I am re-learning a lesson I learned roughly 7 years ago.

In the summer of my junior year of high school, right after our baseball season had ended, I committed myself to doing whatever it took to become one of the best senior pitchers in the league. I had a vision, and every day I would go to work to accomplish that goal. In those younger years, I was admittedly a little too concerned with gaining other peoples recognition in the sport because I was always overshadowed by others. Combine that with a horrible “show” season where scouts come to look at college prospects and I was tired of being out of everyones view. So I went to work.

Every day, I would show up and focus on my mechanics, the small strength building exercises, my conditioning, and enter into the gym for early morning lifting sessions with our ex Olympia Lifting competitor now turned into a strength coach. Those mornings were the beginning of my developing obsession with strength training. Despite being sore, I knew that the soreness was bringing me a few steps closer every day towards accomplishing my goal.

I remember the grueling runs and having to dig deep inside somewhere to finish them. The worst part is already being tired before you start running. Sure you can get through the first half of what you are set out to do, but I am pretty sure there is a tank full of pure will somewhere inside of each of us that we can tap into when we need it. Those runs taught me a lot about myself.

Senior year hit. My time in the light arrived. I earned it, and week after week continued to prove that I deserved it.

Despite my arm injury that ended my season and started the demise of the rest of my baseball career, I learned a far greater lesson that I would be reminded of over this past month of training.

Greatness is methodically seized.

We are all given moments to shine in life, but many of us miss it or aren’t even prepared to answer its call. Since athletes are in the publics view very often, we see their moments of glory and celebrate those moments. But in all truth, those moments only happen due to their countless hours of preparation for that moment. They don’t know what the moment may be, they might be able to dream of it, but in the end they are putting themselves in the best position to seize that moment.

Today is an opportunity for you to prepare for that moment of glory. For me, I set a goal of 100 days of clean eating pushing myself in the gym, and losing 25 lbs as my moment of glory. Tomorrow will be one month of  getting after it, 13 lbs down, and a whole bucket full of momentum taking me into the next month. In my mind, I am half way towards my goal of weight loss and about a quarter of the way through my challenge.

When you can get yourself through the first few weeks of your own personal challenge, you end up being able to see the end goal a lot easier than you could at the beginning. Those who create goals for themselves and hack away at the first two weeks are showing the greatest amount of courage. Why?

Because they are taking a leap of faith and building their wings on the way down.

Having goals and going after them is one of the hardest things to do because we honestly have no idea what we are doing. Sure you can research, you can have a plan, you can map it all out, but there is something entirely strange about what happens when you actually start, and your battle plans go to shit. I think any General would tell you that as soon as you show up to the battle a lot of what you planned for ends up going completely south and you have to think on your feet in order to win.

Battle through the first few weeks, figure things out along the way, build your wings in the way down and come up with a plan for you that works consistently. Because success is about consistency. Doing things each and every day in order to achieve an end result. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Sure someone might get noticed and thrown into the lights where everyone suddenly knows them. . . but that didn’t happen all at once. Most likely, that person had been preparing for that moment.

This time in my life reminds me of that summer before senior year again. Knowing that greatness is methodically seized. Knowing what I want. Knowing precisely why I want it…and this time around, I am doing it for me.

Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project