Tag: thankful

Day 12: More Than Just Checking Boxes (Why This Challenge Is Emotional)

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

I’m in the Emotional chapter of “Made to Stick” this morning, and something caught my attention.

The Heath brothers tell a story about a soldier cook. He had retired, but when offered an opportunity to cook for soldiers in Iraq, he jumped at the post. When asked about his job, he didn’t say “I prepare food.” He said: “My job is morale.”

He understood something deeper than the task list. Yes, he cooked meals. But his real job was building the strength soldiers needed to keep fighting, to survive, to stay mentally sharp in war.

That hit me hard. Because the 7-40 Challenge can’t just be about checking boxes.

The Real Job

Bible study. Exercise. Reading. Water. Calories. Gratitude. Creative work.

Seven habits. Forty days. Repeated seven times.

On the surface, that’s what I’m doing. But here’s the truth: my job is to be living proof that change is possible.

I was made to help people. To make their lives better, easier, more purposeful. I feel that call deep inside me—the need to take care of people, to build them up, to show them what’s possible.

But I can’t do that and ignore myself.

I have to fill my cup so I can fill others.

Why This Is Emotional for Me

This isn’t self-improvement for self-improvement’s sake. If the goal were just about me, it would be much too small.

I’m doing this because:

My family needs me healthy and strong. Fewer illnesses means less stress on my wife. More energy means I can be active, do the home improvement projects we love, spend time doing whatever activities we choose. Better mood means better interactions with everyone around me.

My son needs to see this. Not hear about transformation someday—watch it happen in real time. So when life gets hard for him, he knows it’s possible to choose differently.

The 1,000 people I want to impact need proof. By clearly defining the transformation I’m undergoing and letting people watch it play out in real time, I’m demonstrating the courage they need to name their own transformation—which may be completely different than mine. But watching mine unfold might inspire them to face theirs.

The Ripple Effect

When I’m healthy, strong, and energized, my world improves. And everything my world touches improves.

My marriage gets stronger. My parenting gets more present. My work gets sharper. My ability to help others grows exponentially.

That’s not narcissism. That’s stewardship.

I can’t pour from an empty cup. And at times over the past twenty+ years, I’ve run on fumes, talking about “someday” while my cup stayed empty.

Not anymore.

Motivation and Movement

The soldier cook understood: his real job was giving soldiers the strength to keep fighting.

My real job? Giving people stuck in “someday” mode the courage to actually move. To break from routine’s gravity. To start now instead of waiting for perfect.

And I can only do that if I’m doing it myself.

Day 12. Twelve perfect days behind me. Not because I’m special, but because the mission is bigger than me.

Day 12 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Workout B – back, biceps, legs) ✅ Reading (Made to Stick – Emotional chapter) ✅ Water ✅ Calories ✅ Gratitude ✅ Creative hour

The best time to fill your cup? Now. Not for yourself alone. For everyone who needs you at your best.

My job isn’t just the habits.

It’s to be living proof that change is possible.

See you tomorrow for Day 13.

Gratitude Sunday: My Mom and George Bailey

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

One of my favorite Christmas movies is It’s a Wonderful Life.

When I was younger, I liked it because an angel comes down and helps a guy get through a hard time. You get to see his whole story unfold and figure out who he really is. I didn’t see the deep significance as a young person watching this movie for the first time.

As I’ve gotten older, George Bailey’s story has become far too familiar.

I see it in life all around me. People—many wonderful people—don’t realize the good they do. They don’t understand how their influence has shaped the world around them far more than they know.

One person I can see this to be true about is my mother.

A Life of Selfless Love

My mother is one of the most selfless, wonderful people I have ever met or had the pleasure to know. She is kind and caring and deeply concerned with the well-being of others.

This flows from her relationship with God, which has been solid for as long as I can remember. She loves Jesus dearly. And because of that, she has consistently, over the years, shown people God’s love in countless ways.

I’ve seen her stop in the grocery store and share God with people or stop and pray with them just because she knew they needed it. I’ve seen her give of herself and run herself ragged to make sure that the people she served and the people she loved were taken care of.

But I’m going to tell this story from my perspective, from what I’ve seen in my own life.

Songs and Stories in the Early ’80s

My mother, in the early ’80s, started telling me stories about Jesus. She would sing songs and read the Bible with me. She was very involved in making sure that I knew that Jesus loved me—and also building me up to be a confident and strong young man.

She was consistent in her love.

I reminded her the other day that she’s the reason I know Jesus, just as she’s the reason many other people in this world know Jesus as well. She’s the reason people have found hope when they didn’t have any. She’s the reason people have found kindness when they most needed it.

She has been God’s love to people repeatedly throughout her life.

And just like George Bailey, I don’t think she understands just how far her influence has gone.

The Billy Graham Question

It makes me think.

If I asked you, “Do you know who Billy Graham is?” most of us—whether we are Christians or not—have heard the name. We know he was a very famous minister. We know that he touched countless lives with the love of God and with the message of God’s salvation.

