Twenty-one days into the 7-40 Challenge, and today I did something I haven’t done in a long time: I stopped moving long enough to ask myself where I’m actually going.
Not physically. I know where I’m going physically – I’ve got 20 cubic yards of dirt to move into garden beds today. My back will remind me of that tomorrow.
I mean really going. By Day 280. By the time this challenge ends somewhere between mid-November and early December.
Here’s what I figured out.
The Weight of the Number
This morning I weighed 283.5 pounds.
On Day 1, I was 289.5. That’s 6 pounds down in 21 days – about 0.29 pounds per day.
Here’s the math: If I keep this pace through all 280 challenge days, I’ll lose approximately 80 pounds. That puts me at roughly 209 pounds.
My goal is 240.
Translation: I’m crushing this at nearly double the pace I need.
At my current rate, I could screw up a little bit – have some plateau weeks, enjoy a few celebration meals, take some recovery time – and still hit my 240-pound goal with room to spare.
My body and muscle structure don’t lend themselves to weighing 210 pounds anyway. I’m built bigger. 240 is where I want to be – lean, strong, and sustainable.
The data tells me I’m on track. More than on track. I’m building margin into the system.
But here’s the thing: the number on the scale isn’t the real goal. The real goal is vitals where they should be. Energy that doesn’t quit. Eating yummy food while maintaining my weight. A body that works the way God designed it to work.
The number is just data. The transformation is what matters.
Who I’m Actually Trying to Reach
I spent 30 minutes this morning getting crystal clear on something I’ve been fuzzy about: Who is this for?
Not everyone. That’s too broad.
This is for people who have goals but feel beat down by life. People who’ve tried to get their head wrapped around what they need to do but just need a little extra motivation. A community of like-minded people to help them do the same thing.
I have a feeling there are thousands – if not tens or hundreds of thousands – of people out there who are comfortably miserable.
Stuck by choice. Not by circumstances. By choice.
Waiting for enough inspiration or motivation to hit them so they’ll finally do something different.
That’s who I’m talking to.
The Transformation I Want You to Experience
Here’s the thing: my 7-40 Challenge is based on my specific needs.
Weight loss. Novel completion. Social media presence. Daily reading. Creative output.
But you? You might need something completely different.
Maybe you need to get your finances in order. Maybe you need to repair relationships. Maybe you need a career transition or mental health stability or spiritual growth.
The core principle is this: Pick foundational habits to practice every day that lead you to the life you want.
I want you to NAME what transformation you need. Then EXPERIENCE it by building the habits that get you there.
Watch yourself move along the continuum from “have not” to “have.”
That’s the transformation I’m trying to inspire.
What Makes This Different
I’ve theorized far too long in my life. It’s gotten me nowhere.
I would rather build an audience slowly, build a tribe slowly, build something strong – than be flashy and bring people in on personality alone.
Why? Because I’m a good dude and a nice guy, but I am NOT an on-call entertainer keeping everybody buzzing all the time. That’s just not who I am.
I’m a witness by experience, not by theory.
Every day I practice the things I’ve said will lead me where I need to go. And through my revision times – my reflection times – I ask myself the hard questions:
- Is this actually what I want to be doing?
- Is this who I’m intended to be?
- Have I missed something important?
The beauty of the 40-day cycle versus trying to do something for 6 months or a year? We may get just a few blocks from home and realize we’re driving the wrong way.
Do I need to wait till I get to the next town before I turn around? No. I just make the adjustment and go where I need to go.
The Dream I Can’t Forget
I had a dream a while back.
I was floating on my stomach down a rushing river. I don’t know how I was breathing – obviously this was a dream – but I realized I needed to lift my head up and find out where I was.
It was really, really hard to drag my face up out of the water. I remember giving all kinds of effort. Finally pulling my head up just to check where I was and check my surroundings.
Then it was like my face wanted to be pushed back into the water.
The effort to pull up and realize my surroundings was the hard part.
But I knew in the dream that I had to do it. And I had to do it often. Because I knew that I would end up somewhere unknown if I didn’t wake up and look around.
I feel the same way about my life.
We let things rush at us so fast. We let things overwhelm us. We let life just lead us along.
If we’re not careful:
- We don’t lift our head up long enough
- We don’t see where we are
- We don’t see that we’ve been dragged by the tide
- We’ve gone far, far further than we intended to go
So it’s my intention to use that dream as a warning. To be present and aware of where I’m headed. To not let the tide of life sweep over me.
And to inspire other people to do the very same thing.
The Urgency at 47
Maybe it’s just me getting older and being more observant because I see time passing.
But I see how precious things are. I see how valuable time really is. How it needs to be captured and squeezed so we get every ounce out of it that we can.
I don’t want to wake up one day and have regretted.
The only regrets I want to consider are the ones that are going to lead me to making things right and doing things better.
So I will think of those future regrets as a warning, and I will make better choices now.
Day 21 Vision
By Day 280, here’s where I’m headed:
- 240 pounds, vitals where they should be, eating sustainably
- 20-30 books read
- YA novel published, working on next novel
- Memoir written
- Booking speaking engagements based on this year’s work
- Social media channels with actual community – not just followers, but people talking to each other and helping each other
But more than that?
1,000 people look at my 280-day journey and say “If he can do it, I can do it. The best time to start is now.”
Then they name their transformation. Build their habits. Move from “have not” to “have.”
And the world gets 1,000+ people who stopped being comfortably miserable and started being intentionally alive.
That’s the vision.
Day 21 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Workout B ✅ Dirt work (wheelbarrow + 20 cubic yards = brutal) ✅ Reading (Your Best Year Ever audiobook) ✅ Vision clarity (30 minutes) ✅ Calories ✅ Water ✅ Gratitude
Twenty-one consecutive perfect days. The vision is clear. The work continues.
The best time to lift your head up and check where you’re going? Now.
See you tomorrow for Day 22
The 740 Challenge 