Sunday Sendoff #36: Show Up

Brickwall's Sunday Sendoff

Note: This story is from a long time ago, and some details may be hazy. The point remains the same.

Back in college, I took a strength and conditioning class.

It was one of my favorites.

The professor—who was also the college’s strength coach—told us a story the first day.

Fresh out of school, he was trying to break into the strength and conditioning world.

He saw that a local professional football team was hiring an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach.

A coveted job.

The kind that opens doors for life.

He applied.

He was invited to a group interview.

Now think about that.

Professional sports team. Prestigious role. Career-defining opportunity.

He walked in expecting a packed room.

Stacks of resumes. Top-tier candidates everywhere.

Instead?

Three people showed up.

Three.

For a job that could change your life.

They liked him. He got the job. The rest is history.

What’s the lesson?

Show up.

Even when the odds feel stacked. Even when you think you’re underqualified. Even when you assume “there’s no way.”

Because most people don’t even step into the arena.

They self-reject. They talk themselves out of it. They assume the room will be too crowded.

So they never enter.

Builders show up.

And sometimes…that alone separates you.

Builder Principle

Opportunity favors the man who shows up.

Something to Ponder

What’s something you’ve been hesitating on? An application. A conversation. A risk. A door you haven’t knocked on. What if the room isn’t as crowded as you think?

See You In the Arena

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

Brick by brick.

-Brickwall

We Should Celebrate Conception Day, Not Birthday

We Should Celebrate Conception Day, Not Birthday

We celebrate the day you exited the womb.

Cool.

But technically…that’s not when you started. That’s just when you made your public debut.

The real origin story?

Nine months earlier. In total darkness. Against astronomical odds.

Brother, conception day is the true victory.

The Argument

Think about it.

  • Millions of competitors.
  • One winner.
  • Zero training camp.
  • No prep.
  • No warm-up playlist.
  • No “Sad But True”.

You didn’t just show up.

You WON.

Your birthday is basically the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Conception Day?

That was the championship bout.

The Existential Angle

We obsess over cake, candles, and getting older.

But we rarely pause to think:

You were statistically impossible.

You are the product of:

  • Perfect timing
  • Genetic roulette
  • A thousand tiny contingencies aligning

The world didn’t just “get” you.

You slipped through the cosmic cracks and made it here.

That’s worth celebrating.

Cultural Absurdity

Imagine the Hallmark aisle:

“Happy Conception Day!

“Congrats on being the fastest swimmer!”

Office parties would be awkward.

HR would need policies.

Your mom would be like:

“Please don’t talk about this at dinner.”

🤣

The Real Weapon

Here’s where it lands.

If you won the first race…

Are you living like you did?

You started life as the ultimate long shot success story.

But now how are you living?

Scared? Safe? Small?

Brother.

You’ve already beaten worse odds.

You can beat better ones.

Closing Rally

Maybe we don’t need to actually throw Conception Day parties.

But maybe once a year, instead of just blowing out candles, you ask:

Am I living like someone who fought his way into existence?

Or am I playing like someone who just happens to be here?

Because you won the first battle…

Now it’s time to win the others.

When the Rubber Hits the Road

You can do all the research in the world. Pour over every detail. Build the perfect plan.

But until the rubber hits the road? You don’t really know.

That “perfect” idea might fall flat. That “sure thing” might skid out.

Nothing’s proven until it’s moving.

Throw stuff at the wall. See what sticks.

Adjust. Improve. Try again.

Don’t just theorize—test.

Because clarity only comes through contact, and the road reveals what the plan might not.

The Right Tool for the Job

Having the right tool matters.

Try to screw in a screw with a hammer—you’ll only make things worse.

Try to hammer a nail with a screwdriver—you’ll get nowhere.

Same with scale.

You can’t walk across the ocean. You need a ship or a plane.

But you also don’t fly a jet to the next town.

That’s where the car, the bike, or even your legs get the job done.

The lesson: tools have contexts.

The wrong tool isn’t just useless—it can sabotage you.

The right tool makes the job possible.

Use the right tool.

Knowledge is Power?

You’ve heard it a thousand times: knowledge is power.

Somewhat true.

Let’s be precise: relevant knowledge is potential power.

Because it’s not enough to know “something.” You have to know the right things for what you’re building.

Information on climbing the corporate ladder? Useless to an entrepreneur.

A book on parenting? Noise to someone childless.

A website about home gyms? Off mission to someone living in a studio apartment.

And even relevant knowledge isn’t enough if it just sits in your head. Knowledge is potential power until it’s applied.

So don’t just learn it. Get out into the world and use it.

Knowledge is power…but only if it’s relevant and applied.

The Kitchen Table

It’s just a table and some chairs.

Wood. Metal. Screws. Maybe a few dents and scratches.

But the kitchen table is sacred ground.

It’s the gathering place.

The feeding place.

The teaching place.

It’s where food is shared and wisdom is passed down.

Where homework gets done and hard conversations get had.

Where laughter lives and lessons land.

It’s where you learn to listen.

Where you learn to understand.

Where you learn to guide instead of control.

The kitchen table is the heart of a home—a quiet stage where life happens in ordinary moments that turn out to be anything but ordinary.

One day, you’ll sit at that table and look back at it all: the good, the bad, the chaotic, the beautiful.

You’ll see the growth.

You’ll see the work.

You’ll see the man you became. And the people you helped shape.

Don’t take it for granted. Treat it like the sacred space it is.

Because a kitchen table doesn’t just hold plates.

It holds your story.

It holds your family’s story.

It holds the next generation’s story.

And you get to write it—one meal, one talk, one moment at a time.

You’re Not for Everyone, and That’s Okay

You’re not supposed to be.

When you try to be everything to everyone, you water yourself down until you’re flavorless—just another option in an ocean of sameness.

That’s not selflessness. That’s self-betrayal.

You don’t need mass appeal. You need alignment. You don’t need everyone to clap. You need the right people to connect.

Because the truth is, you can’t build deeply if you’re spread thin trying to please everyone. You’ll lose your edge, your clarity, your mission.

Better to be the #1 in the eyes of a few than #20 in the eyes of many.

Stand tall. Be yourself. Speak your truth.

And let the ones who are just kind of “meh” show themselves the door.

Sunday Sendoff #35: Temperance

Brickwall's Sunday Sendoff

When something goes wrong—or when things don’t go how you think they should—it’s easy to blow up.

Go scorched earth. Go nuclear. Come out guns blazing.

But this is usually a mistake. Going from 0 to 100 solves nothing.

Worse, it fractures relationships. It erodes trust. It burns bridges you may need later.

This doesn’t mean you can’t express how you feel. It doesn’t mean you stay silent. It means you use restraint.

Say what needs to be said.

But say it cool-headed. Calm. Controlled.

I’ve had situations where I let loose on people. Gave them everything that was on my mind.

It never really turned out how I hoped. There were always downstream consequences I hadn’t considered.

On the flip side, there were times I stepped back.

I cooled off. I thought it through. I approached it level-headed.

And wouldn’t you know it?

Those situations almost always turned out better. And more often than not…they went my way.

Something happens?

Pause. Breathe. Think.

Then respond from a place of calm control.

Builder Principle

Master your reaction, or your reaction will master you.

Something to Ponder

Something is going to pop up this week that rubs you the wrong way. How will you handle it? Explosively? Or cool, calm, and collected? One destroys. One builds. Which will you choose?

See You In the Arena

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

Brick by brick.

-Brickwall