Assessment Week Day 2: Thinking Out Loud

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Assessment Week – Day 2
Tuesday, February 11, 2026

The time to rest and reframe during Assessment Week has been very good.

I’m finding I do so much better by getting my ideas out and clarifying them as I go. I used to think that ideas had to come out fully formed, but I’m learning more and more to start with a premise and work through it.

The Voice-to-Text Game Changer

Voice-to-text on my iPhone has been a Round 1 game changer.

I think out loud. That app lets me capture it all. Then taking that raw material and asking questions through it? That’s gold.

For years, I felt like I had to have things polished before they were even workable. Like I had to know what I was saying before I could say it.

That’s just not true.

Reading Seth Godin Differently Now

That line from Linchpin about people being afraid to figure things out for themselves hit me different this time.

I used to read Seth Godin a lot and then put him down. His abstraction frustrated me. But now I have more experience under my belt, and it means more.

Maybe that’s what happens when you do 40 consecutive days of anything—you prove to yourself that iteration beats perfection. That starting messy and clarifying as you go actually works better than waiting for the polished version.

What I’m Grateful For

I’m grateful for Assessment Week. For the space to rest, reflect, and discover things like this.

For voice-to-text that lets me think without self-editing.

For the process of getting ideas out, even when they’re not fully formed, and working through them.

For 40 days that proved I don’t need to have it all figured out before I start.

Assessment Week – Day 2: Complete

Sometimes the best insights come when you give yourself permission to think out loud.

See you tomorrow for Day 3.

The Factory vs. The Linchpin: Assessment Week Day 1

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Assessment Week – Day 1
Monday, February 10, 2026

I started reading Linchpin by Seth Godin today. Like many good books, it says more to me on the second read than the first.

The Factory

Godin talks about how the Industrial Revolution created what he calls “the factory”—the 9-to-5 job where somebody tells you what to do, you get paid to do what you’re told, you go home. You’ve been a part of the system, somebody else owns the means of production.

From standardized musket parts to Henry Ford’s assembly line, the factory seduced us into giving up what we were meant to do just to be part of the prescribed system.

The Quote That Hit Me

“People want to be told what to do because they’re afraid—even petrified—of figuring it out for themselves.”

That made me think: How many times have I neglected taking a more entrepreneurial path because I was afraid?

I’ve known for years there are projects I wanted to work on—the book I wrote and revised, the new book I’m writing, the speaking business I’ll start this year. But I’ve also spent way too much time just following instructions at work versus solving actual problems.

Being a linchpin means you know your job so well that you’re pushing the edges. You’re finding out what really needs to be done versus what the system says you need to do.

The Fake Version vs. The Real Thing

I remember a sermon where the pastor told someone who bragged about being good at Guitar Hero: “If you put as much time in on an actual guitar as you put in on the video game, you could be an actual guitar hero.”

We’re seduced by the easy, prescribed path. But I think because it’s difficult, it’s the very reason we need to do it.

What Round 1 Proved

Round 1 wasn’t the fake version. Forty consecutive days of real creative work—novel revised, blog posts written, 30,000+ people reached with Bible images. That’s not Guitar Hero. That’s the real guitar.

The Round 2 Danger

Here’s what I’m realizing as I enter Round 2: I need to lean even more into excellence and resist the urge to coast.

As momentum builds, it’s easy to phone things in. But the creative sessions, the reading, the daily habits—they’re leading me to become indispensable. Not just a factory worker following instructions, but someone figuring things out.

The Obligation

I have an obligation to myself, my family, and my Maker who gave me talents to make the most out of what I’ve been given.

I enjoy my day job. I enjoy data management. But that’s not all of who I am.

So I’m continuing in my side hustle tasks AND leaning into my day job to become as indispensable as I can make myself in both areas.

General Douglas MacArthur said, “Security is one’s ability to produce.” Being able to produce and being indispensable is about the only job security I can think of.

Assessment Week: Choosing Self-Direction

That’s why I’m working through Assessment Week—to figure out what Round 2 needs to look like.

I want to tell myself what to do with my creativity, my ability to produce. I can choose to be told what to do, or I can become what Seth Godin calls a linchpin—indispensable.

That’s who we should aspire to be. But we have to figure out how. And we have to do the hard work of getting it done.

Assessment Week – Day 1: Complete

Round 2 starts February 17. Time to figure out what it looks like to become indispensable—in every area of life.

See you tomorrow for Assessment Week Day 2.

Day 40: Round 1 Complete – Excited, Exhausted, and Ready for What’s Next

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Day 40 of the 7-40 Challenge
Monday, February 9, 2026

Hello and welcome to Day 40 of the 7-40 Challenge.

Here we are. At the end of Round 1.

And I am both excited and exhausted.

Why I’m Excited

I’m excited because every single day of this round, I have executed on the seven daily habits I set out to accomplish:

  • Bible study
  • An hour of exercise
  • Calorie tracking
  • 100 ounces of water daily
  • Daily gratitude
  • Reading for 30 minutes a day
  • An hour of daily creative time (blogging, writing, revising, social media content)

I’ve been able to do all of this for 40 days in a row—despite the fact that I hurt my hand, have been extremely busy at work, and had a variety of other things come up trying to interrupt progress.

