Jacob Bensen

[Jacob Bensen @Bensen_Jacob]

@Codie_Sanchez Own

[Zach Homol @zachhomol_]

The other morning I was hit with a real-life example of the importance of doing hard things. It was also a real-life example of simplicity (not always ease… but again, I question what’s really hard).

The morning alarm from my Coro’s watch started buzzing at me. It was 4:04 a.m., and it came much quicker than I thought it would when I set it the night before.

I had gotten back to the bedroom around 7 p.m. An early night, my wife was on teenage kid duty. Crew was attending youth night at our church and needed picked up at 8. I was on toddler duty. Ambrose goes down at 7, and Dad decided it was a great time to go down as well.

One of my favorite things to do is, when it works- get into bed and into a good book at the same time we put Ambrose down. Now, it doesn’t always work this way. We have basketball games that go past 8-9... p.m., movie nights, and everyday life things. We take it in stride.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of days throughout the weeks and months that we can shut it down earlier. I seize those opportunities as they present themselves. I believe they are more valuable than people tend to realize.

How we choose to spend our time matters. If you choose to spend a couple hours in the evening scrolling or watching shows, it’s often those exact days that I decide to get in bed earlier and into a good book until I nod off. Doing this brings a ton of peace into our home.

As Psalm 4:8 says, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

Lesson 1
Good Mornings Are Birthed Out Of Peaceful Evenings

Pried myself out of bed. Didn’t want to get up, but I did anyway.
Always love the mornings when I don’t want to get out of bed but choose to do so anyway. It’s having one hard thing under my belt. Confidence greets me 30 minutes later. I’m glad I did.

Get into my morning routine. It looks nothing like what goobers online present as their “optimal morning routine.” I have kids, businesses, and a real life.

I wake up, head straight to the coffee pot, and get it going. Grinding the beans, then over to the water station to fill the pot all the way to 12 cups (of course).

Once the coffee is going, I start drinking my water. A lot of water. Plus, I drink one LMNT packet.

Why? Because everyone is chronically dehydrated. I’m certain of this. You need to drink more water. Way more. Especially if you are a coffee addict like myself.

How much water? At least 30 ounces before your first sip of coffee. Add an LMNT packet or something similar. Go for the lower-calorie options, of course. The one I drink is 5 calories.

Lesson 2
Hydrate

The morning is peaceful. Dim lights, the Edison bulb ones. The fireplace is going. Coffee so hot it burns the tongue. Water by my side… all is right in my world.

I dive right into reading. My Bible and/or a book that points me closer to Christ.
Armoring up for the day.

Being proactive to reduce reactivity. It’s in reactivity that I often succumb to my flesh and my lesser self.

Who knows what the next 16 hours of life will bring? I’ve lived long enough to know anything is possible. I’m preparing for whatever gets thrown at me.
My wife wakes up around 5, and she has a similar flow.

As Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

Lesson 3
Armor Up
Anything Can Happen. Will You Be Ready?

My wife is now in her spot on the couch by the fireplace. The home is completely still and silent.
Then, not two minutes later, comes a cry from the back room.
Ambrose… our toddler, has decided he���s getting up early too. Of course. Haha.

I glance up at my wife as she checks the monitor. She too is up at least an hour early before her day starts. Ambrose is not usually up at this time.
She’s not defeated or annoyed. She gets herself ready to be prompted into action.

I say to her,
“I’ll get Ambrose why don’t you head back into the room and get yourself ready for the day?”
(This means she’s doing her reading, prayer, and setting intentions.)
She smiles and says, “Are you sure?”
“Yep,” I say back.

See, I’m already in a good spot. I’ve set myself up for success by waking up at 4 even when I didn’t want to. I was prepared for whatever was going to be thrown at me. And this morning it happened to be a toddler who woke an hour early and an opportunity to love and serve my wife. To give her extra time before her day had to start and before I had to leave for work.

Lesson 4
Be Proactive So You Don’t Miss Opportunities To Do Good

Galatians 6:9 reminds us,
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Writing all this to say: we often overcomplicate personal growth and life change.
We think it’s reading another book or listening to another podcast. While I’m not opposed to either of those vehicles of knowledge, I also find they can become a trap.

What good is knowing without doing?
I can know all the things, but if I did not wake up at 4 a.m. this morning, I would not have been prepared for my day.

I would have missed the opportunity to be proactive in serving my wife. I would have filled that space with reactive energy.

If I chose to scroll my phone the night before, I would have gone to bed later and made it much harder to wake at 4 a.m. More than likely, I wouldn’t have.

I would have missed the word God laid on my heart.
I would have missed the opportunity to serve my wife.
I would have missed the 45 minutes I got to play with my son before I left for work.

And it is there in the mundane, that true life change happens.

As Mother Teresa said,
“Be faithful in small things, because it is in them that your strength lies.”

The magic is in the details.
Do Hard Things.

