Getting After It

157 - Back From the Break

• Brett Rossell • Season 5 • Episode 157

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I just got back from a cruise with my wife Ally, my family, and some friends. In this episode, I talk about what it felt like to rest, unplug, and try to shift out of “grind mode.” I share how tough it was to stay consistent with training and nutrition, and what it taught me about discipline when you're out of routine.

But more than anything, this trip reminded me why I started the podcast in the first place.

This episode is about the difference between “Get After It” and Getting After It. One is a start. The other is a way of life. If you’re in the middle of your journey—or feel like you’re starting over again—this one’s for you.

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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.

Getting After It is for those who. want to silence their self-doubt. Refuse to be owned by comfort. Understand their limits are man-made and breakable. We live in a time of constant comparison. Social media drowns us in highlight reels and overnight success stories. But what most people don’t see is the grit behind it all. The reps. The quiet mornings. The sacrifices. The failures.

You are just getting started. Keep Getting After It. 

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SPEAKER_00:

What an exciting time. What an exciting time. I'm back. We are so back, guys. I missed you all. I missed doing this. And I am glad that I'm finally able to sit back down and record another episode of Getting After. It's about freaking time, guys. So, welcome back to the show, my friends. I am very happy to be here. And um, yeah, I'm back in more ways than one. Where was I? Well, I um actually let me start with a little story. Last Christmas, 2024, my parents surprised all our um my you know, the brothers and the brothers in the family and their wives with a cruise to wherever we wanted in um the next year. So 2025, we didn't know where we were going, but my parents were like, hey, well, let's all grow go on a cruise. And I don't know, it was one of those things that like never felt like it would come, you know. Um, I don't know if you've ever had anything like that, but like we were all excited when we opened up the gifts, and I was like, oh man, this is gonna be so cool. And kind of put it on the back burner, and then all of a sudden, boom, cruise time shows up. So it was a lot of fun. Um, and I'm glad I was able to go. But this episode I want to do something a little bit different because I want to explain what happened on the cruise, the things that I was able to do uh a little bit, and talk about how I was able to get after it still uh to the best of my ability. It was harder than it normally is, uh, and I'll get into that. But the other part of what I want to talk about today is some lessons that I learned and a realization I had while I was on the cruise about getting after it. And let's just start at the beginning because I think that's a a fair place to go. So we uh ended up going to Fort Lauderdale, excuse me, which is where our cruise is gonna depart, and we were gonna go to the Caribbean. So the schedule was we had two days at sea. We went to St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Thomas, and finally the Dominican Republic was our last stop, and then another day at sea to get back. So a lot of time on a boat, and I've been on one cruise before. I was not the most fun to be around. I think it's because I was very stressed, and unfortunately for Allie, uh, it was our honeymoon. So I still apologize for that, Al. Sorry, I was uh butthead on that trip. But cruises, I was like, okay, these are not my thing because it goes against kind of everything I talk about. Like you go on these things, you indulge, you relax so much. Um, you kind of take time away from your routine. And I'm not someone who likes to do that. I am very strict in my routine. Like, I want to make sure I'm always able to do the things that I won't want to. Um, and that includes getting after it. Like, that's very important to me to be able to find ways I can continuously get after it. And on a cruise, that's hard to do because you're surrounded by temptation. Like all these, you go up to the buffet, and it's like, okay, you can get an ice cream cone, you can get some pizza, you can go make a nacho plate, see like all these different cheeses that they have. Um, they'd be whipping up like all these nice meats that you can just go and be like, hey, give me a slab of whatever that is. But um it was hard for me at the beginning to let go, like just to get into vacation mode. But what really surprised me is like once I did, once I was like, okay, you know, there's no escaping this. I am going to be on this boat, I might as well make the most of it. Time to get present, which is something I always try and go back to. Like, if I'm ever in a situation where I'm upset or angry or um anxious about something, like on a cruise, I always felt anxious. Uh I I mean I did fight these feelings a lot on the cruise, but like I'd feel anxious that there was something I was supposed to be doing that I wasn't. And you just like I had to let it go. I had to realize that as this was my reality for the next nine days, and I know I'm complaining about a cruise, but um it's very it's