Perseverance Requires Perspiration

Think back to when you were a kid.
Do you remember trying something again and again, failing every time — until one day, you finally got it?

Maybe it was landing a backflip in gymnastics, solving a Rubik’s cube, learning a new language, driving a car, or memorizing your multiplication tables.
Whatever it was, it felt impossible at first. But something inside you refused to quit. You kept showing up. You kept pushing.

And when you finally nailed it — it felt amazing, didn’t it?
You felt powerful. Capable. Alive.

So now let me ask you this:
When was the last time you practiced that kind of perseverance?
When was the last time you stuck with something — not because it was required, but because you wanted to conquer it?

And no — pushing through an entire season on Netflix or finishing a pint of ice cream doesn’t count.

As adults, we get jaded. Busy. Cynical. We convince ourselves we don’t have time or energy to pursue new challenges. We stop stretching. We stop chasing. We stop growing.

But that fire? That ability to persist? It’s still in you.
You’ve just got to wake it up.

This week, I want to challenge you:

• Choose something that will stretch you.
  A puzzle. A new yoga move. Jogging a mile. Something just beyond your current ability, but doable within a week.

• Commit 20 minutes a day.
  No excuses. Miss no more than two days.

• Crush it. Celebrate. Then level up.
  Find a new challenge that pushes you further.

Practicing perseverance builds mental stamina. It strengthens the part of you that doesn’t quit when things get hard. Like any muscle, perseverance grows through repetition and resistance.

Start small. Build momentum.
Before long, you’ll be taking on the things you once thought were out of reach — writing that book, training for that race, launching that dream.

One small victory at a time.

Suffering - The Secret Ingredient to Strength

Let’s get one thing straight: suffering isn’t optional—it’s inevitable. But what if I told you that your pain isn’t just a burden… it’s a gift?

Suffering is one of life’s most powerful teachers. It strips away the fluff and forces you to confront what you're really made of. And if you have the right mindset, it doesn’t break you—it builds you.

The truth? Life doesn’t care about your plans. Things go sideways. People disappoint you. Goals slip through your fingers. But you decide what happens next. You can fall apart—or you can flip the script.

A strong mindset doesn’t deny the pain—it uses it. It finds the lesson, the grit, the growth inside the mess. Yes, it sucks sometimes. Yes, it's uncomfortable. So what?

Stew in it, and you stay stuck. Rise from it, and you become unstoppable.

Take this morning. I suited up for a trail run, thinking the clouds would lift. They didn’t. By the time I got there, it was cold, wet, windy—pure misery.

California softens you. 52 degrees feels like punishment.

I stood there, questioning everything. Do I push through? Or do I bail because the conditions aren’t ideal?

The answer? Hell yes, I push through.

Because life rarely hands you perfect conditions. Growth doesn’t come when it’s easy. It comes when you commit—especially when it’s hard.

I didn’t just run today. I honored my word to myself. That’s what this is about. Keeping your promises. Building resilience. Leaning into discomfort because it forges something fierce inside you.

Your Move:
This week, when something goes wrong—and it will—pause. Reframe it. Ask yourself, What is this here to teach me? How can I grow from this?

Don’t just survive the week. Dominate it. Let adversity fuel you. Let suffering sharpen you. Be your best. No matter what.

The Seeds We SOW

You wouldn't expect to harvest watermelons if you planted pumpkin seeds, right?
Then why do we expect maximum results when we only put in halfhearted effort?

Back in my early career, I wrote software, and we had a phrase that rang true everywhere: "Garbage in, garbage out." Simple. Brutal. True.
And it doesn't just apply to computers — it applies to everything:
Our jobs.
Our relationships.
Our health.
Our dreams.

Tired of carrying around that extra weight?
Let me ask you: What seeds are you planting?
Are you fueling your body with real nourishment... or stuffing it with quick fixes and excuses?
Garbage in, garbage out.

Feeling stuck at work, frustrated that you're not moving forward?
Be honest — what seeds did you plant?
Were they seeds of complacency?
Seeds of bad habits, bad attitudes, bad energy?
You can’t plant negativity and expect a promotion to bloom.

The truth is, most of the time, we sabotage ourselves long before the world has a chance to.
But here's the power move: We can change what we sow, starting right now.

What would happen if tomorrow, you walked into work with unstoppable energy?
What would happen if you ate clean for a whole month — no cheats, no shortcuts?
What would happen if you hit the gym three, four times a week, every week, for six months?

Would you see a difference?
Absolutely.
Would others see it too?
You better believe it.

So here’s my challenge to you:
Try it.
Pick one thing this week — just one — and pour yourself into it. No excuses. No halfway effort.

And for those who really want it?
Here’s the double dog dare:
Pick one area of your life and stay locked in for six months.
Six months of planting the right seeds, watering them daily, believing in the harvest even when you can’t see it yet.
I promise — your life will look different. Your harvest will be beyond what you can even imagine.

Plant with purpose.
Harvest with pride.
It’s your season.

Finishing Last - And Owning It

Have you ever worked your tail off for something… only to realize you weren’t nearly as good as you thought? You crossed the finish line, hit the goal—but the result was a gut check, not a victory lap. It’s in those moments that a question rises:
Do you walk away discouraged, or do you dig deeper and level up?

Yesterday, I competed in my first Spartan DEKA Fit event in Anaheim, California.
Picture this: CrossFit meets a 5K—ten 500-meter runs, and after each one, a brutal workout station: burpees, rowers, sled pushes—you name it. It's a grind.

Since my kidney transplant, I’ve made it my mission to chase hard things. To see where the edge is—and then step over it.
Why? Because I believe most of us live under self-imposed ceilings. We tell ourselves we can’t. We say we’re too tired, too old, too out of shape, too late. But most of the time, we’re just too afraid to try.

Walking into that DEKA Fit venue, I was hit with a wall of intimidation.
Everywhere I looked—shredded dudes, jacked women, elite-level athletes everywhere. You can’t help but compare.
But then… I noticed something.

Mixed in with the sculpted Spartans were people like me. Real people. Carrying extra weight, moving a little slower, faces red with effort. And yet, they were still there—grinding. Not to impress anyone. Not to win.
They were there to prove something to themselves. Just like me.

By the time I hit the last station—Weighted Burpees with a 44-pound Spartan RAM—I was running on fumes. Gassed. Spent. I had to reach deep into a place most people avoid.
When I slammed out that last rep and lifted the weight over my head, I felt it.
Victory. Not because I won. But because I finished.

Truth is… I didn’t get a runner’s high. No wave of adrenaline. Just pure exhaustion.
And later, when I saw my results? I finished second to last in my age group.

Yeah. You read that right. Second. To. Last.

But let me tell you something:
Second to last is better than sitting at home wishing I had tried.

I’m sharing this because someone out there needs to hear it:

• It’s okay to show up and not be perfect.

• It’s okay to try and fall short.

• The courage is in the effort.

• The growth is in the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

I had a choice when I saw those results. I could’ve said, “Welp, that’s not my thing,” and walked away.
Instead, I said: GOOD. Now I know the baseline. Now I know where to work.

I’m competitive as hell, and I don’t accept last place as my destiny. I could make excuses—sick lungs, respiratory infection—but that’s not how I operate. This experience? It’s fuel. It’s fire. It’s the spark I need to go harder next time.

Because this isn’t about beating anyone else.
It’s me vs. me.
Always has been. Always will be.

So ask yourself:
👉 What are you doing to grow?
👉 What are you doing to challenge yourself?
👉 What are you doing to get uncomfortable on purpose?

Whatever the answer is—just don’t let it be nothing.

Welcome to Maselli Mindset

Hello everyone and thank you for visiting my website.  This first blog will be a quick introduction into who I am, what I represent, and what I hope to achieve with this platform.  Maselli Mindset is more than my personal mindset and attitude for life; it is a lifestyle, a commitment, and a framework for others to build upon to create their own personal mindset.

Before we dive too deep into the Maselli Mindset, let’s start with an introduction of me.  I was born into humble beginnings in Oklahoma to teenage parents.  Much of my childhood consisted of one struggle or another; abuse, bullying, frequent moving, addiction, and depression.  I do not mention these for pity but as the foundation that gave me the grit, determination, and resiliency that I possess today.  To be fair, I also experienced modest affluence in my teenage years and gained discipline, strength, and confidence through sports.

As an adult, I continued to struggle with two things; finding my purpose and addiction (which came with a side of depression).  That is until the life changing moment when I learned I had the same kidney disease that has plagued generations of my family.  It was at that turning point moment, that I realized, I had choice in the matter.  I CHOSE to change everything and become the man I had the potential of becoming.  I spent several years overcoming my internal demons and hopefully by sharing my stories, philosophies, and mindset, you too may overcome your demons. I discovered my purpose and that is to help others.

Maselli Mindset is a movement rooted in real life, real struggle, and real growth.  It is about hope, inspiration, motivation, and the spirit of determination that will help you reach your maximum potential.  The goal is to help others understand that our minds are the only thing holding us back from reaching our full potential, and that we all possess the power and ability to change our circumstances and OVERCOME. 

Our mission is to help people face their demons, conquer doubt, and take control of their mindset—so they stop surviving and start living.