My dad used to always say "There are no guarantees except death and taxes."
Growing up, that saying made no sense, but now it does. When world-class athletes set their sights on the Olympics, there are no guarantees they will make it... none the less win a gold medal.
I’ve had the opportunity to ask Olympic hopefuls and former Olympians what it was like the moment they decided to go for it. To go "all in."
All of them said essentially the same thing.
"It was like tunnel vision."
"I decided, and there was no turning back."
They had zero excuses on their quest to be the best. What about us on our quest to be our best?
Maybe you have reached a personal Olympics or maybe you have not. Before effectively moving forward, it’s time to gain an important perspective and peace on past inaction.
If you are like most people (me included), you have started and stopped something important to you. Something that you knew would complete you. Something that was nagging at you like sore tooth. Something that only went away when you avoided it by being too busy to allow it into your consciousness. Something that knocked on your mind when the world slowed down for a moment.
Maybe you entertained the thought briefly, ventured towards the door of success, but you never quite crossed the finish line. Possibly it’s time to acknowledge you did the best you could at the time and make peace with that chapter of your life.
Maybe your cost of inaction then was necessary for you to be able take care of yourself, your family or some other reason that you must accept as valid. If not, this past inaction will be a tack on our journey forward.
Is it your time now?
If so, it’s time to ask what you learned from that inaction, and what is the cost of inaction (COI) if you don’t make progress, now?
If it is YOUR time to make significant progress towards something important to you, here’s a challenge:
1. Hydrate.
Drink 12 oz. water first thing when you wake up. Why? Hydrating is vital for memory and focus, so it's especially important to drink up when you start your day.2. Get Clear.
List what’s important to you now, why you care deeply about it, and who else would benefit besides you if you succeed3. Five Steps.
Choose five actionable steps to make progress that you must do in the next two weeks. Also, list why they are important to your long-term vision. What day and time will you block these things into your calendar?
Get (and Stay) Engaged: Here are the four best ways I can help you, and for you to join our community:
Here’s to you being amazing!

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Certified High-Performance Coach | Mental Toughness & High-Performance Strategist for Female Leaders | Best-Selling Author | CEO & Founder, The Zone Lab, LLC
Sheryl Kline has spent 25+ years building Olympic-level confidence and FBI-grade negotiation strategies for world-class athletes, Olympians, and some of the most prolific female executives in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and across the country. Her proven frameworks in clarity, confidence, strategic influence and impact (Fearless Female Leadership Framework) have been deployed inside Fortune 100 and 500 companies including Google Ventures, Microsoft, Oracle, Schnitzer Properties, Autodesk, Capital One, Pixar, VMware, Bank of America, and State Street Global Advisors to name a few.
Hands-On Experience: Sheryl has personally coached hundreds of executives, team leaders, and emerging female leaders through high-stakes negotiations, career transitions, and performance under pressure. She has led mental toughness and high-performance workshops at organizations like Structured Finance Association, WIT Network, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, SHRM, CREW Network, Women in Cloud, and Jabra.
Credentials: M.A. degree holder and Certified High-Performance Coach (CHPC). Creator of the Fearless Female Leadership Journey enterprise digital curriculum and the proprietary frameworks including the ADD Emotional Agility Blueprint, Visual Optimization methodology, and the ZONED IN mental toughness system.
Published Work: Best-selling author of ZONED IN: The Mental Toughness Required for a World-Class YOU and The Fearless Female Leader: A Proven Process to Speak Up, Be Heard, and Have an Even Greater Impact. Speaker, mastermind cohort leader, and panelist for women's leadership organizations nationwide.
sherylkline.com | LinkedIn | info@sherylkline.com | Substack
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