Alignment. (Ease of Progress)

Dear Andre, (1.3 min read)

Don’t be a hero.

Be an aligned servant.

That’s the phrase that’s been stuck in my head since yesterday’s BE One Day event with Erwin McManus and Brendon Burchard.

Here’s why.

Brendon said something I’ll never forget:

It’s not that life gets easy. It’s that life gets efficient when you’re in alignment.
When your physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual life are all pointed in the same direction, the resistance drops. Movement gets smoother.

But if even one wheel is out of sync?
You’ll feel it.
Hard.

And what’s wild is, some parts of your life may already be aligned. You’re crushing it in one area… and then there’s that one domain that keeps squeaking.

That’s what this whole thing is about.
Not perfection.
Alignment.

Now let’s talk about Erwin.

He shifted the room by talking about the stories we tell ourselves—and how those stories either shape us… or sabotage us.

He broke it down like this:

The Four Unhelpful Stories:

1. The Victim – Everything happens to me.

2. The Martyr – I’m the only one who can do this.

3. The Bystander – I didn’t do anything wrong. (But… I also didn’t do anything right.)

4. The Hero – I have to save everyone.

Erwin’s take?
Don’t be the hero.
You can’t save everyone.
That’s how you burn out.

Instead, choose one of these:

1. The Empowered – I can’t change what happened, but I can change what I do next.

2. The Called – This is mine to carry. I’m not the only one. I’m just the first.

3. The Agent – I have the ability to choose today in light of the future I want.

4. The Servant – I’m here to help, not to rescue. Serving doesn’t mean saving.

And that last one?
That’s the one I’m holding onto.

So how do you apply this?

Simple.
Change the story.
Tweak the identity.
Build the rhythm.

Here’s what I’m doing this week—and what I’d recommend to you:

1. Identify three shaping stories from your childhood.
   Then ask: Which version am I telling myself? Victim or Empowered? Martyr or Called?

2. Pick three words you want to define who you are becoming.
   Set alarms at 8am, 12pm, and 6pm labeled with those words.
   Let your phone nudge you back into alignment.

3. Ask yourself daily:

   Am I building from fear… or from the future I long for?

You don’t need to be perfect.
You don’t need to be the hero.
You just need to show up aligned, aware, and willing to serve.

Because the story you tell yourself is more powerful than the reality you experience.
And the best part?
You get to choose the story.

Direct thyself,
Daniel