Still Peaking: February 2025

​Read Time: 6 minutes

Welcome back to Still Peaking, the newsletter for those who believe growth has no finish line. Together, we explore strategies to break through limits, embrace bold choices, and live a life of purpose and intention.

In this issue:

• Challenge of the Month: Be and Do the Opposite

• Don’t Think, Just Do: Commit to Your Aspirations

• Green & Growing: Turning Big Goals into a Journey

• Hero Spotlight: Eric’s Story – Taking Back Control

Let’s dive in!

Challenge of the Month: Be and Do the Opposite

Have you ever read a book, learned something cool, but never did anything with it? Me too! That’s why I started creating monthly challenges. Too often, we read about something that could be helpful but never apply it. The challenge of the month provides an opportunity to experiment with new ideas and see what works.

This month’s challenge will help us break out of autopilot.

We are creatures of habit. This can be both good and bad. A habit like going to the gym has clear benefits. But when we repeat the same routines every day, life can start to feel stale. Sticking to familiar patterns keeps us comfortable, but it also prevents us from growing. Over time, we disengage from the present, running through the same motions without any variety or excitement. Our experiences become predictable rather than invigorating, limiting our ability to fully engage with life.

So how do we break free? By experimenting with our behavior.

The Research: A study titled A Psychologically Rich Life: Beyond Happiness and Meaning suggests that a fulfilling life isn’t just about happiness or meaning—it’s also about variety, novelty, and breaking out of routine to create richer experiences. People who introduce new and challenging experiences into their lives tend to feel more engaged and fulfilled. You can read the study, ​here​.

The Challenge: Once a week, dedicate a day and night to being and doing the opposite. Shake things up. If you always take the same route to work, take a different one. If you always eat the same breakfast, try something completely new. If you tend to be reserved in meetings, speak up. If you always stay in, go out. If you’re always social, take a night for solitude. If you lift heavy weights in the gym, take a Zumba class (gulp!). The goal is to break free from autopilot and actively expand your experiences. (Heads up: This will require a little bit of planning to work best!)

What You’ll Gain: A fresh perspective, an expanded comfort zone, and a renewed appreciation for the present moment. By breaking habitual patterns, you create space for spontaneity, creativity, and deeper engagement with life.

PS: Credit to Stanford University for this exercise. I took a course called Creating a Life of Consequence over the summer, and this opened my eyes to the power of variety.

Don’t Think, Just Do: Commit to Your Aspirations

We often get excited about doing something, but then we talk ourselves out of it. That’s why the Don’t Think, Just Do mantra is powerful. It helps us commit before excuses take over.

About 15 years ago, I talked to a guy who had hiked Kilimanjaro. He fired me up, and I was determined to do it. I did the research, found an outfitter, and even had someone lined up to join me. Then, I started thinking about work, clients, time away from family—all the reasons why it wasn’t the right time. I ended up not going, but my friend did. She got the experience of a lifetime. I got more hours logged at work.

Kilimanjaro never left my mind. Last week, I finally committed. In July, I’m heading to Kilimanjaro, and I can’t wait.

This month’s prompt: Sign up for something you've always wanted to do but have been putting off. Whether it's enrolling in a course, planning a trip, or starting a new hobby, take the first step now.

The Result? Momentum, excitement, and the beginning of a new journey.

Don’t think, just do!

Green & Growing: Turning Big Goals into a Journey

As I see it, you’re either green and growing or ripe and rotting. To continue growing, we need to push our boundaries, learn, and evolve.

A great way to grow is to take on massive goals. One of my biggest goals this year is completing an Ironman. On July 20th, I will be competing in Lake Placid with my son, Owen.

I have always wanted to do one, but like Kilimanjaro, never pulled the trigger.

The big reason? It seemed overwhelming: swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and running 26.2 miles—all in one day. Crazy!

Or is it? I’m a month into my training, and here’s what I’ve learned so far to move it from crazy to manageable:

1. Fall in love with the journey. This goal lights me up, and every day, I look forward to the workout that gets me one step closer. It’s not just about race day; it’s about who I’m becoming along the way. Whatever happens on July 20th, I know I’ll come out of this better.

2. Break it down into daily activities. Today, I can’t run 26.2 miles in one day, never mind biking and swimming on top of it. But this weekend, I ran 9 miles and biked 40—no problem. Instead of focusing on the enormity of the goal, I commit to daily progress. Small, intentional actions with gradual increases. I have a detailed daily plan for the next five months and will focus on executing one step at a time.

3. Accountability matters. I joined an accountability group that meets every Friday at 9 AM. They keep me honest, push me when motivation dips, and celebrate wins along the way. Without that external support, staying on track would be much harder.

Takeaway: Set a big, audacious goal that excites and challenges you. Then, break it down into small, daily actions that make it achievable. The magic isn’t just in crossing the finish line—it’s in the journey itself.

Hero Spotlight: Eric’s Story – Taking Back Control

This month’s hero is Eric.

We get so caught up in work that it quietly takes over our lives. And we don’t even realize it.

Meetings all day. Constant emails. Travel. Fire drills. Networking events. Glued to our phones at night, on weekends, even on vacation.

We are constantly on the go, chasing the next dollar and promotion.

It feels 24/7. And after years of this, the effects compound.

Until one day, it catches up. And you wake up wondering, What just happened?

Eric was worried about this when he started a new job. He saw how easy it was to fall into the trap of letting work consume his life.

Eric wanted to be intentional about not losing sight of what mattered most...health and his family.

He committed to one simple but powerful change: waking up early to exercise and make breakfast for his kids. A small shift, but it’s changing everything.

Because if you don’t take control, the cycle won’t stop.

What’s one small shift you can make today?

Still Peaking

That’s it for this month. What will you do this month to grow? Let me know if you’re taking on the Challenge of the Month or embracing the Don’t Think, Just Do prompt—I’d love to hear your stories.

Until next time, keep growing, keep doing, and keep living with purpose.

— Mike