Racing, Pain, And The Real Playbook For Getting Better At Anything

Manifestation often gets dismissed as wishful thinking—close your eyes, dream big, and wait for the universe to drop a Lamborghini in your driveway. That’s why so many people misunderstand it and stay stuck.

Manifestation is real, but it’s not magic—it’s science, psychology, and consistent action. When you understand how it works, you can point it at any goal and achieve it with confidence.

Here is the honest truth:

Improvement never shows up in perfect conditions.

It shows up when your ribs are on fire from a tattoo, your bike is one gust of wind away from tipping over, the track layout changes the night before race day, and you show up anyway.

That is what Utah SBA round four really was.

A weekend of chaos, pain, coaching, and proof that you can shave seconds off your life or your lap times if you are willing to stick it out when everything goes sideways.

The Weekend Everything Went Wrong And Still Worked

It started in a tower suite in Las Vegas.

Big back piece. World class artist. Three hours on the ribs. Numb spray and bravado only go so far. By the end of it, I was joking, but if I am being real, I was one needle away from tapping out.

Then we went straight into race mode.

Storms rolling in. Starlink acting up. Van issues. Registration expired months ago. A speeding stop in Utah where a reckless ticket feels very possible. The East course we had been studying for weeks gets shut down the night before, and they move us to the West course.

New track. New reference points. Old nerves.

Welcome to real life. Nobody cares about your perfect plan. The clock only cares if you adapt.

Pain Is The Entry Fee, Not A Sign To Quit

People see podium photos and think it looks glamorous.

They do not see the hours under the needle, the crashes, the rebuilds, the mornings where your body is sore, your mind is tired, and you still zip up the leathers.

Pain is not a sign you are on the wrong path.

It is the proof you are in the arena.

The tattoo hurt. The ribs hurt more. The first laps back on the bike after a break hurt in a different way. Your ego wants to bail. Your comfort wants to bail. Your old self wants to bail.

The next version of you is on the other side of that moment.

You either pay the price and keep going, or you stay exactly where you are and tell stories about what you almost did.

Coaching Is The Shortcut Your Ego Hates

You can throw every performance part at a bike and still get smoked by someone who knows how to ride.

On this weekend I got to work with people like Dale Kieffer and Shane Turpin. Guys who have forgotten more about race craft than most riders will ever learn.

In a couple of sessions, they did more for my lap times than months of grinding on my own.

They watched my braking.

They watched my lines.

They watched my body position.

The verdict was simple.

You are strong on exits. You get on the gas early. But you are braking too early and coasting too long.

Translation. You are leaving free time sitting on the table.

One adjustment on the front straight. One adjustment on the back straight. Trail the brake in a little deeper. Use the whole track. Look through the rider ahead instead of staring at their taillight.

Four seconds gone in a day.

You can treat feedback like criticism and stay slow.

Or you can swallow your pride, hire people who are better than you, and buy back years of trial and error.

Community Beats The Lone Wolf Fantasy

There is a joke that everyone wants to be a lone wolf until it is time to do real lone wolf things.

This weekend was proof that nobody climbs alone.

The van driver risking a ticket to get everyone to the track on time. The friend who hands you a clutch pack when yours is done. The tech who rebuilt a motor so someone else could even make the grid. The club treasurer who crashed, then came back and decided to spend his race weekend on the mic to highlight sponsors and build the community.

Parker pushing himself from forty four second laps down into the mid thirty fives and playing it off like no big deal. Aiden closing crazy gaps in the endurance race. Hawkins catching absolute chaos on camera and still handling logistics in the background.

The people you do life with will either be weight on your back or wind at your back.

Choose wisely.

Chaos Will Rewrite Your Plan. Skill Lets You Pivot

I had an Excel sheet full of notes for the East course.

Braking markers. Gear changes. Exit references.

All of it was useless the second that email hit my inbox saying we were moving to the West.

That is how the game is played.

Tracks change.

Weather changes.

Flags come out.

Engines blow on the dyno before they ever see the grid.

The ones who win are not the ones with the prettiest plan. They are the ones who can absorb shock, update the plan, and go again without losing their mind.

Adaptation is a skill.

You develop it by putting yourself in uncomfortable situations on purpose, not just reading about resilience on social media.

Metrics Matter When They Are Tied To Mastery, Not Ego

Lap times do not lie.

We arrived turning laps in the forty fours. By the end of practice we were in the thirty nines. By race day there were thirty eights on the board. Teammates threw down thirty fives.

Those numbers are not just flex material.

They are feedback.

They tell you that your braking work is paying off. That your exits are cleaner. That your mind is starting to see the track like a narrative instead of a blur.

In business and in life you need the same thing.

Track the metric that actually proves you are getting better.

Not the one that looks cool in a screenshot.

For racing that is lap time and race craft.

For business that might be free cash flow, lead quality, or the number of clients who would race across a desert to work with you again.

What Racing Weekends Teach You About Life And Business

Strip away the leathers and pit boards and it is all the same game.

Here are a few laws that showed up loud this weekend.

Start before you feel ready
You learn more in one real session than in a month of thinking about it.

Invest in coaching
Someone who has already done what you want can cut years off your learning curve.

Respect risk
The line between bold and stupid is real. Manage risk so you can keep showing up.

Practice under pressure
You do not rise to the occasion. You fall to the level of your habits.

Celebrate the podium, then get back to work
Enjoy the win, grab the trophy, eat the Wagyu with your friends, then ask what it will take to find the next second.

The Real Win Is Who You Become

We finished the weekend with podiums in every race we entered.

We did not get the top step this time. Ryan came in from Chuckwalla and reminded everyone that there is always another level.

And that is the point.

The real prize is not a single trophy.

It is the person you become as you chase that next second. The crew you build. The stories you stack. The judgment you sharpen every time you choose to push a little deeper instead of backing off.

You cannot control the weather.

You cannot control other riders.

You cannot control whether the track layout changes or the internet drops or your tattoo artist goes three layers deeper than you thought you signed up for.

You can control how you respond.

Show up.

Take the coaching.

Love your crew.

Shave the seconds.

Be great.

And if you keep doing that long enough, the podiums take care of themselves.