Episode 15: The Results Tree | Committed Action

In this thought-provoking episode of The Navigating Leaders Podcast, host Gabriel Griess challenges a common belief about success: what if quitting isn’t failure, but one of the most important decisions you can make?

Drawing from his new book, The Results Tree, Gabriel explores the powerful concept of committed action and why knowing what to quit is just as important as knowing what to pursue.

He reframes quitting not as failure, but as a strategic decision to stop doing things that don’t align with your vision, purpose, and calling. When your actions are rooted in a compelling vision and fueled by clear intention, quitting distractions becomes essential for living boldly and taking meaningful action.

Using practical examples and relatable analogies, he highlights why perseverance matters, why failure is simply feedback, and why success comes from staying in the arena rather than striving for perfection.

The life you want is built through committed action, taken one step at a time, even when the path isn’t clear. 

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QUOTES

• Winston Churchill: “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
• Ed Mylett: “You don't have to believe in your entire journey. Just believe in the next step.”

Life shifts from drifting through circumstances to moving forward with purpose and intention.

CONNECT WITH GABRIEL

🎥 YouTube: @navigatingleaders
📸 Instagram: @navigatingleaders

👍 Facebook: @navigatingleaders

🎵 TikTok: @navigatingleaders

🗣️ LinkedIn: @navigatingleaders

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ABOUT GABRIEL

Gabriel Griess is a retired US Air Force officer, the CEO of Excel Medical Staffing and MedForceX, and the founder of Navigating Leaders. A graduate of the elite Air Force Weapons School, he has spent decades leading teams in high-pressure environments and equipping others to reach their full potential. As a combat veteran and an entrepreneur, Gabriel helps individuals cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to create lasting impact.

An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, he addresses audiences on personal transformation, strategic leadership, and veteran empowerment. The Results Tree is the framework he lives by, and when applied, it will unearth your destiny.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Are you a quitter? What? Are you a quitter? We're going to explore this in the next episode of the Navigating Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Gabriel Greese, where we awaken your vision and encourage you to live boldly. Thank you for being here. So, quitter is totally an energetically charged word. Typically, it has a negative emotion around it, right? But I would ask you is could there be a positive angle to quitting? And I think the answer is yes, if done properly, because it allows you to stop doing things that aren't aligned with your vision. Right? They aren't part of who you are, from whom you came, for the purpose you were here only that you can achieve. Now, a little side note uh vision is the foundation of this whole conversation. So if you haven't watched that episode, I encourage you to go back after you get through this one. I also encourage you to go to navigatingleaders.com where we have a vision engine. It's an AI-powered tool that'll help you craft that vision for your life. And uh, and I talked extensively about it, uh, vision that is in a prior episode. So in this episode, we're gonna explore committed action, right? And action is that that counter to quitting, right? I've started something, do I keep doing it or do I stop? I'm in it, I have a commitment. Do I do it or do I stop? Or do I take it to completion? And uh, and so we're gonna explore that here. So, what is committed action, right? There are tons of words that surround it, right? Grit, commitment, faith, trust, willpower. Uh, you could say surrender to what is, so that that that action can play its way out. You could say God power versus manpower, right? But there are thousands, maybe tens of thousands of books written around on how to set goals and how to stay the course and how to have grit and how to get after it and how to make it happen, and you know, get up at 4 a.m. and all, you know, four-hour workday, just everything, right? What's different in this case, as outlined in the results tree, is our committed action is rooted in our vision. It's driven and fueled by our clear intention. So it's not some arbitrary goal I'm reaching after, right? The goal I'm seeking to achieve, the action I'm taking, trying to lose that weight, save that money, repair that relationship, build my faith, pour into my spouse, raise up my kids, uh, build something in my community, whatever it is that is so important to me that I'm dedicating my life force, giving my time, talent, and treasure to it, is that committed action piece. And so I get to dial that in to where I'm I'm focusing my energies to develop myself in order to live out my purpose, right? To live out my vision so that I can achieve the things I was sent here to achieve, my individual reason for being here. And so it is, it is, it is absolutely essential to look at what I'm committing myself to, right? And ensuring that the actions I'm taking are aligned with my vision. The choices I'm making are aligned to my vision, right? Because there was that vision imprinted on my heart. It's been there since the dawn of time. And I've uncovered it by removing limiting beliefs. I've uncovered it by working my way through hard questions to really look at myself and choose. I'm examining my choices to decide, does this align with my vision, right? And then when we get to committed action, well, it's time to do the work. For those of you that are listening, wherever you are, I'm I got a work shirt on, I got my sleeves rolled up because that's what work is, right? There are no shortcuts. We get to eat that elephant, right? So I ask this question sometimes, and it makes people joke or that makes people chuckle, is how do you eat an elephant? And some people are like, we don't eat elephants, or you can't eat an elephant, or gross, or don't do that, or whatever it is. But it'll ask the question again: how do you eat an elephant? Well, they're huge. Right? So much, you know, so many times bigger than either you or I. So it seems impossible. Well, the way you eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So one bite at a time allows me to take something big and break it down.