made to relax, and I'm not someone who does very well with that. So it was um hard at first, but I started getting the hang of things, and my goal for the week was just to see how much I could run. Um, you know, I have an ultra marathon coming up in two and a half weeks. It's coming up, oh, it's coming up, guys. And uh I still wanted to make sure I could run. And so I I found myself in the gym uh almost every day trying to run on a boat. It's difficult because as the boat rocks, it's kind of like you're going uphill sometimes, and other times it's like you're free-falling, and you're like, what is happening? Um, on top of that, it's rocking side to side, so you have to like stabilize yourself, and it's uh it's an ordeal on its own. Plus, this uh because we were in the Caribbean, it was unbelievably sweaty and humid and hot. So I was battling that as well. But you know, I just did what I can. And same thing with the buffet, like eating on a cruise. You know, you hear stories where people go on a cruise, they gain five pounds, other people gain ten. Um the real big hitters are out there gaining 20 pounds on a cruise. Shout out to them. Um, but I didn't want to do that. Like, I don't want to lose, or I don't want to gain a bunch of weight because then I would know I'd have to lose it. Because with an ultra marathon, like I'd like to stay leaner uh on the leaner side if I can, because the less weight that you have, the easier it is on your body. Uh just been my own experience. And so I'm trying to stay like I was trying to stay relatively lean on this cruise, but you go up there, and like I said, like there's all these desserts, and there's so much to indulge in and so much to try. Like you want to get your money's worth, right? So you gotta go over and just try every little bit of everything and get that French fry there and a chicken nugget there. Delicious, so good. Hot dogs, oh man. And that's the thing, it's like I realized you know, it's it's okay to not be perfect all the time. Um and I I feel like that's a trap that I often put myself in, and I'm sure many other people do too, but perfection is it can be a goal killer sometimes because if you're not staying 100% perfect with whatever you're doing, you might get discouraged. You might say, oh man, well, maybe I'm not cut out for this if I'm not able to um stay consistent or whatever the story is that you're telling yourself. But I think it's important to be able to just know that it's okay to be not perfect all the time. Human beings are flawed, our n we are flawed by nature. Like we always make mistakes. There's not one human besides Jesus Christ that hasn't made a mistake. And that's well, I guess let me backtrack. Jesus Christ was um half god, so he was the son of God. So I guess he technically wasn't a human. Um He's a demigod, maybe on Earth. I'm gonna get that wrong. I might get some some comments on that, but um, anyways, I wasn't perfect, and nothing happened. You know, I was expecting, oh man, I'm gonna wake up the next day and I'll be five pounds heavier. Nothing happened. Um obviously I wasn't going out of control, but every night, I don't know if you've been on a cruise, but at nighttime you go to the dining room and you have the same servers you do every single night, so you like are able to meet them and they're awesome. Like we met this guy named Nicola, he was from Serbia. That dude is the man. Um, he's now back home with his son, which is awesome. But Nicola, if you're listening to this, which I don't know how you would, but you're the man. Thanks for the service. You're your good friend. Um, but anyway, so you go to the dining room, they'll bring you appetizers first. You can order whatever you want, as much as you want. It's kind of ridiculous. Then you order your entree. Once you're done with that, they come over with another menu, and you're like, okay, this is what I'll have for dessert. Um, and I got one every night. Did I eat the whole thing every night? No. But did I take bites for sure? Um, and then after the dinner, we'd go up to the buffet to play cards, and we'd get pizza and melon and all this crazy stuff. I never do things like that. And so honestly, it was kind of fun for me to do those things. I wouldn't do it all the time because I felt kind of gross each day, but it was kind of fun. And surprisingly enough, I somehow lost 15 pounds on the cruise, so I think I was cruising wrong, but um, or it's just water weight, which is more likely because I drink about a gallon and a half a day to two gallons. So, anyways, I'm talking a lot about the experience on the cruise and and some of the things that like I try to do with getting after it. Um, I spent a lot of time reading, which is super nice. Like, that's something I I haven't been able to do a lot, and finished Project Hail Mary. If you haven't read that book, or if you're into sci-fi, I would highly suggest it. It's a fun book to read, great story. Um, same guy that did the Martian. So if you like that book or movie, you will probably like Project Hail Mary. Anyways, so had a great time on the cruise. I was able to make so many memories with my brothers, um, with my beautiful wife. Like, we had so many great times together, just her and I. Um, and it was amazing. Like, we we went to St. Lucia, it was our second excursion, uh, and we had like a four to seven hour boat ride, depending