Sunday Sendoff #58: Boring Usually Wins

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Brickwall's Sunday Sendoff

We love exciting.

The big opportunity. The breakthrough. The dramatic transformation. The moment everything changes.

There’s just one problem.

Most of life doesn’t work that way.

Most of the things worth having are built through boring stuff.

Going to the gym again. Saving another $20. Eating another quality meal. Going to bed on time. Reading another chapter. Sending another email. Practicing the same skill for the thousandth time.

Showing up for work. Showing up for your family. Showing up for yourself.

None of this makes for a very exciting movie.

But it works.

Want to get strong?

You don’t need a revolutionary training program.

You need to lift weights consistently for years.

Want to become financially secure?

You’re probably not going to find a suitcase containing a million dollars.

You need to earn, save, invest, and repeat.

Want to get good at something?

Do it. Then do it again. Then do it a million more times.

The basics aren’t sexy.

Consistency isn’t exciting.

And repetition can get downright boring.

That’s probably why so many people keep searching for something else.

A shortcut. A hack. A secret.

Something new.

Meanwhile, the person quietly doing the boring stuff keeps moving forward.

Day after day. Week after week. Year after year.

Until one day, the results don’t look boring at all.

A strong body. A thriving business. Money in the bank. A happy family. A useful skill. A life you’re proud of.

Those things might look impressive from the outside.

But zoom in close enough and you’ll probably find thousands of ordinary days underneath them.

Don’t be afraid of boring.

Boring usually wins.

Guiding Principle

The boring stuff moves the needle.

Something to Ponder

Are you overlooking the boring things because you’re searching for something better? What if the boring stuff you’ve been avoiding is exactly what you need to be doing?

See You In the Arena

This week is just about over. Next week is just about here. Let’s keep building.

Brick by brick.

You Ever Stop and Realize How Big the Pacific Ocean Really Is?

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You Ever Stop and Realize How Big the Pacific Ocean Really Is?

I did the other day.

Seriously.

Take a minute and look at a map.

The Great Lakes—which feel absolutely massive when you’re standing on the shore—look like specks of dust in comparison.

It even makes the Atlantic Ocean look small!

You look at the Pacific, and it just…

…keeps…

…going.

Millions upon millions of square miles of open water.

Hawaii sits out there almost by itself, and it’s still thousands of miles from both the mainland and Asia.

It reminds me of the time I was standing on the beach in Santa Monica, looking out at the Pacific.

Ocean as far as the eye could see…

…and thousands of miles beyond that.

The vastness of it is mind-boggling. It’s almost hard for your brain to comprehend.

Every once in a while, I think it’s healthy to stumble across something that reminds you just how big the world really is.

It’s humbling.

We spend so much of our lives wrapped up in our own little corner of the planet—our neighborhoods, our cities, our schedules, our routines, our problems, our worries.

Then you look at something like the Pacific.

It reminds you that we’re living on an unbelievably vast world.

There’s so much left to explore. So much left to learn. So much we still don’t understand.

Maybe that’s why I like looking at maps.

They have a funny way of putting things in perspective.

And sometimes…

Perspective is exactly what we need.

Read more about the Pacific Ocean here.

Cool Your Jets

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When you get excited about something, it’s easy to want to do it all the time.

Sometimes that’s exactly the wrong move.

I did this recently with running.

The weather was beautiful.

I love running.

So naturally, I wanted to run every day.

That was a mistake.

Before long, I was exhausted. Old aches and injuries started creeping back—my hip, my Achilles. My weight training suffered. Instead of getting stronger, I was digging myself into a hole.

I was overeager, and I paid the price.

Cool your jets.

One of the hardest lessons to learn is that more isn’t always better.

Your body doesn’t get stronger during the workout.

It gets stronger while it recovers.

The same is true for many areas of life.

When we discover a new business idea, new hobby, a new business idea, or a new passion, we often try to do too much, too soon.

We sprint.

We burn out.

Then we wonder why we lost our motivation.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do isn’t to push harder.

It’s to pace yourself.

Put things in their proper place.

For me, running isn’t an everyday activity.

Two or three quality runs each week are enough to get faster, stay healthy, and actually enjoy the process.

The rest of the time, my body gets to recover, adapt, and come back stronger.

The lesson extends far beyond running.

Enthusiasm is powerful.

But without restraint, it can become self-defeating.

Cool your jets.

Slow down just enough that you can keep moving forward for a long, long time.

Relevance Is Key

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I wanted updates on apartments, but kept getting emails about $500,000 homes.

I’m not in the market for a $500,000 home.

