me, which also is like, you know, the identity of just like coming back to myself of like, you know, being that person that like love saying what kind of challenges the challenge stuff and then competing.

00:32:07:19 - 00:32:32:00
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Melissa's So, yeah, that's to be honest, that's actually been like a struggle like my whole life. And I'm getting better and better and better and better and better at it. But I think once again, that was another big thing is and like being in a group of like all these other people that were all struggling from that like, you know, comparison and video like, you know, using different measuring sticks or using measuring sticks without any self context whatsoever.

00:32:32:02 - 00:32:38:17
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
It's like it's not just like a problem. Like for me, it's like a problem for like a lot of high performance. It like, happens to be in this program as well.

00:32:38:18 - 00:33:00:02
Itamar Marani
I'll touch a couple of points they made. They're going to think it's very valuable both for your listeners as well, what you said there about pressure. It reduces the pressure. So here's the deal. People who are, let's call it naturally high performers, they hold themselves to high levels of accountability naturally, because even their own thing, not, you know, the mimetic desires other people, but just their own things they really want to achieve.

00:33:00:06 - 00:33:23:19
Itamar Marani
So in order to do that, they have to hold themselves accountable to certain things. Now, those high levels of accountability can sometimes great pressure and some pressure again is great. It gets you going. But there's also comes a certain tipping point where there's too much pressure that causes your performance to take. Now, the assumption is that you as a driven individual hurts like you're always going to hold yourself accountable.

00:33:23:21 - 00:33:43:12
Itamar Marani
So let's not add things that you shouldn't be holding yourself accountable to because that's a can. Create undue pressure actually hurt your performance. And that's, I think, the big thing some people are often afraid of, I'm going to let go of this fear or like that. I'm not going to do this or not going to do that, and it's going to remove I'm not going to be accountable to like doing big things anymore.

00:33:43:14 - 00:33:59:19
Itamar Marani
It's just not what I've seen with people who are naturally driven. And how are you saying it's like I'm assuming curse? Like when you were a kid, you were always the one that was staying late at sports or like whatever was your hobby was on that was just putting in extra work. Is that correct? Yeah, Yeah. So it's like it's a big thing.

00:33:59:19 - 00:34:11:08
Itamar Marani
And just recognizing that the external pressures we put on ourselves from other people's measuring stick, they hurt our performance a lot. And it's something if we're not cognizant of, is going to take us down.

00:34:11:10 - 00:34:46:08
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah. Big time. Yeah, big time. I think the, the, the, the other part to that as well is just Yeah. That the self accountability like whatever you think is like a really meaningful goal for you obviously kind of comes from within and that's like that is the and you know when you're when you're playing, it's small and you know, when you're actually like, you know, like playing it safe of kind of playing to win, but like your version of playing to win might be like amazing for you, but the second you take it external to yourself and you're just like, well, this outcome is like completely different to like, you know, me, for example, trying

00:34:46:08 - 00:35:09:02
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
to climb, you know, island people. I'm a double. MM As opposed to going to like attention jungle Everest for, you know, just using the mountaineering stuff because that's, you know we that that the expedition that just sort of went on it's like for you actually have to have a crazy resume of so many different like insane climbs plus natural abilities definitely kind of come into it plus this, plus this, plus this, this this this to hit kind of like these mountains of it.

00:35:09:02 - 00:35:38:19
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah. So always like being like, oh, you know, attempting to like summit am a double kind of thing compared to like one of these other mountains without all these different external kind of like things that are just like, you know, other people have like gone their entire lives of doing those sorts of things to reach those climbs. Whereas I kind of haven't just given like all the other things and I'm like really passionate about and kind of chasing, it's like it'd be so stupid to feel really shitty about like your achievement compared to that because there's just no context.

00:35:38:21 - 00:35:55:17
Itamar Marani
But and that's the thing though, it will make people feel shitty. It'll make people then feel free to adopt their actual path and then that's their actual abilities and that's when it erodes your identity. And that's why having these, these unclear focuses of what you actually want to achieve because you're looking at other people, it can really actually hurt your performance.

00:35:55:17 - 00:36:13:03
Itamar Marani
And the thing that you should be focused on because it causes you to doubt yourself, Why am I not doing this and this and this, even though you know that you chose not to do this, this and this, and that's why you don't have those results. But if you don't remember that, it's it's very erosive. So, Hirsch, I wanted to kind of wrap this up.

00:36:13:03 - 00:36:27:08
Itamar Marani
I want to ask, is there any last takeaway, something you could share for the audience, someone who's in a similar position, who's going through a lot? You know, naturally there are driven individual. They like challenges, they like to win, and they're just going through a lot, whether it's a lot of working, long working hours or whatever it may be.

00:36:27:08 - 00:36:31:11
Itamar Marani
And you're saying, I think they should hear this and it could really help them.

00:36:31:13 - 00:36:55:02
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Yeah. So the first thing and, you know, I'm kind of like living it right, Like I'm living in sort of right now. There is a season for everything. And when you're going through that, that whole, you know, the whole famous thing, like you're going through hell, just kind of keep going. Like there is once again, as good as it sounds, there is so many like two days on the back end of it and.

00:36:55:02 - 00:37:20:21
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
The other the other big, big, big, big, big, big, big thing is I it's so easy to forget how difficult and how challenging this certain pathway was when you're on the other side of it and you're in a bit of a period of kind of stability because like life can turn so fun, so easy and so good just as fast as it can turn, like really kind of challenging.