But if I asked you, “What was the name of the man who introduced Billy Graham to Jesus?” I don’t think many of us would know who that is.

You never know the effect you have on someone’s life. You never know the influence. You never know the good that you do. You’ll never see the full picture.

But that shouldn’t stop you from doing good.

My Gratitude

So to say the least, I’m grateful for my mother.

I’m grateful for the way she’s loved me and taken care of me. Even though it’s been many, many years since I’ve lived in their home, she still loves me and prays for me to this day like I’m her baby boy.

Her influence on me has been outstanding.

And I can only imagine the influence she’s had on others—the people whose names I’ll never know, whose stories I’ll never hear, whose lives were changed because she stopped in a grocery store or prayed with someone who was hurting or sang songs about Jesus to a little boy in the early ’80s.

She’ll never know how far her influence has gone.

But I do know this: I wouldn’t be here without her. I wouldn’t know Jesus without her. I wouldn’t be attempting this 7-40 Challenge without the foundation she helped build in my life.

So thank you, Mom.

For being God’s love when I needed it most.

For never giving up on me.

For showing me what it looks like to live a life of purpose.

You’re far more influential than you know.

And I’m forever grateful.

#ThankYouCampaign #GratitudeSunday #ItsAWonderfulLife #GeorgeBailey #MothersLove #Faith #Jesus #Grateful #FamilyLegacy #Influence #740Challenge #Purpose #ChristianLife #Thankful

Day 9: Twenty-Seven Years and Just Getting Started

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Today is my 27th wedding anniversary.

Twenty-seven years ago, I married my best friend. And sitting at the table with her this morning, talking about all the unlikely things that had to align for us to even meet, I’m reminded why Day 9 of the 7-40 Challenge matters more than any other day so far.

This isn’t just about me. It never has been.

The Butterfly Effect (Or God’s Perfect Timing)

April 1, 1998. I walked into a church in Bethany, Oklahoma, volunteering with the college minister—for what, I don’t really remember. As we walked in together, a beautiful lady with blonde hair walked toward us.

The minister introduced us. She quickly said hello, then politely ignored me. Talked with the minister and was on her way. Little did I know I had just met my future wife.

It was like we were destined to meet. But here’s the thing: I was only at that church because of a singing scholarship that brought me to that university where the college minister was a student. My bride had only transferred to that university three months earlier because she wanted to be closer to home. I’d been at a different church where I was the youth leader until just a month before. Then a rappelling trip in late April. A whitewater rafting trip in June.

Every random piece had to fall into place exactly right.

Twenty-seven years later, we’re still here. Still talking. Still building a life together. I can’t even describe how grateful I am.

Here’s the truth: I’m 47 years old, staring down the reality that 27 more years won’t be enough time to know her, to be her friend, to do everything we still want to do together. It just isn’t long enough to love her completely.

But I’ll take every second I can get.

Why I’m Doing This Challenge

For years, I’ve worked on bettering myself in various ways—career, faith, creativity. But I’ve simultaneously neglected things that matter just as much. My physical health. My strength. My energy.

And here’s what crossed my mind this morning: I have to be here. Not just alive, but present, capable, and strong. I want as many more years as I can have. God willing, that’s a whole bunch.

We love being married. We love building our family. We love being creative together. We love working on homes together—improving things, building things, creating beauty out of work. That requires strength. Stamina. Being physically able to show up and contribute, not just watch from the sidelines because I didn’t take care of myself.

I need to be a helpmate to my wife—not a burden she has to accommodate because I let myself fall apart.

I need to be an example for my son. I want him to see his dad doing the hard thing at 47, not talking about it someday. I want him to watch me transform, so when life gets hard for him, he knows it’s possible to choose differently. To start now, not later.

I want to see my grandchildren. I want decades more with my best friend. I want to keep growing, keep achieving, keep building.

The best time to start taking care of myself? Not someday. Not when things settle down. Now.

Because 27 years from now, I want to be sitting at that same table with her, talking about all the things we built together in these next decades.

And that starts with Day 9.

Day 9 Scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (Workout A) ✅ Reading ✅ Gratitude ✅ Water ✅ Calories ✅ Creative hour

Nine consecutive perfect days. For her. For my son. For the life we’re still building.

Happy anniversary, my darling. Here’s to 27 more—and I’m going to be strong enough to live every one of them well.

The best time to start is now. Not for yourself alone. For everyone counting on you to be here.

See you tomorrow for Day 10.

Day 3 of the 7-40 Challenge: Gratitude That Shifts Your World and Choices That Build Your Future

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Hey friends!

Welcome to Day 3 of the 7-40 Challenge. I’m posting this straight from my gym—sweat still drying, heart still pumping—right after crushing my workout for the day. What a good day it’s been. I’ve got a couple reflections burning in my chest that I have to share with you tonight. Let’s dive in.

