Time

Podcast Version
(With NotbookLM AI)

In The Formula of Success: Why Time is Your Greatest Ally

Even the Rolling Stones knew it when singing “Time is on my side.”
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If you say that time is on your side, you mean that you don’t have to rush whatever it is you want or need to do. Life is not binary. We can have it all, just not all at once. So yes, time is on our side.

Equally, the pursuit of success often stretches across a longer period, which means you don’t need to sprint. It invites patience and grants the luxury of time before decisions or actions must be taken. At the same time, it demands grit and strategic planning to pursue your success across multiple life phases.

1. Time: The Infinite Game Perspective

Success isn’t a one-off game you win and walk away from. It’s not a trophy. It’s a process.

Simon Sinek’s The Infinite Game teaches us that real success isn’t bound by quarters or finish lines. It is continuous, adaptable, and driven by purpose. When you treat time as infinite, your definition of success shifts from “Did I win today?” to “Am I building something that matters over time?”

In this mindset, you're less shaken by short-term losses and more focused on consistency, direction, and legacy. You're not playing for applause. You're playing to grow.
 
2. Strategic Time: Building Long-Term Vision with Short-Term SMART Action

Time doesn’t just move forward. It moves in phases.

When you set a long-term goal (for example, completing an Ironman or launching a global business unit), it can feel overwhelming. That’s where the Decision Goal Tree comes in. You break big ambition into smaller SMART goals: specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time-bound. Each one becomes a stepstone, not a stumbling block.

You might want to become a VP in five years. But that might require completing an MBA, gaining international experience, getting involved in a high-visibility project for the CEO, and consistently hitting your targets. Then you can start planning in the short term how to achieve those sub-goals. For example, get funding approval and sign up for the MBA class before April so you can attend in the fall.

3. Time and Mindset: Preparation Through Multi-Phase Success

Churchill nailed it: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” When you see time in stages, failure in one phase becomes learning for the next. This breaks the win-or-lose mindset and builds what I call the preparation mindset.

Instead of asking, “What if I fail?” start asking, “What am I learning right now that builds towards the future phases?” This fuels a continuous growth mindset, which keeps you engaged and internally driven, rather than dependent on external achievements.

4. Time and the Holistic Life Cycle of Goals

Time doesn’t just phase goals. It phases you. As a kid, success might mean exploration. As a student, it means mastery. As a parent, presence. As a professional, impact. As a senior, wisdom.

Trying to chase every goal at once is a recipe for burnout. Understanding life’s rhythm helps you prioritize with clarity instead of guilt. You’re not quitting a goal. You’re rescheduling it for a better season.

Once you start recognizing which goals matter in which phase, you’ll develop a more holistic perspective and become even more successful than if you had tried to force it all into a single all-or-nothing sprint.

5. You're Not Alone: Time, Legacy, and Shared Journeys

Across history, thinkers, leaders, and builders have echoed the value of time. A few worth quoting:

• Steve Jobs: “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” This underlines success as a journey. Most people only see the final phase, not the years of effort that led there.
  
• Naval Ravikant: “Play long-term games with long-term people.” Building a network over time increases your chances of success. You may not know top players at age 20, but by investing in relationships over time, you’ll be able to call upon them when it matters. Don’t tell me who you are. Tell me who you know. Surround yourself with people who play infinite games, not transactional ones.
  
• John Wooden: “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” This reinforces the insight that preparation in one period is essential to succeed in the next. Time is your investment account. Start compounding early.

Conclusion: The Real Power of Time in TFOS

Time can be your best friend if you approach it with the right mindset. It allows you to test and play. It invites you to treat life as a multi-stage game. It takes the pressure off all-or-nothing bets and needing to be right all the time. Most importantly, it lets you shift your definition of success depending on the stage of life you are in, allowing for a richer, more fulfilling experience.
 
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:

• Executive takeaway: Stop asking “Did I succeed?” and start asking “Am I still in the game and improving?”
• Result: Time becomes a lever, not a limit. Each week compounds toward the big play.
• Coach insight: In triathlon, if you bomb the swim but nail your bike strategy, did you fail? Or did you gather data for your next race? Time lets success unfold.
• Mindset shift: You’re not racing alone. You’re walking a shared, winding, meaningful path with others who value growth over glory. Build a network including captains of industry, mentors and coaches.

Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle!