BITESIZE #5 | Steven Bartlett: How to make yourself achieve

It’s another short bitesize episode on a Friday delving deeper into stand-out moments from the podcast. 

Today we hear from Steven Bartlett, the founder and former CEO of Social Chain, an agency he grew into a multi-million pound business, about the power of simply believing you can. 

As always, A big thanks to our sponsors Lotus Cars. Remember, you can get extended episodes of the podcast on our YouTube channel bit.ly/HPPYouTube and follow us on Instagram @highperformance.

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**Navigating the Podcast Episode: A Journey into the Power of Self-Belief**

In this insightful podcast episode, Steven Bartlett, the founder of Social Chain, delves into the transformative power of self-belief. Through his personal journey from humble beginnings to entrepreneurial success, Bartlett emphasizes the significance of believing in oneself, even when circumstances may suggest otherwise.

**Key Insights from Bartlett's Experience:**

1. **The Cornerstone of Success: Unwavering Self-Belief:**

Bartlett highlights the importance of self-belief as a fundamental driving force behind his accomplishments. Despite lacking traditional academic prowess, he maintained an unwavering conviction in his abilities. This belief propelled him to pursue his entrepreneurial aspirations, ultimately leading to the establishment of Social Chain, a multi-million pound business.

2. **Embracing Challenges with Confidence:**

Bartlett's journey was not without obstacles. He faced numerous challenges and setbacks along the way. However, his unwavering self-belief allowed him to confront these hurdles with resilience and determination. He emphasizes the importance of embracing challenges as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than as insurmountable barriers.

3. **The Power of Positive Self-Talk:**

Bartlett underscores the significance of positive self-talk in cultivating a mindset conducive to success. He encourages individuals to challenge negative thoughts and replace them with empowering affirmations. This practice, he believes, can significantly enhance self-confidence and propel individuals towards their goals.

4. **Surrounding Oneself with Positive Influences:**

Bartlett emphasizes the profound impact of surrounding oneself with positive and supportive individuals. He stresses the importance of seeking out mentors, peers, and friends who believe in one's potential and provide encouragement along the journey. Positive influences can help cultivate a growth mindset and foster a belief in one's abilities.

**Practical Tools for Cultivating Self-Belief:**

1. **Challenging Negative Beliefs:**

Bartlett suggests examining negative beliefs and questioning their validity. He encourages individuals to seek evidence that contradicts these beliefs and to replace them with more empowering and realistic perspectives.

2. **Visualizing Success:**

Bartlett recommends the practice of visualization as a powerful tool for reinforcing self-belief. He suggests visualizing oneself achieving their goals and experiencing the positive emotions associated with success. This technique can help instill a sense of confidence and motivation.

3. **Taking Action and Embracing Failure:**

Bartlett emphasizes the importance of taking action and embracing failure as a natural part of the journey to success. He encourages individuals to step outside their comfort zones, try new things, and learn from their mistakes. This approach can help build resilience and foster a growth mindset.

**Conclusion: Unlocking Your Potential Through Self-Belief**

Steven Bartlett's inspiring journey and insights provide a compelling case for the transformative power of self-belief. By cultivating a strong sense of self-belief, individuals can overcome obstacles, embrace challenges, and achieve remarkable success in their personal and professional endeavors.

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[02:08.600 -> 02:11.960] Hi there, welcome along to a short, sharp, bite-sized hit
[02:11.960 -> 02:13.640] from the High Performance Podcast
[02:13.640 -> 02:15.360] in partnership with Lotus Cars.
[02:15.360 -> 02:16.840] Alongside Damien Hughes,
[02:16.840 -> 02:18.840] I felt that it would be really important
[02:18.840 -> 02:21.160] just to give you an opportunity
[02:21.160 -> 02:22.960] to pick up some of the tips that we've learned
[02:22.960 -> 02:29.600] from the High Performance Podcast in a short, quick way so you can take these lessons into your daily lives. Please spend
[02:29.600 -> 02:39.120] the next few minutes just listening and learning and using this podcast to help build your armor
[02:39.120 -> 02:44.320] so that in the outside world you can use it to great effect. This week's episode is with Stephen
[02:44.320 -> 02:48.840] Bartlett. He had an amazing story. He was stealing frozen pizzas just to feed himself in
[02:48.840 -> 02:52.320] inner-city Manchester a few years ago and then he managed to build a business
[02:52.320 -> 02:57.360] called Social Chain which he eventually exited from and it's worth hundreds of
[02:57.360 -> 03:01.080] millions of pounds. He's a truly inspiring man to spend time with. He has
[03:01.080 -> 03:11.120] his own podcast Diary of a CEO. You can find him on Instagram as well. But when we spoke to him, he shared some amazing nuggets on how to make yourself
[03:11.120 -> 03:16.960] be successful. Have a listen.
[03:16.960 -> 03:22.120] How am I clever? Hard question. Not good at math, not good at English, not really good
[03:22.120 -> 03:26.500] at anything as it relates to school. My grades were so bad that I forged the grade certificate.
[03:26.600 -> 03:27.700] So that's probably the first...
[03:27.800 -> 03:29.300] My dad's just found that out.
[03:29.400 -> 03:31.240] But the certificate I gave him was forged
[03:31.340 -> 03:32.680] because my brothers are all straight A,
[03:32.780 -> 03:34.480] so I felt bad.
[03:34.980 -> 03:39.280] I think I have always believed that I could.
[03:39.380 -> 03:43.080] And that, as a force for learning new things
[03:43.180 -> 03:46.400] and making yourself seem smart, is remarkable. That as a force for learning new things and making yourself seem smart is remarkable.
[03:46.400 -> 03:50.680] That as a force for achieving things and putting yourselves in situations that you're not
[03:50.680 -> 03:55.080] qualified to be in is unbelievable. So if there was one thing I'd say, it's that I
[03:55.080 -> 03:58.800] always believed I could, even when there was no reason for me to believe such a thing.
[03:58.800 -> 03:59.800] Daniel Disney
[03:59.800 -> 04:02.520] Damien, you know, of all the people that we've interviewed, and we've interviewed, you know,
[04:02.520 -> 04:07.180] some of the best known high achieving sports stars and business people on the planet,
[04:07.180 -> 04:11.380] there's one thing that Stephen said that really stuck with you and resonated,
[04:11.380 -> 04:16.200] wasn't there? Yeah, it was in response to a question that has often intrigued me
[04:16.200 -> 04:21.120] about high performers and it's not how clever are you but instead reframing the
[04:21.120 -> 04:29.840] question to ask how are you clever? What's your superpower? What is it that yn ystod ymdrech i'r cwestiwn i gofyn sut ydych chi'n ddiddorol, beth yw eich gryf, beth yw'r peth sy'n ddiddorol eich dealltwriaeth a'i gweithredu oedd ei fod wedi credu bob amser
[04:29.840 -> 04:34.800] fy mod i'n gallu, roedd e'n cael y creduoedd ddewis iawn i'r ffyrdd o'r ffordd y byddai'n cael ei ymwneud â
[04:34.800 -> 04:40.160] gallai ddod i ffwrdd i gydnabod y broblem a chyflwyno beth bynnag yr oedd e'n eisiau ac rwy'n credu
[04:40.160 -> 04:46.980] yn ein sgwrs gyda ni i ymdrechu lle ddaw hynny a sut y gallwn ddweud rhai o'r dysgu in our conversation with him to explore where that came from and how we can take some of that learning
[04:46.980 -> 04:48.600] and apply it in our own lives
[04:48.600 -> 04:51.000] was to me really quite profound.
[04:51.000 -> 04:52.400] And I think it was brilliant.
[04:52.400 -> 04:54.400] I think he's such an inspiring guy,
[04:54.400 -> 04:56.280] but obviously and understandably,
[04:56.280 -> 04:58.360] there'll be people listening to this little five minute
[04:58.360 -> 05:00.680] episode of the high performance podcast.
[05:00.680 -> 05:01.520] And they'll be thinking,
[05:01.520 -> 05:03.340] well, I don't have that self-belief.
[05:03.340 -> 05:08.820] I don't believe that I can and I will and I and I should I just struggle a bit what are
