“You actually ought to get a brand new pair of sneakers,” Chris stated. It didn’t seem to be an enormous deal, but it surely jogged my memory of one thing greater: You might be your best challenge—and even small decisions form that challenge over time.
Now I don’t are inclined to spend cash on issues like sneakers or clothes all that a lot — that’s, except it has some type of that means to me.
I personal a Physician Destiny shirt that I wore throughout a private retreat final yr due to the symbolism. I’ve a black T-shirt with the image for Black Bolt on it that I put on once I’m making an attempt to be contemplative — Black Bolt is a Marvel superhero whose energy lies in his voice. Even a whisper could be damaging. I even have one other shirt that I take advantage of as a pyjama shirt – it encompasses a quote from Stranger Issues by Hopper: “Mornings are for contemplation and low.”
Carrying Intention: As a result of You Are Your Biggest Venture
The sneakers I’d been carrying had been trainers I purchased in Nashville throughout a convention hosted by my good friend Jeff Goins, writer of Actual Artists Don’t Starve and different books. The remainder of my footwear was comparatively clear — apart from two pairs of Gary Vaynerchuk-branded Okay-Swiss sneakers: “Clouds and Dust” and “Positivity and Optimism.” (I’m not large on hustle tradition — as you might have gathered — however there are parts of Gary’s message I nonetheless recognize.)
“The sneakers that you just’re carrying aren’t good for lifting. They’re tremendous for working, however not for weight coaching. You want one thing with a flatter sole. And if you could find one thing that works for each, even higher — particularly for journey.”
That recommendation got here from the aforementioned Chris, my coach, who had guided me nicely as much as that time. I used to be losing a few pounds, feeling higher, and getting fitter than I had in years. It was like the method of getting in form was enhancing the challenge that was… me.
So, I didn’t hesitate. After that exercise, I went to the mall.
I skipped the standard working retailer and headed to SportChek, a well-liked sporting items chain right here in Canada. I knew I didn’t want the most costly pair — that’s simply not how I spend. However I did need one thing sensible: sneakers that labored for lifting and the occasional quick run. I wasn’t making an attempt to be elite — simply match. My diet and routines had been doing their job. I wasn’t coming into competitions. The objective was sustainability.
Nonetheless, if I may discover sneakers that had been each motivating and useful? That will be a bonus.
That’s once I noticed the right pair.
The Rock, Motivation, and Momentum
I’ve adopted Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for many years — lengthy earlier than he hit WWE, again when he was wrestling as Flex Kavana within the USWA. So once I noticed his Venture Rock coaching sneakers on the shelf, I knew precisely what I used to be .
I wasn’t simply shopping for sneakers. I used to be shopping for into intention.
He’s been aligned with Below Armour for some time now. I bear in mind when he launched the Rock Clock — an app along with his voice waking you as much as “get after it.” At the same time as an evening owl, I discovered it motivating. (Particularly as a result of I’m not a 5 AM type of man.)
His signature Brahma Bull emblem — one he’s sported since his wrestling days — is all around the Venture Rockline. I grabbed the sneakers in my dimension with out hesitation.
Contained in the Field
Again dwelling, I put the sneakers to the take a look at round the home. Within the field had been a few stickers (one now lives on my journal, the opposite I mailed to a fellow Rock fan — hey there, Casey!).
However there was additionally a card. A message that stopped me in my tracks:
“WE ARE ALL A PROJECT. All of us have hopes, objectives, goals, and aspirations, and I’ve formally made it my challenge to assist as lots of you get after your objectives as doable. Let’s get after it and chase greatness collectively… Now let’s have some enjoyable.”
I’d at all times centered on course of — however challenge? That hit completely different.
The Venture That Is You
If you consider your self as a challenge, issues begin to click on. A challenge is complicated. It has steps. It evolves.
However right here’s the important thing distinction: Not like different tasks, you might be by no means actually carried out till you’re carried out. The one second your challenge ends is whenever you take your final breath. Your legacy continues, however the shaping of your story ends with you.
That’s why the method issues a lot. A course of that’s easy, versatile, sturdy, and sustainable offers you a stronger basis—as a result of you might be your best challenge. And it’s one thing I am going deeper into in The Productiveness Eating regimen — a information to shaping your relationship with time and output deliberately.
You received’t have the ability to management every part. However you can select to deal with the proper issues, persistently. And whenever you do? You cease simply checking containers. You begin checking the proper containers.
Progress in Movement
Am I carrying these Venture Rock sneakers proper now? Nope. I’m carrying Crocs, strolling by means of my neighbourhood, nonetheless engaged on myself — one step at a time.
- This guide? It’s a part of the challenge.
- This stroll? One other half.
- Shopping for these sneakers and utilizing them with function? Nonetheless one other.
Some methods of engaged on your self will probably be simpler than others. Some will demand extra power and bounds than you anticipated. However if you would like higher outcomes, you’ll want higher methods.
You’ll want clearer filters, extra significant connections, and a deeper understanding of what productiveness — or productiveness — means to you. And that definition? It’ll shift as you do.
The Rock, Jeff Goins, and the Evolving Self
Have a look at The Rock: a soccer participant who known as himself “mediocre,” a wrestling icon who levelled up with craft and consistency, and now one of the recognizable folks on the planet. He’s grown by means of course of — and thru the assumption that he himself is a challenge value constructing.
(And albeit, extra folks now know him as Dwayne Johnson than The Rock.)
One other nice instance? Jeff Goins.
For years, Jeff was a public-facing author and instructor. His weblog, books, and his convention helped numerous creatives (myself included) discover readability and function. That model of Jeff had an actual influence.
However over the previous few years, he’s taken a quieter however equally highly effective path. He now runs Recent Grievance, an organization that helps others inform their tales by means of ghostwriting and editorial work. He’s nonetheless within the inventive world, however now he works from the wings as a substitute of the highlight.
Once we met for espresso in Portland in mid-2022, I may inform one thing had shifted. He wasn’t the “previous Jeff” in a brand new section — he had develop into the following model of himself.
So… What About You?
Dwayne. Jeff. Me. You.
We’re all works in progress. We’re all tasks.
And the one method to end your challenge with function is by setting your intentions — after which tending to them, repeatedly, as you develop. In any case, you might be your best challenge—and that challenge deserves your finest consideration.
As a result of nobody else can end your challenge for you.
That’s as much as you.