Can I be real with you for a second? I don’t think you’re stuck because you don’t know what to do. I think you’re stuck because you’re waiting to feel ready. Waiting for confidence. Waiting for some kind of sign that makes the decision obvious. I’ve been there. Still am sometimes. But here’s what I’ve learned the hard way. Clarity almost never shows up first. It usually shows up after you start moving. We all want the full plan. The clear picture. The reassurance that we won’t mess it up. But God doesn’t really work that way. He gives just enough light for the next step, not the whole road. There’s a verse that always grounds me. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 NIV A lamp doesn’t light everything. It just shows you where to step next. And honestly, that’s usually enough. I think sometimes we call it patience, but it’s really just fear in a nicer outfit. Fear of choosing wrong. Fear of wasting time. Fear of failing in public. So we wait. And waiting feels safe. But staying still for too long starts to cost more than moving ever would. I see this all the time. Research instead of action. Planning instead of building. Praying for direction while ignoring the thing we already feel nudged to do. Here’s the shift that helped me. You don’t get clarity and then move. You move, and clarity follows. You don’t need the five year plan. You don’t need everything figured out. You just need to take the next honest step. So let me ask you this, and I mean it in the best way. What’s the thing you already know you should do, but keep putting off? Take a few quiet minutes today. No phone. No noise. Ask God straight up what that step is. You’ll probably know the answer faster than you expect. Then do something physical. Go for a walk. Lift something heavy. Move your body so the decision doesn’t stay trapped in your head. And if you need words to pray, here’s what I’ve been praying lately. God, bless me indeed with courage. Enlarge my territory as I take steps forward, even when I can’t see the whole path. Let Your hand be with me as I move in obedience, not fear. Keep me from comfort that keeps me stuck and hesitation that slows me down. Amen.

“Why does someone else’s success quietly bother me?”… Most men don’t realize when comparison starts. It doesn’t arrive as jealousy in the beginning. It shows up as a distraction. You notice what someone else is building. How fast they’re moving. How visible they are. Their “followers” and influence.. Without meaning to, your attention leaves your own life and focuses on theirs. That’s where the damage happens. Comparison doesn’t usually make you quit or cause you to act urgently. It makes you hesitate. You pause longer than you should or would have. You question work you were once confident and joyful in. You delay action waiting for a new clarity that never comes because it was never meant to be your focus. There’s a strange comfort in watching others live. No risk. No exposure. No responsibility. But there’s a cost. Scripture speaks to this, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” 1 Peter 4:10 NIV Not someone else’s gift. Yours. Talents aren’t ranked. They’re entrusted. By God. For you, specifically. When you measure yourself against another man, you abandon stewardship. You stop tending what’s been placed in your hands and start staring at a field you were never asked to work. We’ve all heard the saying “everyone wants what they don’t have” and that is the work of the enemy. In real life it looks like this. A man gifted with stability envies momentum. A man built for depth compares himself to speed. A father with influence at home feels small next to public, material success. Nothing is wrong with your gifts. The problem is where your eyes are. Here’s the trade most men don’t see. Comparison offers: Short-term motivation A sense of urgency Something to react against But it takes: Peace Clarity Forward motion Faithfulness doesn’t usually public influence. It feels quiet, lonely, and narrow. And narrow paths don’t invite spectators. But they do require commitment and they do lead to a fulfilling life. So sit with this question today,

