What an incredible and inspirational message from Eric McElvenny this morning at the Accelerent breakfast.
And a big thank you to Mel Carr for the invitation — I’m so glad I was there.
He talked about a moment when he felt defeated and wanted to quit. On his first attempt, there was pain, fatigue, and he couldn’t even get his leg on the way he needed to.
But his message was simple:
The challenge doesn’t define us. Our response to it does.
We all have character — good or bad — and it shows up in our values, habits, work ethic, integrity, compassion, empathy, grit, and resilience.
Eric shared 4 principles of resilience that really stuck with me:
- Gratitude
Focus on what you have, not what you don’t have.
And one simple language shift: instead of saying, “I have to do this,” say, “I get to do this.” - Goals
“Let me know when you’re going to run your first marathon.”
That letter from his commander gave him the inspiration to pursue something that seemed impossible. - Consistency
His coach told him:
You don’t have to be strong. You just have to be consistent.
Day in and day out. Do the work — especially on the days when you don’t feel like doing it.
- Get rid of the excuses
Eric even talked about choosing not to use handicapped parking because he didn’t want convenience to become an excuse.
That hit me.
What are we allowing to hold us back from achieving something we know we are capable of?
His definition of a finish line was also powerful: anyone who refuses to stay down.
And through all of it — achievement, competition, relationships, helping others — the bigger questions remain:
What are your priorities?
Are you actually living according to them?
And what are you grateful for today?
Those are questions worth sitting with.