Think in decades

66 days. That's how long I've been running every single day. I've been training in endurance sports for less than a year, and this new streak isn't because I'm preparing for a race (even though I am). It's not about chasing a medal. It's about proving something to myself: consistency matters. Running makes consistency visible, mile after mile. What I've learned so far is this: one run won't change you. One decision won't define you. It's the accumulation, the compounding, the decades, not the days, that make the difference. So, while I'm only 66 days in, I'm working on building my ability to stay consistent because I think it's one of the most powerful ways to grow. And some days you won't be perfect. I've definitely had a few 1 mile run days. That's okay. Just as long as I'm lacing up my shoes. DECISIONS STACK LIKE BRICKS I recently listened to the Oprah podcast with Shaka Senghor. Shaka said that Ben Horowitz once told him that success and failure aren't lightning bolts. They're stacks of decisions, good ones and bad ones, laid one on top of the other. I'm beginning to see it in my friends: * My friends who built a nonprofit around teaching kids to invest for the long game. It's been years of teaching, building, and now they've built something truly incredible. * Another who spent a year iterating and building trust before launching his company because that's what it required. Needless to say, that digging has paid off in the long run. * A training philosophy called funspan: optimize joy, not just today, but for as long as possible. Excited to see what this becomes because I know he's been working on it for a while. * A friend who is on day 1,500+ of running a mile every day. That truly blows my mind. I can't even remember how many days it is now. * Another friend that just completed a 100 mile race. The lesson? You don't arrive. You build. Brick by brick, step by step. A quote I live by is: "Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself." That's a Bob Dylan quote. DO HARD THINGS A founder I admire says it best: Do Hard Things. Graham Weaver puts it another way: if you want to live an asymmetric life, the things you want are on the other side of "worse first." Growth doesn't come from comfort. It comes from being willing to get uncomfortable, to run when your lungs burn, to launch the business when the odds feel stacked. Every mile teaches me something about endurance. Every uncomfortable decision in business creates growth. Nothing great comes easy, but the upside can be exponential. THE LONG GAME Weaver also talks about decades. The equation for returns is X = (1+R)^N, and the most powerful part isn't the rate of growth, it's the time horizon. Same goes for running. Same goes for building. Same goes for life. Running isn't about today's pace. Startups aren't about this quarter's numbers. It's about stacking small choices until they tower into something unshakable. Think in decades.