Still Peaking: May 2025

Mike Enos
May 7
5 min read

Updated: May 8

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

In this issue:

Challenge of the Month: Gratitude Gains
Don’t Think, Just Do: Rewrite the Story, Rewrite the Outcome
Green & Growing: Your Peer Group is Your Future
Hero Spotlight: Paul’s Ultra Reset

Let’s dive in.

Challenge of the Month: Gratitude Gains

Each month, I offer a simple challenge to help you build momentum and test new habits.

This month? Gratitude journaling.

Wait…don’t roll your eyes just yet.

If you’re like me, journaling might sound a little woo-woo.

But here’s the truth: I’ve tested meditation, visualization, and positive self-talk in past challenges and they all help. So now, I’m giving this a shot.

No candles or spa music required. Just a three-minute daily habit that might rewire your brain.

I kept hearing about it. People swore by it. Then I saw a LinkedIn post last week that said: “Gratitude journaling changed my life.” So, I dug into the research.

Here’s what I found. In a landmark study, researchers from University of California, Davis and University of Miami had participants write down five things they were grateful for each week. After 10 weeks, they reported higher life satisfaction than those who focused on hassles. They also exercised more and reported fewer physical complaints. Here is a link to the study.

Why? Because gratitude changes what your brain notices. You stop scanning for problems and start spotting the good stuff. Over time, this builds emotional resilience, optimism, and a better baseline mood.

May Challenge: Write down up to five things you’re grateful for each day, for 30 days. Keep it simple but be specific. Do it before bed or with your morning coffee.

Sidenote: These mini-challenges work for a reason. As neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff explains in Tiny Experiments, small actions make it easier for the brain to get started, build momentum, and boost confidence through quick wins.

Don’t Think, Just Do: Rewrite the Story, Rewrite the Outcome

Each month, I highlight a moment where getting out of your head and taking bold action makes all the difference.

Here’s mine.

As a kid, I watched Ironman races on Wide World of Sports and thought, Someday, I want to do that.

Then life happened. Decades passed. And limiting beliefs piled up:

Too old. Too busy. Not built for endurance. Can’t swim well.

I accepted that story and nearly let go of the dream.

Then in December, something shifted. I made the call: I’m doing an Ironman.

What changed?

I stopped telling myself why I couldn’t and started believing I could.

I chose to rewrite the story.

That’s growth mindset in action: the belief that we can improve with effort, time, and the right strategy.

In January, I could barely swim 2 minutes without stopping.

Now, I can swim nonstop for 90 minutes.

The biggest transformation wasn’t physical. It was mental.

Early on, when I was still struggling in the pool, I’d send videos (like the one below) to my friends saying, “I am a swimmer.” And, “I love swimming.”

It wasn’t true yet but I kept saying it until it was.

When we change how we talk to ourselves, we change what we believe is possible.

What’s something you’ve talked yourself out of?

Challenge the belief. Rewrite the story.

Don’t think, just do.

Green & Growing: Your Peer Group Is Your Future

You’re either green and growing or ripe and rotting.

If you’re serious about growth, you need the right peer group.

Your circle isn’t just a mirror. It's a crystal ball. It reflects who you are and who you’re becoming.

Back in the day, when I helped boards set pay levels for executives, my first task was to build a “peer group”: 15 to 25 comparable companies to benchmark pay. Most wanted fair comparisons. But some aimed higher, choosing bigger, better-paid companies. Why? Aspirational benchmarks raise the bar and the potential reward.

The principle applies to life, too: your peer group matters.

It shapes your habits, standards, and identity.

We rise faster around people who are ahead of us...more disciplined, focused, courageous. Just being near them lifts your game. In fact, one workplace study found that sitting near a high performer boosted productivity by 10%. Sitting near a low performer dragged it down by up to 30% (check it out here). Proximity matters.

But growth doesn’t just come from excellence...it comes from difference. People who think, live, and work differently don’t just improve your performance; they expand your perspective.

For years, my peer group was coworkers I’d known for nearly two decades. Smart, driven, but mostly like me. Then I left my firm, enrolled at Stanford, and suddenly my circle changed: different countries, industries, beliefs. That diversity reshaped my idea of what a peer group could be.

Now, I build them intentionally:

A fitness crew (some half my age).
A talented coaching group helping me grow my business.
A diverse accountability team keeping me on track.
A group of authors pushing me to finish my first book.

Each group lifts a different part of me. I don’t rise alone.

So take a look around:

Who’s ahead of you?
Who pushes you to level up?
Who helps you think bigger?

If your current circle doesn’t stretch you, it’s not your future...it’s your past.

Choose growth.
Choose challenge.
Choose peers who pull you forward.

Because who you’re with shapes who you become.

Hero Spotlight: Paul’s Ultra Reset

When Paul signed up for an executive coaching session with me at Harvard Stadium last fall, he said, “I have no business fitness-wise being here.”

He was in a self-described rut...physically and professionally. But something in him said yes.

We spent the morning climbing stadium stairs and talking about life...goals, dreams, habits, and values.

Paul is a gifted athlete but had fallen out of shape. He struggled to climb the stairs without getting winded and said "I thought I was going to die". Yet when he talked about his past athletic achievements, he lit up.

That day, I challenged him to set a bold physical goal for the next six months. He picked the Catamount Ultra Marathon on June 21, 2025...a brutal 50K trail race in the woods of Vermont.

At the time, he called the idea “ridiculous.”

Five months later, Paul is a different man:

He skinned up Mount Snow and Stratton 30+ times this winter. ("Skinning" means climbing up a mountain with your skis and poles.)
He runs for distance regularly.
He’s returned to climb Harvard Stadium five times...including once with his daughters.
He lifts four days a week.
He fuels his body for exercise and stays hydrated.
He’s signed up for Ironman Florida in November and a Half Ironman in June with his daughter.
He even launched a fitness and nutrition brand to help others rise.
And, he has set himself up for success in June's Ultra Marathon.

His secret, in his words?

"I had to stop making excuses...setting the overly ambitious goal -- or BHAG -- was the start. Holding myself accountable was the next step. It was a struggle at first, but I got over the hump. Now I’m constantly looking for new challenges to conquer.”

Paul didn’t wait for motivation. He moved and the motivation caught up. From struggling through one workout to conquering mountains for fun, Paul shows what’s possible when we set big goals and hold ourselves accountable.

Paul, you’re this month’s hero. Keep climbing. You’ve only just begun.

Whatever you’re building...run your race. Start your experiment. Level up your peer group. Keep going. You’re still peaking.

Best,

Mike