You’re playing a long game.

This isn’t about quick wins. This isn’t about shortcutting your way to the top. This isn’t about what you can achieve first, fastest, today, or tomorrow.

This is about the finish line.

It is about the weeks, months, and years poured into a single moment.

The highs. The lows. The days you wanted to quit. The days you did quit. The moment you came back. The moment you silenced the doubt. The moment you showed up for yourself, even when every fiber of your being wanted to stay in bed.

When you set a goal that sets your heart on fire, you just know that you need to keep going.

When I set out to run my first marathon, I knew it would be tough. I had never run past 14 miles. I hadn't run past 7 miles in over a decade. But to be honest, I had no idea just how tough it would be.

It demanded everything from me.
It required a massive investment in gear, training, and health. It forced a total reworking of my diet and sleep. It wasn’t just a single day running on pavement; it was an entire lifestyle overhaul. It required love and support from my wife, my friends, my family, and my trainer.

It demanded greatness.

But greatness isn’t about billboards or interviews. It isn’t about having your name on the back of a jersey.

Greatness is what you feel about yourself in the quiet moments that count.
Did you show up? Did you give it everything you had? Are you proud of what you did? Were you honest with your abilities, your desire, and your grit?

If the answer is yes, then you were great. You had greatness in you. And I’m sure you felt it.

That feeling can happen crossing a finish line, writing a dissertation, or nailing a job interview—even if you didn’t get the offer. You just knew you were on. You knew you gave it all you had.

That is the long game.

Greatness is knowing that change doesn’t happen instantly. Change is a gradual, slow, powerful force. Change is water carving through rock. Change is a snowball turning into an avalanche—an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

Change is a tiny step here and a tiny step there, adding up to become something else entirely.

So, what are you working towards?
What makes your heart catch fire?
What is the greatness inside of you, waiting to be unleashed?

And more importantly: What are you doing to get there?

I’m not talking about the big swings. I’m talking about the small stuff.
Are you eating the right foods? Are you studying? Are you sleeping well? Are you researching and learning instead of scrolling and consuming? Are you really in this, or are you just skimming the surface?

Start small. Build the habits. Let them simmer before you turn up the heat.

If your goal is to work out early, don’t go from 8:00 AM to 5:00 AM in a single day. That will never work. But waking up at 7:50 AM? That’s doable. Do that for a week. Get so good at 7:50 that you start beating your alarm. Then make it 7:40. Then 7:30.

Build the muscle.

Eventually, you’ll move the needle 15 minutes. Then 30. Before you know it, you’re up at 5:00 AM. You got there slower than you liked, but you got there.

That’s the key. When you invest in yourself over time, you actually arrive. Short bursts get you nowhere.

Bursts are just catalysts. But catalysts don’t sustain a reaction; they only spark it. The real magic is in the other ingredients. Your habits. Your determination. Your grit.

That is your greatness.

Get after it. Start the change.
2026 is waiting for the best version of you. Hell, even tomorrow is waiting for the best version of you.

It starts small. It builds big.

Let’s go.