Getting After It

099 — Begin with the End in Mind: Building a Life of Purpose

• Brett Rossell • Season 3 • Episode 99

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In this heartfelt and motivational episode of The Getting After It Podcast, Brett explores the transformative power of "beginning with the end in mind." Drawing from personal experiences and reflections, he delves into how this mindset fosters clarity, resilience, and progress in any area of life. 

Whether you're chasing a fitness goal, building a career, or striving to live with intention, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical wisdom.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Vision Fuels Progress: Envisioning your long-term goals gives you clarity and purpose, helping you navigate challenges and stay focused on what truly matters.
  2. Start Small, Stay Consistent: Progress begins with small, intentional actions. Building habits, no matter how minor, creates momentum and lays the foundation for significant change.
  3. Gratitude Grounds Growth: Reflecting on where you started and expressing gratitude for your progress keeps you motivated and provides perspective during tough times.

Actionable Step:

Write Your Vision Statement: Spend five minutes today writing down where you want to be in 5, 10, and 20 years. Identify one small action you can take today to move closer to that vision. Share this step with someone who can hold you accountable.

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I hope today’s episode sparked something within you to pursue your dreams and unlock your true potential. If you found value in it, consider sharing it with someone who might need that same push.

This podcast is built for you—the dreamers and the doers. My goal is to provide a space where you can find inspiration, learn from others, and feel empowered to chase what matters most to you.

Your dreams are within your grasp. All you need is the commitment to Get After It.

Brett:

Hey friends, welcome back to the show. Today we're going to be talking about a mindset that has been transformative for me and for countless others, and that's the concept of beginning with the end in mind. We're going to be talking about a lot of what that means, but whether you're working towards a fitness goal, building a career or simply trying to be more intentional, then this is the episode for you and, without further ado, let's get into it. My friends, oh, so good to have you back. I am thrilled. If you're watching this, check it out.

Brett:

We are building out the Getting After it studio and I decided to go with this mustard colored chair because why not? You know, I like a little mustard. Allie knows that that's my favorite condiment, so very good. But I was thinking about I'm coming up on a hundred episodes. Next one is a hundred, so shout out to that. That's sick.

Brett:

But I was thinking about why I am where I am today and where I learned some valuable lessons that have helped me get to where I am. A lot of it is starting with the end in mind, beginning with where you want to be and then adjusting your strategy to do that. So I say let's start with a dose of perspective here. It sounds intense, but I promise you it's not. So what does that mean? Starting with a dose of perspective? I got my iPad here, so I'll be reading a little bit, but I wrote a blog post on beginning with the end in mind, and from that I have just been thinking quite a bit about it because, honestly, it's one of the strongest ways to get forward in any of your goals. With perspective let's go back to that, so none of us are getting out of here alive. With perspective let's go back to that. So none of us are getting out of here alive. Think about that for a second. We're all destined to the same fate Death. What a morbid way to start a podcast, brett. Yeah, it's true, though, and, as stark as it might sound, it's also incredibly liberating, because it allows you to figure out what you're actually passionate about and go do those things while you have the time.

Brett:

If we know our time is finite, why not spend it intentionally? Why not be a little bit more intentional with every decision that you make and that could be in your relationships, it could be with your career but do the best that you can, because eventually it's going to end right, and how do you want to view your life when you're sitting on your deathbed? Do you want to be proud of all the accomplishments that you've done and work, or do you want to be known for someone who was always intentional with others? That kind of thing, I mean. I think those two can go hand in hand. I'm not saying one requires that and the other, but beginning with the end in mind means living with a sense of purpose and clarity about where you're headed. So here's a key point for you to digest here Reflect on life's imprudence and use it as motivation to focus on what truly matters to you.

Brett:

So I mean that's going to be different for everyone. What does life truly matter? What does it mean to certain people? It's going to be different. Like my definition of a beautiful and fulfilling life is going to be different from Allie's, and that's going to be different from my mom's. It's going to be different from my mentor, bryce. Like, everyone has a different idea of what a beneficial life is for you and you have to figure out what that means.

Brett:

But there's this quote from Alice in Wonderland the Cheshire Cat you know she's Alice is walking down the path. I don't know. She's in the woods. It's been a while since I've seen the movie and I never read the book. She's walking in the woods and all of a sudden, boom, she comes to a crossroads in the woods and all of a sudden, boom, she comes to a crossroads. There's two paths. She has no idea which leads to what, and she sees a little smile come out of the trees Cheshire cat. There he is and he says this to her If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there. He's telling Alice that she's going to be blown with the wind and taken wherever that leads her, which you know. That might be good, it could be terrible, but the point that the cat's trying to make, and what I'm trying to make here, is if you don't have an idea of what you want out of life, if you don't know what a fulfilled or valuable or whatever word you want to insert there kind of life is for you, then it doesn't necessarily matter what road you take, because you don't have an idea.

