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jasondorland5441

Dad to a butterfly child & 2 rescues. Husband to an inspiration. Author. Olympian. High performance coach. Keynote presenter. Workshop facilitator.

As we sat in our lane, locked in, waiting for the As we sat in our lane, locked in, waiting for the starter, I did what I thought elite athletes were supposed to do. I looked over at the other crews and told myself, “This is my race, and to hell with you.”

I was getting “a good hate-on” as we called it—this is where and how I found motivation. And for a while, it worked—it gave me an edge. It made me feel strong and confident. It made the moment feel simple: beat them.

But here’s the problem: anger is a high-octane fuel with a short fuse. So, why is that strategy limiting, not to mention toxic and dysfunctional?

When you’re trying to win through anger and hostility, you’re not just propping up your “competitiveness;” you’re creating a threat-based form of motivation that undermines your potential.

Here’s the cost when we do:
We focus on the opponent rather than the process.
We tighten up—physically, mentally and emotionally—right when we need to be loose.
We become dependent on an external trigger—“I need an enemy”—rather than on internal mastery.

You might “win” the odd battle that way—I’ll never argue that it doesn’t work. But, straight-up, it’s a brutal way to live—especially long-term.

What I regret not understanding sooner:

My best races were never fueled by hate. Instead, they were fueled by:
Calm intensity with laser focus.
Clear, well-executed process.
Trust in my preparation.
Access to that rare place where effort feels effortless—and time slows: flow state!

And here’s the paradox:

The most powerful competitive mindset I’ve ever utilized isn’t “racing against them,” it’s racing “with them.”

And, no, it’s not about “being nice” and “letting them win.” But recognizing that they are the force that invites our best. “It’s from my competitors' best race that I’ll find mine.”

That’s synergy!

A question for you:

Where are you still using a version of “to hell with you” as motivation?

And what might change—today—if you shifted from “threat-based fuel” to “process-based mastery?”

CTA: If this hits home and you want to build a healthier, higher-performing way to compete (in sport, leadership, sales), DM me and let's chat about how to invite mastery into your process and consider what's possible?
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: “Burnout is not a Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

“Burnout is not a badge of honour; it’s a design problem.”

Somewhere along the way, especially in our Western hustle culture, we started treating exhaustion like evidence.

If you’re busy, you must be important. If you’re always on, you must be committed. If you’re running on fumes, you’re someone we should aspire to be like. 

That “badge of honour” didn’t just show up, either—it’s been trained into us through:

Industrial-era thinking—humans as machines; output over wellbeing. Performance identity—your worth = your results. Scarcity + comparison culture—someone’s always doing more, and posting it! Workplaces that quietly reward over-functioning—the hero gets promoted, the system stays broken. Old-school sport messaging—“no pain, no gain”—even when the pain is emotional, relational, or spiritual.

But here’s the kicker:

When burnout shows up, we tend to focus on “fixing” the person: sleep more, meditate, take a weekend off, and be more resilient.

Helpful, but incomplete. Because if the system stays broken, you’ll be back fried up in no time.

So, here’s the reframe that changes everything: if burnout is a design problem, the solution is to redesign it! And, just to clear, this isn’t about dialling down ambition. No, instead, this is about creating the conditions that support ambitious growth utilizing a practical system upgrade:

Audit your energy budget—what drains you vs. what restores you?

Protect deep work—one 60–90 min block/day changes everything.

Create “done” definitions—remember, endless work is a design flaw.

Build recovery into the plan—not as a reward, as a requirement.

Replace hero culture with healthy standards—especially on teams.

Okay, so here’s why this improves production value, not just health.

When your system is better designed, you don’t just feel better—you produce better:

Fewer mistakes. Faster decisions. More creativity. More consistency. Better relationships—which improve everything.

Burnout doesn’t make you a high-performer. It makes you temporarily impressive, and eventually unavailable.
It's not your goals that fail you; it's the 'why' It's not your goals that fail you; it's the 'why' behind them.

It's that time of year, again, when many of us find ourselves hellbent on beginning January with a wish list of accomplishments or changes we want to somehow manifest in our lives—no pressure, right?

And, in so many ways, it makes sense; it’s the beginning of a new year, and we’ve just come off the holidays and are, for the most part, feeling rested, rejuvenated, and in some cases inspired to breathe new life into our daily rhythms—so have at’er! I mean, why not? The worst thing that can happen is that, like so many others, your good intentions for your personal renovations fizzle out. If you’re lucky, you didn't tell too many others, and life goes on without any public pushback or shame. If you’re unlucky and you told a few people, well, that can be a little more of a wallop—what some might call a “come to Jesus” moment. Where, at the end, we are forced to acknowledge and face some painful truths regarding shortcomings that continue to haunt our best intentions.

Lucky me, I experienced the latter and then some! In fact, I didn’t just tell some family and friends, I told the entire country! And, if you’re familiar with my backstory, you’ll know that I didn’t just fail in a private moment; I chose the world stage to showcase mine. Yup—the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. As defending Olympic champions from 1984, the expectation for the Canadian men’s eight was that we would defend and win again. Unfortunately, we did nothing of the sort. Instead, we finished DFL in the final.

Continued in my Substack... link in bio. Enjoy!
From Page to Performance: Love isn’t what you do. From Page to Performance: Love isn’t what you do. It’s what people feel from you.

In IKE, there’s a moment where my younger self is trying to “solve” affection like it’s a tactic:

“Maybe I need to be more affectionate.”

And Trev calls me out:

“Affection is not a ‘strategy’… It starts with a feeling. An emotion—called love… And it comes from your heart. Not your head!”

That’s the leadership lesson!!!