I’m excited because I’ve lost 12 pounds. I’ve been able to revise my novel. I’ve started getting feedback from my first round of readers (my family). I have been actively blogging—this is my 40th blog post in a row.

I’ve also been posting daily on Instagram and TikTok on a handle called BiblePictures365, where I’m creating visual images from the different chapters I’m reading. Over 100 posts. Over 30,000 views.

There’s a lot to be excited about. I’ve gotten a lot done. I’m laying the foundation for what’s probably going to be my most productive year ever.

And that’s how I’m still moving forward.

Why I’m Exhausted

Now, why am I tired?

Go back and read the section above. Then pick back up here.

Of course, I’m kidding. But that level of doing does require a lot of mental energy and a lot of time. And I am absolutely knackered as I write this.

But here’s the thing: This exhaustion is real, and it’s also a byproduct of doing something that is worthy.

If it were easy, I wouldn’t be tired. But it also wouldn’t be worth doing.

What I Learned About Myself

A few things I’ve learned over this last month:

I am far more capable than I give myself credit for sometimes.

My shortfall is not a lack of ability. It’s a lack of structure. And I’ve proven to myself that with these seven daily habits I need to tackle, I am able to provide myself the structure to accomplish the greater things I set out to do.

I am a great example of how the path of least resistance is the attractive one, but not always the beneficial one.

I’ve noticed there are certain days and times I get to where I want to sink into old habits. Thursday evenings with a pizza and a glass of wine. Saturdays to eat out. There are plenty of opportunities to crash my goals if I’m not careful.

And that’s why these seven daily habits are so important. Because I know that either I take the path of least resistance, or I take the path of accomplishment. Those two paths don’t usually coincide with each other.

Here’s what I’ve realized: Our brains’ primary job is to conserve energy, which is why we have habit routines to start with.

I’m forcing my brain to go down a different path and choose a different route, which short-circuits things for a little while and makes things difficult and harder to do.

That’s normal. That’s expected. That’s the price of change.

Thankfully, this month, though I’ve eaten a few things I wanted to, I’ve stayed within my calories. I’ve stayed within my goals—as evidenced by my progress.

If I Can Do This, You Can Too

Here’s what I want you to hear: If this overweight 47-year-old man can decide to change things, you can too.

I’m not special. I’m not superhuman. I’m just a guy who decided 40 days ago that 2026 was going to be different.

And it has been.

What Happens Next

Going forward, this next week I am going to take a moment. I’m going to start planning for the next round, which actually begins next Monday, February 17.

And I am going to get in a little extra rest.

I will still practice some of the habits. I may not blog every day. Then again, I may. You never know. I may just keep right on going.

This is Assessment Week (February 10-16). Time to:

  • Review my yearly goals
  • Make sure I’m not short-circuiting anything I said I wanted to do for any of my new bright ideas
  • Rest and recharge
  • Build momentum for Round 2

I have some very cool details to share at the beginning of Round 2 about progress on other projects I haven’t yet mentioned. But in the meantime, I need to evaluate, rest, and refine.

Your Turn

How about you? What habits are you practicing? Where have you seen marked improvement when you apply yourself to them?

I would love to hear your story to go right along with mine. The successes you’ve had so we can celebrate them together.

And if you’re ready to join me for Round 2 starting February 17, I’d love to have you along for the journey.

Round 1: COMPLETE ✓

Forty days. Seven habits. Perfect execution.

Total Progress:

  • 40 consecutive days of all seven habits
  • 12.4 pounds lost
  • Novel revised (97 chapters)
  • 40 blog posts published
  • 100+ Bible images posted (30,000+ views)
  • Social media system operational
  • Creative breakthrough (The Light Bearer outlined)

Assessment Week begins tomorrow.

See you next week for Round 2.

The Greatest Joy of My Life: Gratitude Sunday and My Son

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Day 39 of the 7-40 Challenge
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Gratitude Sunday – The Thank You Campaign

Hello and welcome to Day 39. It’s Gratitude Sunday, and another post in my Thank You Campaign.

The topic of today’s post is my son.

The Dream

When my wife and I first got married, we dreamed about our future. We talked about the size of the family we would want. We made plans and looked forward with expectancy for when our children would arrive.

When we were younger, we dreamed of having a very large family—as many as God would give us. That’s what I used to like to say.

We were married when we were 20 years old. We weren’t quite ready to start having children right after getting married, so we waited around five years before we began planning for our children to arrive.

The Threat

It was about that same time that I had my first bout with testicular cancer.

To say that this was the opposite of what we wanted is a very true statement. Because of the part of the body that cancer attacks, and because of having to have that tumor removed, we were uncertain if we would be able to have children at all.

So we went from praying and hoping for a very large family to the very real possibility of just it being a family of two—just my wife and me.

By God’s grace and through His healing, I was cancer-free by the middle of 2005, with a new lease on life and hope that we would be able to, in time, have the children we had prayed for.

