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Run the day, or the day runs you.

Are you a shark or a jellyfish? 🪼

July 27, 2026 Ā· 2 min read

Run the day, or the day runs you.

First things first: Check out the new Warrior Poet playlist on Spotify!

Are you a shark or a jellyfish? 

It makes sense sometimes to ask yourself: 

ā€œAm I in charge of my life?ā€ 

Building a rich life requires consistent effort over time. Those efforts compound, so every little bit counts. 

As I like to say to myself, ā€œOunces are pounds.ā€ That harkens back to my SEAL days, where we’d trim every bit of gear we could in an effort to lighten our load—to be more agile under fire. Such is true with time: it adds up. 

Yet, while we know this rationally, we often don’t fully act on it (like many things). To reinforce the point: there is one critical difference between people who complete SEAL training and those who don’t. That is, the guys who finish are the ones who would die on the beach before leaving voluntarily. 

How many of us can say we’re that committed to our endeavors? I’ve been guilty of fooling myself on this multiple times since I got out of the military.

If you are truly committed, then you do whatever it takes. Tennis champion Maria Sharapova’s response was priceless when Tim Ferriss asked her about work-life balance. There was an awkward pause as if she didn’t comprehend the question. Then: ā€œI don’t believe in work-life balance.ā€ 

Don’t get me wrong: this here is not hustle porn (caveats):

  • There is a need for each of us to reset, reboot, recharge. 
  • Many of us have serious commitments outside of our desire to build a legacy (e.g. kids, partner, ailing parents). 
  • Life should be rich—not one-dimensional.

But if something is the priority, that means it’s #1. 

Like, that’s literally what the fucking word means. 

That means you move heaven and earth for that one thing. 

Your #1 might change from year to year or week to week. But too many of us SAY we have a priority—when our calendar says otherwise. 

99% of people are products of external factors—rather than taking charge. They’re like jellyfish floating with the tide. 

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Taking charge of your life starts with taking charge of your time. 

As the saying goes, 

ā€œRun the day. Or the day runs you.ā€ 

 ā¤ļø Andrew

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