How to Get in the Game and Make Things Happen

Hey, what's happening? This is Fresh and Raw, episode seven. Feeling amazing today. This maybe a super vibey episode I will say because today as we're chatting I am chilling at the lake and this is magic.

Super, super grounded and quiet and pure and amazing, so wherever you are, if you're deep in the urban jungle of your world, this should probably serve as a nice counterbalance to that energy. I'm just sitting here on the dock next to the water watching ducks and loons and other wildlife. Few, few people roll by, which is amazing and so good and healthy for the body, mind, and soul. With that said, I'm creating from this place. I find these types of places opening and clearing, clarifying, and grounding and right now I'm the only one here at this cabin, which is dynamite. I've got a bunch of space to do super-cool things, build, create and work from because obviously I still have a connection. It's nice to just have the space and not really need to worry about doing much. Just create from that place of wanting to.

Today, coming up, which is really interesting, is about getting in the game, what this means and how we do it. What we can do for ourselves to get in the game. I was watching a movie earlier and intermittent of the movies were these commercials for TV shows and things like this. I mean, personally, I'm in venture capital, I'm an investor, startups, I'm a strategic advisor, an executive to emerging companies, and at the same time as we know here, I have my own brand, my own voice, my social channels and what have you. I'm a creative artist as well, so I explore and dabble in music, I explore and create as an actor, as a performer, as a producer across various creative and digital mediums and so on and so forth. I couldn't help but just kind of sit back and reflect on who I am as it relates to these things and it relates to the world.

I just picked up a magazine, so I'm reading a magazine. I pick up this magazine and I'm kind of flipping through and I flipped through a couple magazines I guess today, just kind of taking in a nice day. It’s the story about how this person is doing this thing and this person doing that thing and these people over here doing all this stuff. Really moving the world and moving us forward cultural, philosophically, in some cases spiritually, energetically, corporately with business, and ventures and startups. Just awesome things, right? Personally, I feel that I've done a lot of different things in my life to date and I continue to and I'm right where I'm supposed to be and meant to be, but you can't help but just pause and look at what some of the other people are doing. As I'm looking through this publication and going; on what level am I still even in the game?

There's just a bunch of stuff going on out there. I'm watching this movie and I'm watching all these actors playing this movie and I'm just reflecting on thinking to myself: Why am I not in this movie? Do I like this movie? What is this movie about? What is the story, the intent and purpose of this story? Am I just in popcorn flicks versus a drama or based on true story pictures that add something deep of value or the intersection of both?  Popcorn needs these deeper themes that move us and inspire us and lift us up and challenge our perspectives of the world. I'm just sitting there and I'm watching these performances. They're all great performances. Of course, since I'm an actor, I'm looking deeper into these performances and choices they're making and moments. Just very cool things and I just can't help thinking, I’m not far away from this. I'm like right there, but I feel anyways, in my work, in my craft, I'm the doorstep and can bring these things. Then I'm like, "Why am I not in this movie or the show that comes on as a commercial, why am I not in this show? Why can't I do that?"

Then, I'm thinking, what about the shows I want to create and the movies I want to create? Why have I not written a full script yet or why don't I have a full treatment for my own show put together and why aren't I packaging my own film projects yet? Then, I go farther and then it's about flipping through this magazine and then it's about this fellow who is a style icon and has their own style. I'm sitting there and I'm thinking I have a pretty good sense of style. I think I've got some pretty good ideas on how to have my own unique style, and I'm like where's my fashion line? Why don't I have this fashion line for myself that's out there giving some cool pieces and forms of expression that others get to share and that resonate for people to help them express themselves in cool and interesting ways.

Then, I read a little farther and it's this other kind of startup venture. They're doing this great social entrepreneurship minded startup project. Then, I go farther and it's just this kind of go and go and go of these different people are doing all this stuff. I'm just sitting there and I'm thinking I'm in the game, at least I generally believe to be so, but what game am I in, whose game am I playing, at what level am I playing at? I really in it or do I just think I'm in it? Am I still on the fringe of all these things? If so, well, sweet because we've got a lot of room to run. I've always got a lot to bring to the table.

