Adam Linkenauger

Former 7x ACC Champ Athlete @Clemson 10M+ YT Subs, 20+ YT Play Buttons - Brand Builder

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

Your “Why” is Bullshit.

I sat across from a 24-year-old consulting client as he made generic feel-good claims about why he wanted to make a bunch of money.

All false attempts to seek my approval and permission to succeed.

Neither did he need.

So I asked:

“Why do you really want this?”

He doubled down.

“I want to make a difference on this planet?”

"… by charging already rich people money for your advice?

Why don’t you quit this and join a mission or something?" I asked.

He began to stumble, but before he finished, I let him off the hook with:

“My point is this: wanting success is okay, and you don’t need justification to get there.

And I believe you want to do good, but if we’re honest with ourselves and attack the real reason you want success first,

... there will be plenty of time to do good for others.”

He looked confused but relieved.

“Ok, how do I do that?”

I asked him to take a piece of paper which I provided.

And write his goal at the top.

“I want to be a millionaire." was written clearly on the page.

"PERFECT!" I expressed!

I quickly followed with my next request.

“OK, write underneath this question, "WHY is that so important to ME?”

Over 30 minutes, I’d have him write the same line again underneath the previous answer.

"I want to be a millionaire."

Why is that so important to me?

"So I don't worry about money ever!"

"Why is that so important to me?"

"To avoid the stress and fear of not having money."

"Why is that so important to me?"
....

The question got harder to answer as we layered deeper, but each answer got us closer to the TRUTH.

... I'd help with additional questions when he felt stuck.

"What makes you so fearful and stressed about not having money?"

"Was there ever a time when you didn't have money?"

After about 7 “layers” were peeled back, We were down to his core reason.

His true “WHY?”

He had come from a single-parent home, where his mom struggled to provide, and he watched her cry in stress, fear, and exhaustion throughout his childhood.

He wanted to be rich to avoid the struggles she had gone through, but he had goals to retire her early and eventually buy her a new car and then a new home.

Now let me ask you which “why” is more impactful to this young man.

“Hey man, keep working hard so you can impact the world one day!”

OR....

“Hey man, what would have happened if your mom had slowed down when working two jobs?

Is this the work ethic that will retire her early?

Get her first new car in her life? Or a home with no mortgage so she can enjoy the life she’s sacrificed for you to be in this position right now?”

You see, nearly EVERY “Why” you hear from an entrepreneur is bullshit.

It’s nothing more than an approval-seeking marketing tactic. 

Real “Whys” are RARELY visions to come, but are cures and solutions for visions and core memories from your past.

As a coach, I’d learn my athletes "Why” in our pre-season 1-on-1 meeting.

I’d then teach them a spot on their shoulder that'd be their "Why" button.

And when I press it, it reminds them of their “why.”

.… because their "WHY" was private. I could secretly refocus them, so think about their:

… mom working two jobs.

… parents working jobs to pay for him to be the first to graduate college. 

… little brother or sister they wanted a better life for.

... or how much they've overcome from being a child who dealt with abuse.

… or how this was their chance to get off the streets.

I heard it all and knew every why.

Each athlete came into my office wanting to go pro, make money, be an Olympian, etc.

But each left with our joint understanding of their TRUE WHY.

And the results were incredible.

Their production and competitiveness went up instantly.

And whenever they messed up or lost focus, I rarely had to say a word...

I’d instead just come over to them during their pre-workout stretching, gently press on their shoulder, tap the "Why Button," and look them in the eye to say, "Why are you here?”

And they'd nod.

This immediately turned on the focus, the jets, and realigned their focus.

One of the most valuable tools in sport and business,… is to truly connect with WHY you want different from your “norm.”

Once you know your why, set up trigger points around your house/car/office.

I use sticky notes and round colored stickers, all the same color.

The color is your WHY. When you see it,

... think about WHY you are here doing what you're doing.

I have a sticky note on my bathroom mirror, so my why is the first and last thought of each day.

Then, my computer, my desktop background color, my phone background, and random places in my home and car.

Learn your why, and make it hard not to remember.

Success comes easier when your focus is clear on TRULY why you're chasing your goals.

