1000+ workouts with my teenage daughter in 3 years.
5 Lessons I learned about Life 👇
I glanced over at the two middle-aged guys in the gym. They were tossing light weights around, clearly feeling out of place.
Maybe they thought we were flat-out insane.
There I was, with my 15-year-old daughter, at 7:09 AM on December 28th, 2022, in the Hilton Schiphol Airport gym.
But we weren’t there to cruise.
We were fired up—super jacked, actually—because we had just committed to the Murph Memorial Workout.
If you don’t know, the Murph is no joke.
It’s one of the most brutal CrossFit challenges out there: run, do 100 pull-ups,
200 pushups, 300 squats, more running, all while wearing a weighted vest. And you have to finish in under an hour.
That meant we had to train like maniacs.
There was no time to mess around.
We hit the treadmill, running at 13km/h for 500 meters, jumping off to crank out box jumps, burpees, and push-ups before hopping back on to run again. Squats, pull-ups, more burpees—over and over again.
And we did it all for a solid 60 minutes.
This had become our routine—working out together, every single day, since the start of the pandemic. Hundreds of workouts, endless reps, side by side.
What I learned:
1. Consistency is Everything
Yes, I know you’ve heard this a million times before, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Just show up.
2. Direction Matters More Than Speed
Some days will be slow. Other days will be intense.
But the key is to always keep moving forward, no matter how fast or slow. The destination—health, fitness, growth—is what matters. Not how quickly you get there.
3. Habits Beat Discipline
In the beginning, working out daily was tough.
It felt like a grind. After a few months? It was second nature. We didn’t need to think about it anymore. We were just the kind of people who worked out every day.
4. My Daughter Can Outrun Me Now 🤯
It happened during a downhill sprint after a cardio session.
We were neck and neck, both pushing ourselves to the max.
Then, she looked at me, raised an eyebrow like, “Is that all you got, old man?” and took off.
My ego took a hit, but my pride soared. The circle of life, right?
5. It’s About the Time We Spend Together
We’ve done crazy workouts in crazy places all over the world.
We’ve pushed each other, laughed together, and made memories.
But none of this would’ve been possible if I hadn’t created Time Freedom for myself, years ago.
I’m extremely grateful for that decision.
It’s allowed me to enjoy these moments—moments that matter far more than just another Euro earned.
Adventure, challenge, and shared struggle—that’s what life is all about.
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