🚀 3.2.1. In Praise of Being Yourself ::: Atomic Scaling

Last week we explored the Duality Edge: your greatest strength and biggest weakness are often the same quality, just viewed from different angles. The work isn't to "fix" yourself, it's to expand your range.

But here's what I didn't tell you: the hardest part isn't expanding your range. It's giving yourself permission to play a different tune in the first place.

This week: the uncomfortable truth about authenticity, and why the moment you stop performing for approval that was never coming, you unlock a kind of freedom most people never taste.

3 IDEAS FROM ME

I. The Scripted Life.

What if the life you're living feels like someone else's script, until you realize you're the one holding the pen? I once coached a founder who had built a company everyone admired, except him.

Every decision he made was shaped by what he thought investors wanted to hear. When we stripped away those layers, he realized he’d been playing a character for years. Most people do the same: performing for parents, culture, or an imaginary audience that never asked for the show. The cost? You suffocate slowly, one "yes" at a time.

II. Living Someone Else's Script.

Most suffering comes from living someone else’s script: the one your parents wrote, the one you think is acceptable for [investors, employees, clients], the one you’ve been telling yourself since you were twelve. We wear masks. We grip identities like life rafts, believing they’ll protect us. They don’t. They suffocate us.

III. No One's Watching.

The spotlight you think you’re under? It doesn’t exist. It’s mostly in your mind. Here’s the liberating truth: no one’s watching as closely as you think. Everyone's too busy managing their own chaos, performing their own scripts, wearing their own masks.

So stop asking “What will they think?” and start asking “What do I actually want?” That’s when life gets really interesting again.

2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS:

I.

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." - Friedrich Nietzsche, Author of "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"

II.

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.” - Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple

1 ACTION FOR YOU:

Embrace amor fati (love of fate). This week, identify one place where you're still performing. One relationship, one decision, one conversation where you're editing yourself for approval. Then ask: What would happen if I stopped? Not recklessly. Just... what if you showed up as yourself and let the chips fall?

Let's Play,

Ludovic Bodin

3x Entrepreneur, 2x Unicorn Investor, 1x IPO. Founder of BOBIC Generational Wealth and Author of Atomic Scaling

P.S. I’ll be taking the Main Stage at AI SUMMIT 2025 in Germany!​
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My keynote: “Atomic Scaling: How 10 People Build the Next Unicorn”, dives deep into how small, AI-powered teams are reshaping the future. If this resonates, please like or tag a founder who needs to hear it.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:

“For the future wave of entrepreneurs seeking gaming industry insights, Atomic Scaling is now at your fingertips.”

- Chen Qi, CEO of Century Games