Going the Distance: Doing Hard Things in Life and Business

At the start of 2025, I made a simple New Year’s resolution: complete a marathon.

Up until then, most of my training had been for baseball or CrossFit. Strength mattered more than endurance. Running had never been my thing. But, I wanted to see what would happen if I set a big goal and followed through.

In September, I crossed the finish line at the 2025 Boulderthon. It came after months of early mornings, long runs, and steady discipline. The most important part, however, was not the finish line. It was the accountability and endurance it took to get there.

Back in January, I told my friends, family, and co-workers I was going to run a marathon. Saying it out loud created pressure to follow through. Once I made that commitment, there was no going back. From that point on, it was about showing up, doing the work, and keeping my word.

A few weeks later, I took on another challenge. I hiked La Plata Peak in Colorado, my sixteenth fourteener. The climb required the same ingredients as the marathon: preparation, discipline, and endurance. You cannot fake your way to the top of a 14,000-foot peak.

Both experiences reinforced something I have seen over and over again. Growth happens when we do hard things.

Enduring Through Difficulty

Doing hard things forces you to grow. It pushes you past comfort and shows you what you are capable of. Whether it is running a marathon, building a business, or leading a team, the principle is the same. You have to keep going when it gets hard.

I believe that endurance is a mindset. It is the choice to keep moving when progress is slow or the finish line feels far away. It is showing up after the excitement wears off and sticking with it until the job is done.

In the business world, that’s the reality of building a firm.

Starting and growing a business takes courage. It means stepping into risk and committing to a path with no guarantees.

As our founder Greg Alexander says, “entrepreneurs eat risk for breakfast.” It comes with the territory. There are months when cash flow is tight or clients pull back. There are times when nothing seems to work. Those are the moments that define whether you can go the distance.

The Power of Accountability

Endurance does not happen in isolation either.

When others know what you are working toward, it creates pressure to follow through. That pressure can push you further than motivation ever could.

I would not have finished the marathon without the encouragement of my fiancée, family, and friends. Their support helped me stay committed when training got hard. The same thing happens in business. Founders who surround themselves with people who challenge and support them build environments where endurance grows.

That is what communities like Collective 54 are built for. They create space for accountability and growth among peers who understand what it takes to lead, adapt, and endure. When you have people in your corner who hold you to a higher standard, it becomes easier to push through the hard parts and keep moving forward.

The Takeaway

Growth happens when we do hard things. It happens when founders take risks, stay disciplined, and keep adapting even when the outcome is unclear. They have the ability to endure.