Assessment Week – Day 5
Friday, February 14, 2026

I made a decision this morning.

Round 2 starts tomorrow. February 15th. Not the 17th like I originally planned.

Assessment Week has been good. Really good. I’ve evaluated Round 1, worked through the comprehensive questionnaire, got clarity on what worked and what needs building. I’ve rested. I’ve reflected. I’ve processed.

But I’m ready. The momentum is there. The habits are ingrained. And sitting still for two more days feels like resistance disguised as rest.

So tomorrow, we go.

What Round 1 Proved

Forty consecutive days. All seven habits. Perfect execution.

• 12.4 pounds lost (exceeded the 8-12 lb target)
• Two complete manuscripts (Project Overwatch revised, The Light Bearer written AND revised in the final two weeks)
• 50,000 views on BiblePictures365 (535 followers gained)
• Three books read and applied (Made to Stick, Your Best Year Ever, Talk Like TED)
• Daily blog posts for 40 straight days
• Social media system operational

The 7-40 Challenge works. The structure holds. The habits compound. Voice-to-text unlocks productivity I didn’t know I had. Collaboration with AI turns raw thoughts into polished content. The creative hour produces actual finished work, not just ideas.

I proved the system. Round 1 wasn’t theory. It was execution.

What Round 2 Builds

Primary Focus: KDP research and publishing. Getting both novels formatted and launched on Amazon.

I have two complete manuscripts sitting on my hard drive. Project Overwatch has been through beta readers (Marixa and my son both gave feedback). The Light Bearer just finished its first revision pass. Both need formatting. Both need covers. Both need to exist in the world instead of just on my computer.

Round 2 is about turning creative output into published work.

Secondary Systems:

• Revenue tracking (even if it starts at $0, I need the baseline)
• Email list setup (building audience beyond social media)
• Blog-to-video workflow (leveraging OpusClip more consistently)
• Assessment Week frameworks (documenting the tools for others to use)

The Reading: Linchpin by Seth Godin. Becoming indispensable in both my day job and my side business. Learning to distinguish between factory work (following instructions) and linchpin work (solving problems nobody assigned).

The Habits: Same seven. Proven. Working.

1. Bible Study & Prayer
2. Exercise (1 hour daily – resuming Greek God Program lifting next week when hand is fully healed)
3. Water (100oz)
4. Calorie Tracking (3000 calories/day)
5. Gratitude (daily practice + weekly Thank You Campaign)
6. Reading (30 min daily – Linchpin starts tomorrow)
7. Creative Hour (9-10 PM – now focused on KDP research and manuscript formatting)

Why Two Days Early?

Because Assessment Week did what it was supposed to do. I evaluated. I rested. I got clarity.

Sitting for two more days doesn’t add value. It just delays momentum.

The 7-40 Challenge isn’t about rigid adherence to arbitrary calendars. It’s about intentional transformation. And right now, the most intentional choice is to start when I’m ready—not when the schedule says I should be ready.

Assessment Week was five days. That’s enough.

Tomorrow, Round 2 begins.

What’s Different This Time

I’m not starting from scratch. I’m building on foundation.

Round 1 proved I can execute. Round 2 proves I can produce. Not just create—actually put work into the world where people can access it, respond to it, potentially pay for it.

The creative breakthrough happened in Round 1. The business breakthrough happens in Round 2.

I’m ready.

The habits are set. The momentum is real. The work is waiting.

Let’s go.

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Assessment Week: Complete
Round 2: Starts February 15, 2026

Forty more days. Same seven habits. New focus.

See you tomorrow for Round 2, Day 1.

Assessment Week – Day 4
Friday, February 13, 2026

The opportunity to get to be creative every day has been one of the best parts of Round 1.

I was telling my son a few days ago—he read a copy of the book I had revised, the one I’m very eager to get out either through self-publishing or to see if I can get traditionally published this year.

And we were talking about the plot points. He was giving me feedback on what he liked and what he didn’t.

What I Told Him

I smiled at him and said, “Man, you gotta understand—I have not felt this creative or alive in any time that I can remember.”

That’s the truth.

I am purposely attacking creativity every day, and ideas are showing up. I’m able to make room for what I need to do. And it’s been just so fantastic. It’s been so, so good.

What Changed

Here’s the thing: I’ve always wanted to write a book. I’ve always wanted to be creative. I’ve always wanted to pursue these projects.

But I never did. Not really. Not with this kind of consistency and follow-through.

What changed?

I set my mind to it. I got after it. And I started using the tools at my disposal.

Voice-to-text for capturing thoughts. Daily creative hour on the calendar. OpusClip for video distribution. AI for Bible images.

The tools were always there. I just wasn’t using them strategically.

And the moment I committed to one hour of creative time every single day—not when I felt like it, not when inspiration struck, but DAILY—everything unlocked.

