Why Doing Hard Things Is the Key to Growth, Confidence, and Long-Term Success

“The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow.” – Unknown

Let me tell you something.

Right now, as I write this, I’m in the middle of doing a few things I would consider hard: both personally and professionally.

Not because I have to. Because I decide to.

For 15 years, I’ve run my own sales and marketing agency. I’ve lived on the front lines: building brands, negotiating and closing national and international deals, driving revenue, and creating momentum. I don’t just talk about business. I execute it.

On the personal side, I’m a long-distance runner currently training for the Vancouver Marathon in a couple of months. I won’t sugarcoat it, the preparation gets harder as I get older (I’m turning 58 this year). Recovery takes longer. Aches show up uninvited. The margin for error gets thinner.

Beyond the sales agency and marathon training, I’m also building a coaching business structure with a clear intention: deliver high-value, effective coaching to startup businesses and the B2B sales community.

While many people in their late 50s wind down, I’m winding up.

While some shift into storytelling about what they used to do, I’m chasing personal bests: two full marathons per year.

While some shift fully into consulting or teaching, I still choose the big meetings and corporate accountability.

It’s one thing to talk about past victories.It’s another to push for bigger and better results today and tomorrow.

Who said we need to slow down? Who said we can’t run marathons, launch businesses, learn new skills, and expand in our 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond?

We are meant for something BIG, with purpose and meaning. And I believe we all have it in us to succeed at what we say is most important.

“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” – Frank A. Clark

The Real Question: What Actually Separates People from Their BIG Goals?

I’ve spent years observing people in business and life. There’s always something separating them from their hopes and dreams.

I’d love to say that hard work is the defining difference between those who succeed and those who fall short of their BIG goals. It sounds simple. It sounds logical.

But the reality is this: many people work incredibly hard and still don’t quite get there.

So if it’s not hard work… what is it?

To explore that question, let me walk you through what it actually takes to train for and run a marathon in your late 50s.

• Run 3–4 times per week (rain, wind, snow, doesn’t matter)

  • 40–50 km per week most of the year

  • 60–80 km per week in peak training leading up to the marathon

• Gym 3–4 times weekly

  • Cardio + strength training

  • Core development and muscle balance

• Clean nutrition: 

  • low carb, high protein, lots of veggies

  • Lots of water

  • Vitamins and supplements

  • Minimal alcohol

  • No sugar

• Long training days on weekends

  • 3+ hours of running

  • 3+ hours of cardio/strength training at the gym

• Target race weight around 165 lbs

• Protect lean muscle

As you can imagine, real sacrifices are required to pursue the ambitious goal of running two full marathons each year.

And as I get older, the challenges don’t decrease, they increase.

Recovery takes longer. Healing isn’t as quick.

There are more “body malfunctions” to navigate and train through.

And yes, there are simply more aches and pains than there used to be.

It’s part of the equation, and part of the commitment.

The Benefits of Doing the Hard Thing

Sounds tough? It is tough as f*#k.

But with that toughness comes, and I mean many, incredible benefits.

Let me share a few:

• It reminds me that I can still accomplish BIG things. I can’t emphasize that enough. We have to keep pushing ourselves to grow. Expansion doesn’t happen by accident.

• It keeps me deeply connected to my body. As a runner, you’re constantly checking in: your breath, your heartbeat, your stride, your arms and legs working in rhythm. There’s awareness in every step.

• It becomes a moving meditation. Most of my deep thinking and “aha” moments happen on long runs. It’s time alone with my thoughts and at the same time, the universe to see what’s what. It’s clarity in motion.

• It fills me with gratitude:

  • I’m genuinely amazed that my body allows me to do this. I don’t take that for granted.

  • I’m grateful for the time flexibility that allows me to train.

  • Grateful for the built-in GRIT that helps me find workarounds when injuries or setbacks show up.

• Running allows me to honour a personal contract with myself: my health is my #1 priority.

  • Every time I train, I check a box that says, I matter.

  • And when that box is checked, everything else aligns. My priorities feel balanced. My decisions feel clearer.

  • It sends a powerful message to my nervous system:

    • I am strong.

    • I am capable.

    • I am resilient.

