The Brave Blog
I'm documenting a year of being braver in my career, life, and faith. The goal is to write every day, and you can get a summary of brave stories by signing up for my weekly newsletter. Stories I'll share:Being brave in sales and growing a new consulting divisionTraining for a 100-mile ultra raceLiving authentically for Jesus
Scroll down for new entries and sign-up to get the weekly summary!Writing
Can writing be a brave act? Today writing and resting was the brave act for me.
1 brave thing: Thoughtful Writing
I published my weekly newsletter for The CL Thomas Fellowship non-profit today and it reminds me how writing for public consumption can be a brave act. I love the concept of Smart Brevity. This style of writing includes techniques to be short but not shallow. To write in bolded headlines for the skimmers and also to have supporting sentences for those who want to dive deeper. I try to implement this in my non-prift newsletter and here.
Why it matters. If I’m not willing to write thoughtfully, then this is a waste of time. I want to live a braver life, and on days like today, I think the brave act is to share how it’s not just living a braver life, but communicating with bravery.
My big thought reflection today was acknowledging tiredness. Rather than push through another online continuing education class where my mind was not rested enough. I chose to watch an inspiring documentary, listen to a business thought leader and start reading a new book. This fueled my tank and, I suspect, will help me live a braver life tomorrow.
Let’s see.
Justin
Check the Box
I wish I could say I do all brave moments with gusto. Sometimes, I’m just checking off the box of what needs to get done in work and life.
1 brave thing: Start Continuing Education
Part of my work launching Bull Benefits requires continuing education credits to be a licensed producer. This allows me to consult business owners on their employee benefits. I love consulting, strategizing, and making positive change. I do not love insurance. So there is some natural tension here. I needed a brave moment (for months now) and finally started my continuing education class.
Why this matters. Legally I cannot do the job role of “broker of record” without this designation and ongoing education.
Deadlines matter. When we have hard deadlines like those set be the Department of Insurance, it certainly shows how our behaviors are influenced. I think this is why journaling, setting goals, and having a purpose in life are so important. If we don’t set deadlines we default to the “standard life” deadlines which is no fun.
Sometimes being brave is just checking off the box.
-Justin
$100
Making a small ask in your pay when you are in control of your financial destiny doesn’t seem very practical. However, this is an experiment not into the practical life, but about living a brave life. Here is the story.
1 brave thing: Making the Ask
Sometimes my pride can get in the way of being brave. Fortunately, today was not the day because I asked and received an extra $100 monthly stipend. Let me provide some quick context here.
I had lunch today with the Co-founder and CEO of dooable health. He initially hired me as a consultant, then I became a partner in the business, and a couple of years ago, I was named President when the other co-founder transitioned out of the day-to-day operations. The CEO and I recently launched a new division of dooable health™ called Bull Benefits, which I am also President of and building out. My financial success is tied to the growth of both businesses, but I am primarily focused on the consulting work at Bull Benefits.
Why this matters. The idea of this blog is to nudge me to take braver actions. I wasn’t expecting to make this $100 ask, but it was the brave thing to do, and it rounds out the monthly net income:) I plan to help build a thriving employee benefits consulting business where I control my financial destiny. So it wasn’t really about the money. It was about making a habit out of making the ask.
I am a player/coach. There have been examples in sports where coaches also participate as players on the team. I am doing something similar in my career. I am a business operator and entrepreneur starting this new business consulting business at Bull Benefits. I also coach other business owners and entrepreneurs to help them create a healthy lifestyle while they build their businesses. I also “coach” others to become better providers through the CL Thomas Fellowship non-profit. I love that I’m getting real-life experience of trying to live a healthy, flourishing life while tackling the conflicting demands of growing a business. This makes me a better coach. Although my coaching capacity is limited, it is rewarding and helps me once again live a braver life as a player/coach.
Today was a brave day.
Justin
Cold Shower
Doing a brave thing each day includes even a brave moment on my Sunday “recovery day.” So, being a cold January morning, it seemed appropriate to test out the cold therapy theory.
1 brave thing: Cold Therapy
There are many rabbit holes to explore in maximizing my health and well-being. Some doctors believe that exposure to extreme temperatures can activate our body’s natural defenses against disease. Sundays are a recovery day for me, meaning no ultra training. A cold shower seemed like a brave enough thing to do on recovery day.