00:37:20:23 - 00:37:40:00
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And you almost have to remind yourself consistently that you are capable of those challenges. So when life is easy or good or stable or whatever, like strategically adding in your own challenges to kind of keep yourself sharp for, when that inevitable big challenge kind of comes, I think is like super, super, super important, something that I've been doing like my entire life.

00:37:40:02 - 00:38:01:22
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
But it's it definitely is up. This too shall pass, but don't wait to enjoy it or, you know, or feel the power of it in your life only when it's passed. Like when you're in the middle of it. Just like just take a bit of an objective step back to to realize how fucking awesome what you're currently going through.

00:38:02:00 - 00:38:27:19
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So even if it's not awesome, it's like what the evolution that's currently happening within you basically is during that time. It's not like that's a lot of things like I do. I do just keep a journal and I just write in that to like, you know, once a morning. And if I'm going through a particularly like really, really dramatic kind of period, I'm just like, I'm, I'm super grateful for all the challenges that I'm currently experiencing because it's like evolving who I am in real time.

00:38:27:21 - 00:38:31:18
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
And then reminding myself of that is just like, you can really enjoy that process.

00:38:31:19 - 00:38:54:00
Itamar Marani
Just grab on. I'll leave it with this. There's a thing I love from wrestling, real wrestling, not going to be called the brace to grind. It doesn't mean just endure the grind, deal with it, but embrace it, love it. If you really want to excel, you've got to cherish it. It's a gift. Without that grind, you don't get to be the best version of yourself.

00:38:54:02 - 00:39:14:05
Itamar Marani
And that's kind of, I think, where I want to leave the audience with today. That kind of question that what if instead of letting the fact that something is hard and challenging demotivate you do a lot of to actually do the exact opposite Because the reality is, if you're a listener of this podcast, you like doing hard things you like challenges and you probably already take it on some pretty big challenges in your life.

00:39:14:07 - 00:39:37:00
Itamar Marani
And if you can embrace the fact that it's a separation to that, where most people would avoid something, you're actually uniquely suited to go for it because you don't avoid challenges, you actually enjoy them. You can all of a sudden see all the challenges as a gift and an opportunity. There are, like we said earlier, those are the walls that keep the other people out who don't deserve it enough.

00:39:37:01 - 00:39:54:12
Itamar Marani
And I think if you hold that kind of mentality around a lot of things and, you hold that kind of identity that I can be that guy who embraces the grind. I can be that person. That's who I am. You can win really big. And a lot of the beliefs that you hold of how things are challenging don't even matter anymore because so what if they're challenging?

00:39:54:14 - 00:40:00:13
Itamar Marani
You love that stuff, you eat it. And obviously. Yeah, sorry about now.

00:40:00:13 - 00:40:19:00
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
I gonna say know you're right like I always like I, I like it too. Like whenever I'm going through something like that, I'm just like I watch myself, like I put myself here and this is this a lifestyle choice? Like, this is my ideal lifestyle almost, because it really is like a lifestyle choice because you put yourself in that position or you find yourself in that position.

00:40:19:00 - 00:40:43:11
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
It's like it's something that like wasn't your pathway to kind of go through. So I think that the in embracing it really, really that that is a real thing. It's a real thing. And to be completely honest, it's, you know, I've probably been in a bit of a stability period for about like three or four weeks now, and I'm I'm starting to get a little bit antsy to like just to dive into the next like message kind of a project like already.

00:40:43:11 - 00:40:56:01
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
So it's like you wish for the days to be over. Only said you could be chilling for a little bit time. You like live the good life for a few weeks only to like you'll you'll eventually realize that like you love throwing yourself at the big stuff.

00:40:56:03 - 00:41:02:22
Itamar Marani
Yeah. Yeah. Great takeaway. And so if people want to learn more about you, we're going to find the.

00:41:03:00 - 00:41:13:16
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Best way to connect is definitely Instagram. So @hurshdodhiashah D O D H I A S H A H. Instagram's 100% the the the best place to connect with me for sure.

00:41:13:18 - 00:41:32:11
Itamar Marani
And we'll have that link in the show notes below. Aside from that, guys help you, the episode I won't say hers. Thank you again for coming on and sharing and if you want my personal help to actually make that kind of your natural default where you don't see challenges, obstacles, but as opportunities and learn how to really embrace them with a fun manner and get all this sense that comes with it.

00:41:32:13 - 00:41:38:03
Itamar Marani
Welcome to apply for the arena as well. Thank you again. I appreciate you coming on, brother.

00:41:38:05 - 00:41:56:01
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Thank you so much for having me. Yeah. Thanks for all the coaching, the help so far. And just to just to add to what you just said then, every like we've read, you know, like turn obstacles into opportunities and like relish the challenges and like, enjoy it, you know, enjoy the process like every single person is.

00:41:56:01 - 00:42:14:05
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
Read that and listen to that like a billion times. It's a billion different screen sizes, deploying different podcasts, but like going through the process of the coaching to actually fully realize that within yourself and internalizing it makes it so much more different. You could read it a hundred times when to like, internalize it and like identify with it.

00:42:14:06 - 00:42:16:09
Hursh Dodhia-Shah
The big difference.

00:42:16:11 - 00:42:20:02
Itamar Marani
About. All right, thank you very much, guys, and we'll see you on the next episode.