on how long we wanted to keep it. And uh it was just a private boat tour. This guy took us to all these different snorkeling places. I was swimming, um, I got down to 50 feet and saw things like lionfish, flounders, uh, needlenose fish, just cool things I've never seen before. It felt like I was in a nature documentary. It was pretty weird, but pretty cool at the same time. And so um that's what was cool is just like being able to spend that time. You know, typically I'm moving all the time, I'm I'm trying to stay busy, especially when I'm I'm working uh or doing things for getting after it. Like I always want to try and be productive, but on vacation, that's not the point. You know, the point's not to be productive on a vacation. Like I was sitting there reading for two hours with my wife in these little circle chairs, and from an outsider's perspective, you'd say that's not productive. But for me, it was like, oh, well, this is a time I rarely get. I don't get a lot of time with my wife because she is in Arizona a lot of days during the week, which sucks. We hate it. But some moments like that were like, you know what, it might not be productive, but this is I needed this. Like, I needed to be with her. I needed to spend time with family. Like I live in Utah, they're all in Arizona, and my brothers are my best friends. Um, I love my parents, I love spending time with them, and it's rare for me to be able just to go and hang out with them. And so I guess it was a big perspective shift for me to be able to just say, like, you know what? Yeah, I'm not gonna be doing my typical daily routine. I'm not gonna be out there running 10-mile trail runs. I'm not gonna be waking up at 5 a.m. Um, not gonna be eating as healthy as I normally would, but it doesn't mean I'm not I'm gonna have a bad time. Like, I'm gonna have a great time because I'm with people I love. I'm with uh my wife, who is my best friend. Sorry, brothers, but she's my best friend. Like she is so much fun, she makes me laugh all the time. Um, and it was just nice to be able to do things like that because I feel like in life, uh, at least for me, I will try and go from one thing to the next very quickly because I want to see how much I can get done throughout the day. And it's tough for me because you know, I talk about getting after it, I talk about all these things like be productive, always try and push yourself just a little bit better, which that is the the spine of what getting after it is it's just small increments that get you one step further towards your goals or to whatever you're trying to achieve in your life. Um, and so for me, someone who like talks about these things, preaches it, tries tries to live it as best as he can. Um, you know, it took me a while just to get used to that feeling of just hey, there's no schedule. Besides the days we had excursions, there's no schedule. So we just made it ourselves. And um I will say though, we did get a uh a get in after a hike in my wife and I, we were in Antigua and we met this uh taxi driver. Her name was Blondie. She was she was dope. Um she dyed her hair blonde, she had these blonde braids in a bun. Uh, and she's like, Yeah, Blondie, uh, I'll take you wherever you want to go. And we're like, Yeah, well, we want to go on a hike. Like, take us to a hike. And so Blondie's like hyping up this hike on our way there. We get there, she's like, Yeah, just go up this this mountain. It's the hike. And then you can go down to this beach when you're done. We're like, okay. So we went on this hike, it was literally like half a mile, but it was gorgeous. We saw like a great view of the island. Um, we saw the bay, and then the water there is unbelievable. It's just crystal clear. No, it's not even it is crystal clear, but it's like bright teal, like it's unbelievable. Um, but after the hike, like my wife and I we went down to the beach and we had the beach to ourselves for two hours, which was unbelievable. We're in the Caribbean, we're in Antigua, it's a beautiful sunny day, and it's just my wife and I on the beach. Like, that was one of my favorite memories, honestly, of the whole trip. Um, Allie might disagree, but like, because it wasn't that exciting per se. But I had a great time just hanging out with her and just sharing that little moment. So, um, but I want to talk about what I mentioned in the beginning with how I had a realization about getting after it. So, story time again. Uh, my birthday's the 27th of September, and we were on the cruise, we were going to the Dominican Republic, it was our last excursion day, and um honestly, I hate celebrating my birthday. I've always had a hard time with it. Um, and I don't know what happened, but for some reason, on uh my birthday, I woke up just cranky and upset, and I kind of let that stay with me for a good part of the day. But um my wife is patient and I love her so much for that. She understands me very well. But um, I tried just keep it a good attitude, anyways. So Allie and I we go up to breakfast and she's like, make sure you wear your getting after it shirt, which is the one I'm wearing right now. Um, so I wore that to breakfast and she was wearing one too. And um as we walk to the table to see my family, every single one of them was wearing a getting after it shirt. Um it was it was pretty cool. And my daddy wasn't was he was rocking a hat. Um and so