How the Devil Keeps You Small & Weak (Plus the Solution)

Welcome to the Paul Vette podcast, a podcast about leadership, mindset and hypnosis. Enjoy listening. I asked AI something and the output is so valuable that I really want to share it with you. You can also watch on YouTube or just listen on Spotify. On YouTube you'll see that I'm holding an iPad the whole time, because I really can't learn all of this by heart. At least, there's no need for it. Because why wouldn't I use technology if it's available? The question I asked is: how would the devil manipulate people to hold them back from their success? So if the devil were in charge, the devil would keep as many people as possible small, weak and unfulfilled. And then he would apply these strategies. Not forcing, but tempting and making them think they're making their own choices. When that choice has actually been programmed by the devil. And what comes out of that is so realistic in what happens in the world, that I definitely want to share it with you. And later I'll also share with you, for each point, how you can naturally get out of this. Number 1. What the devil would do is fill their thoughts with doubt and fear. And how would the devil do that? He would create algorithms that confront them with messages about failure and risks, among other things by having the news media focus on crisis, failing entrepreneurs and economic uncertainty. The devil would also feed negative little voices in your head by constantly comparing them with better people, among other things on social media. And I would make them think, I the devil that is, that success is only for the chosen few, for a select few people and not for ordinary people like you. The effect of that would be: they would keep themselves small and not utilize their potential. I find step 1 already quite intense. Step 2: I would make them focus on immediate gratification instead of long-term success. And how would the devil do that? I would make social media addictive, so they keep scrolling endlessly instead of working on their dreams. I would promote fast food and make it ultra-easily available so they lose their energy and become mentally foggy. I would offer free entertainment like Netflix, TikTok, YouTube. And not just offer it, make it endlessly accessible, so they keep consuming instead of creating or producing. I would make them believe that everything should be instant: wealth, success, health, without effort or patience. The effect of that would be: you would become distracted and too lazy to build something bigger. And not selfishly lazy, but just lazy in your whole system. 3. Intense, right? I would surround them with negative influences. How would the devil do that? I would have them grow up in families where fear and doubt are normal. I would make complaining and victimhood the norm. So it's completely normal to complain and to be a victim in your social environment. From the devil who says: 'I would have them believe through media that successful people are corrupt or selfish. I would give them friends who discourage them as soon as they show ambition.' The effect: they wouldn't dare to break away from their environment and would stay where they are. Holy crap. 4. I would take away their sense of urgency. How would the devil do that? I would make them think they have plenty of time later. I would make distractions endlessly available so they don't even notice how fast time passes. I would comfort them with the thought that the right time will come naturally. I would point out people who became successful at a later age, so they think postponement isn't a problem. The effect: they would never really start and keep dreaming without taking action. I would make sure they stay in their comfort zone. And how would the devil do that? I would promote ease as the highest good. Comfort, relaxation, stability. I would make them believe that growth is painful and dangerous. I would punish failure so mercilessly, socially or financially, that they would do everything to avoid it. I would overwhelm them with entertainment, so they never feel the need to try anything new. The effect of this would be: they would cling to what they know and never dare to try anything new. We're over halfway through. 6. I would make them think they need to plan everything down to the last detail, causing them to procrastinate. How would the devil do that? I would teach them that only perfect plans succeed. I would overload them with endless information so they keep learning instead of doing. I would make them afraid of failure so they never dare to start and I would make them believe that it's always better to wait a little longer for the right circumstances. Or as Jos Burgers would say as the devil: wait for the wind in your sails. The effect of this: they would keep thinking, analyzing and waiting without ever doing. 7. I would undermine their self-confidence. How would a devil undermine self-confidence? I would have them grow up in a society where criticism is the norm and compliments are scarce. I would fill the media with perfect unattainable role models. I would only have them focus on their mistakes and failures. And the devil says: I would reward them for modesty and punish them for ambition. The effect: they would think they're never good enough to achieve anything great. I find it really intense, because it comes up so much on so many levels. Not just in social media land, media land, but also in your environment and in your thoughts too. I would make them focus on external things instead of their internal growth. How would the devil do that? I would make them addicted to likes, status and external validation. I would make them think that happiness depends on money, possessions and approval from others. I would have them compare themselves with others so they constantly remain insecure. I would make them believe that their value depends on their success and not on who they are. And the effect of this would be: they