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Recapping a Year of Audacious Goals: Lessons Learned from Everest and TEDx with Steven Pivnik

Built to Finish

Release Date: 12/23/2025

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In this special holiday episode of the Built to Finish podcast, host Steven Pivnik reflects on the past year, expressing immense gratitude to the audience for their support during his first full year of podcasting, which included over 52 released episodes. He shares the personal success he has achieved through a newly implemented morning gratitude routine, noting that listing things you are grateful for helps minimize the impact of bad news when it inevitably occurs. He also previews the episode, mentioning it will include free giveaways, an offer, and a request for listeners.


The core of the recap focuses on the three "Big Hairy Audacious Goals" (BHAGs) he set for 2025: delivering a full keynote at a legitimate conference, climbing Mount Everest, and delivering a TEDx talk. He achieved the keynote goal at an international franchisee conference for GJ Gardner Homes in Houston, which he found incredibly rewarding. While he didn't summit Mount Everest after getting sick near the end of the trip, he has "no regrets whatsoever" and considers the journey itself and the lessons learned to be incredibly valuable. Finally, after submitting 69 applications, he accomplished his third BHAG by being accepted to and delivering a TEDx talk, with the video set to be released soon. Looking ahead, his BHAG for 2026 is to begin work on a new book.

 

Takeaways:

  • Implement a Morning Gratitude Routine: Start your day by listing everything you're grateful for to create a "huge bucket of great things" that helps you brush off bad news and prevent a spiral.
  • Set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs): Take the time to set a few challenging personal and professional goals for the year, like the host's goals to deliver a keynote, climb Everest, and give a TEDx talk.
  • Value the Journey: For ambitious goals like climbing Everest, remember to value the training and preparation journey—such as trips to Ecuador, Colorado, and Utah—as much as the final destination.
  • Persevere Through Rejection: The host received 69 rejection emails for his TEDx talk before being accepted; if you are pursuing a goal like public speaking, be ready for the long process and continue to submit applications.
  • Write Down Your Goals: The simple act of writing down your BHAG for 2026, even just in a comment or DM, will increase your odds of completing it.
  • Seek Advisory Services: If you are a founder, consider seeking advisory services for one-on-one consulting, peer group work, or guidance toward an exit, as this work has proven rewarding for the host and his clients.
  • Claim Free Resources: Download the host's favorite chapter, "Envisioning the Finish," and the key takeaways from his entire book for free at https://stevenpivnik.com/downloads/. 

Quote of the Show:

  • “When you start your day by listing out everything that you're grateful for, any bad event is gonna have a hard time competing with a huge bucket of great things that are happening in your life.” 


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