COURAGE: The Catalyst That Ignites Success (part of TFOS)

You can have the best-laid plans (Preparation) and be aware of any and all opportunities (Vision), but without Courage, they remain locked in your notebook, safe and useless. In the equation Preparation × Vision × Courage = Success, courage isn’t the cherry on top, it’s the ignition key. If C (Courage) = 0, then it all equals zero.
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COURAGE is the multiplier. It’s the bold move. The committed step. The trait that turns potential energy into kinetic action. In triathlon terms, it’s jumping into cold, choppy water when your brain screams “not today.” In the boardroom, it’s signing that deal, launching the new strategy, or saying no to an overpaid comfort zone.

1. Grit and Resilience: The Daily Fight

Courage shows up not in grand moments, but in the grind. Grit means choosing to get into the ring every day. It means giving that presentation, even if the last one did not go great. It means getting into the open water, even when there are waves.

Resilience? That’s the comeback story. Fall down seven, get up eight. It’s not heroic. It’s habit. In sport and business, you won’t avoid setbacks. Courage is what keeps your feet moving forward even when your confidence is taking body blows.

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas A. Edison

2. Risk-Taking and Overcoming Fear: Playing Beyond the Comfort Zone

Every promotion, every race, every investment in yourself or others carries risk. Courage isn’t being fearless, it’s being willing to act despite the fear.
Fear says: “What if I fail?”

Courage says: “What if I don’t try and regret it forever?”
Taking smart, calculated risks is essential in both sport and boardrooms. Think Ironman debuts, startup launches, or take a sabbatical to reset your life strategy. These aren't reckless. They're necessary inflection points.

If you never feel fear, you’re not playing a big enough game.

3. Strategic Action: Boldness Without Blindness

Courage isn’t the loudest person in the room or the first to jump. Real courage is calculated.
You don’t storm the battlefield without recon. You train hard, assess risks, and then you take the leap. That’s the intersection of Preparation, Vision, and Courage. It’s not impulsive, it’s informed bravery. It is calculated decision making under uncertainty, just like management.

Be bold. But be smart.

4. Emotional Intelligence: Strength with Self-Control

Courage is also quiet. It's walking into conflict and leading with empathy. It’s receiving feedback without defensiveness. It’s holding the mirror up to your own leadership flaws without cracking.
In high-stress situations, on the racecourse or in crisis meetings, emotional courage keeps the team together. It’s what separates explosive egos from composed commanders.

Want to lead under pressure? Get comfortable being uncomfortable with yourself.
 
5. Accountability and Ownership: No More Excuses

The courageous don’t hide behind circumstances or teams. They own the outcome, win or lose.
You missed a deadline? Own it. Your athlete didn’t perform? Analyze your coaching. You bonked at kilometer 28? Learn, adapt, and move forward.

Excuses are a virus. Courage is the cure.
 
6. COURAGE IS THE MULTIPLIER

Without courage, the equation collapses. Preparation × Vision × 0 = zero. You need courage for the breakthrough, not just the blueprint.

So, what does COURAGE look like today?

• Signing up for the race before you're fully "ready"
• Saying no to projects that drain you
• Saying yes to help, even if it bruises your pride
• Having the difficult conversation
• Admitting you were wrong

That’s not weakness. That’s growth. That’s movement. That’s COURAGE.

Don’t forget: It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey!

BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:
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The beauty about courage is that it is addictive and there is no turning back. Once you get the courage to overcome your fears, the adrenaline will keep you from falling behind ever again. You just proved to yourself that you CAN DO IT ! So next time, you can take it just one more step further.

✅ Pick one thing today that scares you and do it.
✅ Reflect on a time you acted with courage. What did it unlock?
✅ Write down one bold thing you’ve been avoiding—and take one step toward it.
✅ Ask yourself: "If I weren’t afraid, what would I do right now?"

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Vision: The Most Unseen Multiplier in the Formula for Success

You can be perfectly prepared. You can have all the courage in the world. But if you're not looking up, if you're not aware of what’s changing around you, you’ll still miss the boat.
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In the formula for success {(Preparation × Vision × Courage) + Luck - Goals}, Vision is often misunderstood. It’s not just about having a goal; it’s about continuously scanning the horizon. It's the active scanning of your surroundings that makes sure your preparation and bravery are pointed in the right direction.

Why Vision Matters

Vision is awareness. Not in a dreamy, abstract sense, but in the practical ability to spot opportunities, anticipate change, and respond intentionally. It’s what separates those who get stuck in their routine from those who evolve, innovate, and ultimately succeed.