[05:08.820 -> 05:13.860] the tools then that we need to think about for becoming more like Stephen
[05:13.860 -> 05:16.580] Bartlett well let me talk about self-belief I think there's two
[05:16.580 -> 05:20.500] component parts of it Jake I think we talk about people often assume
[05:20.500 -> 05:24.540] self-belief is about self-confidence and being able to project to the world that
[05:24.540 -> 06:08.000] you think you're capable but if you think of it like a flower that's just ddweud bod y fyddwchhai o'r rhai o'r rhai play them down but then nurturing them and developing them and I think in Stephen's case he spoke about this ability that he could get on with people
[06:08.000 -> 06:12.280] he could connect with people he had an ability to empathize and engage with
[06:12.280 -> 06:16.640] people that was one of his superpowers so we opened him up to be able to ask
[06:16.640 -> 06:21.560] questions to explore success with people that trusted him and were prepared to
[06:21.560 -> 06:29.000] reveal their secrets. You know something that that works for me, and I'm sure my wife, Harriet, won't mind me saying this on here.
[06:29.000 -> 06:32.200] She struggles a bit with anxiety, social anxiety.
[06:32.200 -> 06:37.400] So a few years ago, before we went out for dinner, it would be hours of,
[06:37.800 -> 06:41.300] I don't think I can go, I don't think I can eat, I'm nervous about being in the restaurant.
[06:41.300 -> 06:43.000] What if I'm sick? What if I feel sick?
[06:43.000 -> 06:44.200] And that was her thing.
[06:44.200 -> 06:47.520] It was just this inability to be calm before you went out
[06:47.520 -> 06:52.320] for dinner. And it lasted a long time and one of the things that really helped her
[06:53.440 -> 06:57.440] and really helps me as well is that whenever those thoughts still come into her head,
[06:58.640 -> 07:03.440] we remind each other that it's just your brain playing a trick, it's just a story you've written
[07:03.440 -> 07:08.340] for yourself, it's just a made-up nonsense and so you mustn't believe it and it might not
[07:08.340 -> 07:11.280] work for everyone but I think it for people that are struggling a bit I think
[07:11.280 -> 07:15.240] it's worth giving it a go because there's no benefit to thinking that
[07:15.240 -> 07:18.520] things are gonna be awful or that you're gonna fail or you're not gonna be
[07:18.520 -> 07:22.200] successful. There's no benefit to thinking I might be ill this afternoon
[07:22.200 -> 07:25.400] when I go out or allowing that anxiety to get the better of you.
[07:26.080 -> 07:33.160] Your brain playing a trick. So whenever people if they listen to this thinking, oh, yeah, but that mindset is so hard to achieve
[07:33.160 -> 07:37.160] I can't possibly think everything will be fine because that's not me. That's not how I am.
[07:37.160 -> 07:41.320] I want them to understand that thinking anything other than everything's gonna be fine
[07:41.320 -> 07:47.520] is your brain playing a trick because it's like we're writing stories in our heads about the fact that tomorrow or the next day or
[07:47.520 -> 07:53.880] The next week or the job interview or the event I'm taking part in is gonna fail. Well, it's a story don't write the story
[07:53.880 -> 07:57.240] It's a trick don't believe the trick and that ties in you're absolutely right
[07:57.240 -> 08:02.080] Jay with an acronym that people sometimes use around fear where they say it's about false
[08:02.520 -> 08:05.120] Expectations appearing real in our head and it's worth people that if they if they're feeling that fear about I don't think I'm capable ar ymdrechion o ran ffyrdd, lle maen nhw'n dweud bod angeneddau'n ddifrifol yn dod yn wir yn ein mhrof,
[08:05.120 -> 08:09.760] ac mae'n werth i bobl, os ydynt yn teimlo'r ffyrdd o'r ffaith, dwi ddim yn credu fy mod i'n gallu,
[08:09.760 -> 08:15.280] dwi ddim yn credu fy mod i'n dda o lawer. Gwnewch ystod i'r ôl am ymlaen, ac ymwneud â'n dweud,
[08:15.280 -> 08:20.880] pa fath oedd yn wirioneddol yn wir, os oeddech chi'n ymwneud â'r ddinas a'ch bod wedi'i gyflawni,
[08:20.880 -> 08:25.400] pa fath oeddech chi'n dweud oedd yn wirioneddol yn wir, ac pa fath oedd yn ddifrifol, present it, which bits of it would you say were indisputably true and which bits of it
[08:25.400 -> 08:26.400] are false?
[08:26.400 -> 08:28.780] Can you disprove or discredit?
[08:28.780 -> 08:35.280] And you'll often find that a lot of our beliefs that we have from previous experiences, or
[08:35.280 -> 08:40.640] like you say, false narratives in our head, that if we start to change them, we change
[08:40.640 -> 08:44.780] the way we feel about them and therefore we change the way that we approach them and then