would always be chasing something without ever finding true fulfillment. So filling instead of nourishment. And 9, the last one: I would give them bad habits. How would the devil do that? I would reward them for laziness with immediate pleasure. Netflix, snacks, dopamine shots. I would constantly surround them with temptations that undermine their focus and energy. I would teach them to prefer comfort over discipline. I would make them believe that discipline is boring and restrictive. The effect of this: they would sabotage themselves without realizing it. This self-sabotage is the devil in your head of course. The ultimate manipulation and what the devil says: I would make them think this is all their own choice. I would make them feel like they're free, while I keep them in invisible chains. I would make them believe that this is just how the world works, so they never question the system they're stuck in. And the worst part? I would have them fight against those who try to free them. Okay. Intense. Okay, then we'll move on to what you could do. I hope this hasn't discouraged you. I actually hope that all these points and I'll also just share them in the caption, that all these points actually give you strength and a kind of internal fire to fight against that devil. That devil is of course just inside yourself, in your own head and you can defeat it. So let's go defeat the devil. Step 1. What did the devil say? I would fill their thoughts with doubt and fear. Very simple: free yourself from doubt and fear. How can you do that? There are of course countless methods. Hypnotherapy works very well. But well, I don't want to manipulate you. I'm just telling you, only I'm whispering it then. But what you can also do is: train the little voice in your head. So make sure you get better thoughts in your head by talking to yourself in your head. So very simple: 'I am developing'. Don't say you can't do something, say you're developing it or that you can't do it yet. Write down your successes. It works really well of course to say 'I can already do it' and then you only need to learn afterwards, that identity form. I am a piano player and then learning to play piano afterwards is much easier. Write down your successes. Really focus on your success daily. Just really write it down. Write down what you're grateful for, but also really be proud and happy when you've achieved a success. You should celebrate even a small success greatly. Really surround yourself with winners. People who lift you up. People who see in you what you know yourself: 'this is in me, but it's not quite coming out yet'. And that those people also show that they themselves are really winners. And do something scary or exciting every day. Because if you step a little bit outside your comfort zone every day, you grow. That's really one of the best tips I've ever heard from people. So practice speaking for a camera, but also with people. Share your ideas online or share something online. When I just started sharing things online, I had just made up an alter ego. I had this WordPress blog site and I wrote on it first without putting my name under it. Just start, because you'll get reactions. They still don't know who you are, but you do get feedback from yourself about how you deal with those kinds of reactions. Just do it. Start a project, do little things outside your comfort zone that just seem fun to you. That you think yeah, I've actually always wanted to do this, but people think I'm weird. Just do it. A mantra could be: action kills fear. And waiting feeds fear. What the devil would say is: I would make them focus on immediate gratification instead of long-term success. If you flip it around, train yourself to choose long-term success over immediate gratification. What you need to do: remove all distractions. Make sure you can do deep work, that you can work really focused. Remove all social media apps from your phone. Super simple. Or go to phoneaddiction dot nl. Then you just really get rid of it. If you're an entrepreneur or maybe even personally, make sure you have 2 phones. One personal that you basically always have with you. And when you want to do something useful on social media, because sometimes it's useful to get inspired for example or to look things up, then you grab that other phone. Or you install the app, you do it and you delete the app again. Or build or download an app that blocks other apps when you want to open them and that you first have to answer a few questions. What else should you do? I'm just saying courage, you want to defeat the devil. Read books instead of consuming other things all the time. Also choose growth in this, not addiction. Train your willpower. So when you... I haven't written this down properly myself I notice, because you train your willpower by making what you want bigger, more important. Then you'll automatically go. But it's also about sometimes doing things when you don't feel like it. That's more about training your discipline. So start for example with cold showers or intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating or exercising. Or if you already exercise, then do something with exercising in the gym you go to that you actually avoid. That's how you grow. What feels easy makes you weak, what feels difficult makes you strong. 3. What the devil said: I would surround people with negative influences. 