Tired of Mediocrity? Try Playing a Bigger Game
We can have excuses or results, but not both
By Rodger Dean Duncan
Markus Kaulius had a rough start in life. His parents divorced when he was seven. He was bullied in school. He was certain he didn’t have a chance to do or be much of anything.
Fast forward: Today he’s a serial entrepreneur and founder of several eight- and nine-figure businesses. As a thought leader, he’s been featured by PBS, Fox News, CNN, and other media outlets.
Kaulius shares his journey in Play a Bigger Game: Seven Universal Principles to Experience True Fulfillment and Win at Life.
This is not your standard “dare to be great,” rags-to-riches memoir. Kaulius shares the principles and practices he prescribes as a sought-after coach to world class athletes and leading business executives. If you’re looking for a boost in your career or personal life, Kaulius can help.
Most of us know that the stories we tell ourselves affect our performance and satisfaction in life. Kaulius explains how that dynamic works.
“A bad story can paralyze us, cause us to self-sabotage or blind us from seeing the wonderful things in our lives,” he says. “On the other hand, a good story can improve performance and bring us success far beyond what we could dream.”
He cites a Stanford University study showing that 90% of a person’s thoughts are the same as yesterday. “We create stories and lock them in, rarely to question them again,” he says. “If you didn’t happen to tell yourself a good story—according to the National Science Foundation 80% of our thoughts are negative—you are replaying a terrible story every day.”
Here’s the good news: “We have control and can change our story at any time,” Kaulius says. “If you don’t like the story you’re telling, try a new story! Until I chose to change my story, I was one of the saddest people I knew. I was stuck, I had no confidence, no self-worth, no hope of a better future and I felt undeserving of love. When I recognized that story wasn’t serving me, I started telling one that did. Since that moment, my life’s purpose has been to help others recognize the greatness in themselves and encourage them to adopt a story that serves their purpose on this planet.
Of the key principles Kaulius writes about, integrity is number one.
“Without integrity, the other principles’ benefits cannot be fully realized,” he says. “My work is not helping people create fake stories about themselves, it’s about helping them become the humans they were designed and destined to be—in their full authenticity.”