Brett:

For me, I think the reason beginning with the end in mind has been a topic that's been filling my head quite a bit is because I've put in two and a half years in this podcast and, starting out, I wanted it to be something that helps other people, right, I wanted it to be a resource that people could turn to and learn some lessons that I wish I would have known at a younger age, or anyone really. But I wanted it to be valuable to the listeners. And I've had to go back and what that looks like for me is creating a podcast that's valuable. It means that's that's the end goal right there. I want people to learn from it, and that means I have to consistently refine my efforts. I have to refine my strategy for for portraying this information to you all. I have to give real-life experiences and stories, and it's not easy. But if I want it to be valuable to the listeners, then I need to listen to what they're telling me. I need to be a little bit better with you know, making sure my content is relevant to them, that it has actionable insights and is motivating for them to achieve their own goals.

Brett:

Getting after it's a lifestyle. It's not a podcast, it's not a phrase. It is a lifestyle. It means that you are finding one thing, doing your best at it. If you excel, great. But then once you reach that goal, once you reach that end point, you find something else and you keep going.

Brett:

You always try to get 1% better daily. It sounds like a cliche thing to say 1% better every day, right? There's a lot of power in that, if you can focus on just getting a little bit better every single day. Let me break that down. What does 1% actually look like? Okay, I talk about running a lot.

Brett:

If you're trying to get 1% better every day, and let's say you run three miles every single day, then you want to get a little bit better. The next time you do a run, instead of three miles, you do 3.03, just add 1%. The next day, you could do 3.06, whatever If threes are baseline. The next day, you could do 3.06, whatever if threes are at baseline. All I'm saying is that it is small incremental pieces. Like 0.03 of a mile is nothing In the end. That really is like that's pretty easy. Most people can do that. 0.03 of a mile could be you walking from one end of your house to the other, I think, depending on how big your house is, I don't know.

Brett:

But one thing I would suggest for you to do is to take five minutes today. Take five minutes today and write down where you want to be in five, ten and even 20 years. What kind of person do you want to become, how do you want others to view you and what legacy do you want to leave behind? But reflect on the why behind your goals, and that will give you a lot of direction. Why do you want to do this thing and where do you want to be in five years? You don't have to create a plan. Don't create an action plan. Just envision it in your head when do you want to be? And then start making the decisions, taking the actions that get you one step closer to that outcome.

Brett:

It's going to be a while, but if you don't start now with marking it down, with writing out exactly where you want to be and what kind of life that you want to live, you don't have a direction. The only way a compass works is if you know what direction you're going. The only way a compass works is if you know what direction you're going, these details of who you want to be in 5, 10, 20, 15, whatever years. That is your compass. That's going to tell you what direction you need to go. So do that today. I guarantee you it'll help you a lot.

Brett:

Now what's the balance between smart, starting small and thinking big? Because a lot of the goals that we have for ourselves are lofty. They're big goals and that's how it should be. If you, if you're not scared, then you're not reaching. You're not pushing yourself to the next thing, and people might get mad at me for that, but I firmly believe that if you're not afraid of what you're going after, then odds are you're not in the right position. You need to find something challenging, one of my goals for this year.

Brett:

Actually, at the beginning of last year I wanted to close my first sales deal. That has been so difficult for me. It's a scary thing. Now. I get along great with people. I have good conversations with them. I feel like I'm a people person. I can get along with most people, but the thing is is I had to go from being a people person to telling people what to do and what would benefit them. That sounds bad, but really I had to not be pushy but tell them what I thought, and being open with my own perspectives on people's businesses and telling them things that I think could be improved in their operations is scary sometimes.

