01/14/2026
Years ago, I thought the problem was discipline.
If I was more motivated…
If I wanted it badly enough…
If I just pushed harder…
But here’s the real-time story.
On the weeks when my calendar gets full: back-to-back sessions, team decisions, family commitments - believe it or not the first thing that used to slip was my health.
Not my commitment to the gym, but the other small practices that had a bigger impact.
The commitment to staying away from the comfort foods that made me "feel better." The commitment to my spiritual health. The commitment to my mindset, resilience and perseverance that was in me, but I let slip.
Not because I didn’t value it.
Not because I didn’t know better.
I know the impact of prayer, breathwork, sleep, white space on the calendar and clean nutrition on performance.
But knowledge didn’t protect me.
Systems did.
So I rebuilt around non-negotiable systems:
The right workouts for my body scheduled like a business meeting.
A hard stop at night so disrupted sleep isn’t negotiable.
A solid morning routine that starts without my phone and in silence.
And now, on my more challenging weeks, the ones that demand the most of me, I don’t rely on motivation. I stick to my systems.
The same thing is true in business.
You don’t rise to the level of your knowledge.
You fall to the level of your systems.
Your leadership system.
Your energy system.
Your decision-making system.
Your family system.
If your success requires willpower, it won’t scale.
But when your systems are aligned with your values, performance with peace becomes repeatable.
A question for reflection, where might you actually need is a better system?
Years ago, I thought the problem was discipline. If I was more motivated… If I wanted it badly enough… If I just pushed harder… But here’s the real-time story. On the weeks when my calendar gets full: back-to-back sessions, team decisions, family commitments - believe it or not the first thi...