Finally… a YES in the mirror!

When we share what we’re going through or the lessons we’ve gained through self-reflection, it helps us grow. But it also has the power to help others, whether they’re on a similar path or simply in need of another perspective, clarity, or a reminder that growth can look different for everyone.

I’ve shared parts of my journey before, but every transformation has layers that go deeper than what most people see. This is another layer of mine not because it’s perfect, but because I know it’s not. And maybe in that imperfection, it might offer perspective, encouragement, or simply a reminder that it’s never too late to transform.

To understand where this chapter truly began, I need to go back a bit.

Throughout my childhood, and well into adulthood, I tied my sense of success to achieving the same milestones I saw others reaching, the ones I interpreted society viewed as markers of success. From an early age, I saw success portrayed in very specific ways: big houses, nice cars, expensive watches, and financial status.

Part of this went all the way back to elementary and high school. I was a small kid, and the only way I found success in sports was by working twice as hard as those who were bigger or more naturally gifted. That drive earned me some respect, and it made me friendly with the popular kids, but I was never really part of their crowd. Our family wasn’t rich, but we weren’t poor either. My parents never placed importance on keeping up with the latest trends, and my attire reflected that, leaving me feeling out of place. Somewhere along the way, I built a fantasy in my head, that if I became successful enough later in life, I’d finally fit in.

And so, I started chasing those milestones one by one. Those images stuck with me, and I convinced myself that achieving them would mean I had made it. I believed that if I could attain those same things, it would prove that I belonged, that I was successful, and that I would finally feel fulfilled.

At 31, I bought my first home. Instead of celebrating it as an achievement, I compared myself to others and felt behind. At 39, it was a fully loaded Mercedes S550, because just a base model wouldn’t do. At 42, it was my first Rolex, quickly followed by a collection because one wasn’t enough. By 43, I had made it into the top 1% of earners, something I once thought would finally make me feel complete. Each of these moments brought a flash of pride, but it always faded, replaced by comparison, and I was still left feeling empty.

The only reason I’ve shared these material milestones, my home, cars, watches, and income, is because they’re things many people can relate to. I spelled them out not to impress, but to give context for what I thought success looked like at the time. Maybe someone reading this will recognize themselves in that same chase. But even after achieving all of them, fulfillment never came.

From the outside, most people probably thought I had it all figured out. They saw the houses, the cars, the watches, the financial success and immediately assumed I had it all together. But the truth is, even with all those achievements, I was just checking off boxes, hoping they’d finally make me feel complete.

Here’s the harder reality: I was so focused on chasing what was outside of me that I never stopped to ask the real question, “Do I actually like the person I see in the mirror?” At 53, the answer was a painful, undeniable NO. And realizing it had taken me two-thirds of my life to admit that, made it even harder.

Looking back, I realize I was living entirely in the external world: the houses, cars, watches, and financial milestones. But there are really two worlds: the external world, which we can’t fully control, and the internal world, which we can. The external world will always be unpredictable. But the internal world? That’s where the real work happens, what we choose to focus on, the meaning we assign to our experiences, and the actions we take from there.

I thought I was living life. In reality, life was living me. Existing rather than truly living, outwardly successful but inwardly passive, just along for the ride while life happened to me. On the outside everything looked perfect. On the inside, I carried insecurities no one else could see, insecurities no amount of external success could erase.

That’s when everything shifted. I realized the missing piece wasn’t another house, another car, another watch, or more financial success… it was ownership of my health and my mindset.

I started shifting from the external to the internal. I stopped measuring success by what the outside world saw and began focusing on what I could actually control: my health, my mindset, and the meaning I gave to challenges. Once I aligned those, results I never expected began to show up. That alignment created a new vibrational state in my life, a higher level of energy, confidence and presence that people around me could feel. It was no longer about chasing milestones but becoming the kind of person who naturally attracted them.

No matter how much I achieved, the emptiness followed me. I knew something had to change. That’s when SupraHuman crossed my path. The ads kept popping up, and the way @John.Madsen spoke about mindset, excuses, and untapped potential struck a chord. His words cut through because they exposed the truth I had been avoiding: despite everything I’d accomplished, I still wasn’t the person I wanted to be. That realization became the wake-up call. The missing piece wasn’t out there in another achievement; it was in taking ownership of my health and my mindset.

And here’s what I finally understood, no matter what I had achieved: houses, cars, jewelry, financial success, none of it would matter if I kept believing my best work was behind me. That mindset was the very thing keeping me from realizing my true potential.

At 53, I finally decided to take control of my health and mindset and discovered the piece I had been missing all along. Relatively speaking, I’ve only just begun. I’ve only been in the SupraHuman fitness program for 21 weeks, and yet I’m already in the best shape of my life… something I once thought was unattainable. Moving forward, this is the new me: not just a passing stage, not just another item to check off a list.

And the changes didn’t just show up in the mirror, they started showing up in everyday life. What’s even better is that finding this missing piece helped me appreciate the other milestones in a deeper way. I feel more complete within myself, even though I know I’m still a work in progress. Looking back, I realize that for years I measured myself by milestones that could fade. The irony is that while I still own luxury cars, the one I drive daily is my Ram truck. While I own a collection of timepieces, the one on my wrist most often is my Apple Watch. These everyday choices remind me how much my perspective has shifted.

And instead of wasting energy asking, “What if I had started sooner?” I choose to focus on where I am today and the path moving forward. That shift toward presence and progress, is what truly marks how far I’ve come.

Of all the things I once thought would fulfill me, nothing has been more impactful than joining the 1–2% most physically fit in my age group, and it has had the greatest impact on my life. I was so consumed with chasing the other measures of success that I neglected myself. The moment I moved on from living in wanting and made the shift to doing, that became the true turning point of my life.

Even simple things, like feeling confident enough to take off my shirt at the pool or the beach, have completely changed how I see myself and how others see me. Just before Labor Day at the club pool, a couple of people told me, “You look jacked, WTF are you doing?” Those moments stuck with me. It was proof the work was showing, not just in the mirror, but also in how people responded.

And it didn’t stop there. On my recent family vacation in Cancun, even strangers commented. And people who hadn’t seen me since before I started the program almost always point out how much better I look. But the biggest change isn’t in their words, it’s in how I carry myself. The self-confidence I’ve gained shows up in every area of life. I walk differently, I interact differently, and people can feel it before I even speak.

Of course, none of this came without cost, not just in effort, but in financial investment too. I can say the following with certainty: even though the SupraHuman program requires a meaningful financial commitment, it’s been worth every penny. But here’s the key… the investment alone didn’t create the change. That had to be matched by my own investment of effort: showing up every day, committing fully, pushing through resistance and adversity, and proving to myself that change was possible.

The program didn’t do the work for me, because no program can or will, but it gave me the tools, structure, and support I needed to succeed. By applying them consistently, the breakthrough happened. And unlike most financial investments, where no return is ever guaranteed, this one delivered because I was willing to do the work. That’s what changed everything. The truth is, the same breakthrough is waiting for anyone willing to stop waiting, start doing and put in the work.

A couple of months into my journey, something unexpected happened that tested my new and developing perspective: the Hall of Fame. My coach sent me a message saying he thought I had a good shot at making it and asked if I was interested. At first, I was caught off guard, because since I was still fairly new to the program, it wasn’t something I even knew existed in the SupraHuman fitness program, let alone thought it possible for me. I thanked him for considering me but told him my focus had always been on long-term, sustainable change and I felt chasing what I saw as a short-term milestone would only distract from that. Although the competitive side of me thought it was something special, I didn’t want to lose sight of why I started this journey in the first place. So, I suggested we just keep doing what we were doing and revisit the idea a little closer to the deadline.

But over the next few days, I honestly kept thinking about it. In the past, I would’ve brushed it off and said no. But this time felt different. My mindset had shifted. This wasn’t just about me, it was about us as a team. When my coach later told me he had shared my check-in photos with other coaches and mentioned they were impressed with my progress, I realized it mattered to him. Because it mattered to him and because we are a team, it became important to me too. So, I simply replied: “LFG.”

Our plan didn’t change; we kept doing what we had been doing: putting in the work, staying consistent, trusting the process, and letting things unfold. When my coach eventually submitted the photos of my progress as well as his letter for HOF consideration, I honestly didn’t think we’d be picked. Not because the work wasn’t there, but because I fell into the trap of comparing myself to the pictures others posted in F3 or the ones I saw every Monday on the Mental Performance Mastery series. So truthfully, I had no expectations and wasn’t even planning on attending SHX25 . But here’s what I realized. The real transformation wasn’t the consideration; it was learning to live more from my internal world instead of being consumed by the external.

For those who aren’t familiar with superhuman, here’s some context. Within the SupraHuman program there’s a members-only chat called F3. It’s a space where members chat daily, encourage each other, and share experiences and progress. Every Monday, John Madsen, the founder of SupraHuman, hosts Mental Performance Mastery. It’s a focused session designed to help members build discipline, clarity, and mental toughness, the same skills that fuel success not just in fitness, but in life. And SHX25 stands for the SupraHuman Experience 2025. It’s the annual gathering where members come together in person for awards, community connection, and motivational speakers.

