Bobby Miner

Athletics and leadership have been part of my life. I started martial arts at 6, and by 13 I'd earned my black belt and began teaching classes. On the football field, I led my high school team as quarterback for 3 years and captain for 2. At West Point and then in the Army, I developed a more holistic, long-term philosophy around fitness. My time in the service also reinforced the truth, that doing hard things is always better when you're doing them with other people.

I have made about a dozen wrong turns and ill-fated decisions about the path of my life. I took jobs for money and was miserable. I lifted in service to my ego and got hurt. Chasing someone else's ideal or any sort of external expectation, no matter how lofty or worthwhile the goal might have been, derailed my happiness. When I found creative writing, I finally, after 30 years, realized that I could be content regardless of how that journey ended. It allowed me, in life, work, and fitness, to put away the milestones and take joy in the process. That's how, at 37, I continue improving in the gym and on my new professional path.

In every group setting I've been part of--from the dojo to the football field, to the barracks--I've always been more focused on other people than myself. It's infinitely more motivating to watch people I care about thrive than it is to consider my own outcomes. Occasionally I'll feel too tired to train, too tired to read instead of watch TV. Fatigue is never an issue when I'm working in service of other people.