• The ripple effects are undeniable:

  • Physically fit and strong

  • High energy

  • Sharper, more nimble mind

  • Better mood through natural chemistry

  • Clothes fit better

  • Confidence increases

• My work is more productive.

  • I work long days and need to stay mentally sharp.

  • I travel often, and this keeps me healthy and energized on the road.

  • I show up with vitality, and that energy carries into how I communicate and lead.

• My beautiful wife has taken up running with me.

  • She got high vibes from the experience

  • When I am not feeling it, I follow her out there and vice versa

  • We support each other in race events throughout the years

The Cultural Narrative Around “Taking It Easy”

I could go on about the benefits of long-distance running, but here’s the bottom line: I choose to do this VERY difficult thing not because I have to, but because I want to.

I genuinely get excited to train. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, some days are a grind. And when things get tough (because they always do), I adapt. I adjust the training. I dial in the nutrition. Sometimes I increase recovery instead of intensity. I don’t quit, I recalibrate. That excitement to train is what sustains me, and the benefits are profound.

Lately, I see a lot of messaging online about being gentle with yourself. That grinding out wins isn’t healthy. That pursuing MORE is misguided. That hustling, working hard, wanting to win, somehow those are flaws or bad ideas.

This probably won’t surprise you… but I see it a little differently.

The people who argue that working hard or pushing yourself is a bad idea often haven’t built a SUCCESSFUL business from the ground up. It’s easy to critique effort when you haven’t carried the weight of real risk, real responsibility, and real results.

Where I do agree is this: unconscious hustle, grinding endlessly for others without alignment, intention, or respect for your own well-being, is a losing strategy.

But disciplined effort, aligned with purpose? Choosing to stretch yourself because it matters to you?

That’s not unhealthy. That’s how you build something meaningful.

So let’s come back to the original question:

If it’s not simply the ability to work hard that separates people from their hopes and dreams… then what is it?

What can marathon training teach us about doing difficult things, and actually thriving in the process?

Here’s what I’ve learned.

Six Factors That Allow You to Do the Tough Stuff and Stay Excited About It

Using running as the example:

1. It must align with what you value most.

For me, health sits at the center. It drives everything. When something connects to your core values, effort feels purposeful, not forced.

2. You make yourself the priority.

When I put myself first, when I “check the box”, I actually have more to give to the people I care about. It’s not selfish. It’s strategic.

3. Gratitude is foundational. 

You have to appreciate what you’re able to do. Gratitude transforms discipline into privilege.

4. Be willing to adjust. 

Situations change. Bodies change. Markets change. The approach must evolve, even if the commitment stays firm.

5. Always be learning and growing. 

Always. No exceptions.

6. Stay consistent long enough to hit critical mass.

Hit critical mass

At some point, consistency creates a tipping point, what I call critical mass.

Let’s use running as the example one more time: after years of showing up, I didn’t just train anymore… I became a runner.

• Getting out for a run feels easier.

• The benefits are undeniable and obvious.

• It becomes part of who I am at my core.

It’s no longer something I do. It’s something I am.

The same applies to being an entrepreneur or business owner. In the beginning, it’s hard. It feels unnatural. You’re pushing against resistance constantly. But over time, with enough repetition and commitment, the identity shifts.

You don’t just operate a business, you become a business owner at your core.

How long that takes varies. It depends on the level of transformation you’re aiming for and how serious you are about who you want to become.

When we’re in alignment, we can move mountains.

• Tasks that once felt draining begin to energize us.

• Problems look like opportunities.

• Failures become fuel for expansion and growth.

That’s the power of alignment meeting consistency.

“Don’t limit your challenges. Challenge your limits.”- Unknown

At the end of the day, this isn’t really about marathons or business.

It’s about who you are choosing to become.

Hard things will always be hard. Age doesn’t change that. Markets don’t change that. Circumstances don’t change that. What changes is your relationship to the challenge.

When you choose alignment over comfort, discipline over excuses, growth over stagnation, you build capacity. And capacity compounds.

You don’t shrink with time.

You expand with intention.

So choose the hard thing.

Not because you have to.

But because it shapes you into someone stronger, sharper, and more alive.

And that’s a race worth running.