There’s an old idea from the world of sled dogs: an honest dog is a dog that pulls. Put that dog in the harness, and you don’t have to wonder whether he’s working. He doesn’t make it look like he’s pulling. He doesn’t wait for the other dogs to carry the load. He doesn’t conserve his effort while pretending to contribute. He leans into the harness and pulls. That’s an honest dog. The best sled dogs aren’t necessarily the biggest, strongest, or fastest dogs on the team. What matters is that when it’s time to work, they give you what they’ve got. Mile after mile. When it’s cold. When they’re tired. When nobody is watching. There’s something for us in that lesson. We all know people who look busy. Talk about what they’re going to do. Find reasons something didn’t happen. Sometimes we’re that person ourselves, I am guilty of this at times, but I am working on it. An Honest Dog is different. A strong mindset any of us can adopt: BE AN HONEST DOG. Show up. Lean into the harness. Pull your share. Give your full effort. Don’t fake the work. Do this with consistency and everything in life can change for the better.

The Compounding Effect Compounding is one of the most powerful forces in life—but it doesn’t care which direction you’re headed. A good decision repeated becomes a habit. A habit repeated becomes a pattern. Patterns, given enough time, become outcomes. The same thing happens in reverse. Skip once. Cut a corner. Put something off. It seems insignificant in the moment. But repeat it long enough, and the negative compounds just as reliably as the positive. That’s the magic—and the danger—of compounding effort. You don’t need a massive breakthrough every day. You need small actions, consistently repeated, pointed in the right direction. Because eventually, you’re not just adding effort. You’re earning interest on it. Check this book out. It’s one I’ve read many times highly recommend it. It’s a good short read.

I love this quote, to me, it is the absolute truth. I have had this sign hanging in my office for years, I really value the simplicity of the message.

Have a bias for action!

Focus on the right stuff. Easy to say, harder to do. It’s different for everyone, but one simple tool I have used for years is this little picture. I don’t even remember where I saw it first. I recreated it in my own handwriting; it meant more to me that way. It doesn’t need much explanation. Try to identify what is important and also what’s in your control, and focus most where those two things overlap. Been a helpful visual guide for me.