The Game-Changer Called Gratitude

Over the last two rounds of this challenge (and now into round three), something wild has happened to my attitude. It’s shifted—big time—because I’ve zeroed in on gratitude.

“It’s one thing to say that you’re thankful for things. It is a very different thing to… tell those things to God. Thank him for what he’s done for you. To share with other people, the way that they have affected your life positively.” – David Willis

That’s me, word for word, because this isn’t fluffy talk—it’s real. Gratitude isn’t just a feel-good vibe; I’m mostly convinced that gratitude… is for my betterment, even as it betters the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says it plain: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I’m so grateful for the life I’ve been given. The opportunities to make a difference. To wake up every day and do better. Who’s with me on that?

The Power of Choices: Lessons from Zig Ziglar

This afternoon, I fired up the audiobook of Zig Ziglar’s See You at the Top. Written 50 years ago, and it’s hitting harder than ever. Sure, some stories feel like flashbacks to my childhood, but they’re poignant. Relevant. Inspiring—maybe more now than the first time I devoured them.

Zig drops this bomb: “For over 20 years of my life, I chose to weigh well over 200 pounds.” The crowd’s like, “What do you mean, Zig? You chose that?”

He grins in that classic Southern drawl: “I have never been forced to eat anything in my life. Me weighing too much was a product of my choices.”

Mic drop.

Then he shares how, for 10 months after deciding to get healthy, he hated joggers. Saw them out there, buzzing with life, loving every stride… and it annoyed him. Until he became one.

Picture this: Running at Portland State University. Road blurring under his feet. Sun shining. Warm breeze. Boom—reality hits. “He wasn’t paying the price for health. He was enjoying the benefits.”

Fast-forward: At 61 years old (just 16 years after that choice), Zig’s resting heart rate? In the 40s. He could blaze five miles faster and easier than guys half his age.

Zig Ziglar said it best: “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”

Discipline. Choices. Daily grind. That’s the ticket.

Why I’m All In on This Challenge

Zig’s been gone for several years, but his example? Still lighting a fire under me. I never met the man, but I’m chasing that same character. I, too, want to make choices that will lead me into a better future.

A future with a heart full of gratitude. A healthier, more vibrant me. Step by step, through this 7-40 Challenge, daily workouts, and every habit I’m stacking—I’m building it.

Healthy. Happy. Reasonably prosperous. And yeah—inspiring you to run your own race.

Who’s ready for Day 4? Let’s keep choosing better.

See you at the top.

P.S. Grab See You at the Top if you haven’t. Life-changer.

Day 2 of the 7-40 Challenge: Resistance Is the Starting Gun

~ David Willis ~ Leave a comment

Welcome back to the 7-40 Challenge—seven core habits, forty days straight, no excuses. If you missed Day 1, here’s the short version: I refuse to drift through life. I’m locking in the seven core habits I described in yesterday’s post. And wouldn’t you know it—Day 2 hasn’t even ended and the challenge is already swinging back at me.

The First Punch Lands

I woke up yesterday with a neck that felt like it had been folded into a suitcase. How? I was asleep. Apparently, in my mid-40s, even unconsciousness is a contact sport. The ache lingered through Day 1, sharpened this morning, and tried to whisper the old lie: “Rest. Skip the workout. Tomorrow’s fine.”

That’s the pattern, isn’t it? The moment you commit, the resistance shows up—on time, every time.

Winston Churchill nailed it during the darkest hours of 1941:

If you are going through hell keep going.

He wasn’t talking about sore necks, but the principle is the same. Obstacles aren’t stop signs; they’re proof you’re moving.

I also like how Steven Pressfield described it in the War of Art:

The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear is what comes with the territory. He feels the Resistance and does the work anyway.

My Day 2 Reality Check

• Exercise: 60 minutes done—stiff neck and all.

• Nutrition: Food logged, hydration on point.

• Reading: One hour in the books.

• Faith: Morning Bible study and prayer, even when the body screamed louder than the spirit.

• Gratitude: Sent a personal message to a friend reminding them that I am proud of them.

• Writing: This post.

• Content Creation: Still learning this but will finish before end of day.

Every checkbox felt heavier than it should. That’s the point. Easy doesn’t forge anything worth keeping.

The Mindset That Wins

Resistance is inevitable. Response is optional.

Napoleon Hill spent 20 years studying the ultra-successful and boiled it down to this:

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

My seed today? the routine will carry me forward even when everything else wants me to slow down. Lean on the routine and do the work.

The 40-Day Horizon

I’m not here to hit a number on the scale (though it’s trending the right way). I’m here to become the version of me who doesn’t need another reset in 2026. Smarter, stronger, closer to God, useful to people—that’s the target.

Your Turn

How are you doing on your goals? What are you working on? I pray my journey is an encouragement to you. Knowing you are reading these words is an encouragement to me. Thank you for that.

Day 2 is in the books. Day 3 starts at 5:00 a.m. See you on the other side of the alarm.

Press on.