MY PERSONAL GAME

This talk here is about getting in the game, even for myself as I reflect on and go how in the game am I in these different areas and levels. Am I dealing with the power players on these levels? Am I dealing with the up and comers in these levels? Am I considered a power player in these areas or am I considered an up and comer in these areas? Are people taking me seriously in these different channels that I'm operating in? Am I breaking through waves? There's all these articles on people doing stuff. I'm like, who even knows who I am out there on the whole and the work I'm doing and the things I'm building, the brand I have, the creativity I'm playing with, the metaphysical influences I'm connected to and the unique philosophies on business that I'm bringing to the table? People don't even know this stuff about me yet and it's interesting because I think the reason for that is that I haven't been ready to really step in to the high level.

If you look at my journey, I think there's been a great deal of personal preparation and personal training of myself behind the scenes for me to time it properly, to get the toolkit, to get all the crap out of the way. This way, I don't have these major, shitty public mistakes I guess generally to say, where you're just not ready for it, you just blow up and you blow up early. There's a preparation of playing and learning how to play the game and play various games, but then to make those moves when you're ready. For me to make these moves when I'm ready and I suggest that as I sit here reflecting on all this that I'm ready now to make those moves. I see these people; actors and I see them doing things that I could absolutely do. I'm not trying to keep up with anybody per se, but I have the ability to make these contributions in the world on a deep, profound and macro level to the benefit of the greater good of all. Why am I not flexing my muscle on that level and when am I going to I guess is a fair question for me to ask of myself.

As I sit here, I mean, I affirm that now is the time. I am going to make these big positive impacts, so I do not put pressure on myself outside of what is comfortable for me. That I am not in a foot race with anyone else. Everything occurs with true intention, associated to me and with me in divine timing, but I am open and ready to grow into these levels. Challenge the norm or the comforts of the status quo in a number of these different areas and verticals that I hold interest and I believe are ready to receive me. Super cool just to think about as it relates to getting in the game and being in the game. On what levels game do we play at? We all are surrounded by people and coming back to this point, even when I'm sitting at a lake and I'm the only one effectively at this cabin at the moment, which is awesome, there's still life around me. Right?

Someone across the lake has been running a chainsaw all day because they're cutting something down and building something up. There've been people floating by on their boats fishing today. One guy went by earlier and he was moving his dock into place for the summer. There's just movement, right? There's couple of ducks and loon that have been around me all day, all morning and afternoon here just swimming away and chasing fish. There's just stuff.

Even when I was in Mexico and when we got stranded in the desert, in the middle of the Baja desert. Crazy story if you haven't heard it. I'll come around to the full story, but long story short, we got stuck in the middle of the desert. We were like five ... Wait, where were we? We were like 20 kilometers off the road. The road itself, which was a non-popular arterial highway off of the main Baja Highway heading southwards travel and then off of that road, we're 20 kilometers off back road, like in amongst these towering cactuses in the middle of the desert where there was nothing.

It was quite an experience because we beached our van and the van was stuck, we tried to dig it out all afternoon and it didn't work, so we had to pillage and eventually close the van and hike out, which took us five hours and in the late sun and then through the darkness. You're in the middle of the desert and it was nuts. Never will forget that, but your life is staring at you in your face. There's no two ways about it. The point was, even the desert wasn't dead. You think of the desert not being alive, right? It's like we see the skulls of the cow in the desert next to the cactus and we think there isn't anything there, but in fact we're vibrating and everything is vibrating and there's plenty of life in the desert. That's one of the most startling realizations for me when I was in it at that level is I looked around and still felt the vibration of the universe. I still felt life, so we're always vibrating, we're always participating in something. On what level are we participating and playing at and why? At what level do we choose or want to participate and play at and why?

For my part, I feel that I have deep and valuable insights and deep and valuable contributions to make to the world. I feel that I've just been starting to make them. To set myself up to make these moves to get into that bigger game. To get into that bigger picture game and do it in a way that really deeply, profoundly, and sustainably benefits people in our world.

GETTING INTO THE LONG-TERM GAME

Are you in the game? I mean, this is the question. I'm looking here and I'm doing all these different things, I'm still talking, you know, I'm still looking at myself going, "Am I even in the game on these levels?" I'm not in this movie. Where am I in this pecking order? I'm still going out for auditions and one liners and things like this. Less than a full, rich character as a full, rich character whether it's one line or a hundred lines, so we're still in that process that I'm doing work to develop, but some scenes are bigger. Some multi-pagers and multi-scenes and dynamic characters, I mean, I'm going out for a lot of different stuff, there's no question about it, but then you see these shows and you're like, I mean, it's kind of this pecking order to get into the game versus creating the game and going for it yourself as well.