it was just like kind of surreal because like it's always been a dream for me to have a brand that people wear, and um, I've always wanted to have a clothing brand, but getting after it's not a clothing brand. Getting after it is a community that aims to help people grow and achieve their goals. And the point of having a getting after it shirt is basically to say, like, hey, I'm part of this community. Like, I want to be part of getting after, I want to improve myself so I can live a better life, so I can provide better for my family, like whatever the situation is, that's what getting after it is, is continuing to improve until you can't, right? Um, which we're all humans, like we're not gonna get perfect in life, so there's always opportunity to improve. But, anyways, my whole family was wearing this these shirts. Then I get a text from my mother-in-law, and her um, or she was wearing a shirt, and so was her husband. And um it was just so cool. Like, all of a sudden, all these people were wearing my shirts. I'm like, oh, that's crazy. We go on the excursion, um, it was fine, it was it was pretty fun. We'd like hyped up waterfalls and whatever and swam in them. Um, it was it was gross though. The water looked like milk, uh, it looked like we were swimming in milk, so that was kind of gross. Anyways, we get back to the boat and Allie's like, have you checked Instagram? And I'm like, no. She's like, go check Instagram. Um, and I went to go run. She's like, go run, check Instagram and and come back. And so I open up my phone, and uh I'm getting butterflies thinking about it again. Um, I open up my phone, and there's all these people that not my not people, all my friends are wearing getting after it shirts. And they're not just wearing getting after it shirts, they're out getting after it. Like uh my friend Justin, he was wearing a getting after it shirt while he was trail running, and then um my friend Brittany and Derek and and Justin, they were all wearing them when they were on a hike. Um my friend Chase was wearing one, my buddy Michael, um, and his wife Sarah, who they they say they never run. Um, and they they have told me many times that they don't want to run. But they ran for the first time and they tagged us. And Michael and Sarah both made posts um just giving me a shout-out, which I know it seems little, but to me it means so much. Uh, my buddy Spencer, he wore his shirt. He was on the podcast. You guys know Spencer. Um, he wore his shirt when he was competing in a CrossFit competition. Like, awesome. Uh Dallin Shirts, he was wearing one too. And DJ Take 2, my boy, he was wearing one. Brayden was wearing one. Um, it was just crazy. Like, it was a dream come true, as weird as that sounds. And and I I know it's just like I'm I don't want it to sound like I'm boasting at all. I had nothing to do with this. This was all Allie. She planned this behind my back, um, and she's unbelievable for that. But when I looked at it, like they were all wearing the brand I dreamed up of in my head. And all of them were getting after it in their own different way, and it was the best gift I've ever received. Um because at the like it's not about the shirts, it's not about the shirts at all. What it's about is what it symbolizes to me. And people were telling me that they believed in the mission and they believed in me. And sometimes doing podcasts is hard because there's a lot of there's a lot of work that I do that I don't think people notice, which is fine, that's part of the process. I'm not trying to complain about that. I I knew that going into this. But it was almost like people were saying, Brett, you got this. Like, we love what you're doing, and we love the message, so don't stop. Which again is principle, those are principles I talk about all the time with getting after it, is you don't give up. Um and it's something I'll never forget. Just being there and having that realization that it's not because people were wearing my shirts. For me, it was more of people telling me that I believe in you, I think that you can do this, I support this, and I want to be a part of it. And it goes a long way for someone who has a dream. And I I guess the only thing I would say there is if there's someone who you know who's who has a dream similar to what getting after it is, it could be their own company or whatever, support them any way you can. Because it goes a long way. Like, I appreciate all those guys and and girls for wearing the shirts. Like, it's a message to all those those people. You guys are the best. You seriously not only uh showed me that you supported me, but you've given me a continue, like you've given me reason to continue with more vigor. Like, I want to put more into this, and I want to show people that they are in fact capable of doing so much more than they thought was possible. And it all starts with a chance on yourself. Um I also was thinking about the name getting after it. Like when I saw these shirts and I was like, getting after it's kind of a mouthful, but the name was intentional, and I'll I'll talk I'll tell you why. Um but I started thinking about I was like, yeah, it's a mouthful, but I was like, I wouldn't want to change the name because I I will there's a distinction I want to talk about. When you hear the the phrase get after it, that's a command. That also implies you haven't started whatever