So far, we’ve taken a broad look at the concept of avatars, and the hero’s journey. And we’ve met Larry, the first of two avatars representing the Wabbit tribe.
Jasper is the second.
His reality is dramatically different from Larry’s.
They might as well exist on completely different planets, in different universes, in different dimensions.
Where Larry constantly chases money-makers, Jasper intentionally builds leveraged and highly-targeted assets, engineered for steady success over the long-term.
He manages his addiction to the alluring draw of the perpetual “shiny-object” — and he controls what he invests his time and attention in with wisdom.
Jasper isn’t driven by money anymore.
His mindset isn’t shackled by the golden handcuffs of profit.
His aspirations aren’t tethered to materialistic cravings.
Instead, Jasper values his time above all else, understanding that time and respect are the only currencies we all trade in.
He is driven by the need to matter.
To make a difference.
To serve his tribe by alleviating a pain point in their lives.
To build something he can be proud of.
Something with real value.
He knows he’s playing an infinite game, so Jasper uses his resources — not a loan, not investors — to build a system.
His system is self-sustaining, fully capable of funding its own growth, and eventually becoming the asset that gifts him the freedom he so desperately craves.
In my personal story, when I crossed the chasm between these two avatars and finally realized the reasons behind my struggles… the shift in my reality was seismic.
Reality transformed right in front of me, and suddenly, I could see new and immediate possibilities.
There was no going back.
But, I needed time to understand my new reality.
Unlike the movies, I couldn’t crank the soundtrack, roll through a sweet training montage, and “suddenly” become a master.
Don’t fall for the myth of sudden success.
Mike Tyson didn’t wake up one day, suddenly the most terrifying boxer on the planet. He only became that, in increments, over a long time (and a lot of trauma).
Every KO is the combined force of his history, plus countless hours of behind-the-scenes training and effort.
Because mastery is the culmination of years of consistent effort.
The quiet, humble, really fuckin’ hard grind.
The process of showing up daily, and doing the work.
This isn’t about hustle culture.
That mindset is toxic, and dangerous.
You and I are talking about discipline.
The commitment to never having a 0% day.
The lifestyle that says: we don’t allow a day to go by without some progress, no matter how small.
Because excellence is a compounding process.
Because we master what we spend the most time doing.
When zoomed out, this is obvious.
“An overnight success takes an average of 10 years.”
— Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon)
With all due respect to the Beez, that quote probably isn’t universally true, but, the sentiment is spot on. We work toward a critical mass over a long period of time, and then… one day…. boom… everything comes together.
Like leveling up.
The success only appears sudden to those on the outside.
It is easy to forget that simple, inevitable truth when we’re in the middle of our daily struggle.
Larry can’t see the truth yet — but Jasper can.
Jasper is successful because of his unwavering focus on the path in front of him — the journey, not the destination.
The process, not the goal.
He knows the result itself means little, because the process which generates the result is the real treasure.
He doesn’t chase isolated “money makers.”
Instead, he diligently builds long-term, leveraged assets, engineered for service in the infinite game.
One of these assets is trust.
Jasper knows that building trust takes commitment, time and transparency — a process that we cannot rush, or half-ass.
It’s a whole-ass endeavor.
Larry doesn’t see the value of going slow and leaning on first principles, so he’s constantly on the hunt for the next hack.
Jasper understands how to validate his offers slowly and systematically, only scaling them once they prove their worth.
He knows the infinite game will swing in his favor as the results of his process compound over time.
(aka: the process of showing up, and doing the right — and probably hard — work, each and every day, relentlessly.)
Jasper embraces that his is a journey of a thousand little steps, not giant and infrequent leaps.
Discipline is what carries him through.
His pace and method are powered by his relentless pursuit of his Most Important Question (MIQ).
Most days, he’s asking himself some version of:
What is the next, smallest step I can take toward my goal?
He doesn’t spend time hunting for the next opportunity. Instead, he focuses on value creation.
He’s made the conscious, intentional choice not to try to be all things to all people. He stays exclusive.
Jasper understands that his job is not to try to cater to the masses and their fickle desires — rather, he knows his job is to find (or create) the smallest viable market.
The tribe.
The pocket of people.
The weird few.
And then, to delight them, enriching their lives by serving them and making them feel like bad-asses.
We have the power to choose that path too.