Pretty interesting kind of revelation. So even if I ask you and as I ask you where are you at and where are you in the game? Are you ready to get in the game? And not only that, you should get in the game and you should be seeking to get in the game, to build your dreams, participate in the world and realize all the success, abundance and magic you seek for yourself in alignment with your dreams that we ask ourselves these questions and say for all of us, where we at? Are we even in it, you know, in those areas. Depends on what area you're at. I wonder, right? I wonder if I'm deeply in the game or not on certain levels and playing as much as I can.

HOW TO DO IT

Let's review and I'll show you some of the ways that I am personally moving to get in the game in a lasting way that I stand on my own two feet with my posture straight, my shoulders wide, my head up proud and ready to participate on these levels of making waves.

I've been working on this for a while. One, obviously, you see the branding, so consider these suggestions as I go about how to get in the game, how I'm putting myself in the game, reflect on yourself and explore how are you in the game, how are you personally putting yourself in the game to play and make a difference.

• BRANDING

I mean, the obvious one, which you can see, is my branding. I've put a full focus into designing a presence for myself aesthetically and otherwise, that is consistent across all platforms and channels. It reflects my style and reflects my principles, beliefs, philosophies, lifestyle and all that good stuff. Using that as a platform to speak my truth. Using that as a platform to share my gifts and to share my visions, ideas and philosophies to own that space for myself.

I think that's really a first and super important step to take. If you want to get into the game as you need to establish your identity. You need to establish it in an authentic way that really reflects who you are. A way that is approachable and accessible to others to consider and explore and engage with. I have people that reach out to me now and they say, "We can connect on this, this, this, this, and this, but I also just felt from everything I'm picking up, from everything you're doing that you've got a lot of cool things going on and you're just somebody I should connect with and get to know and start to follow."

I mean, that's a very cool compliment because it means I'm doing something right to attract those types of like spirits and people that are also doing very, very cool things, to what I'm doing. Over time, that continues to amplify. That will continue to get louder, that will continue to grow exponentially with the number of people I feel that will pick up that vibe, connect with it or have the opportunity to a minimum. That's, I think, the power and potential of establishing yourself on that footing with your identity.

To do so, you've got to definitely work into what matters to you, where you want to focus your attention and where your magic is, your unique gift and offerings to the world. Then, package that in a way aesthetically that is consistent across a website. You need a website. Across any products you may have, books or hard goods, or any other digital products or anything similar to that. Then, your social channels obviously, you need presence on the appropriate social channels. Your brand should be consistent across those channels as well.  This is your calling card, this is your first move to actually participate in the world and stand up and be somebody. As a colleague endearingly puts it, which I really like -  stand up and be somebody. We all should and why not? We can. We have that opportunity and we're supposed to, I would suggest to you, so let's do it.

• ENERGY AND VIBE

First, packaging yourself as a brand and a presence that others can connect with, I think and feels very important. To get in the game, it takes some energy. You have to be rested, you have to be nourished, you have to be looking after yourself. You need to be of sound and clear mind. I don't feel that you should be dominated or controlled by behaviors, as in excessive drinking or pollutive behaviors or what have you. Yeah, that's great if you want to be this person who champions certain type of lifestyles while you're participating in the game. Suggesting that that's necessary or tied to your success, that's up to you, but I'm going to suggest to you that as you do that, living up to that expectation of continuing to be a heavy drinker or a heavy pot smoker or similar, we'll just leave it there maybe for now as an example, isn't really a sustainable brand or principle to build yourself upon, because what happens when you get tired of that? Then, you shift, or you need to shift? What happens if it just doesn't feel right for you anymore?   Many tend to grow out of some of those behaviors or at least in the more intense ways? Think wisely about what you align yourself with.

For me, it is about health and wellness and it is about a sustainability. It is about alternative, holistic sources of balancing and harmony in my being, my spirit, and my body. The way I eat, the way I exercise, the way I take the appropriate space. It is important to look after myself, like I'm doing at present here working from the lake this week. Similar for you, whatever feels right for you, but just giving it that consideration for what would be best, without trying to uphold things that will drain you over time by making them a point of your identity.

•   GOALS

Another thing, getting into the game or recognizing what are your goals. The best way to look at this is a function of legacy I feel. When you're gone, how would you like the world to remember you? What would your contribution to the world and the universe be by your participation here in it? I've long thought about that; how would I like to be remembered if anything were ever to happen to me or when I pass and how would I like people to see my participation contribution to the world?

