Sometimes, even the coaches need to be reminded of their own lessons.
Eric and I had one of those moments this week.
Regis Realm has been growing.
Up until now, we’ve managed the day-to-day operations pretty simply.
Texts.
Emails.
Phone calls.
A quick conversation here. A Zoom call there.
It worked.
But things are changing.
There are more conversations happening. More decisions being made. More moving pieces. And some of those decisions need faster responses and more interaction between Eric and me.
There comes a point when texting back and forth just doesn’t cut it anymore.
We needed a place where we could sit across from each other, throw ideas around, make decisions, map things out on a whiteboard and get things done.
Which led to a pretty significant milestone for Regis Realm.
We rented our first office.
Regis Realm now has a physical home.
That’s a big deal.
Except…
we didn’t treat it like one.
There was no real celebration.
No big high five.
No moment where we stopped, looked around and said:
“Brother, look at what we just created.”
Instead, it was pretty much:
Okay. Office secured. What’s next?
And then it hit me.
We weren’t doing what we teach.
We Tell Men to Celebrate the Wins
Eric and I work with accomplished men.
Men who build businesses.
Men who provide for their families.
Men who carry responsibility.
Men who solve problems.
Men who have become very good at looking at what needs to happen next.
And we teach these men something that sounds incredibly simple:
Stop occasionally and acknowledge what you’ve accomplished.
Celebrate the damn win.
Not because you need a participation trophy every time you get out of bed.
And not because celebrating means you’ve arrived and can put your feet up.
Quite the opposite.
It’s because there will always be something else.
Another goal.
Another challenge.
Another problem.
Another level.
Another mountain.
And there Eric and I were…
doing exactly what we challenge other men not to do.
We climbed a mountain and immediately started looking for the next one.
When Did Success Become “No Big Deal”?
I think a lot of men do this.
Something we’ve worked toward finally happens, and instead of experiencing it, we minimize it.
Yeah, that went well.
Yeah, we landed the client.
Yeah, the business is growing.
Yeah, I got the promotion.
Yeah, we reached the goal.
No big deal.
Then we move on.
But here’s the problem.
If everything you accomplish immediately becomes “no big deal,” when exactly do you get to experience the life you’ve worked so damn hard to create?
That one landed for me.
Because Regis Realm getting its first office IS a big deal.
Not because having an office somehow makes us more important.
It doesn’t.
It’s significant because of why we need it.
The conversations are growing.
The work is growing.
The brotherhood is growing.
What once could be handled through a few texts, emails and phone calls now needs more of us.
More interaction.
More collaboration.
More time sitting across the table from one another getting shit done.
The office is simply a physical sign that something is growing.
And that deserves to be acknowledged.
There Will Always Be Another Mountain
Eric and I are builders.
We have a big vision for Regis Realm and for the men we want to serve.
There is a lot more we want to create.
So naturally, our eyes are often on what’s next.
But there’s a danger in constantly looking forward.
If you’re always staring at the next mountain, you never get to appreciate the one you just climbed.
Eventually, extraordinary accomplishments start feeling ordinary.
Life becomes one endless checklist.
Achieve.
Check.
Next.
Achieve.
Check.
Next.
That’s not success.
At least, that’s not the kind of success I want.
The Teachers Got Schooled
There’s a little humility required here.
Eric and I teach men to be present.
We teach men to recognize their progress.
We teach men to celebrate their wins.
We teach that leadership isn’t simply about relentlessly charging forward.
And then life handed the two coaches a pop quiz.
We didn’t exactly ace it. 😂
But maybe that’s part of the lesson too.
We don’t teach this work because we have everything figured out.
We’re in the arena too.
We’re living it.
We’re learning.
We’re catching ourselves when we fall back into old patterns.
And hopefully, we’re willing to call each other forward when we do.
That’s part of brotherhood.
So, Eric… We Did It, Brother
I don’t want this milestone to disappear into the rearview mirror as just another thing we accomplished.
So I’m calling it out.
We got our first office.
Regis Realm has a home.
Something that started with conversations, ideas, coaching and a shared vision for helping men has taken another step into reality.
Brother, that deserves more than:
Okay. What’s next?
It deserves a moment.
It deserves gratitude.
It deserves celebration.
And it definitely deserves sitting down together over a damn good cup of coffee, looking around and saying:
“Look what we built, brother.”
So that’s what I’m doing.
I’m stopping.
I’m acknowledging the milestone.
I’m enjoying the view from this mountain before we start climbing the next one.
Because sometimes the men teaching the lesson…
need to live the lesson themselves.
Eric, congratulations, brother.
We did it.
Now let’s have that coffee.
And then…
we get back in the game.
Tags: Regis Realm, Eric Mortimer, L. Neil Thrussell, Men’s Coaching, Men’s Leadership, Brotherhood, Masculinity, Celebrate the Wins, Personal Growth, Leadership, Purpose, Men’s Work, Men Supporting Men, Business Growth, Get in the Game
