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Have you ever done something first?
No, not the first time you tried something.
I mean the first person to ever do it.
That kind of decision hits different.
I have always been fascinated by people who step into that space. No roadmap. No permission. No precedent. Just a decision.
Dr. Sharrieffa Barksdale is one of those people.
She became the first woman in history to run under 55 seconds in the 400 meter hurdles. Let that sit for a moment. Nobody had done it before. There was no proof it could be done, until she decided it would be done through her.
That is not just performance. That is identity.
Elite performers understand something most leaders forget.
Discipline overrides doubt.
Structure outlasts chaos.
Belief outpaces circumstance.
She did not wait for the environment to confirm her. She made a decision about who she was becoming and trained until the world had to catch up.
And here is what is powerful.
She passed that same mindset on to her daughter, Gentel Sharrie.
Now Gentel is building her career in Hollywood, an environment that will test your identity every single day. Visibility. Pressure. Comparison. Rejection. Applause. All of it.
Yet she is not chasing approval.
She is walking in alignment.
That did not happen by accident. That is legacy in motion.
Legacy is not what you say.
Legacy is what you model.
As you listen to this conversation unfold, I want you to sit with one question:
What are you still waiting for permission to become?
Because here is the truth.
Waiting for approval will keep you negotiating with environments that were never designed to elevate you.
At some point, every leader faces a strike point.
A moment where you stop asking,
“Is this the right time?”
And you start declaring,
“This is who I am.”
That is where the shift happens.
That is where you amputate the need for validation.
That is where you elevate into ownership.
Three Leadership Leverage Points
Identity is a Decision, Not a Discovery
Sharrieffa did not discover she was elite. She decided it, then built her life around that decision.
Discipline Builds What Emotion Cannot Sustain
Feeling fluctuate. Standards do not. What you do daily will always outrun how you feel occasionally.
Legacy is Transferred Through Example
Gentel did not inherit success. She inherited standards.
Become An AI Expert In Just 5 Minutes
If you’re a decision maker at your company, you need to be on the bleeding edge of, well, everything. But before you go signing up for seminars, conferences, lunch ‘n learns, and all that jazz, just know there’s a far better (and simpler) way: Subscribing to The Deep View.
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Subscribe right here. It’s totally free, wildly informative, and trusted by 600,000+ readers at Google, Meta, Microsoft, and beyond.
Your Move
Choose one area of your life or leadership where you have been waiting.
Then make a decision that does not require a vote.
Write it down. Speak it out loud. Act on it today.
Because the next version of you is not waiting on approval.
It is waiting on commitment.
Work With Me
If you are navigating change and need clarity in the moments that matter most, let’s connect.
Book time with me at: www.johnregister.com
On the Road Wellness
As my travel schedule intensifies, I’ve become even more deliberate about protecting my energy—starting with my gut health.
What you fuel matters when you’re constantly performing, leading, and adapting on the road. I’ve been incorporating Hugh & Grace wellness packs into my routine, and they’ve become a simple, consistent way to stay aligned.
If you're operating at a high level, your health isn’t optional—it’s foundational.
Take a look and see what could support you. https://hughandgrace.com/collections/wellness-1?pws=johnregister
Watch the full conversation with Sharrieffa Barksdale and Gentel Sharrie on Irreversible and see what they chose to amputate to elevate.
Go forth - inspire your world.
See you next Tuesday!
John Register is a Transformational Leadership Expert and Paralympic Silver Medalist who helps executives, organizations, and teams transform adversity into advantage through the power of the StrikePoint Decision Method [Reckoning, Revision, and Renewal.] He is also the creator of Lightning Leadership, a framework that equips leaders to make decisions faster with less information in high stakes environments by identifying their StrikePoint and acting with clarity and conviction.
