The Treadmill vs. the Open Road

Working on Self: A Journey of Mental Strength

Self-growth doesn’t happen all at once. It’s not a lightning strike, it’s a process. And like any process, it has stages, moments that test us, shape us, and ultimately build the person we’re becoming.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking deeply about this through my runs, workouts, and even in unexpected places, such as podcasts and Sunday messages. The lessons keep pointing to the same truth: the work is on the inside first.

The treadmill is predictable. Safe. It builds stamina, but it doesn’t take you anywhere. The open road is messy, risky, and sometimes uncertain, but it moves you forward.

Too often, we live treadmill lives, comfortable, routine, controlled. But the open road, while uncertain, is where direction lives. It’s where we’re tested, stretched, and ultimately changed.

Navy SEALs, entrepreneurs, and even runners all learn this truth: stamina is built on treadmills, but purpose is found on the open road.

Framework: Choosing the Road Over the Treadmill

• Use the treadmill for training. Build capacity in safe spaces.
• Take one open-road risk each quarter. Something that stretches you.
• Find your running mates. Surround yourself with people who choose growth.

The treadmill builds stamina. The open road builds life.

Question for you: Are you on the treadmill, or are you running your open road?