Twenty-four days into the 7-40 Challenge, and I’m reading Michael Hyatt’s chapter “The Journey Is Better With Friends.”
He’s right. The journey IS better with friends.
But here’s what I’m learning on Day 24: sometimes you have to build the foundation alone before the friends arrive.
Four Inches of Snow and Below-Zero Wind Chills
This morning there were four inches of snow on the ground with below-zero wind chills outside.
My plan was walking. The system said walking.
So I adapted: DDP Yoga instead.
The habit got done. The system flexed to reality. That’s what the 40-day cycles allow – adjustment without abandonment.
But that’s not what I want to talk about today.
The Goal-Sharing Paradox
Michael Hyatt says something important in this chapter: don’t tell your goals to everybody. Tell them to people who are also goal-setters and achievers.
The dream-killers will tell you “that’s unrealistic” or “you’ll never do that.”
The achievers will ask “what’s your plan?” and “how can I help?”
Here’s the tension I’m sitting in on Day 24: I’m documenting this journey publicly. Daily blog posts. YouTube videos. Social media posts across platforms.
But I’m not really sharing my GOALS publicly. I’m sharing my HABITS.
There’s a difference.
What I Share vs. What I Keep
What you see (public):
- I did these 7 things today
- Here’s the weight (282.2 lbs, 7.3 lbs down)
- Here’s the data (23 days perfect, 97 chapters revised)
- Here’s what I’m learning (compound interest, discomfort, risk)
What I keep closer (inner circle):
- Specific target: 240 lbs by Day 280
- Novel published via KDP this year
- Speaking engagements booked
- 1,000 people impacted
- Memoir written
My wife and son know the full goals. I’m working through them with the tools I’m using. But the broader audience? They get the process, not the specific targets.
Why?
Because I’m focused on showing people the HOW (build daily habits) not selling them the WHAT (hit my specific numbers).
I’m doing this and you can do it too – not “look at me achieve my goals.”
The Community I Want vs. The Community I Have
Here’s the honest truth on Day 24: I don’t really have a community yet.
Minimal engagement. A handful of views. My first YouTube video posted yesterday – imperfect, incomplete, but out there.
I’m building the foundation. Intentionally. As I find people to join the journey.
But here’s what I realized reading Hyatt’s chapter: I want to be a part of helping each other achieve goals, not just me shouting into the night.
I don’t want followers. I want a tribe.
I don’t want an audience that watches. I want achievers who participate.
I don’t want people to comment “great job!” and move on. I want people to say “here’s MY Day 24” and we encourage each other forward.
How You Build That
For now, I think I have to go looking for it.
Comment on other people’s content. Engage genuinely with creators doing similar work. Do the traditional social media building that I’ve been avoiding.
Keep working my 7 habits. Keep documenting the journey. Keep showing what’s possible through living proof instead of motivational theory.
And in the videos I make and the content I write, I want to focus on what I’m doing and WHY I’m finding importance in it.
Not “hey, look at me.”
“I’m doing this, and you can do it too.”
The Achiever Circle I Need
My wife and son are in my inner circle. They know the full goals. They’re watching this unfold in real-time.
But I need to bring in other achievers. Other goal-setters who can refine these targets with me. Who can ask the hard questions. Who can push back when I’m off-track.
Michael Hyatt is right: the journey IS better with friends.
I’m just building the foundation first. And when the tribe arrives – when the achievers find this content and say “I’m doing this too” – we’ll help each other get there.
Not just me shouting. Us building together.
Day 24 Reality
Four inches of snow. Below-zero wind chill. Yoga instead of walking.
One YouTube video posted. OpusClip clips distributed. Social accounts rebranded.
Twenty-four consecutive perfect days. Still mostly building alone.
But the foundation is solid. And the tribe will come.
Day 24 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Reading (Your Best Year Ever – The Journey Is Better With Friends) ✅ Exercise (DDP Yoga due to snow/wind chill) ✅ Gratitude ✅ Calories ✅ Water ✅ Creative hour
Twenty-four consecutive perfect days. Building the foundation. Waiting for the tribe.
The best time to start building? Now. The tribe arrives when they see the foundation is real.
See you tomorrow for Day 25.
The 740 Challenge 