Day 35: The Power of Leverage and Clarity

"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."

But give me the wrong lever and no fulcrum, and I’ll exhaust myself pushing against nothing.

Leverage and clarity are the difference between moving mountains and spinning your wheels. When you apply focused effort with the right tools, everything becomes possible. But without clarity, or when you leverage in the wrong direction, no amount of effort will move you forward. It’s like an F1 team setting up their car for the wrong track—no matter how fast they go, they won’t win the race.

I do this a lot! Just today, my COO showed me a slide that brought into focus exactly what race we’re in now and what we need to focus on for the rest of the year. It was a reminder: when you’re crystal clear on the goal in front of you, everything else falls into place.

When you dial in on what you truly want and leverage the right tools, mindset, and resources, those distant finish lines snap into focus. You stop wasting energy on distractions and start moving with purpose, knowing exactly where your effort will pay off.

But here’s the thing: leveraging in the wrong direction is a dangerous trap. It’s like setting up for the wrong race. I’ll be at the Austin GP this weekend, and it reminds me of this crucial lesson: focus on the right track, the right setup, and the right goal—at the right time. When everything aligns, the race is yours to win.

Here’s the takeaway for you today:

• Clarity: Where are you headed right now? Do you know your next finish line, or are you running towards a distant goal without a clear path?

• Leverage: What can you use today—your skills, your resources, your connections—to move faster toward that clear goal? Are you sure you’re applying it to the right area?

If you don’t have clarity or leverage, you’re just burning fuel, running races you weren’t even meant to be in.

Take 5 minutes today. Refocus. Dial in on what truly matters right now.

Save this. Come back to it. You’ll need this reminder as often as I do.

—Mark