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Published on:

20th Mar 2025

The Truth About Being a Better Human - Part 1 | Ep 32

In this episode, I dive into something deeply personal and transformational—the Better Human Project. After years of attending and speaking at industry events focused on professional growth, I realized that true success starts with being a better human first. I reflect on how social media skews our perception of perfection and why the pursuit of "better" is a lifelong journey. I share insights on finding harmony amidst life's chaos and how cracks in our personal lives can become craters in our professional lives if left unchecked. Drawing from my experiences in coaching, mortgage, real estate, and martial arts, I explore what it truly means to embody LFG energy—not just in moments of adversity but in the way we uplift and serve others daily. Stay tuned for part two, where I reveal personal stories that shaped my outlook on life.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Introduction

(02:15) - Why professional success starts with self-improvement

(04:30) - The Better Human Project & its purpose

(06:00) - The myth of perfection & social media’s illusion

(08:10) - Finding harmony, not perfection, in life

(09:45) - Cracks in personal life showing up in professional life

(11:00) - Closing thoughts & preview of part two

Welcome to the LFG Energy podcast! Your host, Arjun Dhingra, is a two-time Taekwondo world champion and the former Team USA co-head coach. He is a 23-year mortgage veteran of the industry who loves influencing change in people.

This podcast is about the stories and lessons of those who have had their backs against the wall and have ultimately overcome. Former Olympians, coaches, entrepreneurs, and incredible human beings will share their experiences of resilience and beating the odds in spite of adversity so that you too can learn to start doing the same in your life.

Connect with Arjun:

▶️ LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Follow the show:

▶️Spotify | Apple | YouTube

Transcript
Arjun Dhingra:

Better as a term or definition is something that you actually become. You don't just arrive at better, you work towards it, you evolve. It's a constant state.

You see, perfection is a myth because many people are drawn towards it. And I have too at many points in my life when I've seen things or become envious.

And we look at social media, which never tells you the whole story because it only shows the rosy and the pretty parts of life. Loosely says that we are all merely works in progress who mistakenly think from time to time that we are done.

Welcome back to a very different show this time guys, because I want to share with you something that I just recently did, which was a keynote address for a very, very special event that I never tried before but just put on called the Better Human Project.

Now I think context is very important here because I, as someone who has worked in the coaching and development space, but also in mortgage and real estate, I've put on a lot of events over the years that have been very industry facing, meaning we put on stuff to help people be better marketers, be better lenders, be better real estate agents, be better professionals. And it was very tactical. And here's what to do, here's what not to do, and all of that has gotten very saturated.

I'm not saying it's not important because trust me, I subscribe to a lot of it. I'm part of many masterminds, I attend events regularly, I continue to speak of them and they're very important, they serve a role.

But over time I've been noticing in going to so many of these events, and perhaps you feel and notice the same thing too in your own life or however you want to relate to this, that everyone's trying to do X and do O and do this, but no one's actually focused on themselves or trying to be a better human.

And without that, without having clarity of mind and a full heart, or at least working towards it, none of the execution stuff, none of the stuff that you are trying to put out there, tactically, all the X's and O's as I said, are gonna matter. None of it will make any difference. Because if you're empty there, then all of that other stuff's just gonna be very short lived.

And then conversely, if you are clear of mind and full in your heart, all the business that you need to do in this world will happen, all the things that you need to execute on, that you need to deliver on as an athlete, as a professional, as a student, as a human, you will show up big time and you will be rewarded for it 10x, maybe even infinitely.

And that's kind of what the beauty of being a human being on this planet and the laws of karma and reciprocity and a mindset of abundance all play into. If you do great things and you put out great things, it tends to come back to you.

So I decided in coming up with a name for this that I would call it the Better Human Project. And we would focus on everyone learning from one another and not talk one thing about business, but be focused on being better humans.

And I think that requires a little bit of defining. Because being a better human, there's no one way to doing it. There are many ways to do it. Some people do it through acts of service.

Some do it through what they choose to stand for. Others do it through the impact that they want to actually have.

Some do it by just walking a certain walk and exuding a certain type of energy or putting things out there. All of this, in my opinion, is LFG energy at its finest.