That drives us to those deeper questions of purpose. Why am I here, what am I doing, and what am I meant to do? Between those explorations, I feel we'll all find our unique answers. Those answers you should explore because, long-term that's what fuels us, is building a legacy of reaching new goals and reaching new milestones of making cool, new things happen that improve the human experience and not just for ourselves, but for everyone.

Digging deeper into what those things are that move us and we'd like to be replicated in a bronze statue for later once we've passed, is something deeply important to explore, to understand and recognize what is possible for us in the moment, in the level we want to play at.  

• THE PLAYING BOARDS

Establishing how you want to be remembered, leads me to another important question. The playing boards, right? I say get in the game, so what game are we playing? What board are we playing on? They could be multiple boards.

I like to suggest that at times I'm playing four-dimensional chess, because I have different things going on in a number of different directions and intentionally so, and in multiple sectors. I'm in the public markets and the stock market, I'm in startups, I'm in technology. Over the years I've had exposure to other sectors. I'm in entertainment, I'm in other sectors in my past, like resources and commodities and life sciences. I've spent time in these areas and exploring these areas. I'm into alternative medicine, I'm into metaphysics and quantum and similar types of subjects. What else am I in? I'm in entertainment, as I said, so film, media production, visually, audibly and video, filmography. As a performer, as an artist for music, a producer for music and film, an actor.

It's interesting, this app, which is called Klout, is something you can use almost as a comparable where we used to have the old game, they all still play kind of the same way, but I just remember when it first came out, which is like NHL 93 I think. We were talking about this the other day and you'd play the hockey game and you'd pick your athlete. You'd pick your hockey player to put on your team or to put into the starting lineup when you'd play the video game. They'd have the score sheet and the score sheet would be like, oh, they're a 93% skater and they're a 95% shooter and they're an 89% body checker or whatever. You'd think of yourself in that nature. What games are you playing? How are you playing those games? Where do you fit on the scope and scale of activity in those games that you're playing? Be honest with yourself. Are you even on the map? Does anybody know you even exist? Who are the influences? Who are the power players and brokers in those areas? At what level are you playing at as it relates to them? What are they doing?

We talked about this the other day in one of my ventures, what is the bleeding edge? That's important to consider this for all of them. What is the bleeding edge of that realm? What is everybody up to, like pushing the envelope in that realm at present. Are you pushing the envelope in all these areas and in what ways? Are you or are you not? Which should provide some real insights for us all about getting into our games on a deeper level. Think of the playing board for different sectors that we're playing in, the different areas that we're playing in locally, nationally, internationally, sector versus sector, role versus role. There's so many different ways to look at it, but dissect this and figure out are we even in the game? This is such an important question. In some areas I am and some areas I'm just still not. I'm just getting warmed up, but what I do like is the vibe that I'm just getting warmed up and I've got a lot to come. So do you, I'd suggest if you're even just broaching this topic and these types of topics, so let's get it. Why not? Let's get in there.

• ORGANIZATION

Continue as we begin to play in the game, we need to focus on organization. We need to know where we want to go, why we want to get there, and that is the fuel for us arriving. Definitely needing to understand our destination in our intended outcomes and then organizing ourselves accordingly, focusing accordingly on flowing in those directions to participate, be relevant and to make contribution. The deeper those contributions are and the more impactful those contributions are, then the more we would grow within the playing board of that particular game, per se, that we are participating in.

• MISSION

Voice a mission. Again, another extension of this is the alignment of your mission, your goals, your focus, and your organization. Your mission of where you want to go, why you want to get there, what you want to achieve. I want to impact a million people, I want to impact a billion people, I want to help this number of people do this. I'd like to create this that will earn X, that will benefit such and such for why and things like this. Understand your mission and then align that mission with your voice. I mean, everything that you should be sharing and saying and working towards should be supportive of that direction and that mission. This is an important element of gamesmanship as well as having a voice, it needs to be your own. Speaking your truth authentically and truly and participating and contributing to the community within which you're playing, you're collaborating, you're competing, you're participating in, your party with, right?

• SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Going further, like your social networks and your influence, at what level are you even influential in anything that you're doing right now? On any level, let alone on a macro level, let alone at the highest levels of vibration and global influence. That's a question to ask. You don't necessarily need to want it. There's all kinds of different levels, but are you influential locally, are you influential on a territory, are you influential in the state or province, are you influential nationally, are you influential internationally? Are you influential within a certain niche, are you influential across multiple niches broadly, are you influential on a particular topic, are you influential on a particular trend or emerging trend or sector or business type or similar? There's so many ways we can break this down, but we need to break this down and figure out, are we even in the game?  If we want to get in the game, where do we want that to be? what do we want that to look like as we go and we grow? And start working backwards from there.