3. Cut negative influences out of your life. Stop it. I have an entrepreneur, who's really such a high performance entrepreneur, who always wants to go for the highest achievable. I love working with him. And I explained to him with the A-player model that there are A-players, people who give you energy and who take you further in your life. B-players only give you energy, don't take you further in your life. C-players drain your energy, but do take you further in your life. And D-players drain your energy and don't take you further in your life. And he just wrote down of the 15 people you spend the most time with who or what they were. A, B, C or D. And everyone who wasn't an A-player, he called them and said: 'Okay, I don't want to meet anymore.' Bam, just cut them out hard. What you can do is calmly assess your environment. So write down those people you spend the most time with and then just ask the question do they help you grow yes or no. What's a simpler variant than what this entrepreneur did, is: spend more time with the people who help you grow, then the rest will naturally dilute. In any case, break with toxic relationships. So if someone keeps you small, really cut them out of your life. Just get rid of them. That sounds harsh, but people who keep you small, that might cause you to waste 10 years of your life because you keep conforming to those people. Your brain adapts to those people, you just don't want that. Consume positive content. Podcasts, books and also videos from people who inspire you. But be aware, I got this from my mentor, always produce more. Preferably 3 times as much as you consume. Because when you produce, so writing yourself, journaling, sharing content, producing, building things, creating, then you're working with your own thoughts. And that internal voice needs to become more positive. And really work with a long-term goal. People always find it annoying. A 5-year vision or a 3-year vision where people say yeah, I can't even look a month ahead. Just do it anyway. Don't avoid it, just do it. Write down once where you want to be in 5 years. And don't make it all too difficult and not too perfect, because that's what the devil wants. But when you now say: 'Okay, I want to be there in 5 years, then you can translate it back to daily actions. And if you take actions today to be at a certain point in 5 years, then you learn new things along the way and find new answers about where you might really want to be in 5 years. But when you stand still, you don't find those answers either. If you have for example a dark forest in front of you with lots of trees and you actually don't see where you want to go, what can you do then? Keep taking a small step and eventually you'll find a way through those trees and you'll end up somewhere too. The mantra here is: I'm one step further with this, I haven't yet named everything I've written down. I find the mentor or mastermind group very important. That you look at someone and you see: okay, that person is where I want to be, and go model that person. So do what that person does. That's especially important. Not necessarily literally what, because it could be that your mentor is in an area where you don't want to go at all. But the moment you see that it's a person you want to become, look especially at how that person does things. Or find the mastermind club or a business club very important, because then you really surround yourself with people who want to help each other grow. You really become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, that's really true because your brain synchronizes with those people. So you don't even find it in practical things. Your conscious brain or the devil will want to tell you that. It will want to say: 'Yeah, but then you'll look practically at: okay, yeah, but it makes sense if I hang out with a millionaire, I can also ask AI how millionaires think.' It doesn't work like that. Your brain only synchronizes with another physical human brain. And the moment you hang out with 5 millionaires, you also become a millionaire. The moment you hang out with 5 fit girls or fit boys, you also become a fit girl or fit boy. So choose the 5 people as you would want to be and you'll naturally grow towards it. It's very powerful. Okay. What the devil would say is: 'I would take away their sense of urgency.' 4, reversed, create a sense of urgency. Make sure, I just said it, that there's a goal you really want to achieve. And feel that in your whole body, because then you also feel urgency. So what you can do, really work with deadlines, because they work. The moment you give yourself 5 hours for a task, you finish it. Give yourself 3 hours for the same task, you'll finish it too. That just works. So give those timeframes and make them tight. And it could be that if you give yourself 3 hours, you might take 3 and a half hours, but you keep getting better at estimating that well and acting faster and faster. Also tell yourself: 'I must start now, today.' Instead of 'I'll do it someday.' Just like with New Year's resolutions. Don't wait until the first of the month, don't wait until the first of the year, don't wait until tomorrow, start today. Do it now. And what's also a very powerful way is visualizing your death date. Realize that your time is finite and that procrastination is pure waste. That's really important. And besides that, arrange an accountability partner. Make sure there's someone who holds you accountable. So agree with someone: I'll finish this task, I'll send you proof on Sunday evening. If you don't have it, I'll do 100 burpees. Or if you don't have it, you'll get 1000 euros from me. Make sure that accountability partner isn't someone who says: yeah, but I'm not going to hold you to that. Or yeah, you did say that, but yeah, you didn't feel like it. No, just someone who says: Hey listen man, I'm getting 1000 euros from you. Or 'Hey just record that video with 1000 or with 100 burpees.' 1000 burpees, wow. Tomorrow doesn't exist, only today. Beautiful mantra. 