52 Moments of Joy

We track bar speed. We track body weight. We track win-loss records and KPI metrics. We are obsessed with the numbers because we think the numbers tell the whole story.

But we rarely track what actually matters.

This year, I tried something different. I wrote down 52 moments that brought me joy in 2025. One moment for every week of the year.

I wanted to capture the little things. I wanted to find the seconds that usually get buried under the stress of the year.

I finished the list. Then I did what any Strength Coach would do. I analyzed the data.

I am a career guy. I want to win Championships. I want to something special with Team Gridiron Warrior. I assumed my "joy" would be tied to my professional wins.

I was wrong.

Over 80% of my joy came from Fatherhood, Marriage, and Family.

It wasn’t the work. It wasn’t the business goals. It was putting my son in a snow shovel and pushing him around the yard. It was watching my wife spin around like a kid at an arcade on a date night. It was the belly laugh inducing moments at Family dinner.

The data is clear. The work pays the bills, but the family provides the joy.

As coaches, we are conditioned to believe that happiness is at the end of the season. We think it is waiting for us after a successful season.

That is a lie.

Happiness is happening on a random Thursday evening in the living room. You just have to be awake enough to see it.

The weights will always be there. The emails will always be there. But the moments where your kid asks you to play? Those have an expiration date.

The Challenge to You:

Audit your attention. If you tracked your joy like you track your squat max, what would the data say?

Be present. Don't let the 20% of your life that is "the grind" steal the 80% that actually provides the value.

Capture the win. Write down one thing this week that had nothing to do with your job.

Treat your joy with the same discipline you treat your programming. See what truly matters to you in 2026.

Have a happy New Year and as always, Keep the Fire Burning,

Leech