THE IDENTITY SHIFT THAT BUILT A BILLION-DOLLAR EMPIRE

Every time you wait to feel qualified before taking action, you're operating from the wrong identity.

You're thinking like your current self instead of your future self.

That voice telling you you're not ready for the bigger opportunity? That feeling like you need more experience before you make the ask? That paralysis when faced with something you've never done before?

That's not evidence you're not qualified. That's evidence you're thinking too small.

This realization hit me after spending an hour with Ryan Serhant, watching him break down the exact moment everything changed for him. Picture this: 2010. He's a broke actor turned real estate agent, mostly doing $500 rental deals. Then he sees a $25 million penthouse foreclosure in the New York Post.

Most people would think: "I'm not qualified for that."

Ryan thought: "What would future me do?"

He cold-called the owner and said: "I can list your apartment and put it on TV."

That single decision—operating from his future identity instead of his current reality—launched him from rentals to becoming the most-followed real estate brand in the world.

WHY EVERYONE THINKS BACKWARDS ABOUT GROWTH

I haven't met a single successful person who felt ready for their biggest breakthrough.

Not one.

The first-time CEO stepping into a role they've never held. The entrepreneur pitching an idea that exists only in their head. The salesperson going after a deal ten times bigger than anything they've closed before.

We all have that moment where we think, "I have no idea if I can do this."

But here's what separates empire builders from everyone else: they don't let current qualifications dictate future possibilities.

They operate from who they're becoming, not who they are today.

Ryan calls it the "Future Self Operating System": "Put yourself in the shoes of the person you want to wake up as one year from today. What's true that day? Start acting like that person right now."

THE MOMENT THAT DEFINES YOUR TRAJECTORY

There's always a first time for everything that matters.

First time leading a team. First time starting a company. First time going after the client everyone says is "out of your league." First time betting on yourself instead of playing it safe.

In that moment before you've done the thing, you have zero evidence you can do it successfully. Zero proof you're qualified. Zero certainty about the outcome.

All you have is a choice.

Operate from your current limitations, or operate from your future potential.

That moment when you choose potential over proof? That's not delusional thinking masquerading as confidence.

That IS strategic thinking.

Future-self thinking isn't about fake-it-till-you-make-it. It's about understanding that identity drives behavior, not the other way around.

THE FRAMEWORK THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING

When Ryan got cast on Million Dollar Listing (beating out 3,000 other agents), the casting directors asked about his track record.

He had barely done any major deals.

But he understood something most people never figure out: your future self is your most powerful asset.

Instead of defending his current resume, he sold them on who he was becoming. "I'm the greatest real estate broker in the history of the world," he told them.

The conversation never dropped. He got the show.

The framework is simple but profound:

Who do I need to become to achieve what I want? What would that person do in this situation? How would they think, act, and make decisions?

Then you start operating from that identity today.

WHY AUTHENTICITY SCALES THROUGH SYSTEMS

This isn't about becoming someone you're not. It's about becoming more of who you already are.

Ryan didn't fake being someone else. He amplified his authentic qualities through the lens of his future potential.

The more authentic you are, the more business you'll attract from people who connect with you. The business that doesn't connect with you—you were never going to get them anyway.

But authenticity without ambition is just comfortable mediocrity. And ambition without authenticity is just exhausting performance.

The magic happens when you combine who you are with who you're becoming.

THE REAL SECRET ABOUT QUALIFICATIONS

This same principle applies to every area where we wait for permission.

Real qualifications don't come from credentials. Real qualifications come from results.

It's taking the meeting you're "not ready for." Pitching the idea above your current pay grade. Solving problems for the person you're becoming instead of the person you are today.

The people who succeed consistently aren't the ones who wait to feel qualified. They're the ones who create qualifications through action.

No one is qualified for their first time doing anything. We become qualified by choosing to do it anyway.

WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW

Stop operating from your current reality and start operating from your future potential.

Stop waiting to feel ready and start acting ready.

Stop defending who you are today and start becoming who you want to be tomorrow.

Pick one decision you've been avoiding because you don't feel qualified.

Something where the opportunity cost of waiting is higher than the risk of acting.

Then ask yourself: "What would the future version of me do in this situation?"

If the answer points toward action, you have your next step.

The identity you think you're "pretending" to have? That's the most real thing about you.

The confidence you think you lack? It shows up when you act from future identity, not current limitations.

You don't need to feel ready. You just need to be willing to discover you're more capable than you know.

BEYOND THE FUTURE SELF

Ryan and I covered a lot more ground in our conversation—like building content-to-commerce systems, why human connection becomes premium currency as AI commoditizes everything else, the identity-to-brand pipeline that separates empire builders from everyone else, and why the most successful people build infrastructure for 10x growth scenarios.

But the future-self operating system is where it all starts. Because once you understand that current qualifications don't determine future possibilities, every intimidating opportunity becomes an invitation to become who you're capable of being.

What future self are you going to start operating from this week?

Here's to working for the person you're becoming,

Leo

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