This past weekend in Vancouver, I competed in a mixed doubles HYROX race with my wife.

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It was brutal. Demanding. Incredibly rewarding.

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8 x 1-kilometer runs and 8 x exercises between.

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Race day, like most visible moments in life, is loud.

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There’s a clock. A result. Photos. Applause. A finish line.

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But that moment is just the receipt.

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What people don’t see is the quiet work that came long before it.

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The early mornings when motivation was low.

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The training sessions you didn’t post about.

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The days you showed up tired, sore, and unsure.

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The months of preparation that no one was watching.

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That’s where the real work happened.

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That’s where the energy was built.

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In leadership, we tend to celebrate outcomes — the promotion, the keynote, the TED talk, the launch, the win. 

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But we rarely talk about the unseen investment it takes to earn those moments (especially on social).

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And that’s the mistake.

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Because energy isn’t created when it’s demanded.

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It’s withdrawn from what you’ve already built.

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On race day, you don’t magically become stronger.

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You reveal the work you’ve already done.

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The same is true in leadership.

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When pressure hits.

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When decisions stack up.

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When the stakes are high, and expectations rise.

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What shows up in those moments isn’t talent or motivation — it’s conditioning.

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Leaders who perform well under pressure usually aren’t calm by accident.

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They’ve trained for it.

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They’ve built routines that protect their energy.

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They’ve practiced consistency when no one was clapping.

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They’ve learned how to pace instead of panic.

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Burnout doesn’t happen because people aren’t capable.

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It happens because results are demanded without preparation time.

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We live in a world obsessed with finish lines.

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But momentum is built in the quiet.

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If you’re feeling depleted, stuck, or behind, the answer isn’t to push harder at the end.

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It’s time to go back to the silent work.

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The small habits.

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The energy systems.

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The daily reps that don’t get recognition — but make everything else possible.

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Because when the moment arrives, it’s already too late to build capacity.

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You don’t rise to the occasion.

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You reveal what you trained for.

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Your Shift

Stop managing energy only when you need it.

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Start building it when no one is watching.

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That’s where momentum actually begins.

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So my question is, what will you lean into?

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Join the movement.

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Chris M Wilson