The Moment

Fast forward to the fall of 2007.

I remember very clearly lying in bed and seeing the bathroom light come on. And watching my bride stand there with that little indicator in her hand.

It was finally time. It was finally real.

We were going to have a baby.

It was almost five years after we had first started praying and almost ten years after we had gotten married. But our baby was on the way. And we were so excited.

The Birth

Fast forward to the day of his birth in 2008.

After a very long labor period—two and a half days—he was born. When he was delivered, he had an Apgar score of one. They were very concerned about him.

I wasn’t in the room when he was born due to complications. I didn’t find out about the Apgar score until they handed him over to me.

But within minutes, that score had improved to an eight.

Answered prayer. Confirmed relief.

And very soon, Mama, baby, and me were in our hospital room.

The Joy

I will never forget the look of joy and absolute elation on my darling wife’s face.

She had just been through two and a half days of labor, trying to have our son naturally. She had endured a lot of physical duress. She was exhausted. She was beat up.

And you would not have been able to see any of that at that moment. She was transfixed. She was in love.

I wish I had several photographs of that little moment in time to show the picture I have burned in my memory. (Thank God, the iPhone had been invented by then—I do have one.)

She had finally become who she was meant to be in one regard. She was my wife, and now she was our son’s mother.

And the world was right.

The Reality

Fast forward all these years.

The family we thought would be very large is just the three of us. We will still take whatever God gives. But at the same time, I can’t neglect to say: our son has been one of the greatest joys in our lives.

He is so smart and so funny. He is so kind and compassionate. He’s full of character and resolve. He is a perfect blend of his mother and me—and he’s becoming so much more than we are.

It has been such a privilege and a joy to watch him do that.

We tell him from time to time how grateful we are for him. How proud we are of him.

What He Changed

This young man changed my life in so many ways.

He has been one of the catalysts that brought out my work ethic in my late twenties and early thirties.

I remember holding him for the first time, not long after he was born, knowing I would work myself to the bone to provide for our family. That I would do whatever it took to make sure they are taken care of.

I think every parent goes to that moment—where you realize that no matter what it takes, you’ll do it to provide for your family and children. That translated into me getting much more focused on the opportunities I had in front of me in my data career, which I’ve had since before he was born.

And that determination has only intensified over the years.

I now look forward to getting to support him even more as he becomes an adult, as he finds the things he is even more passionate about.

Son

If you’re reading these words, know this:

Your mother and I are so proud of you. We’re so thankful for you. We are so grateful that you are our son.

Not a day goes by that I don’t feel that gratefulness in my heart.

It is one of the greatest joys of my life to be your daddy. I am proud of you and who you are.

Day 39: Complete ✓

All seven habits executed. Gratitude Sunday honored.

Round 1 Progress: 39/40 days (97.5%)

One more day until Round 1 is complete.

See you tomorrow for Day 40.

What If 40 Days Could Change Everything? Day 38

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Day 38 of the 7-40 Challenge
Saturday, February 7, 2026

Hello and welcome to Day 38. I’m excited because I’ve been getting stuff done, and it just makes me happy.

Today’s post is going to be a short one. I just want to leave you with a thought for today.

What if 40 days could put you on a completely different path?

The Question

What if making a plan, making goals, following habits for 40 days could give you new perspective and lead you somewhere you didn’t think you could get?

Would you be willing to spend 40 days to get that done?

As I’ve been working through these seven habits for the last 38 days, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the amount I’ve been able to accomplish—because I’ve given myself the freedom every day with these habits to actually achieve the things I want to achieve.

What 38 Days Actually Did

Thirty-eight days in, I’ve already lost 12 pounds. I’ve revised a novel. I’ve started working on another one. I’ve watched my eating. I’ve done all kinds of things I’ve just been trying to get done, and I finally started having some traction.

Over 40 days.

And the thing I have to think to myself is: Is this really all it took to get this stuff done? Was I really able to do this in 40 days just by saying “now is the time, I’m going to get it done”?

The answer, apparently, is yes.

So How About You?

Are you willing to take a chance? Name out the things you want to accomplish and spend the next 40 days doing it?

If you’re up for it, I start my next 40-day round 10 days from now (February 17, 2026).

I have a week where I’m going to refine my own goals and get ready for Round 2.

But if you’re willing to join in, I would love to hang out with you for Round 2 and get this done together.

What I’m Asking

Pick YOUR seven daily habits. Not mine—yours. The ones that move you toward the goals you actually care about.

Then starting February 17, we do this together. You work your seven habits. I work mine. We check in. We encourage each other. We see what 40 days can actually do.

If you’re interested, comment below and let me know you’re in. I’ll reach out and we’ll figure this out together.

This is the first time I’ve publicly invited anyone to actually DO this challenge with me. I have no idea if anyone will bite. But what the heck—I’m asking.

Because if 38 days did this for me, imagine what 40 days could do for you.

Day 38: Complete ✓

All seven habits executed. Two days left in Round 1.

Round 1 Progress: 38/40 days (95%)

Weight: 277.1 lbs (12.4 lbs lost)

See you tomorrow for Day 39.