These emails aren’t helpful to me—they’re noise.

Baseball updates are noise to a football fan.

Parenting articles are noise to someone without kids.

Dating advice is noise to a married man (you’d hope).

Relevance is key. Pinpoint.

Relevance is mercy for your time and a multiplier for your results.

Cut the noise. Lock the target. Stack the bricks.

I unsubscribed from the mailing list.

Sunday Sendoff #57: Plant Seeds

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Brickwall's Sunday Sendoff

We live in a world that wants things NOW.

We want overnight success. We want instant results.

But some of the best things in life take time.

A capable body. A meaningful career. A healthy relationship. Close friendships. Financial security. Experience and wisdom.

None of those come about quickly.

They’re grown over time, like a tree from a seed.

You plant the seed.

You water it.

You care for it.

Day after day.

Year after year.

At first, it doesn’t look like much is happening.

Then one day, you realize you’ve been growing something all along.

Every workout is a seed.

Every dollar you save is a seed.

Every book you read is a seed.

Every new skill you learn is a seed.

Every word you type is a seed.

Every hour you spend with your kids is a seed.

Most seeds don’t reward you immediately.

That’s what makes them so easy to neglect.

But your future is often determined by the seeds you’re willing to plant today.

The beautiful thing is, many of the trees you plant won’t just benefit you.

They’ll provide shade for your family. Your friends. Your community. Maybe even people you’ll never meet.

So don’t get discouraged if the results aren’t immediate.

Keep planting.

Keep watering.

Keep showing up.

One day you’ll stand in the shade of trees you planted years ago, grateful you started when you did.

Guiding Principle

Plant trees your future self will thank you for.

Something to Ponder

What seed could you plant today?

It doesn’t have to be a big one.

An email. A walk. A workout. A page. A dollar. An apology. A new idea.

Small seeds can become mighty trees.

See You In the Arena

This week is just about over. Next week is just about here. Let’s keep building.

Brick by brick.

Sonny the Alien: The Heat

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Sonny the Alien

Earth Log Entry #24: Summer Sizzle

Sonny, Chad, and Vanessa stumble through the front door.

Sonny put down his Menard’s bag. “Why is the planet trying to kill us?”

Chad slipped his shoes off and looked at his phone. “It’s only…95 degrees.”

Sonny looked over at him. “ONLY?”

Vanessa plopped down on the couch. “I drank my entire water bottle before we even got to Target.”

Chad chuckled. “Rookie mistake!”

Sonny sat down on the couch next to Vanessa. “The inside of the truck was the temperature of a young star.”

Vanessa laughed. “I burned my leg on the seatbelt buckle.”

Sonny looked out the window. “The humidity makes the air seem like you’re swimming through it.”

Chad grinned. “Welcome to Minnesota summers.”

Sonny frowned. “I do not approve.”

Chad walked over and sat down in front the of the air conditioner. “AHHH…this is giving me life.”

Sonny looked over. “Is he charging?”

Vanessa smiled. “Pretty much.” She got up and started toward the kitchen. “Anyone want something to drink?”

Chad looked over. “Yes. Bring everything!”

Sonny nodded. “Everything.”

Vanessa laughed. “Everything it is.”

Sonny looked over at Chad. “I’ve been sweating since Tuesday.”

Chad didn’t look up from the air conditioner. “We’ll be sweating until October.”

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Dale opened the door and sauntered in, Margarita in hand. There was another man with him. Tall. Muscular. Like an upgraded version of Dale. “Hey, y’all. Hot enough for ya out there?”

Sonny looked over. “I do not approve.”

Chad didn’t look up, and just moaned.

Vanessa walked in, arms full of every drink you can imagine. “Oh. Dale. Hi. Who’s this?” She asked, gesturing towards the man.

Dale laughed. “Oh yeah! This is my younger brother Randy. He came down for some truck parts. Randy, that’s Vanessa. Sonny right here. And over there sucking down the AC is Chad.”

Randy tipped his beat up Packers ball cap. “Nice to meet y’all.”

Vanessa put the drinks down on the table. “Packers fan, huh? Here you guys, have a seat on the couch.” She pointed to the other couch.

Randy smiled. “Guess you could say that.” Dale and Randy settled onto the couch.

Chad looked up from the air conditioner. “You look like a buff Alan Jackson.”

Randy chuckled. “I stay in shape.”

Sonny studied him carefully. “It seems you are on the upper end of human height, fitness, and muscularity. A true genetic outlier. Impressive.”

Randy shrugged. “Guess you could say that. Ya ain’t too shabby yourself.”

Sonny smirked. “Well thank you.”

