451 - Will Polston on The Power of North Star Thinking

Adam talks to business strategist, performance coach, and author 
of his new book North Star Thinking, Will Polston. They discuss the inspiration for the book and Adam and Will share the trigger that enabled each of them to discover their own North Star. 

His new book can be found here: 

https://amzn.eu/d/dlqashc 

As a child, Will witnessed his father's daily struggle with his job, which left him stressed and miserable. He eventually quit to start a business with one of his wealthy uncles, hoping for a better life. However, his dreams were dashed when the business didn't materialize, and he fell into what Will Polston perceived as a deep depression.

As an observant child, Will Polston tried to connect the dots. Uncle Mark was wealthy and happy. Uncle Steve was well off and content. When his dad worked in London, he'd been stressed and tired but a lot happier than when he wasn't earning. To a 10-year-old Will Polston, it became obvious – money must equal happiness.

Acting on that belief, Will Polston became a very young workaholic. He had multiple paper rounds, bought and sold things at school, washed cars at the weekends, and even got a job at 14 working as a pot boy in a bar.

At 18, just as he started working in financial services, he stumbled across personal development and tried to become a better, wealthier, and therefore happier version of himself. While working in investments and running a division of a stock brokerage in London, he made a lot of money, but he still wasn't fulfilled.

He was 23 and had spent the last thirteen years chasing money as happiness. So, why was he tired, unfulfilled, and wanting more? One day he went to an event being held by personal development guru Tony Robbins. That workshop led him to a life-changing realization – his lightning bolt moment – it was never really about the money.

He realized his belief that money equals happiness wasn't true, and it had never really been about the money. In fact, his drive to make money was fueled by something much deeper. What it was really about was his dad and his perceptions of what he could have achieved so much more, because his potential was huge. His perception of him not achieving his full potential not only impacted him but his mum, him, and the rest of his family.

He cried for fifteen minutes in the aftershock of this understanding. It was a huge release from a core belief that had been weighing him down. This is what he called his lightning moment.

FINDING THE NORTH STAR

In this moment of deep clarity, he found his North Star – his purpose in life. He wanted to empower people to unlock their full potential and create a life they love.

Since then, he has embarked on that mission with his coaching and training business as well as multiple running other businesses that help fulfill his North Star including owning a medicinal mushroom supplement company, a marketing company, a small private equity company that invests in construction professional services such as his mechanical, electrical, public health design company.