5. What would the devil say? I would make sure they stay in their comfort zone. 5. Break out of your comfort zone. How? Do something uncomfortable every day. So approach strangers. This is really the easiest way to do it. Just approach strange people. And the moment you keep choosing the same people, because it's already starting to become uncomfortable, then you increasingly approach people where you feel: they don't actually fit with me. That's the simplest way, because there are tons of strange people and you can do it briefly every day. But also: take a risk, start something new, expose yourself to failure, try and learn, adapt, reflect. Reflecting is super important. Change your routine. Do you exercise early in the morning? Then do it a bit later in the morning. Eat something different. Learn a new skill. Doesn't matter what. It's about your brain learning to deal with things that are somewhat uncomfortable. Because that's what your brain grows from. Gets stronger from it. It's a muscle. And also be the student and not the expert. I sometimes find that difficult myself, but really be the student. The moment you go to a seminar or you go to a mentor or coach or whatever, it could be that with some things you think someone is telling you something you already know and then you start thinking 'yeah, I already know everything.' No, stay curious, stay open, keep searching, go to that sense of wonder, because then your mind is really open to absorbing new information. Growth happens when you dare to admit that you don't know everything. Because after the '', comes the ''. Your comfort zone is really just a prison and break out of it. 6. The devil says: 'I would make them think they need to plan everything down to the last detail, causing them to show procrastination behavior.' 6. Stop overplanning and start now. Now. If you already know what you need to do, pause, come back later for the rest, but start now. That's not smart, commercially speaking, doesn't matter. What you need to do: begin. Even if you think you're not ready yet, you'll never be ready. If you keep waiting, you'll never be ready. Begin. The first time you do something is super bad after 100 times, and the hundredth time you do it is super bad after 1000 times. You learn by doing, not by waiting. You can watch 20,000 videos about how to cycle, but you have to get on that bike. Simple. What is the simplest action you can take? That's a very important one. A lot of people make what they need to do way too big. So the moment when I was recording this video that I'm recording now, I had 2 stands in front of me, when I wanted to start filming from different angles, I just didn't know how that worked technically. But what I did know was I need 2 cameras, so then I'll get 2 cameras. Okay, I need 2 stands. Get 2 stands. The moment I think: yeah, I don't know how the technology behind it should work, I could completely figure that out. But then my brain thinks: that's difficult, that's big, while the rest isn't arranged yet. Then you don't take action. Very simple, people who experience burnout or depression. If you tell them: 'you need to clean your house and get it in order', do you think they'll do that? No, then you need to tell them: 'hey, put out the vacuum cleaner'. Super simple. Just putting out the vacuum cleaner makes them vacuum. If you say you need to vacuum your living room, they won't vacuum. The smallest action that you know you'll definitely execute is the only action you need to do. Small steps, big result, because you get into motion. Definitely use the 5 second rule. Count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and take that step before your brain can come up with an excuse. Make it a standard action. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO! And be okay with imperfection. Launch, adjust, wait and dream. That works: launch, adjust, launch, adjust, launch, adjust. So launch that action, adjust here. Not wait and dream. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Nothing is ever perfect. Nothing has ever been perfect. All the music you hear on the radio you think: wow, such a song is finished. No, I've been a music producer myself. When a song is on the radio, you can still put 1000 hours into it afterwards to still improve it. But finished enough is finished enough. Begin. Most DJs play music even before it's long finished. They test it. Testing works best. 7. The devil says: 'I would undermine their self-confidence.' Of course, build an unbreakable self-confidence. I know, sometimes easier said than done, but those small actions also help with this. What you need to do: train yourself physically. A strong body gives you a strong mind. Do strength training. Yes, women too. Everyone strength training with the goal of being able to do CrossFit. Ideally in a good CrossFit box. If you don't do that, if that's not feasible for you in terms of time or CrossFit boxes nearby? Make sure you can do CrossFit exercises. Become functionally fit. Also in your head. So talk positively to yourself. Rewrite your internal dialogue. You can also easily do it with pen and paper. First write down how you think now, then look at how you can formulate that more positively. And say that. Repeat that to yourself every day. Do what you say. The moment you say what you do and keep your word to yourself, your self-confidence grows. And that works best with small actions. Because small actions or big actions give just as much self-confidence if you execute them. But then you might as well start with a small action. And yes, a small action you can also more easily not do, but you can also more easily do. Works fantastically. So if you promise yourself something, keep that promise and compare yourself to your former self and never to others. So if you look at where you are now, what you can all do, what qualities you have, you didn't have those 20 years ago. Simple, you're making progress. Be proud of that and look at that. But especially do what you say. You won't find self-confidence anywhere. It's built through small actions. 