Doing The Hard Things – November 2026
What’s inside: THE POWER OF YESYou Support Us. We Pay It Forward.Gluski Park: “Cherish and take care of place like this.”Polar Roll 2027 ::: Registration Opens 11.08.2026Made U.P. PodcastFirst ever Secret Event was a success!Events with 906AT Carol Dweck is an American psychologist widely known for her research on motivation, personality, and the concept of “mindsets.” Her work influences the way we approach youth development and frankly, the Trilogy Events, too. If you are not familiar with her work – check it out. It’s a must-read for any human that has kids, works with kids, or influences kids. Here’s a synopsis: Your skills, abilities, and intelligence are not fixed capabilities that you get sent into the world with. You can directly influence your abilities (and your outcomes) through hard work, dedication, and persistence. Challenges and failures aren’t proof the world is against you… they are the tax you pay for success. Usually, I would go into talking about Dweck’s “Power of Yet” concept, but that’s not what I came here to talk about today. In fact, I did not come here to talk about Carol Dweck at all, but I felt compelled to give her a plug. So, there ya go. You have just enough info now to go learn more about her. I want to talk about the Power of Now. I’m not talking about the book from Eckhart Tolle and spiritual enlightenment. That’s a good book, too. I recommend it, but I digress… Honestly, to avoid confusion with Eckhart, I’ll revise my theory in real-time. We’re going to call this the “Power of Yes.” If I were to add a subtitle to it, it would be: How we built the 906 Adventure Team. To make sure we’re all on the same page… Let me bring it all together: “The Power of Yes: How we built the 906 Adventure Team.” Here we go. “The Power of Yes.” It cannot happen until you say it will. It cannot get done if you will not own it. If you envision one or more scenarios where it doesn’t happen – it won’t. If you envision only success, the Power of Yes will succeed. Often times, you will say yes with no proof or supporting information suggesting success, and because of that, most people say no. Say yes. Fear is proof you are on the right path. If you’re not afraid you’re not really AFI. You don’t need a five year plan. You don’t need to know where ya think it’s all going to end. Say Yes and let it work itself out. You do not control time – so stop talking about it. You’ll be amazed by how much time you have once you stop complaining about not having enough of it. If you’re waiting for the right time you’ll spend your life living the wrong time. If you’re still here – listen to this: You have to say yes. You have to be willing to say yes when everything and everyone says that you are unqualified. Look at me with 906. On paper, I wasn’t qualified to start a non-profit. I had never run an event. I wasn’t a teacher… Too many people spend their lives letting the world and people around them tell them what they are gonna be. You weren’t sent here to ask for permission, folks. I’m not saying you should say yes to everything, but, if I am honest with you, that’s pretty much how I roll. If I think something aligns with what we’re trying to do (906AT, myself, or my family) I’ll say yes and figure out the rest later. I do not mind making mistakes. Frankly, I see a lot of value in making them (mistakes). Too many people are living a story written by someone else. They use playbooks that are tired retreads of what everyone else is doing. They’re afraid to shake shit up. That’s a call back to something I said earlier – fear as an indication you are on the right path. Fear indicates there’s a level of unknown, excitement, and that it (whatever in the hell you are trying to do) matters. Don’t wait till the end of December to unpack this for yourself. Say YES, and get to work now. You support us. We pay it forward. Some people register for our events to find their limits. Some just wanna see if they can finish what they start. Some will aspire toward the Hall of Pain. There are a lot of reasons people show up and challenge themselves voluntarily when they could just stay home and sit on the couch. For some, it’s the buckle. For many, it’s personal. You sign up for an event. You prepare. You show up. You have an experience. Good or bad – you get what you paid for. You support us. We pay it forward. Here’s how we do it… We create youth Adventure Teams. 17 Teams across the Midwest. We support community trails and partner non-profits. In 2026: $33,925 to RAMBA$17,990 to NTN$3,598 to Friends of Harlow Total 906AT contribution to other non-profits in 2026 was $50,408. Since 2015: $234,100 to RAMBA $151,330 to NTN $17,060 to Friends of Harlow $2,000 to MBTN $1,000 to CHTC $37,605 to other supporting non-profit groupsTotal community support from 906AT since 2015 = $443,095 We’re building a community trailhead for outdoor adventure. We recently raised approximately $2,100,000 to build a community trailhead for outdoor adventure here in Marquette. When this newsletter goes out on Monday the project will be sitting at nearly 80% complete. The remaining 20% of the project will be completed in the spring of 2027. By next summer we will open Gluski Park to the public. So how have we been able to get so much good shit done? I’m gonna tell ya. A little over a year ago, I wrote three words on a whiteboard at Basecamp:Service Before Self. I wrote it down quietly and walked away. Never said a word to anyone about it. I wrote it down because I feel