LSC #45: How to push your limits 💪

Hey there! A bit of a benchmark edition: We’ve made it to the 45th edition of the #LSC, yay!

As you know, you’ll find here some tips on productivity, consistency, personal growth, health hacks, and a few cool recommendations just because, well, why not?

Before we dive in, though: To keep getting this newsletter straight into your main inbox, please move it there so your email client doesn’t mess with it.

Now, let's get into it!

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Today’s summary:

• 🏃‍♀️ On marathons and effort

• 🏁 Lessons from marathons applied to life

• 🤗 Success is a team effort

• 💬 Daily tips from the trenches: Igor Ranc

• 📺 Weekly Pick: Nike ads

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🏃‍♀️ On marathons and effort

I have total respect for someone who runs one marathon and no respect for someone who runs two.

A few weeks ago, Berlin hosted its annual marathon. I was supposed to run it. Incredibly, I’ve won the lottery to participate twice. Never won anything else in my life, but hey, a chance to pay 200€ to run a marathon? Bring it in!

I canceled though, as I knew I'd be traveling. But that’s not the point.

The point is the marathon itself.

I’m a pretty sporty guy. I’ve done a lot of wild stuff, but running a marathon? That’s a whole different level.

I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed every minute of it. Honestly, a lot of it was pure suffering. And when I crossed the finish line, happy to have hit my goal (nothing crazy: don’t die), I remember a guy asking me: “Is this your first or your last one?”

That says so much about the experience. You push your body to the limit, counting down those kilometers, thinking WHAT?! Another 15 to go?!

But here’s the takeaway: Never underestimate what your body is capable of.

It doesn’t need to be a marathon (it probably shouldn’t be). But sometimes, when we think we can’t do something, we’re just using the wrong mindset.

The mind believes whatever we tell it—whether that’s “I can’t” or “I can.” Both thoughts are true. So, which one do you want to follow?

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🏁 Lessons from marathons applied to life

All of this to say that marathons are hard—both physically and mentally (what a plot twist, right?). During the run, you get plenty of time to think, and surprisingly, none of the key lessons I took away were about running.

Goals are checkpoints, not finish lines

Even if you don’t hit your initial goal, as long as you give it your best, that’s what matters. Goals aren’t the end—they’re just checkpoints. Life is long, and every goal is just another step. Failing at them? That’s what makes them valuable lessons that help you move forward.

Happiness is earned

Happiness doesn’t come from taking the easy route. Sure, easy things can feel good, but real satisfaction comes from doing the hard stuff—tough conversations, tough workouts, eating right... it’s the struggle that brings real fulfillment.

Go step by step

Big goals can feel overwhelming. So don’t focus on the end result—focus on what you can do today. It’s like a puzzle. You don’t start by saying, "I’m going to put it all together at once." You just connect two pieces. Then another. And all of a sudden, the whole puzzle takes shape in front of you.

Preparation makes the unknown known

Starting a challenge means facing a lot of questions with very few answers. You can’t predict everything, but preparation gets you ready for whatever might come. The more you prepare, the more ready you’ll be.

You don’t know your limits until you test them

You can practice all you want, but the real test happens when the pressure’s on. You won’t know what you’re capable of until you’re in the moment.

If you’ve been thinking about doing something, just give it a shot. The worst that can happen? Probably nothing (unless you’re doing apnea diving—then, think twice before going too deep).

If you’re not worried about your goals, think bigger

I was really nervous before my marathon, even scared. But that meant the goal was big enough. You grow more from big losses than small wins. If your goals don’t give you butterflies, you might not be aiming high enough.

Always run your own race

In life, it’s easy to compare yourself to others. But that’s not the point. The only race that matters is yours. Focus on what’s in front of you and run your race—not anyone else’s.

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🤗 Success is a team effort

And sure, this all sounds pretty nice, right? Set an ambitious goal, practice a lot, nail it, yay!

But we know life doesn’t usually go that way. There are bumps in the road, and we need all the help we can get to succeed.

That’s where this hack comes in. It’s not anything crazy, just proven methods that help you reach your goals. It’s a mix of accountability, commitment, and positive influences. Let’s break it down.

Let’s assume you have a goal. The best thing is to make it public—tell your friends, your partner, anyone who can keep you accountable. Once you’ve shared your goal, it’s easier to stick to it. Failing feels bad, but failing in front of someone? That’s tough. That’s why committing to your plan with someone and celebrating both wins and losses helps you move closer to success.

And this brings me to the part of the positive influence. If your goal requires habit changes, surround yourself with people on the same journey or those who’re already where you want to be. They won’t judge or downplay your goals—they’ve been there. If you’re trying something new, observe and mimic what those who’ve succeeded are doing.

Sometimes, a change of environment or methods, paired with accountability and commitment, is all you need to succeed!

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💬 Daily tips from the trenches: Igor Ranc

Each week, someone outside #LSC shares a tip, tool, or technique that helps them manage their day-to-day life. Expect actionable advice you can try out, offering a peek into how others navigate their routines.

As some of you know, I’ve been living in Berlin for over 13 years now. It’s a city I have a strange, intense connection with—let’s call it a love-hate relationship.

One of the things I’ve come to really enjoy here is Igor’s weekly Handpicked newsletter. It’s a collection of all things Berlin—events, news, recommendations, even memes. Just like the city itself, it’s a mix of random but weirdly connected things, creating a picture of a Berlin that’s that’s not poor anymore, but still sexy.

Here’s Igor’s take on task management:

“I tried every way of managing my tasks, from writing them in a notebook to using to-do apps. Then, I read this post by Jeff Huang. It's a simple, endless .txt file for all your tasks.

I amended the idea a bit, as everyone should, because "recipes" suck. So, now I use Notes to write down all the tasks in different categories and then tick them off.

Each Sunday, I plan my week using CW## as a title. Underneath, I will start with Monday and list all the tasks for the week inside the categories (e.g. Admin, Growth, Sales). Most won't get done on Monday, so I will move them to Tuesday and so on.

I also keep a backlog of tasks in a separate Note, called, you're not gonna believe it, "backlog". This approach works great; I only miss the feeling of ticking things off on paper, but I am ready to sacrifice it to benefit from sync.”

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📺 Weekly Pick: Nike adds

And since we’ve somehow talked about running, my weekly content pick is the latest Nike campaign, a collection of three ads (just 30 seconds each—no excuse to skip them!).

• Sunshine: If you don't hate running a little, you don't love running enough, or how awful it is to run in bad weather. The song choice is brilliant, and it works by contrast.

• Morning: The hardest line to cross is the start line, or how disgusting it feels to wake up early just to go for a run.

• Joy: Feeling great doesn’t always feel good, or how nasty it is to push yourself through extreme effort.

The whole campaign is spot on—music, visuals, and overall approach. It really humanizes the brand, especially after their last campaign, Winning isn’t for everyone, where they failed to connect and positioned Nike too far from their target customer.

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📊 Data Dive

And to finish the newsletter, let’s take a little look at the #LSC performance (yes, a bit of #buildinpublic here):

• 425 Subscribers → Last week we were 424

• 6 Unsubscribed → I was already anticipating a high number of unsubscribed last week, it turns out I wasn’t wrong!

• 52% Open rate → The goal is to keep this, as you know, in the 60-70% range.

Before leaving, here you have are a few things you can do to help me:

• Share this newsletter with someone you think will like it.

• Reply to this publication.

• If you’re on Substack, like this publication, re-stack it, move it around…

And now, for good: Keep an eye out for the next LifeScore Chronicles—something exciting is just around the corner. 🚀

Until next week, stay safe and healthy!