The Joy Found In Challenge

Challenges are all about growth—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The easiest way to push yourself toward that kind of growth? A physical challenge. Sure, sitting under a glacial waterfall for four hours might reveal a lot about who you are, but let’s be real—not exactly practical for most of us. A more accessible option? A physical challenge you commit to every single day for a set period of time. The key is making it meaningful: there’s a reward (usually just the satisfaction of finishing), but there also has to be a penalty if you don’t follow through.⁣ ⁣

Over the years, I’ve taken on some pretty wild challenges. Some of you might remember the ones I shared with the TPI crew or on blogs I’ve written. Now, I’m bringing them here so we can take them on together. These challenges range from fun to downright brutal, but they all start with the same question:⁣ ⁣

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀?⁣ ⁣

One of the fun ones was running a 5K every day for 30 days. Almost everyone who joined got their family involved, and it turned into a great experience. Shoutout to Steve Palella for crushing that challenge—forever respect for that. On the other end of the spectrum, there was the marathon-a-day-for-30-days challenge. By day 7, I could barely tolerate socks, let alone walking, but I finished. Out of 40+ people who signed up, only two of us made it to the end.⁣ ⁣

Some challenges are simpler to organize, like rowing a 5K every hour on the hour for 12 hours or doing the CrossFit “The Girls” workouts hourly for 21 hours straight. Those just took some planning and a free Saturday. Others, like the infamous 6/6/6 challenge (a 600-pound squat, 600-pound deadlift, and a sub-6-minute mile within 30 minutes), are tougher to pull off. When I did that one, I had a gym full of strongman and powerlifting folks tracking times, spotting lifts, and timing runs—definitely not something everyone has access to.⁣ ⁣

Here’s the deal: the challenges I’ll post here are ones anyone can do, as long as you commit. You might feel a little nervous—maybe even doubtful—and that’s the point. It’s not a challenge if you don’t hear that little voice in the back of your mind questioning whether you can do it.⁣ ⁣ Now, it’s time to go all in. The first challenge? A 5K a day for the next 30 days. Walk, run, crawl—it doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you finish. It doesn’t have to look pretty or be fast; it just has to get done.⁣ ⁣ Who’s ready? Let’s make this happen. The challenge starts today. Who’s going to commit to a 5k a day everyday without missing from today through January 28? Get on the treadmill or go outside but get it done!