It's Been Awhile, So Strap In

In addition to practicing my own self-defined worldview of always finding good in 2025, there's another ideology I've leaned into in the new year: Stoicism.

Stoic philosophy was founded thousands of years ago by some of history's great thinkers. (If you're unfamiliar with Stoicism, the best resource for learning about it comes from Ryan Holiday, world renowned bestselling author and co-founder of The Daily Stoic. He owns a bookstore in Bastrop, Texas called The Painted Porch Bookshop and is more than worth the trip from anywhere in Texas.)

The Stoics lived by four pillars they believed should guide all human interaction: courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom. But an overarching virtue that encompasses stoic philosophy is the practice of focusing on what you can control while refraining from worrying about things you cannot. A newfound Stoic approach to life has made mine easier already. Considered the father of Stoicism, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, a venerable ruler amongst a long list of tyrants, believed fully in living a Stoic life. I've been reading his book Meditations every day this year.

I first started dabbling in Stoicism in 2013 when my friend and fellow triathlete, Edward Stephens, shared the philosophy with me. Then in 2018 I joined a community on LinkedIn called The Stoic Professional, which focused on providing tips for how to practice Stoicism in the corporate world.

But it wasn't until this year that I made the decision to intentionally practice being stoic every single day.

Many of you likely remember my intentions to run my first ultra distance trail run this year. My plan was to tackle the heralded Hoka Bandera Endurance Trail Run 50K on January 12. I even had my videographer, Chris, put together a hype reel for the race.

My training was progressing well leading up to the holidays, when all the sudden, I got sick for the first time in almost a decade.

I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and given antibiotics, but despite the meds I was bedridden with fever and a debilitating cough for almost two weeks. I finally started feeling better just before Christmas, but the damage had already been done in terms of lost mileage volume during what was supposed to be my biggest training block.

But I pushed forward. Roughly a week before the race I ran my longest training run of 16 miles. It hurt, but I still felt confident about at least finishing Bandera. Then, another wrench. A rainy forecast forced the state to withdraw the permit for the race and the event's organizers pivoted to their fallback location, which was more than three hours away. Doubts began creeping in about whether I should just back out and attempt my first ultra another time, but I still planned to toe that starting line.

Then, strike three. Wednesday evening, five days before the race, fever set in once more. Sick twice within a month after ten years fever free. Man plans, life laughs, I guess.

The race organizers don't allow deferrals to another event, so I got to watch my fellow runners start their respective distances from the comfort of my own bed, my 102 degree temperature only adding to the warmth beneath the blankets.

The Stoics would argue that you can't control the weather, and only have so much sway over your individual health. One way or another, life was telling me this past weekend wasn't the perfect time for me to achieve my first ever ultra distance race medal. The FINDING GOOD mentality reminds me there is always something to celebrate in any situation. Or, at the very least, something to look forward to beyond the tough ones.

I have big news to share with you related to the events of this past week, but you'll need to listen to the podcast to find out what that is.

I hope that 2024, in all its chaos, served as a year of growth and prosperity for you. If it was anything but that, I hope you remember you deserve nothing but happiness and peace, and while life isn't always easy, it's always worth fighting for.

I also hope that this year is your best year yet.

Despite being sick for one of the first two weeks of 2025, I am overwhelmed with excitement for what's to come, beginning with the launch of the pod.

There are many, but an evergreen goal for The FINDING GOOD Podcast is for it to serve as an easily accessible reminder of why it's important to (1) be positively selfish, (2) surround yourself with good people, and (3) leave the world better than you found it in this one life we get to live.

Through shared stories with my friends - including fellow authors, chefs, athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, C-suite executives, musicians, comedians, movie stars and plenty others - I believe you'll glean countless lessons from remarkable people who've faced life's myriad challenges and found good on the other side.

If nothing else, I promise you'll be entertained. Watch, listen, share.

Tell me: What are your BIG goals for 2025? And what will you do to make sure you accomplish them?