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

@mikefutia Nano

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

@MarioNawfal I was scrolling fast and honestly thought Shane Gillis was catching a charge.

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

@drewfallon12 Fin

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

@JoshMorrisGolf I agree with that as well.

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

What I'd like to know in regards to the woman killed by ICE in Minneapolis is...

Do any Republicans see this as an act of murder?
Do any Democrats see this as an act of self-defense?

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

@spwfeijen Pro

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

I swear, Austin Reaves is exactly what I thought MyPlayer was going to be when I spent all my VC on him in NBA2k.

I was wrong.

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

@Zephyr_hg News

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

@Zephyr_hg News

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

@eyad_khrais @perplexity_ai ADS

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

My partners and I at Atletic Motion Golf are introducing Elevate!

Our 3 day business, leadership, and golf retreat at Iselworth Country Club in November!

It’s going to be incredible, and tragically private for deep connection, insane perks, tour-level golf instruction, 6 attendee cap.

[Charlie Kirk @charliekirk11]

It’s all about Jesus.

[Matt Jones @KySportsRadio]

We can’t be a society where it becomes normal to kill people simply because they believe differently. If we do, that’s a path towards destruction

Humanity is more important than any political belief or party. We can’t lose that

[Derral Eves @derraleves]

You see the true measure of someone’s humanity—or the lack of it—can be seen in how they respond to the news of @charliekirk11 . To turn a family’s heartbreak into a celebration or political talking point within seconds is just sick.

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

It’s scary how much good advice and content gets drowned out by poor advice and shit content due to algorithms and circle jerks.

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

I had a mess trading in my 3 lr for a 3 performance.

The agent i talked to made me some promises of a special that was running, then they couldn’t get me the car i wanted by the time the special ended. Instead of honoring the deal, they tried to force me into a different car. They also wouldn’t refund my initial fees when i purchased despite no longer offering me the car i actually purchased bc i backed out. Not worth the trouble to fight but really sucked.

Nine the less, i love the cars, and for the CT i had preordered on day 1.

The Raleigh delivery of it was… disappointing.

They handed me the keys and pointed at it. No reference of how to do anything or about the turn radius, etc. it was ok for me as a precious Tesla driver. But i felt for first time buyers not getting any support or instruction, or any excitement frankly.

Lastly, that Raleigh lot was so full it was actually nerve wracking to drive a new truck inches between other new or used Teslas without any instruction or feeling for the truck lol.

Saying all of this. I love the cars. I love the experience of buying online, and though my trade in experience was awful, and inexcusable, the CT/Raleigh delivery wasn’t bad, it just was… underwhelming.

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

My take:

HYPE won't spotlight overlooked creators.

It'll help the 1-2% of channels grow faster, while training and convincing fans that their money can manipulate the algorithm.

When I first broke the news of Hype last year, I was THRILLED with the concept of helping small creators break out. I LOVED this for myself, my brands to come, and my clients!

But this just isn't it. It's all "Hype", and imo, it's just pushing YouTube closer to pay-to-play by training fans to spend.

I love YouTube. It's been a life-changing platform for me and the 100+ people I've helped use it for full-time careers over the years.

One thing I really love about the platform... is they listen.

And they DO adapt id the community speaks up.
I hope I'm wrong. I hope I eat crow on this. I HOPE it's amazing.

BUT as of right now.. I don't see the path to do what they claim to do.

If you're bummed out reading this, don't be. Nothing has changed, and YT is still a golden opportunity for new channels to start and flourish.

At the end of the day, community is still the real growth engine.

I'll bring more updates and opinions as I have them... but let me know your thoughts.

What do you think? Is this the "game-changer" they're trying to push on us...

or just... bullshit hype?

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

YouTube just rolled out its new HYPE feature.
It’s supposed to give “small creators” more visibility.

On the surface, it looks like a win.
But dig deeper, and it’s got serious problems.

A 🧵 from a 2.5MM+ YT Channel owner 👇

[Adam Linkenauger @AdamLinkenauger]

Problem #7: Competition or luck?

Will HYPE actually be competitive or just a lottery?
If a video doesn’t go viral early, first-time viewers won’t hype it.

That means it’s still lightning-in-a-bottle or nothing.