Do Hard Things

I just crossed 500 miles of running in 2025, the most I’ve run in the decades since being a varsity athlete in high school. This milestone is my latest reminder of what happens when you practice discipline; the kind that doesn’t just reshape your body, but your mindset, and ultimately, your life.

Discipline Isn’t Glamorous

Most of those miles weren’t exciting. There were no cheering crowds, no race medals, and no perfect weather. There were no likes, reshares, comments, views, new followers, or subscribers. Just early mornings, sore legs, rain, and that quiet voice saying, “Skip today.”

But I laced up anyway, every day, because I’ve learned that growth is a direct result of discomfort. I learned it years ago, rowing on my high school crew team. Double workouts, nine months a year. Early mornings before sunrise and practices after school when everyone else went home. That’s where I first learned that showing up, tired or not, is where consistency is born.

And consistency is where transformation begins. Discipline isn’t loud. It doesn’t post PRs or finish-line photos. It’s quiet repetition. It’s doing the thing when nobody’s watching, and realizing that the version of you who endures discomfort is far more powerful than the one who waits for perfect conditions.

Doing Hard Things Creates Momentum

When you do something hard, consistently, it changes how you see yourself.
You stop identifying as someone who tries and start believing you’re someone who does.
That belief bleeds into everything: work, relationships, creativity, and leadership.

When I worked outside in every kind of weather as a cable guy, I learned this lesson again. Freezing rain, summer heat, irate customers, carrying my 100 pound ladder through snow banks, and troubleshooting with cold hands. That job built more than technical skill; it built patience, composure, and resilience, the same soft skills I rely on today.

When a tough project hits at work, I don’t crumble. I’ve trained my mind to endure discomfort. I’ve done harder things than this.

Discipline > Motivation

Motivation gets you started. Discipline keeps you moving. Motivation depends on your current emotional state. Discipline is a decision; a deal you make with yourself.

That deal carried me through a sweat lodge. Hours in pitch-black heat that felt like being cooked alive. I had four panic attacks during my one and only “sweat.” The only thing that kept me going was a Lakota prayer I learned in that lodge, which I still chant every morning: “Wani wachiyelo: I want to live.”

That mantra isn’t just about survival. It’s about choosing to stay in the hard moments, to push through when your instincts scream to quit. There are so many times I want to quit when it’s hard, but I keep going because I know what’s on the other side of pain.

That same choice carried me when I volunteered to coach my son’s baseball team, even though I’d never played organized ball. I had no idea what I was doing, but I showed up anyway, awkward, uncertain, and humbled. And in doing so, I learned that leadership isn’t about knowing everything; it’s about showing up to imperfect conditions and doing your best with what you have. What my buddy Mike B would call “be there; be helpful.”

Discipline Creates Habits

Discipline starts as effort but becomes habit. You do it enough times, and it stops feeling optional. You no longer debate with yourself: you just go.

Habits turn effort into identity. They take “I should” and make it “I do.” And once you start identifying as someone who follows through, you realize you can handle anything.

The Ripple Effect

Running taught me how to manage energy: not just physically, but mentally. It reminded me that growth lives in the uncomfortable, that rest is earned, and that persistence outlasts talent.

It’s about choosing to do hard things when no one’s watching, because that’s where transformation happens.
The repetition.
The routine.
The invisible miles that shape who you become.

500 miles isn’t just a fitness milestone.
It’s proof that discipline compounds.
Small, consistent effort beats bursts of enthusiasm every single time.

Discipline creates habits.
Habits build momentum.
Momentum builds confidence.

And confidence, that quiet belief that you can handle what comes next, is the ultimate reward. It can’t be faked. It must be earned.

Whether it’s fitness, career, or personal growth, do the hard thing.

Do it every day.
Not because it’s easy.
Because you’ll become someone who can handle anything.
That’s a rare, valuable trait.
Be rare.
Be valuable.