I used to live in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico full-time - year round. If you’ve never been there in the dead of summer it can (and often does) get up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (~27 Celsius) before 6 AM. Add to that, humidity like a constant heavy wet blanket weighing on you at all times and you can understand why running in Cabo in the summer can be a daunting task. I would often get up before sunrise for my 3 mile run and try to get back to our beautiful air conditioned condo before I was caught out in the heat. On one particular morning I clearly wasn’t going to make it. But I pushed ahead anyway.

Just Do The Thing

That is what this post is about. Doing the thing anyway. Even when it’s hard. Even when you think you won’t make it or it won’t be perfect.

I started running and working out when I was 16. It instilled in me a sense of discipline. The kind that keeps you moving toward your goals even when you don't want to. Some mornings I don't feel like working out. I'm tired and sometimes I just don't necessarily want to put in the effort. But discipline always wins out, and it's during these times I tell myself, what I have been telling myself since I was 16 - "consistency is more important than perfect."

Here's the thing about discipline, it carries over to lots of other things as well. Like when I am trying to learn a new programming language. I started working with Python recently. I had Gen. AI put together a simple project for me to code to further my learning. I'm overwhelmed. My insecurities come up. And this voice inside me starts to pipe up telling me, "This isn't really necessary. . .," "Why learn Python?" "You're not a real dev anyway." You know the one? That hater. The critical inner voice that makes you question everything. Discipline helps me ignore it. Helps me when I think I need to be perfect. Discipline says, "Just start. Just take off a little piece at a time. It's ok to go slow. It's ok to not get it all exactly right the first time." So I move forward and I learn.

Discipline Nurtures A Growth Mindset

Discipline gives you a growth-mindset. It tells you that nobody does everything successfully the first time out. Very few do. It tells you everything takes time and practice. Patience and persistence. It tells you to ignore the trolls, and the negative ones who tell you "You're not technical enough," or "You're not talented enough," or "Your too out of shape to start that [insert physical activity]." Discipline inspires self-belief!

When we do what scares us anyway, when we take one small step after one small step, even when we are tired, even when we don't feel like going any more - that is when we build self-belief. The idea that no matter what happens I can figure it out. I can learn. I can grow. I may not be perfect and that is ok. I can achieve my goals - whether they be fitness goals, or career goals.

Discipline with Discernment Is Key

It’s important to understand that while discipline is powerful, it’s just as crucial to pay attention to your gut. How do you feel about a given situation or challenge?

For me, I may not always want to work out or learn something difficult, but I know that when I do, I feel good afterward. That kind of discipline energizes me, builds confidence, and aligns with who I want to become.

However here’s where things can get us twisted: we sometimes confuse discipline with self-sacrifice. With constant hustle. With perfectionism. We start believing that if it doesn’t feel like suffering, we must be doing it wrong. Total b.s. - nothing requires that it has to be that way.

If you consistently find yourself dreading something… If you’re running on empty, uninspired, and dragging yourself through it day after day… If doing the thing never makes you feel better in the long run…

Then it’s time to look deeper.

We all have an internal compass — that subtle knowing that tells us whether we’re moving in the right direction. When we’re constantly stressed, unmotivated, and disconnected from joy, that compass is usually screaming at us: You’re off course.

It’s worth asking: Is the thing I’m making myself do actually in alignment with the life I want? Or am I clinging to it out of fear, guilt, or some outdated belief about what I “should” be doing?

Show Up For What Matters

At the end of the day it's about showing up for the things that matter to you! Even when they are hard. Even when it looks like it's not working. Even when you are tired. Because they align with who you want to become.

You don't have to suffer to grow. The magic happens when you learn to tell the difference between resistance that is helping you stretch and resistance that's telling you to pivot. Tune in. Stay consistent. And always, always honor what feels good because it is right for you - not just because someone else told you that is how it gets to be.

That is how you build not just success in your career, but in a life that actually aligns with how you want to live.

*The actual photo from that hot AF morning run in Cabo: