Lesson Twenty-Six: Rising Tides Lift All Boats

There is an old phrase popularized by JFK that a rising tide lifts all boats.

Most people think of it in economic terms. When things improve, everyone benefits. But the older I get, the more I realize that the same idea applies to people. When one person starts improving themselves, when one person shows discipline, honesty, vulnerability, or effort, it quietly impacts the people around them.

You may not realize it, but someone is always watching.

They see you go for the run when you don’t feel like it.

They see you share progress even when it isn’t perfect.

They see you admit you’re struggling and keep going anyway.

And sometimes that is exactly what someone else needs to see.

We live in a strange time. Algorithms feed us the highlight reels of other people’s lives.

Perfect bodies.

Perfect vacations.

Perfect careers.

Perfect families.

But anyone who has lived long enough knows that real life is rarely like that. Most of life is calm. Uneventful. Sometimes frustrating. Sometimes lonely. Sometimes hard.

The truth is that most progress happens quietly, in the middle of those ordinary days.

That is why sharing the journey matters.

When you show the work, the struggle, the imperfect days, you remind people that growth is not glamorous. It is consistent. It is repetitive. It is often boring. But it works.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for another person is simply let them see that you’re trying.

The same goes for encouragement.

A simple compliment can carry more weight than we realize. Telling someone they are doing a good job. Acknowledging the effort they are putting in. Recognizing that they showed up when they could have taken the easy way out.

Small actions like that can reach people in ways we often never see.

It is surprisingly easy for someone to fall into a dark place where they begin to believe that no one cares, that nothing they do matters, or that they are completely alone in the world. When someone feels that way long enough, the silence around them can become heavy. I know this because it’s been me. Life becomes lackluster. Passive suicidal ideation is the medical term. You don’t plan to hurt yourself, but the thought of being hurt doesn’t upset you and could actually sound enticing. Imagine that. It’s a sad place to exist.

Sometimes all it takes to interrupt that darkness is something small.

A compliment.

A word of encouragement.

A moment where someone acknowledges their effort or simply notices that they are trying.

You may never know the impact of that moment, but for someone who feels invisible, it can mean more than you will ever realize.

You do not need to be better than someone at something to encourage them.

In fact, that is the wrong way to think about it.

Life is not a competition where the most skilled person earns the right to speak. Encouragement is not about hierarchy. It is about humanity.

Life is hard for everyone in ways we often cannot see.

The person you compliment on their run may be quietly losing their mind and battling depression.

The person you encourage in the gym may be rebuilding confidence after years of doubt and could have been afraid to even show up to a public gym.

The person you tell that they matter might have been one bad day away from ending their life.

And your words may be the reason they don’t.

That is how a rising tide raises boats.

Not through competition, but through collective momentum.

Iron sharpens iron, but not through tearing each other down. It happens when people push each other forward. When effort is respected. When progress is celebrated. When someone struggling is met with support instead of judgment.

Sometimes influence looks like telling someone they should exercise. But not because of weight loss or aesthetics. Not because of some social standard.

Because exercise teaches something deeper.

It teaches that you can do hard things.

It teaches that discomfort is temporary.

It teaches that effort produces change.

Those lessons carry far beyond a treadmill or a weight room.

They show people what they are capable of.

And when people begin to believe they are capable of hard things, everything in life starts to change.

So share the progress.

Share the struggle.

Share the quiet victories.

Encourage the person who is just starting. Encourage the person who is behind you. Encourage the person who is ahead of you.

Because you never know when your words, your effort, or your example might be the thing that keeps someone moving forward.

And when enough people begin doing that, something powerful happens.

The tide rises.

And all the boats begin to lift.