A clear, grounded look at income, work, and fulfillment. It’s time to get deep. Most people don’t stay in jobs because they love them. They stay because it feels safe. That was me. I had a long, respected, 20 years career. VP role. Top one percent income. All the perks. From the outside, it looked like complete success. From the inside, it felt like I was trading hours of my life for a version of myself that no longer gave me life… Here’s the important part. I didn’t leave because I was miserable. I left because I was aware. This conversation is not about just chasing your passion or burning the boats prematurely. It’s about learning to recognize when staying is costing you more than leaving. We start with income. Because if you get this part wrong, nothing else matters. STEP ONE. ☝️ Tell the truth about what you actually make per hour. This framework came from listening to Alex Hormozi, and it permanently changed how I viewed my career, my hours worked, and my effective income. Most people lie to themselves about income because they only count salary vs hours clocked in. They don’t count the life cost. Write down: • Your total income, including all bonuses and commissions Now write down: • Hours worked each week • Commute time • Travel away from family • After-hours calls and texts • Mental load you carry home • Dinners missed • Weekends and gatherings half present • Stress that follows you into bed Add all of it up. Every single hour. This BLEW MY MIND 🤯 I was always on call, always expected to answer a text (no matter what time at night), always required to travel for meetings, on top of the 60 hours a week the job required. Now divide your total income by every hour the job actually takes from your life. Your freedom. Your choices. That number is your real hourly wage. (Much lower than I would have ever thought.) For a lot of high earners, this is the first uncomfortable moment. The paycheck is big, but the hours are bigger. And the total effective $ per hour is less than you thought. 💭

Have you ever caught yourself thinking this? “I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, so why does it feel so draining?” That question matters, because most men are not lazy. They are responsible. They show up. They carry weight. When work loses its lift, it is usually not because the load is wrong, but because the lens is off. Here is the hope. Your work is not meaningless, and your effort is not invisible. Scripture gives us the anchor. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Colossians 3:23 NIV This changes everything. It narrows the focus. One audience. One purpose. When God becomes the one you work for, joy has room to return. Not because the task changes, but because the meaning does. Here is the reframe. Joy does not come from loving your job. It comes from knowing your work matters. When your effort is offered to God, even routine tasks become purposeful. Excellence stops being exhausting and starts becoming worship. Faithfulness replaces frustration. Consistency builds quiet confidence. So carry this question into today. Who am I really working for right now? Here is today’s active stillness challenge. Take five quiet minutes. No phone. No noise. Sit still. Breathe slow. Ask God one direct question. “How do You want me to show up in my work today?” Then listen. After that stillness, move with intention. Choose one. A fifteen minute walk, letting your mind reset before the workday. Or five slow sets of pushups and squats, focusing on control and gratitude. Or ten minutes of stretching, releasing tension and reclaiming energy. Let the movement lock the mindset into your body. As you finish today, pray this in your own words. God, remind me that my work matters. Help me work with joy, focus, and excellence today. Align my effort with Your purpose and steady my heart when the work feels heavy. Amen. This is not about loving every task. It is about working with joy because your work has meaning.

Have you ever caught yourself thinking this? “I just need to get through this season, then I’ll have more space and time for God.” That thought usually shows up when life feels full but hollow. Work is taking a toll. Responsibilities are stacking. From the outside it looks productive, but internally something feels off and empty. Faith gets pushed to the margins, not out of rebellion, not on purpose, but out of postponement. So what is really happening when God keeps getting pushed to “later?” Often it is not a lack of belief. It is a quiet assumption that everything else must be handled first. As if peace, clarity, and provision come after control instead of before surrender. This raises an honest question. What if our priority order is the problem? Jesus was clear about this. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 NIV Notice what comes first. Not success. Not security. Not getting life organized. Seeking. Alignment. Trust. The promise is not that everything becomes easy. The promise is that everything falls into its proper place. Many of us live upside down. We chase provision and assume peace shows up later. God invites us to reverse that order. Seek Him first, and let clarity, strength, and direction follow. And seeking the kingdom does not mean ignoring responsibility. It means refusing to let responsibility replace devotion. It means inviting God into the very center of your decisions, your schedule, and your ambition. If you feel like you are doing everything but still feel empty, it may be because you have been building a life with God added instead of God centered. So pause and ask yourself this. What am I seeking first when no one is watching? Here is today’s active stillness challenge. Find five quiet minutes. No phone. No input. Sit or stand somewhere calm. Slow your breathing. Ask God one simple question. “What does seeking You first look like in my life right now?”