“I just want to be happy” Change that to, “I am happy” And stop thinking of everyone else. Stop comparing. You’re not behind. You haven’t failed. Contentment isn’t a bad thing. Take a breath. Put your phone on DND and set it in a drawer. You’re not that important but your mental health is. These phones have a way of stealing our peace. And we have full control over them. We can turn them off. Get a flip phone. Put on DND and just have your spouse and kids calls come through… All the other stuff is noise. It’s noise you can turn off. Go outside. Smile at the sun. Dance in the rain. Look at the stars. Life is short, go live it. 🫶🏽

What an incredible opportunity, to fellowship with other "black sheep" entrepreneurs and dreamers. Thank you David for being inspired to start a special group like this. I hope to contribute and invest in this community. As it says in Isaiah 41:10 "I am with you... for I am your God" so we are in good company! 🙏 For those of you I haven't met, I'm a fellow Believer in Austin, TX and founder of FjORD cold plunge. Passionate about faith, wellness and genuine relationships. Hope to meet you all soon!

When Jesus talks about the narrow road in Matthew 7, He’s not talking about random rule following. He’s describing alignment. “Enter through the narrow gate… small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life.” Matthew 7:13–14 NIV The narrow road is restrictive by design. That’s the point. It requires intention. It forces choice. You cannot carry everything onto it. Ego, comfort, distraction, approval seeking, excess, comparison. There isn’t space for it all. The wide road is easier because it demands nothing. It allows drift. It accommodates appetite. It lets you blend in. You don’t have to think hard on the wide road. You just move with traffic. The narrow road requires awareness. For you specifically, this isn’t about salvation theology. You already believe. This is about daily decisions. The narrow road shows up in small, practical ways. It’s choosing discipline when comfort is available. It’s saying no to an opportunity that looks good but isn’t aligned. It’s guarding your inputs when everyone else scrolls. It’s building slowly when shortcuts exist. It’s staying faithful when you could leverage something for faster gain. Here’s what’s important to understand. The narrow road often feels lonely at first because fewer people walk it. But loneliness is not the same as wrongness. In fact, in high performance environments, narrow paths are usually the ones that produce excellence. Same spiritually. There’s also something biological happening. The human brain is wired to conserve energy and seek reward. The wide road feeds dopamine easily. The narrow road delays gratification. Over time, that delay builds capacity. That capacity builds authority. Authority builds impact. So when you feel tension choosing discipline, that tension is not a sign you’re off. It’s a sign you’re crossing from instinct into intentional living. Another thing to consider. The narrow road isn’t about intensity. It’s about consistency. You don’t sprint a narrow mountain path. You walk it carefully. Step by step. Attention forward.

This is a wild time to be alive. We have access to so much information, tools, and resources. I find myself finding my identity in the things that I do. I am a husband, christian, father, brother, son, entrepreneur, millionaire, home owner, gym rat, tennis player, and the list goes on. These are the things this I do but it barely scratches the surface on who I am. Years ago my wife introduced me to the idea of creating a to do list (nothing new) and pairing it with a to be list. This has been a game changer for me. I write my to dos for the day and next to them I write who I want to be in each one of those tasks. For example: to do; meet with sales team about new leads to be; energetic, open, leader, patient, and kind. On a good day I will write a to be that I am working on like empathetic and then I am more prone to looking for areas of my life, throughout the day, that I can be more empathetic. I am a human being, not a human doing. This has helped me with feeling like I have to prove myself and become more of who God made me to Be.

In Matthew chapter 4, all 3 times when Jesus was tempted by the devil after fasting for 40 days, he responds to the temptation by quoting scripture. Powerful to see that example. But also, all 3 temptations were attacks on Jesus' identity. "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Testing Jesus' identity as Son of God. Men, we have the invitation to lean into our identity as sons/daughters of God and into our values/principles daily. Don't let distractions or voices convince you your identity is anything else. My two cents for the day! -Steven