[Zach Homol @zachhomol_]

When you get all the things you wanted, only to realize you now want more things. And so the seeking continues, delaying life itself as it is happening right now. - A great tragedy

[Jacob Bensen @Bensen_Jacob]

@ScottBarrettDFB Giants? Dart, Skattebo, Nabers

[sterling @__itsaras]

There's a half of the Icarus myth no one tells.

Daedalus gave his son Icarus two warnings:
1. Don't fly too close to the sun; the wax will melt.
2. Don't fly too close to the sea; the sea spray will weigh down the feathers.

Everyone remembers the first. Hubris. Overreach. We tell that story all the time.

The second warning has been completely forgotten. And I think it's the one we actually need.

When I look at students now, I don't see kids flying too close to the sun.

I see kids being held too close to the sea. An education system that doesn't challenge them. That keeps them low, keeps them comfortable, keeps them "safe". And slowly, without anyone noticing, the weight builds on their wings.

The sea doesn't burn. That's what makes it so dangerous.

[Dean Turner @DeanTTraining]

It you work a 9-5, you’re married, & you’ve got kids:

The sooner you accept the 5-7 AM window needs to be your designated gym time…the better

This is true in MOST cases

“I’ll get to it after work” usually means you get to it only 50, 60, 75% of the time (if you’re LUCKY)

[Jacob Bensen @Bensen_Jacob]

@DeanTTraining Meal plan 💪

[Jacob Bensen @Bensen_Jacob]

@mikehoffmann Course

[Jordan B. Goldstein | The Athletic Philosopher🌳🪓 @JB_Goldstein]

I fully believe people kill off their consciences

Not on purpose though
Through 10,000 little tradeoffs
Going against yourself just 'this one time'
But then it seemingly every time
Until there's nothing left

This is why courage is paramount
It's what helps you preserve yourself

[Jacob Bensen @Bensen_Jacob]

@SportMDAnalysis @fantasy_guides @fantasydocss I don't mind reading, but this graphic is great work!

[Zach Homol @zachhomol_]

Where the mind goes… Energy flows… Momentum grows

[Zach Homol @zachhomol_]

My cup runs dry…

I feel the devil fighting for my soul
I feel distracted by the world
I feel I’m being pulled back
From where I was I no longer am
what was once overcome was never really done
I’m back in my sin… again
The pain deep in my chest
Knowing I’m not giving my best
My endurance is weak
My mind under attack
My body gives me signals
Reminders of all that I lack
To run and hide there’s no one worse then I
There’s nowhere to go
No one to blame
It’s me… I am shame

[Jacob Bensen @Bensen_Jacob]

@SigmundBloom @RonStewart_ is great.

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

This is one of my favorite speeches of all time…

It always hits me hard:

“You get up every day—you’re entitled to nothing. Nobody owes you nothing. You could have talent, but if you don’t have discipline, and you don’t execute, you don’t focus… What do you get? Nothing. If you’re complacent and not paying attention to detail… What does that get you? Nothing. So nothing is acceptable but your best.”

This is a harsh reality of life:

Talent is meaningless without discipline.
Ambition is worthless without execution.
Focus is the difference between potential and reality.

You’re not entitled to success—it’s earned in the quiet, thankless moments when no one is watching.

The antidote to entitlement is relentless ownership.

Show up fully. Pay attention to the details. Do your best—every single day.

Because in a world where everyone wants the reward, it’s those who refuse to accept anything less than their best who build something worth being proud of.

[Toan Truong @LearningToan]

"Passion is a lie," says Robert Greene.

That's his discovery after studying geniuses like Mozart, Jobs, and Einstein... for decades.

He found ONE pattern in every master he mastered early on:

"The Voice"

Here's what history's masters knew that we forgot:🧵

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

A lot of problems are solved by waking up early and working out.

[Jacob Bensen @Bensen_Jacob]

@DeanTTraining Upper

[Tyler Todt @tyromper]

Bible & bed.

The older I get the more I see the PATH IS NARROW.

Align with & find a tribe that prioritizes GOODNESS, GODLINESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, LOVE, JOY & PURSUING JESUS.

Pray for everyone.
Pray for your enemies.

Live with only ONE thing in mind.

One day, it'll come sooner than any of us care to believe, you hear the words,

"WELL DONE MY GOOD & FAITHFUL SERVANT."

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

-Colossians 3:2

[Jacob Bensen @Bensen_Jacob]

@coookwithchris Free

[Tyler Todt @tyromper]

At 29 I sat on the rooftop of my condo overlooking Chicago thinking if I wasn’t such a pansy I would just jump off & end it.

I was recently cheated on & divorced.

I was drinking 6 days a week & popping pills like they were skittles.

I was around drinking buddies often, but ALWAYS FELT ALONE.

I couldn’t get off the couch for days during some periods.

I felt my best days were behind me & couldn’t see a way out.

It was the lowest depression I’ve ever experienced.

And then………