8, the devil. I would make them focus on external things instead of their internal growth. Reverse it, focus on internal growth. Internal growth in you, inside. So what you need to do: stop seeking validation from others. Done with it. You don't need to hear from others that you're doing well. You reflect yourself. Your value is in what you do, not in how people react to it. So every evening you check: did I cut corners or did I do my best? Simple, just the truth. Not to beat yourself up. Okay, I did my best 80 percent. Okay, tomorrow you start again. Or you did something today, did it go well? Yes or no? No, didn't go well. Okay, what could be better? Then you do that again tomorrow. Simple. Without rejection, just look at the facts. Tomorrow is another day and that's how you grow. Meditation or journaling, I would do both. Meditation is not sitting and thinking about nothing. Meditation is sitting and thinking about 1 thing. Best way, focus on your breathing. Breathe in, breathe out and feel the breath. That's it. Start with 15 seconds, build up to a minute. If you can do that, keep building further. Get better at that. Journaling is super important. You can start and just look this up online: morning pages. They are enormously powerful if you want to become aware of your thoughts. Are you already aware of your thoughts, just write down your thoughts and reformulate them into something positive. So every evening just reflect on 'how was your day' and definitely write down your successes and what you're grateful for. Always focus on what you have control over. Your actions, your habits, your choices. You determine and don't look at others. Use others as inspiration. So you can see: hey, someone is doing something I'd also like to do, get to work to do it too. Not 'wow, they're already there'. It doesn't matter. Your starting point is now, is today. The only competition is the person you were yesterday. Very well-known, but yeah, use it. It works. 9, last one from the devil. I would give them bad habits. Very simple, build good habits, build discipline and strong habits. What you need to do, stand every day, get up early. So the earliest point that works okay for you, and you can play with that, go outside your comfort zone, but test with that. Start early, begin the day with a victory. Boom. Besides that, as soon as you step out of bed, you make your bed. You don't have to like a military person, but do make your bed. Then you've at least executed one action. You've already gotten into motion. Exercise daily. Your body, but also your brain. Like I said, your brain is a muscle. Exercise daily. Meditate, do self-hypnosis, reflect, train new things, learn new things and train physically. You don't have to exercise hard every day, not do strength training every day, but at least move every day. Those 10,000 steps is marketing. So move every day, walk a lot, do some yoga and 3 times a week strength training with the goal of CrossFit, functionally fit, HIIT training, training the lactic acid system is the very best. Eat healthy and eat things that nourish you. No empty calories. That always sounds weird, but you can eat something that's 300 calories and still be hungry afterwards, or you can eat something that's 300 calories and feel satisfied. So organic vegetables and fruit, nuts, pits and seeds, grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish. Those are actually the main things. I have the feeling I'm skipping one more. Look it up. Eat nourishing. Eat things that are good for you and that ensure you feel satisfied and satiated and that the energy is evenly distributed over the day. So no peaks and valleys. Work with a fixed morning ritual. By that I mean a routine every morning and for some people that takes an hour. I know people who have a routine of 2 and a half hours and I know people who have a routine of 5 minutes. But make sure there's a piece of meditation in it so that you experience peace and have the idea that you have control over your day. And make sure you have a focus for the day, a certain intention, a certain vibe, focus. Enormously important. And always do difficult things first. Eat that frog. Look, the moment you know: I'm best in the morning at producing. Suppose you're an entrepreneur and you want to produce content and that works best in the morning, then you do that. If you have another big task after that, then you do that first afterwards. But it follows the 'Eat that frog' principle. Suppose you had to eat a frog every day, alive, and in the morning you wake up and the first thing you do is eat that frog. The rest of the day you have peace of mind. If you still have to eat that frog the rest of the day, you walk around with that in your head all day, consciously and unconsciously. That causes stress in your brain. That causes you to get distracted and that causes you to occupy brain capacity because that task still needs to be executed. So do the things you find difficult first in a day. That works fantastically. Discipline is freedom. Don't feel like it, do it anyway. I always say: I don't feel like it, so I think I can do it. So freedom, discipline is freedom and routine is power. Habits determine your future. Not that big goal, not that amazing strategy. Doing something small every day in a rhythm always leads to big results. So the key to liberation from that devil is really taking action. And this system really only works. The devil actually only works as long as you remain passive. And as soon as you consciously choose growth, discomfort and action, then the devil has no impact on you. So action is really the key. So I also want to ask you right away: what would you do first? Take a look back below at the list with everything the devil would do to you so what did the devil say so beautifully and actually frighteningly the devil wants to keep you small, weak and untapped. Look at that list of everything he does to make that happen to you. What actions do you put against it? So don't fall into the trap that everything has to be different right away, because that's too big. Small actions, big results. And make sure you take action anyway, because otherwise you fall into the devil's trap. So the question to you is: which of the 9 points are you going to tackle first? And what is the very first action you're going to take now, as soon as you've finished listening to this? --- This transcript has been translated from Dutch.