The novel got revised. The Light Bearer got outlined. Blog posts got written. Bible images got created and distributed to 50,000 people.

All because I stopped waiting for the perfect conditions and started using what I had.

The Conversation Validated the Journey

Talking with my son about the book I wrote—hearing his feedback, discussing plot points, seeing him engaged with the story—that validated everything.

This isn’t just me working in isolation anymore. This is real creative output that real people are reading and responding to.

And the fact that my own son is one of those readers? That makes it even better.

What I Want You to Hear

If you’ve been waiting to start something creative—waiting for the right time, the right tools, the right level of skill—stop waiting.

Set your mind to it. Get after it. Use the tools at your disposal.

You don’t need fancy equipment. You don’t need perfect conditions. You don’t need to feel inspired every day.

You just need to show up daily and do the work.

Train yourself in the essentials so that when opportunities come along, you’re prepared.

Because here’s what I’ve learned over 40 days: When you create space for creativity every single day, ideas show up. Projects get finished. Goals get achieved.

And one day, you get to have a conversation with someone you love about the thing you created.

And you realize: This is what being alive feels like.

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Assessment Week – Day 4: Complete

I have not felt this creative or alive in any time I can remember.

And it’s because I finally stopped waiting and started doing.

See you tomorrow for Day 5.

Assessment Week – Day 3
Thursday, February 12, 2026

I’m still continuing with Assessment Week. I’ve been thinking hard about what I want to get done, where I’m at, what I’ve been doing.

The amount I’ve accomplished versus the level of effort I put in versus what I could have put in.

The Nagging Voice

I think I’m like everybody else. I have this nagging voice in the back of my head that always asks me if I’m doing enough.

The one that rarely goes quiet. Doesn’t want to give me any peace.

That just says: Are you performing? Are you doing what you said you would do?

And for the first time in a long time—maybe ever—I can actually answer that question with a resounding YES.

I am doing what I’m supposed to do.

I have been doing everything I can to leverage these seven habits into better daily decisions, into goal pursuit, into finally accomplishing things I’ve been trying to accomplish for a long time.

And it has been rewarding and frustrating and inspiring and so many other things.

But it’s been so needed.

The Level of Effort

I’m simply saying I know the level of effort I’m putting in now. And I have not done this maybe ever. At least in a very long time.

This is one of the breakthroughs of Assessment Week: My desire to accomplish is growing, not diminishing.

That’s what makes this different from every other time I’ve tried to change something.

Usually, momentum fades. Usually, the initial excitement wears off and the habit dies.

Not this time.

Round 1 proved the system works. And instead of being satisfied and coasting, I’m more eager to get after Round 2 than I was to start Round 1.

The Seven Habits Are Working

There’s a reason I start my day with my Bible. There’s a reason I want to ground myself in Scripture every day. I’m a follower of Jesus. I have to stay grounded to His word. I have to stay in the Scripture. Or I spin out of control.

I have to exercise every day. Even in Assessment Week, I’ve been averaging 45 minutes a day—not quite the hour, but as soon as we start next week, I’ll pop back up to my hour a day.

It’s a way that I keep myself in check and make sure I’m doing the right things. Because if I’m exercising, I’m also not as tempted to overeat or eat things I shouldn’t. My calorie counting and water intake prove that exercise, eating, and hydration all work in tandem with each other. They work really, really well.

I have been pleasantly surprised with reading my books every day. While I’ve taken a couple of days off during Assessment Week because I’ve been doing other things, I’m also looking forward to getting back to that every day as well.

The idea that we are only six weeks into the new year and I’ve already finished three books and started a fourth makes me very happy. And that doesn’t include the times I’ve read my own book that I’ve been writing—which I’ve read at least a couple of times as well.

I have read more and consumed more in the last six weeks than I have in quite some time. And I’m very pleased.

I’ve also done my very best to stay grateful every day. I’ve had gratitude listed as one of my daily habits, and upon reflection, I feel like I’m doing well because gratitude is one of those centering things.

By reading my Bible, by knowing where I am with God, by pursuing a relationship with Him, I stay in a constant state of gratitude because I know that He takes such exquisite care of me and my family. That He loves me dearly.

So that’s enough to be grateful for every day all in itself. But also all the people He puts in my path, the opportunities He gives me, just the opportunity to take my next breath because life is so very precious.

I am just grateful.

The Central Message

I say all this to say: It’s better to pursue something. It’s better to set your eyes on a prize out in front of you and go after it.

It’s better to have these daily things that you make yourself do so that you can get to do other things aside from it.

To train yourself in the essentials so that when opportunities come along, you’re prepared.

The 7-40 Challenge is working.

I am so entirely grateful.

And I cannot wait to get started on Round 2.

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Assessment Week – Day 3: Complete

For the first time in a long time, I can answer YES to “Am I doing enough?”

And that feels so good.

See you tomorrow for Day 4.