journey you're on. Um it's what you tell yourself when you're standing at the bottom of the hill and you gotta go up, right? It's a start line. But for me, getting after it is a way of life. It's not about hype and it's not about having motivation all the time. It's about showing up when really no one watches, when no one's there to cheer you on, like I was kind of talking about. Um it means you are failing, you're repeating, you're learning, and you're improving. And it's a cycle. And it goes back to that quote from Aristotle that you are what you repeatedly do, not what or not what you say you'll do. So your habits determine who you are. And when I started this podcast, I was a fraction of the man that I am today. I was I was trying, I was scared, uh, but I was willing to take the chance. Like I wanted to see what this could turn into. And I found out pretty quickly that once you start living this way, when you commit to the code, if that's what you want to call it, you realize that everything in life demands it. It demands your attention, it demands your focus, it demands you to be willing to try. It could be your health, your career, your relationships. Everything is on you to be willing to make progress. And they all require the same formula. It's effort, reps, patience, and belief. I would argue belief becomes before ability. So if we want to rephrase that, it could be belief, effort, reps, and patience. But it goes back to belief because when you have that patience, you have to believe that something is on the horizon. You have to believe that your work that you've done is worth whatever's gonna happen in the next few, whatever it is. But you have to have that belief. And the reason I don't want to change the name of getting after it is because I've said this before, but it is a lifelong endeavor. You don't just you're not getting after it once. Like you might be getting after it in a marathon, but your journey shouldn't stop there. Like you should be getting after it right afterwards, not not literally, like obviously, rest up, otherwise your body will explode, it'll blow up. Um but that shouldn't be your your peak. And if that's all you can do, great. Maybe try that. Or I'm not saying like you have to run a marathon all the time, I'm just saying don't stop. Like, why would you stop? You have already built up all this endurance, you're healthy, like why would you stop? Um and same thing with like your your endeavors, your personal goals, your beliefs, or your relationships. Like, if there's no progress in a marriage, it's gonna fail. Like, if you're not working to grow together, it's going to fail. And so getting after your relationship is continuous, it's gonna happen until you you die, really. Um, or you guys break up, or whatever it is. But um, you have to put that effort in, you have to put the reps in, you have to be patient with each other, you have to learn from each other, and you have to grow with each other. That's getting after a a relationship. With your fitness, getting after your fitness is always going to look like you know, some some seasons you'll be really good, some seasons you'll be pretty bad, some seasons you'll be good with your eating and in nutrition, others you won't. But you can't give up. Like, if you ate healthy for 25 years of your life, let's say you're 25 years old, you've eaten healthy every single year, you've done perfect. Why would you just throw it away to eat junk food and start to feel worse about yourself, to start feeling sick all the time? Like, might be a weird analogy, but all I'm saying is like that 25 years of consistency should not just be thrown away because you are tired of living that lifestyle. It gets tiresome. Like sometimes it is monotonous to be doing the same things every single day. But you have to understand that delayed gratification brings higher rewards than instant gratification does. Instant gratification just gives you a dopamine hit. It kind of scratches that itch a little bit. But delayed gratification, if you're able to get through something, like if you're able to train for a marathon for 12 weeks, and then you get to race day, that's when your delayed gratification will pay off, is when you cross that finish line. But that's 12 weeks that of patience. And so you can kind of see how you can you can understand this cycle in the different things that you do in life. It could be your job, if you're working towards a promotion, then you have to do your best every single day until you get that promotion. Who knows how long that could be? It could be four weeks, four months, four years. Are you patient enough? Are you willing to stay in it? By the way, if you're here's some career advice from Brett. If you are working towards a promotion and you're working four years for this promotion, you should probably find a different company to work for. That's all I would say. Um but I you know it's it's all about that continuous cycle of getting after it, which is why I want the name to stay as is. Because I don't plan on stopping. And you know, if I've heard David Goggin say this, like if he had issues with his knees, if he broke his ankle and like or got his legs amputated, he'd find something else. And I think that's the point is can you find something to challenge yourself? And when I was running on the boats or on the boat, it was hard, it's harder