Brett:

I'm 27 years old. A lot of these people, who I'm telling need to be working their operations better, are 50 plus, so I'm almost half their age and I have to give them advice. That's scary to me, but I had to do it. My goal was I want to be a salesman and that means I have to put myself out there. And guess what? On January 15th I closed my first deal this year, on my own, everything. But I was not trying to be pushy, I was more of being a subject matter expert, telling them what I think would benefit them and going from there. But I had to take the small steps in the beginning in order to get to that end goal. And that looked like learning from my boss asking a lot of questions, reading a lot of materials, making sure I knew the products as well as I did, and then being that person who could consult and make sure that I was telling them the right information so they can make the best decision for their business. But it was scary. So sometimes the idea of beginning with the end in mind can feel overwhelming, and that's okay, I think. Like I said, if you're not scared, and that's okay. I think, like I said, if you're not scared, you're not reaching, and if you don't feel overwhelmed at times, maybe you do need to make some adjustments with your goals. You see that mountaintop, but you're standing at the base and it seems daunting. The truth is, though, is you don't have to figure it out all today, and that's where you can breathe a little bit, and that's what I mean by. This is a liberating thing is beginning with the end in mind. Starting small is not okay, it's essential.

Brett:

James Clear, who wrote Atomic Habits he talks about things like this all the time. How I love the story that he gives about. There's this overweight man who decided that he's going to go to the gym and he's never been a gym person. So his whole thing was I Decided that he's going to go to the gym and he's never been a gym person. So his whole thing was I'm going to go to the parking lot of the gym, and then I'm pretty sure he left, and the next day he went to the gym again, and he just walked into the gym, was there for a minute and then left, but pretty much he was just trying to get into his psyche the idea that he goes to the gym every day, and that's unbelievably small, going to the parking lot and deciding all right, that was good enough for me today. That's the bare minimum. And then going in for a minute the next day that's again bare minimum. It doesn't take a lot of effort. But if you want to tell yourself that you're someone who goes to the gym every day, guess what. You have to go to the gym every day, even if it's just you going to the parking lot. Even if it's just you going to tell yourself that you're someone who goes to the gym every day, guess what. You have to go to the gym every day, even if it's just you going to the parking lot, even if it's just you going to the gym for a minute. And then James Clear talks about how he went from just going to the parking lot to eventually becoming. You know someone who was an athlete and that's amazing. He lost a lot of weight. I don't know the data behind it so I'm not going to. He lost a lot of weight. I don't know the data behind it so I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot there.

Brett:

But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It's like with this podcast I. My first episode was 15 minutes. I didn't know what all needed to go into it with in terms of like data points to cover, outlines to work on or even what to say. But I just wanted to get it started, and so I record a 15 minute episode saying hey everyone, welcome to the podcast, I'm happy to have you here. I'm going to be talking about things like growth, self-discipline, consistency, all that kind of stuff, and now it's grown quite a bit. I feel like the production quality has gotten better. I'm still learning quite a lot, and it's only because I decided one time to go and record for 15 minutes and then hit publish.

Brett:

There's a lot behind that too, like I've told the story on this where, when I was sitting in front of my computer ready for that first one to publish, I was terrified. I had no idea what was in store for me. I didn't know if people were going to hate it, if they were going to love it. There was a lot of unknown and I kept going. And it's like with running too. I now run ultra marathons, I run sub three marathons, but three years ago I couldn't run longer than seven miles If that, and it took me an unbelievable amount of time.

Brett:

But you have to start small if you want to start at all. Small choices and small actions will lead to big consequences in the future if you remain consistent, if you consistently evaluate your actions and see if they're even worth repeating Now. There's an important thing to note here about flexibility, being able to adapt to your goals, because, like I said, you start with that loose plan and over time you find out how every imperfect action that you have or every imperfect journey that you begin, it leads to progress and progress is progress, no matter how small. It doesn't matter. You cannot compare yourself to other people. You can only compare yourself to who you were yesterday. Because if you do the other idea and you start comparing yourself to some of the ultra marathoners on Instagram, but you want to just go out and run a five miler because you've never done it before and you get mad because you're not performing like they are, I mean, come on, it doesn't even make sense. You're not even in their realm. I'm not even in their realm. Like I can't compare myself to them. I've talked about that many times on this podcast. But comparison is a thief of joy.

Brett:

Firmly believe that, and kind of like the same exercise I mentioned earlier about you sitting down and figuring out where you want to be in the next 20 years. Today, think about one of your goals and do the same thing. Write down how you can take one step closer to get to that goal, no matter how small you might think it is, it's not so. Think about that for a moment. What does it mean to have a powerful vision and what does it mean to build systems? If you want to know about systems, I won't cover them in this podcast, but go listen to the Discipline Equals Freedom podcast.

