From Ryan Holiday’s bestselling chronicle, The Obstacle is the Way:

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In 1915, deep in the jungle of Central America, the rising conflict between two rival American fruit companies came to a head. Each desperately wanted to acquire the same five thousand acres of valuable land.

The issue? Two different locals claimed to own the deed to the land.

To solve the problem, the first fruit company dispatched a team of high-powered lawyers. They set out in search of every file and scrap of paper in the country, ready to pay whatever it cost to win. Money, time, and resources were no object.

The tiny, uneducated competitor couldn't play the same game. So they didn't. Flexible, fluid, and defiant, they just met separately with both of the supposed owners and bought the land from each of them. They paid twice, sure, but it was over. The land was theirs. 

***

I like this story.

It cuts through a lot of crap which bogs us down and stops us seeing simple, effective ways to make progress.

Thing is, getting bogged down is something I can really relate to.

I’ve always had fun ideas, dreams and goals. When I left uni, I felt a pull to play poker professionally. When I took magic lessons, I thought about putting on a magic show at the Edinburgh Festival. And a few years into the 9 to 5, I got the itch to take six months out to travel the world.

All these ideas felt exciting, energising and alive with possibility.

But I never did them.  The how always kept me stuck.

How do I get started?

How do I know if this is a good idea?

How do I decide between options A, B and C?

How do I stop overthinking and just do it?

Something changed for me last year during the seven month certification training I took with American “supercoach” Michael Neill.

On the training, I heard Michael say three short words to describe a recipe for how to do anything.

I try to stay away from recipes.  Most recipes aren't universal.

But this “how to” recipe really does work.  It really is universal.

Earlier this week, I published a three part interview with master escapologist Rob Wringham.  This recipe explains how I made that happen.

The recipe also explains how I got the nod of approval from various senior head honchos to launch Mindset Workshops for my colleagues at work.

It even explains how I started this newsletter and how I began coaching, despite not having a scooby about either.

In fact, the more I look, the more I see how this recipe sits behind pretty much everything I do.

It’s also a recipe the canny fruit company juiced for all it’s worth.

In case you’re wondering – it’s not a recipe like “hedge your bets”, “do everything twice” or “throw money at the problem”.

It’s simpler and bolder than these. 

But this recipe is also a bit mysterious. It’s less map, more compass. It’s requires some reflection and a willingness to stay open.

Equally, this recipe isn’t a secret.

If you go to one of Michael’s YouTube videos or his podcast and click play, you’ll probably hear Michael mention the exact recipe after a few hours.

But if you’d rather not do that, you don’t have to.

I’ll send you the recipe instead.

All I ask is this:

Hit reply. In your reply, tell me one thing you’d love to do but don’t know how to do.

In return, I’ll send you this simple, bold and mysterious recipe for how to do it – and for how to do anything you’d like to do.