Motivation, humor, and honesty for men who are building better lives in real time.
If someone dropped you on the top of Mount Everest right now, you’d pass out.
Maybe die.
Not because you’re weak. Because your lungs haven’t earned being up there.
The climb builds the capacity.
Skip the climb, and the summit kills you.
I think about that a lot right now.
We live in a world where almost everything is instant.
AI can write for you, think for you, summarize for you.
You can skip most climbs.
To be clear I use the tools. I love the tools.
And I’m also grateful I grew up in a world where I had to earn most things.
Because earning built something in me I’m not sure I’d have otherwise.
Today I speak to rooms of 6,000+ people.
But my first few years were on college campuses talking to 12 students who didn’t want to be there.
Those early reps earned the stage I stand on now.
Here are some other things I’m grateful I had to earn:
I’m grateful I had to write every word of a 55,000 word book.
No AI. No shortcuts. Just me and the keyboard.
I’m grateful I had to get places by getting lost without GPS.
Maps. Strangers. Wrong turns. You learned a city by getting lost in it.
I’m grateful I had to wait a week to watch my favorite TV show.
Miss it? Too bad. Timing mattered.
I’m grateful I had to dig through encyclopedias and card catalogs.
It taught me patience and how to actually search for an answer.
I’m grateful I had to make every photo count.
Twenty-four exposures forced you to see what you clicked.
I’m grateful I had to feel money leave my hands.
Cash hurt. Swiping and Venmo doesn’t.
I’m grateful music came one CD at a time.
A limited collection made you fall deeper in love with what you had.
I’m grateful hanging out meant showing up.
Meeting a friend at the mall with no phone taught you presence.
I’m grateful intimacy wasn’t broadcasted to strangers.
If you wanted to share your life, you invited someone into your living room.
I’m grateful staying inside was a punishment when I was a kid.
Outside is where the magic happened.
None of this is nostalgia. It’s a reminder.
We’re trading something real for convenience.
Some things shouldn’t be optimized.
Some things need to be earned.
When you skip the earning, you’re not ready for what comes next.
That’s what I’ve been asking myself lately:
What am I still choosing to earn?
What am I refusing to outsource, automate, or skip?
In 10 years, what will I be grateful I earned instead of letting a tool do for me?
What about you?
Hit reply and tell me what you’re choosing to earn right now.
Antonio
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