• ALIGNMENT

Again, your product similarly; are your products, offerings, services, your work, is it aligned with where you want to go with your mission?  Is it aligned with the influence that you have and the influence that awaits you in the contribution of, in the realization of these goals and missions you've established for yourself? If not, how can you adjust those, how can you focus those, how can you tailor them more appropriately so that they serve that audience that is within the chess board that you're playing. Right? Think of it that way.

THE COLLECTIVE GAME

I guess I'll add this to all that is said about the concept of the game. It is a game, right, because there's just so many different variables going on and people are making moves left, right, and center and they're challenging each other and collectively rising and raising the level. Rising up and raising the level of the game they play within their environment, within their community.

Now, it's not always competitive. It can also be collaborative. You can have teammates within the game, too. It doesn't mean it's you against the world. We collaborate, and we collaborate with those who are in alignment with what we seek to do. We do that within a community of people who may or may not see that, but are participants and stakeholders, which they have a particular niche or community that we're involved in.

I use the term game loosely, but I use it actively here because we understand this cliché very well. Am I in the game, get in the game, hey, you know, let's go, put me in coach. I'm on the bench, I'm ready to go and get me in the game.

ARE WE READY TO GET IN THE GAME? 

We need to prepare ourselves to be ready to participate in that knowing that we're going to experience all shapes and sizes of color, communication, feedback, engagement, involvement and sometimes not. As we go about that path, which we accept though fully as part of our journey, because we know that we are on path with what means the most to us, what we want to do, seek for ourselves in our lives and our place in this world with it.

Treat is as a game in the way that, you know, respect the people always, carry yourself with class and dignity always, but have fun with it. Explore it as a chess board, explore it as playing Monopoly and saying how am I going to make this move and make that move and get this over here? How am I going to find myself a placement in this publication that will help get my story farther and wider to other people and how am I going to be able to participate and contribute deeper and similar and so on? Look at it that way. It's more fun to look at it that way than to think of it as work or to think of it as a task or think of it as something we have to do.

How do we gamify our life experience and how do we gamify our business experience to just really broaden and deepen our participation contribution to the world? Very, very cool to consider these topics and to consider these styles of approach in what we do.

For my part, in the coming weeks, months, and years, I feel you're going to see me deepen my game. You're going to see me deepen my activity and my level across a number of different areas because I'm knocking these out.  How I foresee myself to participate - I feel that you're going to see me involved in some major publications, some major causes, socially impactful causes, some major disruptive companies in some super cool emerging sectors.

I think you're going to find me broadening my creative influence and creative collaborations across music and film, fashion, design, multiple sectors, entertainment, technology, real estate, travel, lifestyle, spirituality, philosophy, business, entrepreneurship. There's a lot here, but this is fun, and I can handle it.

These are my flows. This is what I'm meant to do and through all these different channels, I'm looking at continuing to make the contributions I do to help others, empower and improve our experience in our world.

That's it. Let's get in the game. Take note. Take note of who you are, where you're at. Take note of the business you're doing or not in certain areas, or the business that you want to do or not in certain areas. Let's raise it up, let's get in the game. Let's go from this level of being outsiders on some level, which in some areas I still feel I am, and let's put our nose in it, let's put our foot through the door, and let's stand up and be counted. Let's make a difference and do some amazing things. It's all right here for us, so that's what I'm going to do one step and one day at a time.

Welcome your comments, your feedback, your likes, your shares of the content if you're digging it, your follows if you're feeling it, whatever feels right for you.  If you think this content relates well or resonates well for other people that should also hear it, by all means kick it around, kick it over to them. I'm available. You can ping me and as soon as I have a chance, I'll get back to you or join in the conversation with you, but another great topic here, getting in the game.

I am getting in the game myself. Let it be known, let it be heard, and let it be felt. As I do, you will see it and feel it and hear it even more than you already have here on out as it just starts to exponentially grow. I feel that to be the case, I see it all in alignment for it to occur, and I'm affirming it to my world and to the universe here and now.

I hope you enjoyed this one. This is, again, Chad McMillan, Fresh and Raw, how to get in the game. Keep it flowing, keep bringing it day in and day out, one step at a time. Everything you want will be yours and will be ours. Chat with you soon. Alright, bye.