Brett:

I recorded two episodes ago that one talks a lot about building systems that help you maintain success with your disciplines. But having a vision is crucial. Like it's not enough to it's not enough on its own. I would say you can just have a vision and then hope that it comes to reality, because your systems will support that vision. Systems are the bridge between where you are now and where you want to go, and a system is just you building up a you want to go and a system is just you building up a almost a routine or something to make it a little easier to work towards your goal and I mentioned in the last episode, I always set my clothes out the night before my workouts. So there's no question and it's just like part of my system. I wake up, I just put the clothes on and brush my teeth, get out of here, go get to the gym. That's what I try and do.

Brett:

But going back to what James Clear talks about, he has this quote where he says you do not rise to the level of your goals. You fail to the level of your systems. And as you're thinking about who you want to become and where you want to be in your life, evaluate where your systems are at. Are they aimed for your success? If your goal is weight loss, do you have a plan on how you're going to eat healthy and what do you need to do to make that more refined? And again, these are going to be a lot of trial and error for yourself, but that's fun.

Brett:

Look at yourself as a scientist. And if you do that, if you experiment with your goals, with your routines, anything, and you're acting like you are a science project in yourself, that'll be tremendous for your goals. It's kind of fun. Think of yourself as a scientist. I love science, overcoming roadblocks. This is a big one, because there's going to be times when you know, you have this vision in your head of where you want to get, you're building that momentum, you're seeing some success, and you're like, yeah, I'm going to get to that podcast level where I'm Chris Williamson, or I'm going to get to that running level where I'm competing against Nick Bear and giving him a run for his money, right, like. These are all things that I think those are all examples from my life, but there's going to be roadblocks along the way, and then, when you have these aspirations, that you want to become one of those runners or you want to be a podcaster that has success and has a good following that loves your content, it's going to be inevitable that you run into roadblocks. It's going to be inevitable that you run into roadblocks. The thing is, though, is if you know where you want to be and those roadblocks come up, it'll be a little bit easier to manage them, because you'll have a better understanding that, hey, that sucked. I'm going to figure out what I need to do differently to get back on the horse.

Brett:

I talked about my Vegas marathon experience in November last year, but this was a huge race for me at least one, because my brother and my cousin Parker they were running their first marathon and I coached them through the process and I wanted to make sure that they killed it. And two, I was going for a two 50 marathon. I started off so strong and I was going fast, holding like 640 paces, and I was like this is in the bag, baby, I'm feeling good, and about 10 miles in I was having an asthma attack. I've had asthma my entire life but leading up to this weekend, like all my nieces and nephews were sick. I was hanging around them. I was starting to get sick. I was running a mile 10.

Brett:

I saw Allie and other family members and I tried keeping a straight face, a good face or whatever they say. Sorry, I got something in my throat throwing me off. I tried staying strong for them as I passed them. But we went down the road and looped around and I knew I was going to have to pass them again and when I saw them I, I wouldn't say, gave up. I listened to my body because I could not breathe, but I broke down in front of them and for me that was a huge roadblock. I had to drop out of that race. It was the first DNF I've ever done, did not finish first one I've ever done, hopefully the last, but I was sitting there, I was sad, I was bummed out. Allie helped me. She said hey, remember, this is their race, not yours, which was right.

Brett:

And I wanted to get back after it, like I wanted to to really be strong and create a running plan afterwards that I was consistent to and dedicated to, and I had to build up driving myself to make sure I was doing my best, right and staying true to those goals. Now, that's exactly what I did. But what happened during that roadblock is I felt like I was broken down. I felt like, as silly as this might sound, my running career might have been over, and I was pretty bummed. Honestly, I was like maybe I'm not who I think I am. Maybe I talk about these things like discipline, consistency, but maybe I just had a hot streak. Okay, these are all the things I was telling myself and I thought maybe this is this is the end for Brett's running career, thought maybe this is this is the end for Brett's running career.

Brett:

It wasn't because once I I felt that pain, I used it as motivation and now my running has never been stronger. I I'm able to be faster and and hold that pace for much longer distances. I'm stronger in the gym, but it's because I as weird as this might sound I got mad. I was pissed off that I wasn't able to finish that race and I knew it was because I, leading up to it, was kind of lackadaisical with my training. I was like, yeah, you know, I have pretty good cardio, I'll be fine. I ran a sub three marathon. When I go there I can probably shave off 10 minutes, I'll just push myself a little hard. But the training wasn't there and it wasn't. It wasn't painting that picture for myself, and so I made some adjustments and now I'm consistent as I've ever been. It's day 18 in January and I've ran 121 miles.