Because LFG energy is not just about taking action when your back is against the wall or showing resilience.

And, you know, being able to push through adversity or overcoming in spite of a lot of it is actually being an incredibly decent person that is magnetic and draws other people in and helps lift people around you. That's something that I've subscribed to my entire life.

And there's stories that I'll share with you in part two of this quick little mini series about when I decided and when I had that moment that I wanted to actually be in service to others. But for you all, I want you to actually think about what you do in your life that actually makes you a better human.

And maybe you're not doing enough. And hopefully this little quick episode will be a wake up call for you to do just that. Something to keep in mind, guys.

Is that better as a term or a definition is something that you actually become. You don't just arrive at better, you work towards it. You evolve. It's a constant state. It's something that never really ends.

You move towards it without actually ever hitting an end point. That is what better is. Let me talk to you about the trap when trying to be a better human. And that is perfection and the obsession with it.

You see, perfection is a myth because many people are drawn towards it.

And I have too, at many points in my life when I've seen things or become envious and we look at social media, which never tells you the whole story because it only shows the rosy and the pretty parts of life. So we see these ideas of perfection, and then we're drawn towards it.

And then when it inevitably dissolves, or there's a dissolution of it, or it pops, there's this catastrophic fall because we can't get our head around it. It seems so perfect, it seems so right. And then all of a sudden, it's not. And that's what's devastating.

Because being a better human is not at all about being a perfect human. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I will tell you firsthand and wholeheartedly, admittedly, that I am a gigantic work in progress.

I am nothing of perfect. I am nothing at all of anything perfect. In fact, I acknowledge all the time that I am completely imperfect. But I am working at it. I.

I'm always trying to improve. I'm always trying to strive. And that's what LFG energy is all about. That's what you all listening to this podcast are all about.

As I've gotten older, I'm not drawn towards anything that even appears shiny or perfect. If anything, I am actually quite put off by it. I'm more drawn to the person or the energies that are trying to evolve, that are trying to improve.

I don't want to work with the guy that's 50 and 0. I want to work with the guy that's 48 and 2, and that those two losses came early in his or her career.

That's the kind of person that I want to work with. That's the kind of person that I want to remain.

Now as a martial artist, there is a quote from, of course, Bruce Lee, who I take so much inspiration and life lessons from. But I think it is so appropriate when talking about not just humanity, but specifically the better human project.

And for all of you guys listening to this, and that is that Bruce Lee says that we are all merely works in progress who mistakenly think from time to time that we are done.

And that, to me, when I've read it and reread it, is so powerful, because that's all human beings, every now and again, gets a false sense of security and thinking that they're done when they're not done, the work is never done. And if you look at Bruce Lee, who only lived till his early 30s, but his contribution outlives him.

And it was such a full life for only having lived just a little over three decades. But that was him. He recognized that he was a constant work in progress and was trying to improve in every area that he can.

And if you think about it, guys, it's quite beautiful because if all humans are able to do this, I know I'm being a bit of an idealist here, but if we all are at least trying to improve a little bit day after day, then how could that be such a bad thing for society, for humanity, for everyone?

Now, in recognizing this Bruce Lee quote, and I want you guys to think about this and think back to a time when you've succeeded or you accomplished that mission, that thing that you set out to do. Completing the race, passing the big exam, landing the big job, attaining some major life milestone.

Every time you did this, I bet you there was some harmony in your life.

You had things just kind of working, not perfect again, because to say, well, you know, everything has to either be perfect in your life and going so smoothly in order for you to succeed and have this other aspect go according to plan, that's not realistic. In fact, for many people that accomplish things, and even myself, I can use it as an example.

Every time I've succeeded or have overcome or attained the goal, won the medal, achieved the milestone, whatever it was, there was harmony, not perfection.

There was lots of things that were going kind of wrong, whether it was attending to a very sick family member or dealing with a personal issue, dealing with maybe a personal health issue, my business potentially falling apart in the background, whatever it might have been.

I had harmony because I was able to compartmentalize things, not make anything bigger than it needed to be, and find a way to make it work in spite of those things.

