If you asked me how I'm feeling and I said, “Stressed,” you’d probably be concerned.

Most of us would.
Because we’ve been told STRESS is bad. Toxic.

But is it?

In my view, COMFORT, not stress, is the real villain.

I went for a run this morning, and it stressed my body.
I’m taking a marketing course, and it’s stressing my self-perceptions.
I started a business last year, and it put stress on my finances.

All good, necessary things. And yes, the stress in each has helped me.

Why? Because stress is what gro...

To all of you who’ve given yourselves to something important:

I don't know what circumstances you're facing today.

The challenges you're up against or the setbacks weighing on you.

But I know this: for 99% of us, it's way too early to become pessimistic.

Setbacks can feel permanent.

And this acute problem can easily feel like destiny, especially if you stare at it too long.

But pessimism ISN'T the way.

OPTIMISM is.

Now, I'm not talking about blind hope.

Optimism truly is the best way forward.

The optimist...

It was never about motivation.
It’s about the choice you make.

You don’t want to go on that run.
You don’t want to coach another practice.
You don’t want to have that hard conversation.

It’s not about wanting to or not wanting to.
It’s about choosing to anyway. 

Motivation eventually hits…
A mile or two into the run.
Four periods into the practice.
Halfway through the hard conversation.

Stop waiting for motivation.

Act anyway.
Motivation will come.

A client asked me the other day:

“Is any of this actually helping anybody?
Are we realizing our vision?
Am I moving the needle at all?”

Fair questions.

The day-to-day has a way of blurring the long view. You get lost in logistics. Buried in small fires.

Here's what I told her,

"The minutia matters. These mundane moments–the choices, the problem-solving, the small wins–they compound.

And if you stick with it, they don’t just add up. They multiply. They create whole worlds.

Not in weeks...
But...

Kishore Indukuri left his job at Intel to start what would become Sid’s Farm–a subscription-based dairy company now delivering pure milk and dairy products to over 30,000 families across India every day.

The thing is, when he left Intel, he wasn’t chasing revenue, scale, or massive distribution. Not yet.
He was chasing purpose.

So, he quit.
Bought 20 cows.
And started delivering milk himself.

When your purpose isn’t clear, you look to escape.
When it IS clear, you look to engage.

---

Quick Inve...

 I set this goal a few months ago.
Not just any goal–100 days of showing up. Shipping. Sharing.

Today is Day 70. Still a ways to go.
But here’s the truth: I reached my goal long ago.

Day 2 or 3, messages started rolling in–people telling me the work was helping them.
Day 8 and Day 14? I needed those days. They changed me.
By Day 24, a CEO friend told me his team was using my work in their weekly huddles.
Day 41 sparked an entire leadership retreat–of people I’ve never met.

It’s showing up in board...

You chase it.
A goal. A milestone. Day 100.

You swear it’s just over the next hill.
A little more effort. A little more grind. Then–arrival.

But when you get there?
It’s gone.

Turns out, “there” was never the point.

The process was.
The showing up.
The noticing.
The courage to care enough to act.
The discomfort of pressing publish.
The quiet joy of impact.

You didn’t cross a finish line.
You built a rhythm.
And in turn, the rhythm built you.

Funny thing about goals:
They’re useful–only if ...

I had coffee with my younger self this week.

He ordered a vanilla latte.
I ordered a coffee with light cream.

I asked him how things were going.
He lied and said everything was good.
Said he liked the work he was doing.
Said he could see himself doing it forever.

I told him a time would come soon,
When he’d be really honest with himself.
When he'd feel it: this season is over.
He’ll be scared to admit it. But he’ll know.

He asked, But what will I do?
How will any of this translate to something else?...

Listen for it.
You’ll hear it everywhere:

“I’m trying to get faster.”
“I’m trying to win new business.”
“I’m trying to be more present.”

Trying sounds noble. But it’s not.
It’s a hedge. A way out.
An escape hatch you build before you even start.

You’re either getting faster or you’re not.
You’re pursuing business or you’re not.
You’re present––or you’re rehearsing the excuse for why you weren’t.

Here’s a test:
Ask someone to watch your kids while you’re out of town.
Or your pet. Or your home.
If they ...

Your inner critic doesn't always shout.
Sometimes, it whispers.

Don't miss the block.
Don't forget your lines.
Don't fumble the sale.

It sounds helpful.
Even responsible.

But listen closer.

That voice isn't giving you a plan.
It's giving you a list of fears.

This is 'avoidance thinking.'
And it puts all your attention on the problem. Not the purpose.

There's another voice.
Quieter. Clearer.

Land the block.
Deliver the line.
Close with confidence.

This is 'approach thinking.'
And it replaces "don't...

We were taught:
Ready. Aim. Fire.

But that’s not how it works.
Not really.

You don’t know what ready means
Until you’ve shot the ball a few times.
Missed. Rebounded. Adjusted. 
Shot again.

That’s how you get ready.
That’s how you get clear.

So yeah—Stop rehearsing.
Shoot the ball.
Then adjust your aim.
And shoot again.

Eventually you’ll find ready. 