In Triathlon: New Margins Are Always Emerging

The athlete who only trains hard without paying attention to evolving trends risks falling behind. A triathlete with high preparation and bold action may never realize that new carbon shoe tech shaved 3 minutes off others’ run times. They might mis the latest aerodynamic tweaks to cut 20W of drag or that the fueling strategies and HRV tracking have radically shifted recovery science.

Vision is watching those trends, testing ideas, listening to smarter athletes, and staying curious. It’s asking, “Is there something out there that could make me better?” Even more, you can expand your vision by having active conversations with other triathletes or even better get a coach who is monitoring the latest innovations to learn and share with his athletes.

In Work: Opportunity Doesn’t Wait

You can be skilled. You can be brave. But you always have to keep your eyes on the market. Personally you  need to keep monitoring the job market internally and externally or you might miss a golden opportunity. As a business you need to keep your eye out for emerging competitors redefining your market and new technologies which might shift your industry paradigms like AI, sustainability, or remote communication.

If you are not actively looking around you may never act, because you don’t even know you should. And here’s the irony: when we’re blind to opportunity, we tend to blame luck for our lack of progress.

“I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” No! You just weren’t looking.

Vision in the workplace means watching, reading, asking questions, attending, networking. It means zooming out, not just drilling in.

In Life: Vision Shapes Direction

In family, health, relationships, and community, vision is about reflection. It’s noticing the early signs of burnout, of a partner needing support, of a child showing talent or distress, of a body asking for rest or movement. Don’t start doubting yourself, but keep asking yourself: Am I on the path I want to be on? Are there changes I’m not noticing because I’m too deep in the daily grind?

You might be doing all the right things… but in the wrong direction.

Conclusion: Look Up. Look Around. Adjust.

If you’re not see(k)ing, you’re not succeeding, at least not consistently. Without vision, even the best-prepared, most courageous person risks wasting their effort.

Vision connects effort to opportunity. It’s not a luxury. It’s a multiplier. So whatever phase you’re in, training, working, parenting, recovering, ask yourself regularly. “What am I not seeing right now?” It might just change your trajectory.

Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey!

BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:

• During your next long ride or run, reflect on where you’ve been closing your eyes (metaphorically).
• Plan 15 minutes each week to research something new in your field sport, work, health.
• Ask someone you admire: What’s something you’re seeing that most people are missing?

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Preparation: The Least Sexy Factor of Success
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Preparation is the foundation of success. It involves deliberate planning, acquiring necessary skills, and building a strong mindset. Preparation ensures you are equipped to face challenges and seize opportunities. As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” 

Why Preparation Matters:

Preparation isn’t glamorous. It’s disciplined, steady, and relentless. It involves deliberate steps when nobody's watching. It's the research done late at night, consistent training when motivation wanes, and deliberate rehearsal of critical conversations. This quiet, persistent effort amplifies every aspect of the TFOS formula (Preparation x Vision x Courage).

Without preparation, the formula equates to zero. Preparation can vary broadly or narrowly, depending on your life goals. If you aim to be an expert, it means deeply understanding your subject. This could be academic or practical. For broader success, diversifying your experiences is crucial. That is why it is important to realize your GOALS so that your preparation is effective.

Don’t forget that preparation is continuous. At every step in life you need to keep preparing for the next. You are never done preparing. Success builds gradually, step-by-step, easing the pressure for quick perfection. As George Bernard Shaw noted, "Men are wise in proportion, not to their experience, but to their capacity for experience."

Yet, preparation isn’t always a choice. Factors like birthplace, family, race, and gender undeniably influence our initial conditions and opportunities. It makes a difference whether you are born in rural areas of Missouri, the bush of Africa, the Amazon forest or Manhattan. (This video is a scary reminder of that privilege, what it does to you mindest and how easy it is to forget.)

While these elements shape part of your journey, they don’t dictate all aspects of your success. True holistic success encompasses more than monetary. Having the VISION to remain aware of your surroundings and seeing the opportunities that come by, however small, is a critical element of the equation to break the mold and turn the status quo into a hero story.

 
Learning from Others – Be Open-Minded:

Successful individuals are eager learners, absorbing lessons beyond their own experiences. Douglas Adams humorously noted, "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." History offers countless insights, yet humans often neglect this wealth. George Bernard Shaw aptly observed, "If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience."

Learning from Yourself – Have Courage to Fail:

Trial-and-error accelerates personal growth, though it requires courage. Reflective accountability matters deeply. Dr. Robert Anthony Beddard emphasized, "When you blame others, you give up the power of change." Regular self-reflection propels personal development, aligning well with the Chinese proverb: "Be not afraid of growing slowly, be only afraid of standing still."

Courage complements preparation by empowering resilience against short-term failures to achieve long-term success.