Why it matters. Beyond the potential health benefits of cold exposure, the concept of doing something hard and something you do not want to do each day makes a specific area of your brain larger. Athletes, overcomes, and those who achieve old age all seem to have this area of the brain enlarged. So doing things you do not want to do seems to matter from a recent podcast discussion on the Huberman Lab with David Goggins. Here is a link to the clip if you are interested. I find it very interesting that we can build this area up.
7 days in. Time to take a moment to reflect on the first successful week of the Brave Blog. I may not hit 365/365 but it feels great to start the year off 7/7 and be more intentional about having bracve moments and documenting them.
On to week 2!
Justin
Running 21 Miles
Running in the rain can be both a brave and enjoyable moment. And it allowed me to practice implementing some “Atomic Running Habits.”
1 brave thing: Enjoying a Long Rainy Run.
Training for my March 100-mile race got into a nice groove this week. My long run today was the pinnacle of the week, not only in terms of the number of miles, but the enjoyment of the process. It was a brave moment because it rained the whole time and, well there are always excuses on why NOT to go on a long run.
Why it matters. Long runs don’t “just happen.” It takes training, planning, and communication just to have the opportunity to go out for 3 hrs+ on the trails. This is a valuable lesson for me to remember in other areas of life. Big dreams aren’t just going to happen.
Atomic Running Habits. One of the ways I made my run more enjoyable was to listen to a couple of my favorite thought leaders on a podcast together: James Clear, author of Atomic Habits on the Dr. Peter Attia podcast.
However, I didn’t just listen to the podcast, I rewarded myself with the podcast. You may know that Atomic Habits is a book about habits and how to form them. James Clear has different strategies and techniques to help put the odds in your favor including having a reward for completing an action. So I implemented the Atomic Habit step of “reward” by telling myself after the first 14 miles I could listen to the rest of the podcast interview with Clear and Dr. Attia. I call this my atomic running habits. If you want to reward yourself to the same episode listen here.
The writing streak continues!
Justin
Hearing God
Hearing from God might be the most worthwhile goal I have this year. I invited my pastor over for a chat on the topic. Here are my takeaways.
1 brave thing: Speaking with God
In the Christian faith, we are told we can hear from God. I want to hear from God so I’ve been asking some big questions. What should be 40s look like? Am I living up to my potential? Am I person God wants me to be? To help me, I invited my local pastor over for tea for an intentional chat about these items.
Why it matters. What’s the point in being a Christian if you can’t talk with God? I could read books about other religions, philosophers, and good teachers. Knowing God might be the single most important thing we do during our lives. So it seems worth a brave moment to ask for help and seek advice in this arena of life.
4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice: this was what my pastor taught me on the topic of hearing God.
Stop- quiet yourself (Psalm 37:7)
Look- imagine you are with Jesus (Habakkuk 12:2)
Listen- be aware of your thoughts and pay attention to the spontaneous flow of thought
Write- journal any revelation and steward the words God provides
I’ll keep listening.
Executor
I finally completed my role as Executor of my Uncle’s estate. Finishing any project requires bravery, especially when you face a loss in the family.
1 brave thing: Completing Executor Duties
My Uncle passed away in September 2021and I was named Executor. The estate assets were largely liquidated and distributed to the beneficiaries by the end of 2022. However, he official IRS waiting period did not conclude until the end of 2023. Tonight, I sent the final accounting statements to the beneficiaries. This took some courage to complete, but I did it to the best of my ability.
Why it matters. Legally and emotionally this feels like a big moment. I consider it an honor that my Uncle chose me for this responsibility and I have attempted to see it through.
I know what happens when someone dies. Paperwork and lots of it.
Cold Run
Training in the freezing January temperatures made today’s brave moment come early!
1 brave thing: Running in the 20s
My brave moment came early this morning. After sleeping in during the holidays, my alarm jolted my body to attention at 5 am. With the temperatures in the 20 degrees, it was cold, and it was time to train. From 5:30-6:15 am I joined my F3 brothers for a workout. Then, after the workout, I went on a solo 35-minute training run.
Why it matters. I proved to myself I could train in the cold weather. Because my next race is in March, I’ll need to be ready for a wide range of weather.
Connecting with friends helped overcome the fatigue. I was tired the rest of the day and did not have the same creative energy for work. I’m listening to the book “Why We Sleep,” which makes me painfully aware of how important sleep is to our lives and health.
Three for three baby!
-Justin