Fire. Aim. Ready.

Minutiae gets a bad rep.

Yes...
You can get lost in it.
It can feel small, slow, even pointless.

Still...
Details compound.
Progress often lives in what feels too minor to matter.

Vision of the whole gets you started.
Vision of the details gets you there.

Reading won’t do it.
Another certification won’t do it.
Even clarity won’t do it.

Only action changes you.

You don’t think your way into a new identity.
You act your way there.

Because no amount of thinking creates
What one act of courage can.

Courage isn’t the absence of fear.
It’s the presence of vision.

This is one of my favorite cognitive reframes. I come back to it often—especially with clients who feel overwhelmed.

Because sometimes they’re buried in doubt.
The challenge feels too big.
The odds too narrow.
The leader above them seems impossible.
The NIL landscape is chaotic.
The timing, the market, the pressure—none of it ideal.

When these stories come up, I let them finish. I don’t rush to solve or redirect. I just listen.

I think a lot about the work people do that no one assigned.

The other day, I (Kevin) was listening to Hamilton in the car with the kids, and I couldn’t stop thinking: No one asked Lin-Manuel Miranda to write this.

He just did it.
He read a biography on vacation and followed the spark.

This morning, I was drinking coffee from Cometeer—a company that flash-freezes great coffee into little frozen pucks. It’s delicious. (They sell Intelligentsia—my favorite).

Anyway, I kept wondering: Who asked ...

You don’t pick a shirt based on who you want to become.
You pick it based on how you feel.

Cold? Grab the hoodie.
Confident? Maybe the black one.
Lazy Sunday? Hello, stretched-out tee with the mystery stain.

Shirts are for moods.
Identity is not.

The problem is, most people treat their commitments like shirts.
They wear them only when they feel like it.

But if you only write when you feel inspired...
Only lead when you feel confident...
Only train when you feel motivated...

Then your future is alw...

You don’t have to take it personal.
You don’t have to get stuck in your hurt feelings.
You don’t have to turn every slight into a story.

There was this running back we worked with a few years ago—buried on the depth chart. So far down, his own position coach once blanked on his name in a team meeting.

But, you know what? The kid didn’t flinch.
He didn’t pout. Didn’t make a scene.
He just kept showing up.
Got lost in his process.
Stacked daily gains.

And here’s the mindset:

“What you think a...

 You want to know a secret?

Well, it was never a secret.
But it will help you. And you’ve been looking for it in so many other places.

Here it is:

Action.

Go. Get started.
Stop waiting and start moving.

You don’t need another credential.
You don’t need another class, that book, or more research.

The clarity you seek is waiting for you in the work.

While everyone else waits for the perfect conditions, the perfect plan, the perfect moment. You can choose to start. Today.

In fact, the only ...

ONE STORY

 
(The Brooklyn Bridge. Image by Sam Amil. 2018.)

"Don’t Argue with Fear. Crush It with Proof."

THE PANIC
In May of 1883—just six days after the Brooklyn Bridge opened to the public—panic hit.

A rumor swept through the crowd: the bridge is collapsing. Chaos followed. A stampede. Twelve people were crushed to death.

Confidence in the bridge evaporated overnight. Commuters stayed away. Engineers issued statements. Experts gave reassurances. But no one believed them.

That’s when Ph...

We salute you.

You’re not crazy.
You’re not lost.
You’re just ahead.

You’re writing before the deal.
Training before the call.
Working while nobody’s watching.

People might not get it.
Not yet.
Too early. Too bold. Too much.

But that’s exactly why it matters.

You didn’t wait to be picked.
You chose yourself.
You don’t need a green light.
You’re already moving.

You’ve got vision with calluses.
Belief with receipts.
Ideas backed by motion.

The absolute moxie—
we salute you.

It’s lonely som...

For those of us in the storm, the fight, not quite "there" yet—but still believing.

Every pursuit has two signals: inputs and outputs.

Inputs: what you bring—time, focus, energy, intention.
Outputs: what you get—wins, revenue, recognition, results.

We obsess over outputs because they're visible and validating. They let us keep score.

But if you're in the trenches building something that matters, you already know: the scoreboard always lags behind the work.

By the time results appear, they're already h...

Who decides?

Your coach?
Your boss?
The GM?
The board?
The transfer portal?

Feels like they do.

They hold the pen.
Call the shots.
Dictate the path.

But they don’t.

The trajectory of your life has less to do with your circumstances—and everything to do with your character.

You’ve met someone like this.

Someone who, no matter the situation—bad boss, market crash, unfair treatment—you just knew they were going to make it.

What do they have?

Unshakable belief?
Remarkable skill?
More talent?

Maybe...

There’s a fallacy we fall for when a door closes. 
That this was it.

The best shot.
The one path.
The only version of success that mattered.

But here’s the deeper fallacy: Believing there isn’t something better ahead.

Not just a better opportunity.
A better YOU.

The truth is, the future didn’t shrink when that door closed.
It got more specific.

It eliminated a path that wasn’t meant for the person you’re still becoming.
That’s not a dead end. It’s a clearing.

The best doors don’t swing open.
They’re built....