Oftentimes we feel that we're not deserving of success or deserving of the milestone because other parts of our life are maybe not so great or they're a little bit in flux. And unless they're just moving smoothly or perfect, we aren't entitled to that success or that achievement or that happiness.

And that's just complete bs. LFG energy is about doing things in spite of. Remember, we talk about that all the time. So, yes, you might have chaos going on in your personal life.

You might have things happening in the background that are not ideal. It might be really bad at home, maybe with a spouse or a partner or a roommate. You might be going through a really tough time with your teenage kids.

You might have just lost your job. That doesn't mean that you aren't allowed to experience success and achievement. You just have to find a way to get all of that to work in harmony.

Now. Much easier said than done. And that is a Lesson for a different episode.

But I just want to bring light to that, that if you look back, things weren't perfect when you succeeded, but if you were to take apart that specific milestone or that area where things went really, really well, or you got the thing done, you just had harmony going on in your personal life. And I think that's really, really important for us to remember.

And it also takes off an immense amount of pressure where we do this, because the absence of this pressure allows us to be free and be focused on what we need to and just accepting things for what they are. And here's another thing to consider as we bring this episode to a close here, guys, and get you prepared for part two.

So there was a podcast guest that I had on several episodes ago by the name of Sharan Shrita, and Sharon is a dear friend, but he said so many things in that episode that will stay with me for the rest of my life, one of which was the line that cracks in your personal life will show up as craters in your professional life. We.

We have to understand this, guys, when talking about what I just concluded with, which is to find that harmony in your personal life when you actually are setting out to achieve something, because the answers are generally always there.

If you have things under control and you can keep them as just cracks or maybe actually start to address them, they don't have to be perfect, but not letting them actually spread, then you're going to have a much better chance of succeeding or achieving that mission.

Because if we look back on missions that maybe fell short, we probably can recognize that there was a lot of cracks in our personal life that really started to overcome and that our heart was being affected in two different places, which ultimately didn't allow for our mind to be present and clear in the mission at hand. So that was a massive takeaway from that particular episode, and I hope you guys can remember that.

And again, evaluate things where you fell short and recognize that there was probably a lot, or a lack, I should say, of harmony in your personal life, and it was showing up as craters in your mission or in the instances where you did accomplish, you didn't have perfection going on in your personal life or in all the other departments that you have to still maintain because life has to go on and you have other things to tend to. You had harmony with it, and that's really, really important. And it's a huge core tenant of what it is to be a better human.

Because gaining mastery of this and control of this is how we can continually achieve and keep doing great things and breaking through more barriers.

So I want to hear from you guys as a reply and you can reach out to me directly on Instagram at Arjun Mortgage or leave a comment if you're watching this on YouTube or Spotify in the feedback about what is it that you do to be a better human?

And in our next episode or Part two, I'm going to share with you some really deep and personal reflections that I haven't shared with too many people about my youth and a lot of things that I was exposed to and stories that were told to me by my grandmother while spending summers in India. Life doesn't have the script that we want it to follow.

Life doesn't know what we're expecting and therefore when it inevitably does disappoint us or fall short. This is a huge disruptive or triggering moment for people.

So think about areas in your life where you could use a little bit of absence of jealousy and envy and comparison and just let things go and recognize them for the beautiful things that they are and stop trying to insert yourself into it or making it so personal. And also concluding that episode with what my rule is and what I follow in my life to be a better human.

And I want you to be able to take the same practice. So thanks for listening guys and I will see you on the next episode.

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About the Podcast

LFG Energy Podcast
Welcome to the LFG Energy podcast. My name is Arjun Dhingra. I am a two-time Taekwondo world champion and the former Team USA co-head coach. I am also a 23-year mortgage veteran of the industry, but regardless of whatever hat I'm wearing, I love influencing change in people, taking them from one place to another.

This podcast is about the stories and lessons of those who have had their backs against the wall and have ultimately overcome. Former Olympians, world champions, coaches, entrepreneurs, and incredible human beings will share their experiences of resilience, beating the odds and winning in spite of adversity.

So that you too can learn to start doing the same in your life. Thanks in advance for checking out episodes. I hope you enjoy it and let's get to the show.