Brett:

But it's all intentional. Every action that I do is intentional because I want to make sure that when grandma's marathon comes up in June in Minnesota, that I'm ready to reclaim that 250 marathon that I failed on. I'm going to push myself, and the training leading up to it, the fuel, the rest, the recovery, everything is going to be in line with that goal. And the same thing goes for you. Like when roadblocks come up, use it as a time to evaluate where you're at, because no matter how well you plan. Guess what Life's going to throw curveballs at you right out? Of? No, that was. I wasn't. I'm not going to try and make a sports reference. I was going to say right out of left field, but I don't think that applies with curveballs. So anywho. But the key is to anticipate these obstacles and to have strategies in place to overcome them when they do arise.

Brett:

I love the idea. It sounds so badass, but the premeditation of evils, which is what the Stoics talk about, what is that? Well, the premeditation of evils, which is what the Stoics talk about, what is that? Well, the premeditation of evils is pretty much thinking about how everything could go wrong, where it could go wrong and how you'll improve and what you'll do to address those issues when they do go wrong. I think it's a valuable exercise, because now I'm thinking okay, well, if I have a week where I'm off of training, I'm just going to recover as much as I can Like. If I'm sick, I'm going to take the precautionary measures that I need to get better as fast as I can so I can get back in training. For the podcast, it's like okay, well, if my audio quality sucks, it's not a roadblock. Where can I get better? What can I do to improve the content? Okay, if someone didn't like this story, I'm going to cut that out and try and find something else to put in there. But it's a lot of evaluation and so when you meet those roadblocks, everything that you've thought about before then will help help address those issues.

Brett:

When they do, self doubt is going to come into. Like, like I was telling, talking about with my run. There was tons of self doubt like am I not the person that I am? Am I actually capable of these things that I want to do? When self-doubt comes, my best advice to you is turn around, look it in the face and realize that it's a damn lie. Almost slipped up the F word there, but it is a lie.

Brett:

Self-doubt is meant to stop you. Self-doubt is meant to stop you, and if you believe in Satan, which I do, I think self-doubt is fully from him. He wants you to not think that you're capable of doing what you want to. He doesn't want you to think that you can accomplish great things, because he can't. He doesn't have a body, the dude sucks, and he's going to try and tell you that same story for yourself that you can't do this, oh yeah. Well, you failed at one thing, you're going to fail at this one too. He's going to try and twist the story as much as he can. That little bitch Screw Satan. Don't listen to him.

Brett:

If you don't have motivation like you say, things like I don't feel like it today then if those things persist, find someone who can hold you accountable, because all these types of roadblocks like the self-doubt, the lack of motivation, external challenges that are going to disrupt your plans all these things require you to adapt and pivot. But if you have your idea, you have your vision of where you want to be in the end, it makes it a little bit easier to understand what your decision needs to be. It makes it easier to know how you can refine your processes and make it better. That's all we're supposed to be doing is making our lives a little bit better. So, when you encounter a roadblock, take a moment to reassess. Don't use it as a pain point or a stopping point. Ask yourself is this obstacle a detour, which means you need to adapt, or is it an opportunity to learn, which again requires adaptation? Intelligence is the ability to change behavior, and if you're able to be intelligent with your goals and your decisions, then you'll be able to change your. And if you're able to be intelligent with your goals and your decisions, then you'll be able to change your behavior and get one step closer to your goal. So reframe your challenges as opportunities when they come up. It might be so hard. Everyone wants to avoid the pain of roadblocks and the pain of when things do arise, but let it sit with you for a moment, because that pain can be used as fuel or it can be used as a deterrent. It's up to you. Let's talk about long term success.

Brett:

Living intentionally isn't about grand gestures. Like I said, it's all about small and consistent practices. But one of the simplest and most effective strategies that I've found for myself is asking yourself this daily question, daily question, if you need to write it down on a sticky note, put it on your mirror, put it in your car, whatever, just to remind you. Here's the question Is what I'm doing today helping me become the person I want to be? Is what I'm doing today helping me become the person I want to be? If your actions say yes to that, good. I'm proud of you. Keep doing that. If they say no, also good. It's good news. Either way, you know what to change.

Brett:

You can have a morning reflection where you sit and you kind of think about how you want your day to go. You write out what you need to do, which I think should be done the night before but regardless, you think about your day, you prime yourself for what's going to come. That's an effective one, because then your decisions, your actions, should reflect that priming. You could have an evening review, which I do. I recommend this. This has been something that's been so helpful for me. It doesn't have to be anything crazy Like. An evening review for me looks like journaling.