than it normally is to run. Um, because like I said, the ship varies, and you're going up sometimes or going down sometimes. But the important thing is like I tried to give it my best effort, and it was a challenge on its own. But every time I did it, you know, even if the mileage wasn't as high as I typically would go, I was still proud of it because I know the effort that went into it was was what I could give. And so understanding that side of things with yourself, like how much can you give? How much are you willing to endure? How good are you at enduring? How good are you at being friends with discomfort? Because that's the thing I've I've I've learned, and that's honestly the biggest takeaway from getting after it. From the podcast, from my fitness journey to helping other people, trying to help other people, I should say, um, getting after my faith, like the discomfort, sitting with the discomfort makes it so much better when you get through the other side or you learn whatever it is that you're you're trying to learn. Like, let me back up and explain this a little a little bit easier. So, like on a run, my body usually hurts. Like, not hurts, but it's uncomfortable, right? You're breathing heavy, you're trying to run, like sometimes you're sore and doesn't feel great on your legs, but you just try and endure, and you you have that conversation with discomfort where it asks you, can you take another step? And only you can decide. And if you can, and if you get to the point where you're like, okay, I'm gonna run five miles, and you get to the end of the five miles, you'll be proud of yourself. And that proudness, actually, I I'm not gonna be I'm not gonna call it pride. I'm gonna call it confidence because I think that's what it m more like is. Unless you are like if you get prideful about running five miles, like you're boasting about it, that's kind of embarrassing. But you should be confident in yourself, you should be proud of the effort that you did, but don't boast. Um But confidence is what I would call it. The confidence that that you can do difficult things, and I'm not just talking about fitness, I'm talking about everything here. If you push yourself in fitness, you'll learn that you can push yourself in other areas, and it kind of bleeds into everything. Um and so I thought about a couple things, and I want to wrap up with these two things, and it is the mission moving forward. What is the mission of getting after it moving forward? Where's this thing going? Well, I want this podcast to be global. I want my buddy Nicola in Serbia to be able to listen to this and and and feel like he can gain something that might be able to help him um in life in some degree. I want the brand to mean something when you wear it, like not. Just some kind of style, but substance. Like I want it to mean community. When people see getting after it, they automatically think community. And it's a symbol that you are someone who is working hard hard to improve yourself. And it's a journey, and you understand that. You choose hard things. And that you kept going when it's so much easier just to throw in the towel and quit. But even if no one clapped and even if no one bought a shirt um forget from getting after it, even if I stayed um even if I stayed as a tiny little underground show, literally, I'm in a basement right now, um, that only a few people heard, it would all be worth it to me. Why? Well, because I've become so much better because of getting after it. Better in really uh everything. My career, my relationships, my fitness, my health, and I'm not trying to boast. I'm just trying to be honest with you about what it's done for my life. Getting after it has literally improved my life. It takes effort, it takes commitment, but it holds me accountable and it forces me to live what I speak. I don't want to be a hypocrite, but I can completely say that this podcast has changed my life. And if you're still listening to me rambling right now, I hope you can say it's done something similar to you. Even if it's the smallest percentage change in your life. Like, even if it's the most subtle thing. But really, what I want people to know with getting after it is you have to believe that change is possible. You can change your behaviors, you can change your habits, you can change who you are completely. And it all takes effort, it takes patience, like I said. You gotta get the reps in, but it's possible. And I don't I'm not gonna flip around, but on the back of my shirt, I wrote the uh the getting after it, I call it the creed. Um, but really what it is, it's just basically my idea of uh what I want it to be, what I want getting after it to be. And I put it on the back of a shirt, but here it is. I'm gonna pull this up. Um okay. So I wrote this um June 17th, 2025. It's called the future of getting after it, but I call it the getting after creed. And as I read this, I want you to think about what I want the future of this to be. And I want help. I want people to reach out to me and and see see what they can do to make the movement go forward. I don't want the credit. I don't want the credit. I just want people to know that they can do more. And that takes a community of people helping others along the way to do exactly that. Like the reason I'm on here talking about these things is because I know it's benefited in my life and I