Most leaders don’t struggle with knowing what to do—they struggle with being felt. Because people can tell when your “care” is a performance:

—a scripted check-in.
—a compliment with an agenda.
—a “wellness initiative” that’s really a productivity play.

But they can also feel the real thing: genuine value.

And when a team feels valued, the ripple effects are hard to miss:

 ✅ More trust (psychological safety goes up).
 ✅ More accountability/empowerment (because people don’t want to let each other down).
 ✅ More engagement (because they matter).
 ✅ Better teammates (because love-first cultures create ownership).

Love-first leadership doesn’t mean being soft.

—it means being real.
—it means leading from the heart and holding a standard—because you actually care about the person and the work.

A quick gut-check:
When your people interact with you… do they feel managed—or valued?

CTA:
If you want to build a love-first, high-accountability team culture, comment “LOVE FIRST” or DM me and I’ll send you a simple “felt leadership” checklist we use with teams (plus one question you can ask this week that changes everything).
“When we feel safe to fail, when we have that free “When we feel safe to fail, when we have that freedom, we fail less often.”

Most high achievers hear that and think: "Wait… shouldn’t more freedom to fail mean more failure?"

In my experience—on the water, in business, and with the leaders we coach—it’s the opposite.
When people don’t feel safe to fail, they:

Play small. Hide mistakes. Avoid hard conversations. Stick with what’s safe instead of what’s needed.

Performance might look “fine” on the surface, but beneath the surface is anxiety, perfectionism, and a quiet fear of being exposed.

When people do feel safe to fail, they:

Take smart risks. Share ideas earlier. Ask for help sooner. Treat mistakes as data, not a verdict on their worth.

Ironically, that’s when failure happens less often—because the system is learning, adapting, and improving in real time. That’s what healthy high performance looks like in real life: high standards and psychological safety.

If you lead a team, coach athletes, or run an organization, one of your most important jobs is building that kind of environment—where people know their value doesn’t disappear when things go sideways. 

CTA: What’s one small move you could make this week to increase “freedom to fail” on your team?

✅ Normalize talking about your own mistakes.
✅ Ask, “What did we learn?” before “Who’s to blame?”
✅ Publicly appreciate someone for taking a thoughtful risk.

Drop your idea in the comments—or send me a message if you’d like support building a culture where people can aim higher because they feel safe enough to fail forward.
Christmases past are worth celebrating, again and Christmases past are worth celebrating, again and again.

Sure, I appreciate that not everyone loves this time of year; for whatever reason, there can be moments in our past that stir up crappy feelings when we recall Christmases gone by.

I consider myself fortunate that I’m not one of them. Maybe I’m lucky, and have my parents to thank, but there’s nothing I enjoy more than putting on Andy Williams’ Christmas album and sitting down in the living room and remembering some of my childhood Christmases.

As far as adult memories go, I have to admit, fortunately, I’ve been on the receiving end of some home runs there, too. The places, the people, the dogs I’ve had, all of it has combined to leave lasting memories worth celebrating time and again. Two of my favourites include our first dog, Ike. So, I thought I’d share both of them here, taken from my most recent book, IKE: the dog who saved a human.

The first one is from my first Christmas with Ike. In 1993, we travelled from Vancouver, British Columbia, to St. Catharines, Ontario, to celebrate with my family. I remember feeling so excited that my parents, siblings, nephews and nieces would meet Ike. And just so you’re clear, it’s Ike telling the story. Enjoy…

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...
“From Page to Performance” A weekly story + takea “From Page to Performance”

A weekly story + takeaway from my books: Chariots and Horses, Pulling Together, and IKE.

#2: Discovering your best through healthy competition.

“Transparent competition was a huge part of our philosophy and the culture we had established… every day is a seat race… The more we could replicate that competitive pressure cooker, the more prepared we'd be come May.”

—from Pulling Together

In our boat, everyone knew where they stood.

We posted times. We lined up side by side. We raced… a lot.

Not to shame anyone. Not to create fear. But to make performance visible and coachable.

That’s what transparent competition does inside any organization:

It turns guesswork into clear feedback. It shifts people from protecting themselves to testing themselves. It helps teammates see one another as partners in getting faster, not enemies fighting for survival.

The problem isn’t competition. The problem is hidden, toxic, or rigged competition.

Healthy, transparent competition says:

“We’re all in the same boat. We’re chasing a shared standard of excellence. And we’re going to be honest about what it takes to get there.”

When leaders create that kind of environment—where expectations are clear, data is shared, and people feel safe to stretch—competition stops being something we tiptoe around and becomes a powerful driver of growth, trust, and pride.

Question for you:
Where in your team or organization could more transparent competition actually bring out the best in people, rather than the worst?

CTA:
If you’re a leader who wants to build a culture where healthy competition, psychological safety, and high performance can coexist, send me a message. I’d be happy to explore what that could look like for your team.
Most of us don’t wake up in the morning thinking, Most of us don’t wake up in the morning thinking, “What story am I telling myself today?” No, because it’s an unconscious choice, but don’t kid yourself, that story is always running.

“I’m always late.”

“I don’t have the skills to be that kind of leader.”

“Why does this stuff always happen to me?”

Those quiet remarks shape how we show up for our work, our health, and the people we care about.

“Your mindset is the story you tell yourself about who you are and what’s possible. Change the story, and the results can’t help but follow.”

When you upgrade the story—even slightly—the way you act, make decisions, and relate to others starts to shift.


Different story → different choices → different outcomes.

Your Mindset Matters: 
What’s one part of your story that could use a rewrite this week?

Drop a word or phrase in the comments that you’re ready to swap out (e.g., “I’m behind” → “I’m building”). And if you’d like support rewriting the bigger story around your performance and well-being, send me a DM, and we can explore what that might look like.
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