Still Peaking: June 2025
- Mike Enos
- Jun 16
- 5 min read
Welcome back to Still Peaking, the newsletter for those who believe growth has no finish line.
In this issue:
A 30-day visualization challenge to rewire your brain
Why detours can be better than the plan
The danger of chasing validation
A spotlight on the power of accountability
Let's get after it.
Challenge of the Month: See It, Then Be It
I offer a challenge each month to build momentum and test new habits.
This month: Visualization.
Quick side story: I studied sport psychology in grad school years ago. It was still an emerging field. My thesis explored how college coaches viewed sport psychology...and I found out that most weren’t using it. That’s when I realized I needed a new career!
But one insight stuck: If mental training works for elite athletes, why wouldn’t it work for the rest of us?
Here's a study that blew my mind:
Three groups of athletes were tested on free throws:
Group 1 practiced daily
Group 2 did nothing
Group 3 only visualized making free throws
Results: After a few weeks, Group 3 improved almost as much as Group 1.
Let that sink in. Mental rehearsal led to almost the same results as physical practice.
So, how do we apply this?
Stanford neurosurgeon Dr. James Doty offers a simple framework. You may have heard him on Mel Robbins’ podcast (Link here).
The visualization process:
Breathe:
Inhale: 4 seconds
Hold: 4 seconds
Exhale: 6–8 seconds
Repeat for 1–2 minutes to center yourself
(This will quiet the noise and get you relaxed)
Write: Define your intention in writing. It signals to your brain: This matters.
Read: Say it silently. Then aloud.
Visualize: Picture the moment clearly. Engage your senses. Feel it. Do this for about 5 minutes.
Repeat: Do this daily. Consistency builds new neural pathways.
Feel: Let emotion in...joy, pride, relief, whatever the moment brings.
That’s the June challenge: Visualize one meaningful goal or intention that's important to you. For 30 days, visualize and manifest it.
This month, I'm visualizing myself crossing the finish line of an Ironman.
What will you visualize?
Make it specific. Feel the moment. Watch what shifts.
As Doty says:
“The brain doesn’t distinguish between an experience that is intensely imagined and an experience that is real.”
Don’t Think, Just Do: A Detour Worth Taking
A "Don’t Think, Just Do" mantra helps me commit before excuses take over.
Here's how it paid off recently.
A few weeks ago, my friend Katie invited me to join her in a HYROX event in NYC.
If you haven’t heard of it (I hadn’t until recently), HYROX is a fitness race combining functional strength with running.
Right up my alley, but I haven't been training for it.
First thought? Nope.
(My brain was telling me "No" even though my gut was saying "Yes".)
I had a list of excuses:
It’ll mess with my triathlon training
I don’t have the time
It’s expensive
It's out of state
I’m not “ready”
But instead of saying no, I gave myself until day's end.
That night, I said yes.
And I’m so glad I did.
The event was electric. We competed hard, surprised ourselves, met new people, and left recharged.
The takeaway?
Sometimes the best moves are off plan.
And that's coming from a guy who thrives on discipline and routine.
Let’s be real. Nonstop structure can suck the life out of you. I've been grinding through triathlon training for months: swim, bike, run, repeat.
Saying yes to the detour reminded me:
Growth doesn’t always come from discipline
Joy doesn’t need to be planned
Opportunity can show up dressed as an inconvenience
Lesson: The next time life offers a detour, listen to your gut. If it says "yes", consider going in that direction.
Don’t think, just do.
Green & Growing: Motivation and the Empty Chase
Lately, I’ve been asking: What really drives us?
Here’s a story I am not proud of:
Years ago, after getting promoted to partner at my consulting firm, I bought a Land Rover.
Not for the off-road capabilities. It was a statement: “Look at me. I made it.”
It felt good... for about a minute.
The truth? I wasn’t buying a car. I was buying validation. Trying to prove I was enough by flashing a symbol of success.
Hard truth I learned:
External motivation is an endless chase. The ego is never full. One milestone leads to the next… always chasing a moving, empty target.
Back then, almost everything I did was for money and validation.
(Reading this now makes me cringe. But it was real.)
Eventually, I shifted toward internal purpose.
I found fulfillment in my Chief People Officer role, shaping culture and helping people grow.
I felt it again leading a business unit. And I feel it now, building my firm and coaching leaders.
Here’s the nuance I wish I’d learned earlier:
Money is great. It buys freedom, options, and experiences. It can also buy a Land Rover.
But if money and validation are all you’re chasing? They’ll hollow you out.
That’s a trap.
And, the more money you make, the tighter the golden handcuffs, especially if you’re miserable.
The logic becomes: “How could I give this up?”
But the better question is: “What’s the cost of not giving this up?”
Why this matters:
The success story many of us inherited is broken. It says your worth is measured in dollars. That “enough” is never enough.
But behavioral science says otherwise: When we’re driven by purpose -- doing things because they matter to us, not because they impress others -- we are most fulfilled.
So next time you’re making a decision, ask:
Who am I doing this for?
If the answer is “me,” and it’s rooted in purpose, you're likely growing.
If it’s for applause or approval, you may be stuck.
Better to be green and growing than ripe and rotting.
That’s the real climb.
Hero Spotlight: My Accountability Group
Back in January, I kicked off an accountability group with three others from my Stanford community.
It was the first time in my life I’d been part of a formal, structured group like this.
I wanted to test a simple question:
Do accountability groups help move the needle?
We each set big goals and mapped out our intentions.
Every Friday at 9 AM, we show up and answer one question:
Did you do what you said you’d do?
That one question has changed my life.
Six months in, here's what's happened:
Chapters are being written. Book launches are in sight.
Endurance races are being completed.
Careers and businesses are advancing.
Would we have achieved the same results solo?
No way.
The takeaway?
We overestimate what we can do alone. We underestimate the power of people who support, challenge, and push us.
A strong accountability group can be the difference between abandoning your goals and flourishing.
One of my teammates said it best: "While we all come from different backgrounds and cultures, we share one common goal: to grow beyond where we started."
To my accountability group: Thank you!
You have changed my year...and life.
Thinking about starting a group like this? Do it.
If you want help getting started, I’ve built a simple process that works...happy to share it.
That's a wrap for this month.
Whatever you are pursuing…
Start your experiment
Say yes to the detour
Find purpose
Visualize the win
Get on a good team
And keep climbing. You’re still peaking.
— Mike
Comments