know it can do the same to you. So let me jump into this. And uh I wrote it, so it might be a little colorful with the language and not swearing, but I mean like detailed. So, anyways, war looms. AI is rewriting industries, markets are chaos, and right in the middle of it, getting after it is rising. What started in a basement in Saratoga Springs is no longer just a podcast, it's becoming a movement, and not in some gimmicky influencer has a vision board way. I mean a real, grounded, no BS mission to wake people up and show them they've been sitting on a level of potential they've barely scratched. This movement is is about community, but not the fake kind, not the everyone's perfect on Instagram kind. It's a place for real people, people who are tired of living small, people who are chasing something bigger, people who felt the sting of fear, but lace up anyway. Getting after it is for those who want to silence their self-doubt, refuse to be owned by comfort, understand their limits are man-made and breakable. We live in a time of constant comparison. Social media drowns us in highlight reels and overnight success stories. But what most people don't see is the grip behind it all the reps, the quiet mornings, the sacrifices, the failures. Most people don't want to hear it, but I'll say it. Discipline, consistency, and patience are the keys, not hacks, not shortcuts, just hard truths. And hard truths shape strong people. The mission here is simple. Push yourself, help others do the same. What if an entire community lived by that rule? A world full of people showing up for themselves and each other every single day. That's the dream. And it starts with action. Whether it's your first marathon, your first gym session, or just getting out of bed and not quitting on yourself, that's getting after it. This isn't just about fitness, it's about changing your identity. Because once you learn discipline, once you learn to do what's hard when it's uncomfortable, it bleeds into everything. Your marriage, your career, your relationships, and your purpose. This lifestyle isn't for everyone. Not because they're not capable, but because not everyone's willing. Willing to struggle, to show up, to risk failure. But for those who are, this path will change you. You'll start to see yourself differently. You'll meet the version of you who doesn't quit, and you'll earn the right to be proud of who you've become. Let me leave you with this, my favorite quote from Teddy Roosevelt. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, who errs, who comes short again and again, but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who spends himself in a worthy cause, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. If that's you, welcome. You're in the arena now, and we're just getting started. Keep getting after it. I like to write. If I could get my best thoughts out when I write, so that's where that came from. But that is truly the mission. Push yourself and help others do the same. If I could speak to my younger self or to my future kids, I would tell them this. I would say, you're stronger than you think. But you'll never find out unless you try. And that's it. You just have to try. You have to try when it's hard, try when you feel small, try when no one's watching, try when it doesn't even make sense. And slowly, piece by piece, your life will change. If you're listening to this podcast, I assume you're a fan, you're dedicated to getting after it. So I want you to take this seriously. And I want you to think about this question. What's one thing you can do today that pushes you towards your goals? However small that might be. What's one thing? Think about that and take action. It all starts with action. Guys, it is good to be back. I appreciate you all listening to this. I am passionate about this stuff. I know that there's so many people out there who are just sitting on potential that they are they've yet to un untap. Like, there's so much out there. People are amazing. Human beings astonish me more than anything else. Like, yes, I love the mountains. I love the ocean. I love all these beautiful things that are in the world, right? I love food. But I think the thing that really just blows me away is seeing human beings do crazy stuff. Like Truett Haynes, David Goggins, Cameron Haynes, Andy Glaze, Sally McRae. Those are just people. Michael Jordan, can't gotta throw him in there. Kobe Bryant, like all these people, they do amazing things. But even like, you know, I think about my mom. I think about my sister-in-law Emily, who has two twins and a child, like doing amazing stuff while she's still training. There's people are resilient and they have so much potential to give. But you haven't, you'll never know until you try. And that's why I want you to take that challenge seriously. Just think about something that you can start working towards improving. And get after it, baby. It's life. It's what life's about. Can you get better? Yes, you can. I believe in you. And you're here, you're part of the community. So let's do it together. We're all in this together. But seriously, thank you guys for listening to this episode. Um it always helps if you leave a rating on Spotify or MP Podcasting, whatever, whatever you guys listen to this on. I appreciate you guys. I missed you all, and uh I'm happy to be back. Keep getting back here.