Practical Tips: Staying in a State of Preparation:

To maintain a consistent state of preparation, schedule regular time dedicated to learning and skill-building. Establish clear, achievable goals aligned with your broader vision. Like a decision three, make a preparation three. Start from your goal and work backwards to what you need to know and be able to do to get there. Then further break those elements down into smaller components until you get to a workable action plan today. If you have multiple goals, you might find that some preparation will be more important as they are driving multiple goals, that is where you start.

Create an environment conducive to focused work, minimizing distractions and reinforcing productive habits, patterns and beliefs.

Conclusion:

Success hinges significantly on preparation. By embracing preparation as your silent partner, you're equipping yourself not just for success, but sustaining excellence.

Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey!

BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:

Once you understand that life is a series of games, not just a single one, you can dare to try more things. Learn in one phase of your wins and failures to be better at the next. You can learn more from one bold action, than ten thoughts that never happen. See success and failure as just preparation for your next phase in life. The more you prepare, the better you will get.

The most prepared individuals I've worked with make preparation an integral part of their daily lives. They view preparation not as a chore but as an essential practice that differentiates great leaders from good ones. Preparation allows leaders to respond effectively to challenges, seize opportunities decisively, and continuously innovate. It’s a non-negotiable habit for sustained success. That is a habit that can be taught through endurance training.

One of the key benefits of endurance training is the character building of training daily for months with only the race far in the future. It is the focus on consistent preparation, wihtout the need for quick gratification, that turns highly capable people into successful, patient and visionary leaders.

I love this video by Tom Cruise on how preparation plays a role in his success: 

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Feel It to Win It: Why RPE is Your Most Underrated Performance Tool

You've got the tech: power meters, GPS watches, heart rate straps — maybe even a ring that tells you how you slept. But let’s have a real moment: if you can't feel your effort, all that data is just noise.

We’re living in a golden age of metrics — but we're also dangerously close to losing the most powerful tool we’ve got: the ability to listen to our own body. Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE) is the most honest and underused performance skill in your arsenal.

Why does it Matter?

In endurance sport and in life, we’re drowning in data but starving for instinct.
Executives and athletes alike are tracking everything, sleep cycles, recovery scores, training loads, stress levels. And yet, the most adaptable performers? They can call their effort by feel. No screens. No graphs. Just raw, built-in wisdom.

RPE is your internal compass. It cuts through the clutter, forces you to pay attention, and gives you the ability to make smart decisions under pressure, whether that’s in a race or a business deal that’s going sideways.

What Is RPE?

Rate of Perceived Effort is how hard something feels. That’s it. But don’t let the simplicity fool you. It’s deadly accurate when you train it.

Elite athletes use RPE as a reality check:

• When heart rate lags behind pace in hot conditions
• When power drops but you feel good
• When numbers don’t match how your gut feeling is trying to tell you.

It’s how champions avoid overreaching, adjust mid-race, and stay in the flow state.

How can you build your RPE Muscle?

You don’t need to throw away your tech, but you do need to stop being a slave to it. Start simple. Layer it in. Feel the difference.

Try this:

• Blind intervals: Train without watching the numbers, a “naked run”, then check how close you were afterwards. It builds awareness and control and improves your gut feeling and its reliability.
• Post-session reflection: Journal how the session felt, not just what the data said.
• Use language: Give your effort a number (1–10), then describe it. Build your emotional and physical vocabulary.

What else is it helpful for?

Here’s the kicker: this goes way beyond sport.
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Learning to tune into your effort teaches emotional regulation. It prevents burnout. It lets you spot fatigue before it becomes a problem, whether you're training for Kona or leading a high-stakes project under pressure.

Think of RPE like executive intuition. The best leaders aren’t led by spreadsheets alone, they know when to push, when to pivot, and when to pull back. Same rules apply in sport.

Conclusion?

Stop outsourcing your awareness. Start trusting your body again. Data is helpful, but it’s not the truth. You are! Learn to trust yourself by training your feeling based on data, so that you are not depending on it anymore.

Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey!

BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:

People that regularly read my blogs know I love Locomotor Respiratory Coupling (LRC) Training. A great way to train your RPE feeling is using your breathing cycles to focus on how your Perceived Effort of Breathing. If for instance you are trying to run in zone 2, you should easily be able to breathe 4 steps in and 3 steps out, if you can’t keep this rhythm because it feels to much effort, you are probably running to fast for zone 2. It is a bit more accurate than just perception.

Sometimes your brain limits your understanding of what you are capable off. For instance the barrier of the 5min/km. Sometimes your mind is blocking your body. Last year, because of a faulty watch. Coach Glenn ran only on LRC 3/2 feeling and broke this mental barrier, because his watch was not there to remind him. Resulting in his fastest half marathon in a 70.3 Ironman.

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