Progress + Process > Perfection

One year ago, I launched Champion Venture Partners (CVP). It started as a bold vision to disrupt the sports investing world, which has traditionally been reserved for the ultra-wealthy.

The vision for CVP was to make investing more accessible to everyday investors. To do something different, we knew we had to look and move differently.

My co-founder and I set out to surround ourselves with a team of high achievers who didn’t just invest other people’s money for a living. We wanted builders and operators: people who knew how to develop talent and scale businesses.

When you get a group of high achievers together, you tend to think even bigger. We set stretch goals that reflected our hunger to make a significant impact, like trying to raise a fund and place multiple investments in a year with tons of economic uncertainty.

A few days ago, I got a LinkedIn notification marking the anniversary of CVP’s founding. It hit me: this wasn’t just a casual milestone. It reminded me that while wins matter, so does progress. And while we didn’t check every box on our ambitious list, this moment called for celebration—a reflection of how much progress we’d made.

It provided an opportunity to reset and refuel mentally and emotionally as we get ready to launch into year two. Here are a few of the insights that brought necessary clarity, context, and gratitude to the surface.

Give Yourself Grace Through the Journey

Let’s be real—those of us who are wired to achieve tend to focus solely on results. It's all about "the W." But this mentality can become toxic if left unchecked. When the goal doesn’t arrive on our timeline, self-doubt creeps in.

Progress is often invisible in the moment. But think about your first year of anything—whether it’s business, sports, or a new passion project. Each adjustment, setback, and pivot contributes to your growth. The key is giving yourself grace to appreciate the journey.

This thought from James Clear’s Atomic Habits emphasizes the importance of 1% improvements. This mindset helps you build momentum without becoming a slave to perfection.

All-Or-Nothing Thinking Will Hurt You

When you live in an all-or-nothing mode, it becomes easy to fall into the trap of either being "on track" or "failing." This binary thinking can easily destroy morale. You end up overlooking all the small victories that build sustainable success.

I saw this dynamic all the time in football. You have 53 players on the roster, and every practice rep matters. Yet, if your mental framework is “win or bust,” those unseen moments of progress lose value.

The championship isn’t won the day of the game. It’s built on the incremental successes and failures over the course of an entire season. The moment you forget that wins are a cumulative experience, you lose touch with what it takes to put yourself in position to win.

Keep Your North Star Steady

Setting big goals is powerful. But they should serve as a guide—not a verdict on your journey. Even if you don't hit every milestone, you don’t pivot on your vision. Instead, you pivot on how you execute.

Success follows a cycle of goal-setting, learning, and adjusting

This concept is something Ray Dalio talks about in his book Principles. Your core principles—your North Star—keep you aligned even as circumstances change.

For CVP, this meant redefining and reprioritizing certain self-imposed timelines. A clear North Star allows you the autonomy to pivot on tactics while sticking to our ultimate mission of providing value to our partners and stakeholders.

When you commit to reflecting on and learning through the journey, you’ll consistently find new insights to optimize your approach.

The Scoreboard Is a Lagging Indicator

Your results—the wins—are the product of the process. You don’t control how quickly you get there, but you control how consistently you show up.

Your process is your greatest asset— it’s what builds not just a single win but a winning culture.

As entrepreneurs, executives, or athletes, we need to fall in love with refining our process—because it’s through that repetition that we find mastery.

What’s critical to remember is that success often arrives after long periods of seemingly stagnant effort. You may go months without seeing external validation, but it's the internal wins—discipline, focus, and resilience—that stack up behind the scenes. These unseen victories eventually shape outcomes that seem "sudden" to others but have been years in the making.

Pause to Celebrate Your Progress

Take a moment today to think about how far you’ve come. Forget the scoreboard for a minute.

• How have you grown over the past 12 months?

• What pivots, insights, or adjustments are positioning you for success?

Sometimes, progress looks like quiet persistence. Sometimes, it looks like surviving when things didn’t go as planned. Both deserve celebration. This isn't about lowering your standards; it’s about reinforcing your foundation so you can rise stronger.

As you push forward, let the vision drive you, but allow progress to sustain you.

You’re not just building towards the win—you’re becoming the type of person who can handle it when it arrives.

Ready to take the next step?

Every great transformation begins with a single step. Whether you’re navigating a career pivot, building a business, or redefining your path, Separation Playbook provides the tools, strategies, and mindset shifts you need to create sustainable success:

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