No. 9 of the MaxLife Reflection Series · prints to one 8.5 × 11 page · 3-hole-punch ready
MAXLIFE
Reflection Series
9
No. of 75

Why Top Performers Struggle (and How They Grow): The Cheat Code to Life with Alex Gertsburg

Companion to the MaxLife episode with Alex Gertsburg

Alex Gertsburg, an attorney and founder, came to the United States at age four from a former Soviet country, couldn't speak English for years, and felt like he stuck out. He traces his hard drive back to that scared little kid, and says the distance between your real values and your actual days is a steady energy drain.

▶ Watch the full episode with Alex Gertsburg for deeper context on how to approach these questions
01

What Your Week Shows

Picture someone who only saw how you spent last week, with no explanations from you. Based on your time alone, what would they say you care about most?

02

The Gap That Drains You

Now think about what you'd say out loud that you value. Where do your real days and your stated values not match? Name the one thing you keep putting off, and where you feel that gap wearing on you.

I keep telling myself I'll get to ___ once things settle down.
03

Where The Drive Started

Alex says his push-to-succeed grew out of a young, insecure version of him who felt like he didn't belong. Think back. What early moment or feeling might your own need to keep proving yourself be trying to make up for?

04

What That Kid Needs

Picture the younger you carrying that. In therapy, Alex's counselor asked him two things that broke him open. Answer them now. What does that kid need to hear from you? And what do you need to do for him?

05

Close One Gap

Alex calls the space between your values and your daily life the integrity gap, and says closing it gives energy back. Pick the gap from Q2. What's one specific thing you'll do this week to shrink it, and what day will you do it?

Alex says that scared kid never fully leaves. The work isn't to silence the drive, it's to thank it and stop letting it run the show. When your days finally line up with what you actually value, the low hum of drain goes quiet. What does that younger you most need to hear from you now?
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