10 Harsh Truths I Had To Learn The Hard Way

(don’t make the same mistakes I did):

Author

Eric Hinman
February 12, 2025

read time: 4 minutes 

Welcome to The Movement Memo, a bi-weekly newsletter where I share actionable tips to help you live your best day ever, every day.

Today's Programming 

Today's Movement 

Starting at 15 calories, complete each round in 60 seconds followed by a 60-second rest. Add one calorie every round until failure.

  • 15 cal, 1-minute recovery

  • 16 cal, 1-minute recovery 

  • 17 cal, 1-minute recovery 

  • 18 cal, 1-minute recovery

  • Continue to add one cal each round until failure.

Class is in session.

Today's Quote

You can have anything you want in life, but you can’t have everything you want.”

– Ray Dalio

Decide what you want.

Then work hard enough so that you can get it.

If you don’t decide, someone else will decide for you.

The choice is yours. 

Today's Lesson Learned:

10 Harsh Truths I Had to Learn the Hard Way

At 22, I thought I had it all figured out.

Work hard. Make money. Climb the ladder.

It seemed simple. Until I realized—the real lessons don’t come from books, degrees, or advice. They come from experience.

From getting knocked down. From failing. From being forced to adapt.

Over the past two decades, I’ve trained like an elite athlete, built businesses, invested in brands, and surrounded myself with founders, operators, and high-performers across industries.

And here’s what I’ve learned: The lessons that matter most aren’t the ones you read about. They’re the ones you earn.

Here are 10 harsh truths I had to learn the hard way—so maybe you don’t have to.

1. No One Cares About You (Until You Make It About Them)

Early in my career, I thought the key to success was being impressive.

I wanted to prove myself—to show how much I knew, how hard I worked, how capable I was.

I was wrong. The most successful people I’ve met don’t try to be the center of attention. They make other people feel important.

The moment I stopped trying to be interesting and started being interested, everything changed.

People respect knowledge, but they remember how you make them feel.

2. You Are Not Done Learning (Ever)

I once believed that education ended after school.

You graduate, get a job, and move on. Then I started my first business. Nothing humbles you faster than real-world problems with no textbook answers.

Every major leap I’ve made has come from admitting I didn’t know enough—then obsessively learning what I needed to.

If you ever think you’ve “made it,” you’ve already lost.

The smartest people in the world are students forever.

3. Work Ethic Beats Talent (Every Time)

When I started, I wasn’t the most experienced. I didn’t have the best connections.

But I had one thing: relentless energy. I showed up earlier. Stayed later. Said yes when others said no. Most people never reach their potential—not because they aren’t capable, but because they aren’t willing to go all in.

If you don’t have experience, outwork everyone. If you don’t have connections, outwork everyone.

Energy is your edge—until experience levels the playing field.

4. Successful People Want to Help—But Only If You Respect Their Time

I used to believe success was a zero-sum game. That the people at the top wanted to keep everyone else down.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. The truth? Successful people love helping others.

But they don’t waste time.

If you show up unprepared, expect them to hand you success, or fail to follow through, you’ll never get their attention again. Want mentorship?

  • Be valuable first. Find a way to contribute.

  • Be specific. Ask direct, thoughtful questions.

  • Follow up. Prove you took action on their advice.

Respect their time, and they’ll change your life.

5. Brand is Everything (And You Better Protect It)

At first, I thought “brand” was about logos, slogans, and marketing.

Now, I understand it’s your reputation at scale. Brand is the reason some businesses can charge 10x more than their competitors. Brand is the reason people come to you instead of you chasing them.

It takes years to build. One bad decision to destroy.

Protect it at all costs.

6. Focus is the Greatest Competitive Advantage

I used to think the more I did, the faster I’d grow.

So I spread myself thin—training for multiple sports, chasing too many business ideas, saying yes to everything.The result? A lot of effort. Not a lot of progress.

The people who win are the ones who can cut through distractions and give their full energy to what matters.

If you don’t control your focus, someone else will.

7. Play the Long Game (Most People Won’t)

Most people think in days, weeks, and months.

Successful people think in years and decades. I’ve spent years building relationships, investing in my brand, and compounding my efforts. Many of those things didn’t pay off immediately—but over time, they became unfair advantages.

The best decisions don’t give you a return in 30 days. They pay off in 30 years.

8. Your Network is Your Net Worth (But Not in the Way You Think)

I used to hate the word “networking.”

It felt forced and transactional. Then I realized: networking isn’t about taking—it’s about giving.

When you help people without expecting anything in return, something powerful happens:

You become the person they think of when opportunities arise.

The best opportunities of my life have come from seeds I planted years ago.

Start planting now.

9. Measure Actions, Not Just Results

Most people get stuck comparing themselves to others—measuring their success by external results.

The problem? Results take time. If you only focus on outcomes, you’ll feel like you’re losing. But if you focus on inputs—the things you control—success becomes inevitable.

Every great business, every great athlete, every great leader got there by focusing on what they could control every day.

• Run the miles.
• Write the posts.
• Make the calls.

Do the work – the results will follow.

10. Do the Things That Don’t Scale

The best in the world obsess over the small things that others overlook.

They send personal thank-you notes. They take extra time to solve a customer’s problem. They show up when no one else does.

Everyone wants shortcuts.

The best people just do the work.

If you want to win, do the things that don’t scale.

Every lesson on this list?

I learned it the hard way. Through failure. Through experience. Through years of trial and error.

I wish someone had handed me this list when I was 22. It would have saved me time, effort, and frustration.

But the truth is—some lessons can’t be taught.

They have to be learned.

Today’s Optimization

XPT, the human performance brand known for its cutting-edge techniques developed by athletes, special ops, and performance scientists, is launching an exciting new fitness event series called Expeditions—and I can’t wait to join the first one in Colorado this June. These 2-day experiences combine XPT’s performance pillars—Breathe, Move, Recover, Fuel, and Connect—with epic outdoor challenges designed to fortify your resilience.

The first event, XPT Crystal Peak, will take place in Breckenridge and features an 11.1-mile hike and scramble along a lesser-known route to some of Colorado’s most breathtaking peaks. On Day 1, we’ll train with XPT coaches in Performance Breathing™ sessions, ice bath and sauna protocols, functional movement workouts, performance mindset seminars, and more. Then, on Day 2, we’ll head into the mountains for an unforgettable adventure.

I participated in one of XPT’s other event formats, and it was truly the time of a lifetime. You won’t want to miss this one!

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Publisher: Eric Hinman

Editor-in-chief: Bobby Ryan