Busyness is Our Enemy and Excuse

Pete reached out because he’s got a reunion coming up. Ironically, he’s ten years younger than me, and we both have reunions this year - my 35th and his 25th.

That makes Pete, 47. He’s at the absolute apex of BUSYNESS.

His kids are in HS and star athletes, thinking ahead about applying to colleges.

He works for an emerging tech firm in Austin, regularly putting in 60+ hour weeks. He was a Cav guy with multiple deployments. Stayed in 10 years and then got his MBA from Kellogg.

He’s really accomplished. A super-high-achiever.

He’s also really out of shape.

Like most 47-year-olds, he has some past injuries—a bad back, cranky knees from jumping off tanks and Bradleys, a wonky shoulder.

It’s been a few years since he’s worked out regularly. And his nutrition is sh*t. He doesn’t sleep well. Stress is off the charts. Travels quite a bit. Drinks more than he ought.

I empathize. That was my life 15-20 years ago. Not good.

He intrinsically knows this is unsustainable. Or worse, headed to a really bad and early ending.

But the trigger was the decision to attend his reunion, which is about six months away.

To use his words, “Paul, I just don’t want to show up looking like a bag of milk.” That gave me a chuckle. 😂

Whatever his motivation, I’m glad he reached out.

Like a lot of dudes, it took him a while to admit he needed help. Most of my brothers believe they can fix their sh*t on their own. It’s the whole DIY thing.

“I was an airborne ranger, I know what to do, I just need to be more disciplined.”

They rarely do. The sad reality is they’re too consumed with their own busyness to unf^ck themselves. The short-term result is stagnation. Long-term is horribly compromised healthspan.

So, Pete took a humble pill and DM’d me. Now he’s off to a strong start.

Do you have a reunion coming up? Is that the motivation you need to get going?
Whatever it takes.
Be like Pete.

Busyness is our enemy and excuse.

Be stronger than your excuses.