You never need to get ready if you’re always ready. It’s one of the few internet tropes that actually carries weight with its words.

How real does it feel thinking about your first time back at the gym after months off? That pit in your stomach, knowing what it’s going to feel like to step back onto the treadmill. Or the shame of grabbing a 10-pound dumbbell instead of a 25.

How easy is it to blow off a class after a long vacation with the excuse, “I just need to get caught up first”?

Hard work is uniquely relative to us as individuals. Working hard can mean running 50 miles a week to one person, and to another it’s running five. The key to success for both runners is consistency.

So rather than letting life get in the way of our goals (this metaphor, by the way, extends well beyond fitness), we have to give ourselves the grace to remain consistent, even if that means scaling back.

Staying in shape is easier than getting in shape.

Maintaining your home is easier (and cheaper) than repairing it.

Showing up consistently will always feel better (and easier) than starting over.

I’d like to take a moment to thank you, dear reader, for showing up for me in the smallest of ways.

I dreamt up and started planning 40 to 40 with about a week’s lead time. That didn’t give me much of a chance to consider just how Herculean this project was going to be.

Somehow we find ourselves on the back half of it with today’s content. Whether you’re just finding it, finding me, or you’ve been here from the beginning, thank you.

I’ve loved writing for a long time. I’ve loved content creation for a long time.

Finding a way to combine writing and YouTube in a way that aligns with my integrity has taken time.

It was mostly fear that held me back from starting, so I guess we do get braver with age.

Thank you again, and I hope you’ll continue joining me for the rest of the adventure.