There Are Levels to This Game of Life

What really stops us from going after the things we want? It’s not just fear…      It’s our ego.

A few weeks ago, I shared about completing the Spartan DEKA event. Recently, I leveled up again by taking on the Spartan Super in Big Bear, California:

·       A grueling 10K

·       25 brutal obstacles

·       All set on the steep slopes of Snow Summit Ski Resort

It’s tough enough to push yourself through the obstacles of mud, walls, and barbed wire. But add a mountain, altitude, and exhaustion, and it becomes a whole new beast. As I stood at the starting line, I looked around, the crowd was packed with fit, fierce athletes who looked ready to sprint up the mountain like gazelles. For a moment, I felt it: intimidation.

Then I noticed something else…  I was in better shape than some people there and they were probably looking at me, thinking the same thing.

That’s when it hit me: THERE ARE LEVELS TO THIS!!!

Everyone is at a different Level, and we are all at different points on our journey. At different levels. On different challenges.

Whether it’s a Spartan race, a marathon, a local 5K, or just starting something new, you’ll find people at all levels:
✔ Some are advanced.
✔ Some are beginners.
✔ Everyone is struggling with something.

And here’s the most beautiful part: At these events, people cheer for each other, help each other, and push each other because we’re all here to test our own personal limits.

Your ego wants to keep you small, keeping you from even starting! Your ego plants seeds to make you afraid to look slow. Afraid to look weak. Afraid to look like a beginner.

But here’s the truth… Everyone who’s ahead of you was once where you are now. The only way to level up is to show up again, and again, and again.

— This Week’s Challenge to YOU —

Do the thing you’ve been avoiding.

• Go to the gym.

• Sign up for that 5K.

• Hit the open mic.

• Try karaoke.

• Write that poem.

• Start that side project.

Whatever it is — drop the ego. Be proud of your level. And know you’re not alone on the path.

Final Reminder: Your ego wants you to stay small. Your soul wants you to GROW.

So… What are you going to choose this week?

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.