The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

At one point in time, I was obsessed with the culture of our armed forces, in particular the special operations groups and the mentality that drives them.

When I was playing basketball, I wanted to get inside the mind and the psyche of a true warrior, someone ready and willing to do what’s necessary to protect this country. I wanted to understand what drove that level of discipline and commitment, because I believed there was something buried in their approach that could help me compete at a higher level on the court.

In 2008, during our quest for a gold medal, I had the pleasure of meeting a member of our armed forces who had been given awards for his bravery. He had stopped a deadly situation by opening fire on an approaching vehicle that was strapped with a bomb, protecting his comrades from what could have been catastrophic. Through his act of bravery, the shrapnel from the exploding vehicle permanently blinded him. Despite this happening, he later elected to continue serving in the military.

Standing next to this man as an Olympian, hearing him speak about his experience, it was humbling in a way that I can’t fully describe. This person was braver than I could ever be. His sacrifice was real in a way that made everything I had given up feel small by comparison, and that was the point. That’s exactly what it did for me. It made me not want to complain about anything. It made me want to press forward with everything I had, because if this man could continue to serve after losing his sight, then what excuse did I possibly have for taking a day off or feeling sorry for myself?

Him, amongst many other men and women veterans and active duty members I’ve had the privilege of meeting over the years, always inspired me to dig deeper into whatever challenge was in front of me. Their goals were life and death while mine were basketball games, and if they could show up every single day under those conditions with that level of focus and sacrifice, I could absolutely show up under mine.

One of the phrases that I always heard from that world was simple: the only easy day was yesterday. I wanted to live by that because it really puts into perspective how things are in our quest for being great or accomplishing goals. It’s not easy work to get where we want to go, and that phrase is a total mind melt when you sit with it long enough. If yesterday was a hard day, then what is today? It’s harder. Tomorrow will be harder than that. Not because life is punishing you, but because you’re climbing, and each step up the mountain requires more effort, more focus, and more commitment than the last one did.

That philosophy helped me get through to the next level more times than I can count. On the days when practice was brutal, when the season was grinding me down, when I didn’t want to show up, I’d remind myself that the only easy day was yesterday. It reframed everything. It took the complaint out of my mouth before I could even say it, because if yesterday was easy by comparison, then today is just the next challenge, and challenges are what we signed up for when we decided we wanted something meaningful.

I think about the people who live this every single day. Not athletes, not businesspeople. The men and women in uniform who wake up knowing that the stakes are as high as they can possibly be. Their version of “the only easy day was yesterday” isn’t a motivational phrase on a wall. It’s their reality, every morning, without exception.

Whenever I feel like my day is hard, or the work is too much, or the mountain is too steep, I think about that soldier who lost his sight and kept serving. That thought alone keeps me going. I’d encourage you to sit with that phrase for yourself. The only easy day was yesterday. Let that settle in. Because as we try to climb whatever mountain is in front of us, each step isn’t always going to feel manageable. If we can adopt that mindset though, if we can wake up knowing that today is supposed to be harder than yesterday and accept that as part of the process, I think it changes how we prepare mentally for what’s ahead.

The only easy day was yesterday.