Hi friends! Lately, a new catchphrase has been running through my mind, and I've decided to embrace it: Never Stop Peaking. From the start of trying to build my "personal brand" (Phen Does Stuff), I've been using “Be PHENomenal” to encourage people to push their limits and become the strongest versions of themselves. That mantra still stands. But this new phrase takes it a step further. You know the saying, "I peaked in high school," right? It's this sad notion that someone's best days are behind them, stuck in a glory phase they'll never surpass. Honestly, I hate that idea. Not just because I didn't particularly enjoy high school, but because I believe in always moving forward. Life isn't about one peak—it's about constantly striving to reach new ones. That's why I've started saying: Never Stop Peaking.
What does this mean? It means that every single day, I'm going to work hard to be a little bit better. Obviously, this isn't a new concept, and I've heard it from many people before. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, has a great visual for this idea. 
He explains, "So often we convince ourselves that change is only meaningful if there is some large, visible outcome associated with it. ... Meanwhile, improving by just 1 percent isn't notable (and sometimes it isn't even noticeable). But it can be just as meaningful, especially in the long run."
I've recently experienced this firsthand, and the outcomes of my small daily decisions have blown me away. Around this time last year, I started going to the gym almost every day. Sure, there were days when I slacked off or felt "too tired" (LAZY) and chose not to go. But overall, I stuck with it. Recently, I looked at myself and thought, "I don't think I've ever looked this good physically in my entire life." To which my wife responded, "No, you definitely have not." That somewhat backhanded compliment carried serious weight because my wife and I have been together since I was 17. We all know that at 17, most of us are in some of the best physical shape we'll ever be in, but for me, that's no longer the case.
I got curious about how significant these changes were, so I found a picture of myself shirtless from August 2023 and compared it to a picture from August 2024. The results were astonishing! So astonishing that I posted a reel to my Instagram:
This realization got me thinking about how small changes have made a HUGE impact in my life. Things like choosing to eat whole, single-ingredient foods, waking up at 4:45 a.m., going to the gym, spending 30 minutes working through personal problems (not work-related), journaling nearly every day, praying for my wife — these little things have all added up to help me get to the best place I've ever been in life. But here's the thing: I'm nowhere close to done! As I write this today, October 21, 2024, I've peaked, but I won't let that stop me from peaking tomorrow, the next day, and every day after that for the rest of my life. Yes, there will be days when I choose to be lazy, ignore the habits I've built, and fail to get better by 1%. But I won't let those days outweigh the days when I'm busting my ass to be better than I was the day before.
Long-term, big goals are really, really hard to achieve. Honestly, getting up at 4:45 a.m. was really hard to start. Choosing to go to the gym when I had a big ego but couldn't even bench 45 pounds 11 times was REALLY hard. But I shifted my perspective. Sure, being outbenched by the girl next to me was embarrassing, but I shifted my focus from trying to win the approval of others to proving to myself that I can become the man God intended when He created me. That was the real shift.
People say, "Comparison is the thief of joy," and for the most part, I agree. That is, until I started comparing myself to the man that God wants me to be. Seeing how far short I've fallen hurts, but it's also lit a fire in me to become that man. That's why I've made a vow to #NeverStopPeaking. I'm so excited for this journey, and I'm going to do everything I can to bring other Godly men along with me.
Thank you for reading. I'd love to hear from you about how you plan to Never Stop Peaking. Please reach out Instagram, X, or send me an email at phendoesstuff@gmail.com
I love y'all!
Have a great day!