Vanessa looked over at Sonny. “Don’t give him a big head.” She popped open a sparkling water and looked back over at Randy. “So where do you live, Randy?”

Randy adjusted his ball cap. “Just outside of Wahpeton, North Dakota.”

Dale took a sip of his margarita. “He comes down a couple times a year.”

Sonny’s eyes widened. “Wahpeton…in the fertile Red River Valley.”

Chad chimed in, still sitting in front of the air conditioner. “Sounds cold.”

Randy chuckled. “Good land. Hot right now.”

Sonny nodded thoughtfully. “The climate appears…unfavorable.”

Randy shrugged. “We get through it.”

Sonny leaned forward. “What’s your strategy?”

Randy took a sip of the iced tea Vanessa had handed him. “Summer, you dress lighter. Winter you dress warmer.”

Sonny blinked. “It’s that simple?”

Randy nodded. “Pretty much.”

Sonny looked toward Vanessa. “I believe he has mastered adaptation.”

Vanessa smiled. “Most of us just call it dressing for the weather.”

Sonny looked at Randy. “Consistently solving life’s greatest challenges with simple solutions.”

Randy smirked. “Makes it easier.”

Sonny looked over at Dale. “I like him.”

Dale grinned. “Everybody likes Randy.”

Sonny took out his Earth Log device and began typing.

The weather on Earth can be hostile to life. Randy, Dale’s younger brother and a genetic specimen, has a simple solution: in the summer, you dress lighter. In the winter, you dress warmer. Profound. Chad appears to have bonded with the air conditioner.

Fitness Is Important, But It Should Not Be Your Life

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For years, I hid behind fitness.

I trained constantly. I obsessed over food. I skipped opportunities because they might interfere with a workout or a meal or my gainz.

I was in incredible shape, no doubt.

But I was also broke. I was aimless. I felt stuck.

I only felt like I had something in one place: the gym.

Looking back, I realized something.

Fitness can become a coping mechanism. It can become the thing you hide behind instead of facing the harder parts of life.

It’s healthier than alcohol or drugs.

But it can still become an escape.

Here’s the hard truth:

Fitness, by itself, doesn’t build wealth. It doesn’t build meaningful relationships. It doesn’t make you a better father. It doesn’t make you a better man.

Fitness, by itself, isn’t enough.

What fitness can do is support all that. It can run quietly in the background while you focus on the other important things.

And that’s where fitness is best.

Not when it’s your identity…but when it’s helping you feel better. When it’s helping you move better. When it’s helping you think more clearly. When it’s helping you have more energy. When it’s helping you be stronger for the people who depend on you. Yes, even when it’s helping you look better.

Fitness should be the foundation. It’s important, of course—but it’s not the whole house.

For years, I was trying to live on nothing but the foundation.

Today, I still lift weights. I still run. I still want to be fit.

But it lives to serve me…not the other way around. It’s not my life anymore.

In the end:

Don’t build incredible fitness while neglecting everything else that matters.

Put fitness in its place—and let it be a part of the better you.

Sunday Sendoff #56: Small Steps, Every Day

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Brickwall's Sunday Sendoff

We love to think about the end goal.

Building 30 pounds of muscle. Doubling your income. Starting a million-dollar business. Running a marathon. Reading 100 books.

The problem?

This is putting the cart before the horse.

It leads to overwhelm. Paralysis. Putting things off until you’re “ready.”

The truth is, those things are accomplished one small step at a time.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say.

Things happen quietly.

One training session. One chapter. One conversation. One lesson learned. One dollar saved. One kind gesture.

By themselves, those things don’t seem like much.

In fact, they can feel almost insignificant.

But here’s the secret:

Small steps compound.

A little bit each day.

String enough days together, and you’ll cover miles.

So go take a small step. Then take another tomorrow. And another the next day.

Years later, you’ll look back and realize you’re stronger, wiser, healthier, more skilled, and more confident than you were before.

Not because you made one giant leap.

Because you kept taking small steps.

Don’t underestimate the power of consistency.

A few training sessions each week become a muscular, strong, capable physique. A few extra pages each night become books you’ve finished. A few miles each week become races you’ve completed. A few thoughtful conversations become lasting friendships. A few improvements to your craft become expertise.

The little things have a funny way of becoming big things.

Just not overnight.

Guiding Principle

Take small steps. Cover big miles.

Something to Ponder

What small step could you take with the rest of today?

Then tomorrow. Then the next day.

What might your life look like a year from now if you simply started, no matter how small?

See You In the Arena

This week is just about over. Next week is just about here. Let’s keep building.

Brick by brick.