In the end, our commitment to the process paid off. Together, my coach Joe Tewell and I were nominated for the Hall of Fame. The real reward wasn’t the recognition, it was proving to myself that I could follow through, stay consistent, and create lasting change. What makes it even more meaningful is knowing I’ll share that moment with my coach at SHX25.

It happened not because I was chasing it, but because I had finally stepped into who I truly wanted to be. The recognition unfolded naturally, a byproduct of living in alignment with my true self. I know for many, making the Hall of Fame is the ultimate goal, and I have a lot of respect for that. For me, it wasn’t something I set out to pursue, but that doesn’t make it any less meaningful. In fact, it gave me even greater appreciation, because I know how much intentional work and consistency it takes to get there, however you arrive.

In the past, I would’ve taken the Hall of Fame nomination as a chance to soak up the praise, make it all about me and check another box off my list of accomplishments. That was the easy familiar path. But the truth is, nothing meaningful is ever achieved alone. This was a team effort from start to finish and that’s what makes the acknowledgment so powerful. We both held up our end of the bargain: he built the plan, and I executed it. One without the other wouldn’t have achieved the same results.

And it revealed a deeper truth: when you align with your true self, opportunities show up without being chased or forced.

All those external achievements can be taken away in a moment. But the transformation I’ve created through this process is mine to keep. I didn’t pursue it as a prize; I focused on the process. The Hall of Fame nomination came only as a byproduct. What makes this different is that the mindset I’ve built, the health I’ve earned, and the respect I now hold for myself are permanent… they can’t be taken away. For me, there’s no going back! And perhaps the greatest reward is this: before the transformation began, for 53 years the answer was a painful no. Today, when I look in the mirror, the answer is finally YES!

For anyone who may still feel like they’re on the fence, I wanted to share this perspective. Maybe you’ve joined SupraHuman or some other fitness program and you’re showing up, but not yet fully committing. Missing a check-in form, skipping a workout, or falling short on your macros. I know that place well, because it’s exactly where I was before I joined the program, wanting but not yet doing. I get it, because I lived there for a long time.

Based on my own journey, here’s what I’ve come to realize: Do or Don’t Do… but stop living only in wanting!

Wanting is like sitting in neutral, the engine is running, but there’s no movement. Doing creates momentum, growth, and clarity. Not doing is also a choice because it frees up energy that can be used for other things. Endless wanting, on the other hand, is what keeps everything stalled. The moment action replaces wanting, things begin to move forward.

There are really two reasons I chose to share this. First, the process of self-reflection and writing it out was therapeutic, it helped me process my journey and continues to push me forward. Second, I believe that hearing another person’s truth has the power to spark change within us. My hope is that reading this will benefit someone in some way.

If you haven’t shared yet on a public forum, I encourage you to give it a try. I had my own reservations at first, it actually took me a few months before I decided to share for the first time. The concept that ultimately made it easier for me to share was this: I’m responsible for what I write, not how others choose to interpret it, because interpretation usually reflects the reader’s state of mind at that moment. That reminder freed me to share more openly and it might do the same for you.

In all honesty, many of us have been there before: we share something on social media, and when it doesn’t get the likes, comments, or reactions we hoped for, it leaves us feeling empty. That’s the trap of relying on the external world for validation. We keep checking our phone, waiting to see how many likes or comments pile up. For a moment, every new notification feels like proof that we matter, that what we shared was good enough. But it never lasts. The more we get, the more we want and when it doesn’t come, something feels missing. That cycle can leave us emptier than when we started.

The truth is, it’s not about sharing for applause, it’s about sharing for ourselves. Sharing our journey is just as much for us as it is for others, and we might be surprised how many people quietly connect with it. Writing it out helps us process, release, and move forward. Sometimes sharing is just as valuable for our own growth as it is for those who read it.

And if you’re not ready to share yet, that’s okay too. Start by writing it for yourself, file it away, and revisit it later when you’re in a different frame of mind. You may find that the act of writing alone is powerful. And when the time feels right, you’ll be ready to share it here and not just for others, but for yourself. Because in the end, putting your story into words isn’t just expression, it’s a step toward clarity, healing, and growth.

Wishing you strength, clarity, and steady growth as you continue your journey forward!

No Going Back
A Reflection by Alexander Bush
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