It All Starts With One Step

About three months ago, my brother Tyce had this wild idea: he was going to run a marathon. At first, I was skeptical. Tyce had always been a sprinter, not a distance guy. Me? I was the cross-country runner back in high school, the endurance guy. But even I didn’t think I could run a marathon anytime soon. We were both in football shape, definitely not running shape. And honestly, I didn’t feel like training. I was still nursing an ankle injury and lacking motivation.

Then my brother-in-law, Brooks, tossed out the idea of running the half marathon instead. “It won’t be so bad,” he said. So, I decided to test the waters.

I barely made it two miles. Walked. Hurt. Ankle throbbing. Shins screaming. Definitely not in running shape. But I had 10 weeks… maybe, just maybe.

The first week? A couple shaky miles. The next? Tried three. Still walking a lot. Then Brooks started dragging me out at 5:30 a.m. for five-mile runs. It was brutal. But I kept showing up, because he did. That accountability was everything.

One random day, I went out for just a short jog. 2 miles was all I planned. But something clicked. Two miles became four. Four became six. I ended up running eight miles at an 8:00 pace. Easily the best I’d felt so far. I hadn’t even meant to run that day.

Then came race day.

The goal was 1:45. Brooks took off FAST. Weaving through traffic, I tried to keep up. Before even hitting a mile I quickly realized I needed to run my own race. First five miles? Sub-7 pace. I felt amazing. Thought, maybe I can hit 1:30?

Then came the uphill battle. Mile six hit hard. Mile seven? Even harder. That sub 7 pace turned into 9:30’s. I was gassed. Had to walk. The dream shifted from 1:30 to “just finish strong.” The last few miles were a gritty mix of walking, running, pep talks with strangers, and pure will. I crossed the line at 1:49. A little slower than hoped, but I did it.

And Tyce? The guy I didn’t think could run more than a couple miles. Finished the full 26.2. Who cares what other people think YOU can do?

And me? It all started with just two miles. Two ugly, painful, slow miles.

So here’s the point: Your financial journey starts the same way.

You don’t need to be in “financial shape.” You don’t need to have it all figured out, or be debt-free, or maxing out every account. You just need to start. Open an account. Track your spending. Ask for help. The first step is usually the hardest, and it often feels like you're doing it wrong.

But if someone’s in your corner, dragging you out when it’s uncomfortable, pushing you when you’d rather hit snooze… you go further than you thought possible.

That’s what I do for my clients. Not run at 5:30 a.m. (thankfully), but walk with them as they build momentum. Whether it’s paying off debt, investing for the future, or figuring out what to do with your money, it all starts with your version of two miles.

And someday, you’ll look back and say, “Wow. I actually did that.”