Brett:

I love to journal. I journal about things that I'm thinking about, experiences that I went through that day or that week, and it just helps me understand where I'm at in life and with my goals, with everything. Journaling has been a superpower for me because it's like taking snapshots of my progress. So when those days of that self-doubt comes in, guess what? I can go back now years. But I can go back and see where I was when I began and then see where I am now, and that's a huge, huge benefit for me and I know it can do the same thing for you.

Brett:

There's this quote from Aristotle, where he says we are repeatedly what we do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. Can you be excellent every day? Can you work on that habit? Form it? Work on habit formation, like, be the best that you can. That's all I'm asking of you and that's all you should ask from yourself is how can I be the best that I can be?

Brett:

One thing that I think is like I would be sad if I didn't talk about this with this podcast, because you know you're thinking long term, you're trying to picture who you can become, but a very important thing for you to reach your goals is to be grateful. Be grateful for where you're at now, your circumstances, the progress you've made, the people in your life that have helped you get there. Just reflect on gratitude, because in the days where I feel like I have nothing like no progress made, I feel like I am experiencing lots of self-doubt, I don't have motivation. Whatever the story is, I always have an opportunity to be grateful. There's something in my life that I can always be grateful for, and for me it's simple, like I'm not going to bore everyone with the story of me being sick again, but every time I get up and I run. It's me celebrating the fact that I can, because three and a half, almost four years ago I was a shell, a shadow of who I am today. That kid who's stuck in bed, who's in pain and has no motivation to do anything because he has zero energy, he wants to do great things but can't because he has intense migraines, can't even look at screens, can't even look at light, who wants to start a podcast, who wants to be a runner, who wants to be strong, who wants to be in business, who wants to be married, that kid would be shocked to know who I am today. I'm not trying to be conceited, I'm not trying to hype myself up, but that 135 pound kid who couldn't run now runs ultra marathons. He's coming up on a hundred episodes of his podcast and is married to the girl of his dreams. It's a, it's sobering, to say the least.

Brett:

There were days when I was in that state that I didn't know if I was going to make it to the next. And uh, I did, because it's sorry, it's because I had that vision of who I wanted to become and I knew that it required a lot of work. And uh, I would just say to that kid be strong, don't give up. You got a lot in store for you. The same goes for you If you think you are at the lowest of your life right now stay strong, be strong, take one step closer to your goals every single day and be proud of the work that you're putting in, because you will look back, like I do, and recognize how far you've come and I'm just grateful.

Brett:

Like I said, gratitude is a huge piece in this whole thing. I'm just grateful. Like I said, gratitude is a huge piece in this whole thing. So what are you grateful for? It could have been a you know a previous life Like like you could have had a situation like mine. It could have been worse than mine. There are people who have worse situations than what I went through, but everyone has the opportunity to grow if they make it, if they make that opportunity for themselves.

Brett:

And growth is hard. You know I talk about where I came from being 135 pounds to being 195 now. So I've gained 60 pounds, mostly muscle boom. But so much work has gone into that. I've had to lift, I've had to eat so much, I've had to run, I've had to recover and stretch and go through all these crazy protocols to make my health good, and I'm just grateful, like this has been a journey and it's one that I'm proud of that I was able to brush myself off when the dust settled on me and push forward, even when I had no idea where I was going.

Brett:

With this, with running, with the podcast, with my job, you just got to take a chance on yourself sometimes, and that's probably the biggest thing I would say is have the vision, understand where you want to get to with that beginning or beginning with the end in mind, and just learn as much as you can while you're doing it and be grateful along the way. I'm such a baby man. I just got super emotional. I apologize, but really I feel so grateful for where I've been and for where I am now. It just gives you perspective on life. Beginning with the end in mind isn't a mindset, it's a way of life. It helps you imagine and navigate challenges, stay grounded and keep moving forward. It keeps moving you towards the person that you want to become. Remember, you don't have to figure it out all today. All you have to do is start small. You stay consistent and trust the process. A year from now, you will be amazed at what you've done, if you're doing the right things.

Brett:

This week again, take five minutes to write down your long-term vision. I would say more than that, but if five minutes is all you got, write down what you can. Then identify one small action today that moves you closer to that goal. Share your progress with me or with someone else. I would love to hear about it. You can shoot me an email on my website, you can send me a DM at bcrossel, on Instagram and X, whatever, but do something today that pushes you in the way of your goals. You'll get there. It only happens, though, if you start now. As always, keep getting after it, my friends. I'll see you in the next one, take care.