Your Greatest Power: Feeling Good

At the heart of every great achievement lies not only skill or knowledge, but the emotional state from which we operate. As Tony Robbins reminds us, “Success is 80% your emotional state and only 20% technical.” When we feel good, we do good, and that energy translates into powerful results.

The Power of Emotional States

Positive emotions such as joy, love, compassion, and enthusiasm are not fleeting moods; they are catalysts for transformation. When we feel relaxed or uplifted, our bodies release dopamine, a chemical that sparks enjoyment and fuels creativity. Serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins all work in harmony to strengthen our wellbeing and unlock higher levels of performance.

In contrast, negative emotions such as anxiety and despair flood the body with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Over time, these states weaken our resilience, disturb our sleep, and compromise our health. The truth is simple: our brain is a pharmacy, and every thought sends a signal. Which medicine are we choosing to prescribe ourselves?

Emotional States & the Environments We Create

Oscar Wilde once said, “I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” This is the art of state change, recognising when we need to shift our mindset and deliberately choosing thoughts and actions that move us forward.

Sport offers powerful lessons here. Richie McCaw, the legendary All Blacks captain, spoke often about keeping “the bad pictures at bay.” For him, controlling his inner environment was as important as training his body. In life, just as in sport or business, the game is played first in the mind.

What we feed ourselves matters. The principle of GIGO — “garbage in, garbage out” — reminds us that the words we speak, the images we dwell on, and the people we surround ourselves with all shape our internal state. Our environment is not neutral; it either lifts us up or holds us back. As Ellen Swallow Richards observed, “The environment that people live in is the environment they learn to live in, respect and perpetuate.”

Purpose & Ubuntu

Human beings thrive when they live for something greater than themselves. Ubuntu, as Bishop Desmond Tutu described, is the essence of our interconnectedness. It’s the recognition that our actions ripple outward, shaping not just our own lives but the lives of those around us.

We see this power of shared purpose in sport too. When the Springboks lifted the Rugby World Cup back-to-back, it was not just talent that carried them to victory. It was a deep sense of playing for each other, for their country, and for something beyond personal glory. Siya Kolisi spoke openly about the team’s culture of care, where they first valued one another as human beings, and then as professionals. Great leadership, as Rassie Erasmus demonstrated, creates the conditions where people rise to their fullest potential.

Purpose unites. Ubuntu sustains. Together, they fuel greatness.

The Wisdom of Character

Beyond skill, strategy, or circumstance, character remains the ultimate measure of success. As John Wooden said, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are.”

For teams, for leaders, and for individuals, character is the backbone of sustainable success. Brian Lochore, former All Blacks captain, put it simply: “Better people make better All Blacks.” The same is true everywhere, better people make better leaders, colleagues, parents, and friends.

Character is not accidental. It is forged in the daily choices we make, shaped by our values, and tested in moments of challenge. And when we choose integrity, resilience, and service to others, we unlock our greatest power: the ability to create lives — and communities — of lasting significance.