[08:44.780 -> 08:51.140] behave and perform and like everything else as we talk about on this high-performance podcast having a mindset of
[08:52.520 -> 08:53.840] 100% responsibility
[08:53.840 -> 08:59.600] I think is a is a powerful element to this because you truly have to believe and you know what if you're actually listening
[08:59.600 -> 09:02.200] To this and you're still struggling with the concept. Why don't you just decide?
[09:02.200 -> 09:04.020] I don't know whether this is a good idea or not Damien
[09:04.020 -> 09:05.600] But it certainly worked for me a few years ago because I was struggling with the concept why don't you just decide I don't know whether this is a good idea or not Damien but it certainly worked for me a
[09:05.600 -> 09:09.520] few years ago because I was struggling with this idea of yes everything's gonna
[09:09.520 -> 09:14.400] be fine and so I decided right I'm just gonna believe it for a day it you know
[09:14.400 -> 09:17.400] it doesn't what's the what's the problem if I believe it for a day I'm just gonna
[09:17.400 -> 09:20.840] give it a go so I said right for a day I'm gonna believe that every single idea
[09:20.840 -> 09:25.760] plan approach conversation is gonna be successful and it was a really bloody good day.
[09:25.960 -> 09:28.960] So it's like, you know what, I'm going to try this for a couple of days or a weekend
[09:29.160 -> 09:34.320] or a week. And before you know it, you're so used to feeling positive about stuff
[09:34.520 -> 09:36.720] that that feeds off to other people.
[09:36.760 -> 09:39.560] You do things you'd never have imagined yourself doing before.
[09:39.560 -> 09:42.760] You you're way more ambitious because you believe things are going to be great.
[09:42.960 -> 09:48.360] People see the ambition and think, I'll have a bit of that that and suddenly it's the self-fulfilling prophecy. There it
[09:48.360 -> 09:53.240] is. That's a brilliant idea, Jake. I love it because optimism is infectious. Just the
[09:53.240 -> 09:57.700] cynicism is infectious. So if you take a moment and go, well, who do, who would I rather be
[09:57.700 -> 10:03.180] surrounded by? And most of us want to be around people that see the best in things that are
[10:03.180 -> 10:09.380] constantly planning and looking for great opportunities. So it starts with us, how
[10:09.380 -> 10:13.660] we choose to approach that determines how other people respond to us.
[10:13.660 -> 10:17.500] Love it, absolutely love it and I hope that that has given you a little bit of
[10:17.500 -> 10:21.700] optimism and maybe a few tools to go out and make it a great day, a great week, a
[10:21.700 -> 10:25.480] great year, a great life. Damien, thank you so much, mate.
[10:25.480 -> 10:26.320] Loved it, Jake.
[10:26.320 -> 10:27.880] Thanks for having me along as always.
[10:27.880 -> 10:28.760] All right, thank you.
[10:28.760 -> 10:29.680] Thank you to Will.
[10:29.680 -> 10:30.500] Thank you to Hannah.
[10:30.500 -> 10:32.400] Thank you to Finn from Rethink Audio
[10:32.400 -> 10:34.680] for helping us put this short bite-sized clip
[10:34.680 -> 10:36.400] of the High Performance Podcast together.
[10:36.400 -> 10:37.360] Let me just remind you,
[10:37.360 -> 10:39.640] you can see full episodes on our YouTube page.
[10:39.640 -> 10:42.680] Just go to YouTube and type in the High Performance Podcast.
[10:42.680 -> 10:50.160] Follow us at High Performance on Instagram, but please talk about, share, rate, and review the High Performance Podcast. Follow us at High Performance on Instagram but please talk about, share, rate and review the High Performance Podcast and there's a
[10:50.160 -> 10:55.600] new full episode coming your way very soon. Thank you Lotus Cars, we couldn't do it without you
[10:55.600 -> 10:59.040] but most of all thank you to you for listening. Have a great day.
[11:10.100 -> 11:14.920] Attention, Fred Meyer shoppers. Did you know there's a world of innovative services and patient care right in store?
[11:14.920 -> 11:20.200] It's where an award-winning pharmacy and nationally recognized care come together.
[11:20.200 -> 11:24.400] Connect with one of our licensed pharmacists today at your local Fred Meyer and experience
[11:24.400 -> 11:27.040] the care you and your family deserve.
[11:27.040 -> 11:30.080] Fred Meyer, a world of care is in store.
[11:30.080 -> 11:32.400] Services and availability vary by location.
[11:32.400 -> 11:34.080] Age and other restrictions may apply.
[11:34.080 -> 11:36.000] For coverage, consult your health insurance company.
[11:36.000 -> 11:37.920] Visit the pharmacy or our site for details.