Still Peaking: April 2025

Welcome back to Still Peaking, the newsletter for those who believe growth has no finish line.

In this issue:

• Challenge of the Month: The Strength in Asking for Help

• Don’t Think, Just Do: Share Your Edge

• Green & Growing: The Arrival Fallacy Trap

• Hero Spotlight: Ben – The Sherpa Mindset

Here we go!

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Challenge of the Month: The Strength in Asking for Help

Each month, I offer a simple challenge to help you test new habits and make meaningful changes.

This one can help you get what you want...and increase your power.

One of my clients recently told me this: "If my house was on fire, I still wouldn't ask for help. I'd say, 'I got this'."

It was a joke...but it wasn't.

A lot of us struggle to ask for help even when we need it. I've been there.

I recently signed up for a race in Boston that benefits a great cause. To participate, you have to fundraise at least $450.

My first thought? Just pay the $450 myself and move on.

But I decided to post about it on Facebook and something wild happened. Money started rolling in. From family, yes, but also old friends, colleagues, even people I hadn’t spoken to in years. I doubled my goal in a single day.

It hit me: people want to help. That moment and the recent outpouring of support I’ve received professionally from people across the globe has been humbling.

So I got curious, why don't we ask for help more often?

Turns out, we’re wired to underestimate how willing people are to help.

In the study “If You Need Help, Just Ask”, Columbia researchers had participants request small favors from strangers...like borrowing a phone or asking for directions. (Link to study, ​here​.)

The results: People thought they'd need to ask twice as many people as they actually did to get a yes. In other words, we assume rejection is the norm when in reality, it’s the exception.

The takeaway? Most people want to be helpful. Fear of imposing or being seen as needy stops us from reaching out, even when others are happy to lend a hand.

So here's the challenge for April: This month, ask for help at least four times...whether it’s for advice, support, an intro, or a hand. Don’t assume rejection. Assume generosity.

What You’ll Gain: Support. Connection. Opportunity. Going solo isn’t strength. It's a limitation.

Bonus Insight: In Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t, Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer opens with Rule #1: Get out of your own way.

Too often, we let pride, fear, or perfectionism block progress. We think asking for help shows weakness. But in reality? It shows wisdom. Power doesn’t come from doing everything alone. It comes from knowing when and how to enlist others.

So, ask for help. See what happens. Remove your biggest obstacle… you.

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Don’t Think, Just Do: Share Your Edge

We all get fired up to do something... until we overthink it and talk ourselves out of it. That’s why I love this mantra: Don’t think, just do.

I get a company newsletter from a consultant at a prominent firm. It’s full of smart, insightful articles. But here’s the thing…none of them are his. All repurposed.

So lately, I’ve been replying with the same question: “Great article. When are you going to write your own?”

A playful jab. But with purpose.

Because while I enjoy what he sends, I’d be way more likely to recommend him if he was the thought leader, not just the messenger.

Reposting company content doesn’t build your personal brand. It doesn’t separate you from the pack. It doesn’t make you a thought leader.

So, this month’s Don’t Think, Just Do is simple: Share your edge.

Write the article, blog, or book. Speak your take. Share your experience. If you’ve learned something valuable, are excited about it, and it can help others, put it out there.

Your insights. Your voice. Your words. They matter.

Stop playing small. Stop living in the background.

Don’t think, just do.

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Green & Growing: The Arrival Fallacy Trap

We are either green and growing or ripe and rotting.

This next lesson hit me hard.

Last week, I caught up with a former colleague and we got to laughing about the early days at our old firm. I told her, “I was in it to win it.” She cracked up, because she knew...my intensity back then was next level.

I love to compete. I chase goals like a Pitbull. It's how I am wired and that will likely never change. But here’s the truth: winning can feel empty if you don’t enjoy the process.

For years, I thought success would lead to happiness. But it rarely did. I’d hit a goal… and still feel meh. The highs faded fast. I’d move the goalpost and start chasing the next one.

Sound familiar?

That’s the arrival fallacy: the lie that happiness waits on the other side of achievement. But the feeling is fleeting. The finish line always moves.

Careers. Money. Fitness. Education. Relationships. It’s everywhere.

External wins don’t guarantee internal peace. Fulfillment comes from who we become in the process, not just what we achieve.

So, I have been working on flipping the script:

Joy first. Success will follow.

Growth over trophies.

My current journey? An Ironman. Sounds nuts, I know. Race day is July 20th. Do I want to finish? 100%! But I’m not attached to the outcome. I’m all in on the journey. After just three months of training, I ran 14 miles this weekend, swam over a mile, and biked 70. Increased discipline. New friendships. More grit. Stronger mind. I’ve already won.

How about you? Where in your life could you focus more on the journey and less on the finish line?

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Hero Spotlight: Ben – The Sherpa Mindset

I love a success story...and even more, I love when someone defines success their way.

Meet Ben. A successful, 50-something executive and entrepreneur who reached out a few months ago wanting to build a more balanced, intentional life. One that fuels his body, mind, and purpose.

His approach? Becoming a SHERPA: Support, Help, Energize, Resource, Power, Advise.

Here is how he lives it and is transforming his life:

• Journaling, meditation, and creative writing each morning before he serves others.

• Studies his sleep patterns and prioritizes high-quality rest.

• Limiting alcohol to sharpen focus and performance.

• Spending time outdoors to recharge.

The Result?

Ben is mentally sharper, physically stronger, and more focused on what truly matters.

In Ben's words, "I’m excited about the outcomes so far. Physically, I feel strong and my health data looks to be the best it has in years. Mentally, I am able to focus on things I want to improve without anxiety about them."

Inspiring. Way to go, Ben!

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Still Peaking

That’s a wrap for April. Hope something here made you think, moved you to act, or gave you a new lens.

If you take on one of the challenges, I’d love to hear about it.

Until May. Stay green. Stay growing (so apropos for spring, right?).

— Mike