unknown 5:13

Right.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

So crafting and living out that vision, that that life I really want, that beyond the horizon goal set is an accumulation of getting my life in harmony and in balance and in wholeness, right, across so many domains: faith, family, fitness, finance, freedom, like dialing these things in so that my life is harmonized and that I'm I am I'm working the plan. And the plan is that vision, that purpose, that passion that's on my heart, right? And so as we set goals, as we have clear intention to achieve things, right? I have an intention because I say so it will become, or I have a clear intention, and now I can see a pathway to a result that I couldn't see before because I wasn't fully committed to it. And now I get to do the work. Now I get to do the work. So again, lots of books written on this. In the results tree, uh, we've got a whole chapter on committed action. We also have the tools in there. We use the smart framework. Uh, we break things down over a number of weeks in order to eat that elephant and make goals achievable. The hard part is only you can eat the elephant, right? You get to do the work, you get to stay the course. And one of the elements that just powers us is that passion, right? That passion for achievement because it's rooted in your vision. Like, so for Christy and I, one of our one of our visions uh is that not really a vision, but like one of our one of our goals is and it's rooted in our vision, is to hold our great grandbabies one day. So we get up and say, uh, you know, I have amazing health so that I can hold my great grandbabies one day. We actually kind of rock them, right, visually, you know, stimulating that that effect. But when I do the math in my head, like I'm gonna be pretty old when I have a great grandbaby, right? And so that that frames what it is we're up to, right? It frames the magnitude of the goals we're setting, of the vision we have for our lives. Because if I need to live another 50, 60, maybe 70 years, um, what's that going to require? Good health, strong finances, great relationships, um, good mental health, a strong brain, right? A physical body, like all these elements go into it. Right. So when we begin with the end of mind, thinking beyond the horizon about what it is I want my life to look like, um, then I can begin to live actions today that align with that, that support it, right? So the only way to get to that goal is to do the work. To go from here to there is the work. And it's gonna be uncomfortable. Now, the beauty of being uncomfortable is that's when you get to grow. Right. So when we play in a safe space, when we stay inside our comfort zone or that that box of safety, there's no room for growing. Because I already know how to do everything. It's safe. I look good. But when I get out and start doing things that uh I'm not so familiar with, and now I have a chance for failure or a chance not to be perfect at something. Well, now I acquire new skills. Now I acquire new thoughts. Now I acquire new ways of being. Now I acquire uh new information and skills, right? And so now I've grown. I've conquered new lands, I've conquered new territory, right? But we have to be courageous because we're gonna fail. But what we've learned through this process is what? That failure is just learning. It's just learning, right? As long as we don't bail, as long as we don't quit. So if you think back to like uh anybody's ever had young children uh or you know, been an aunt or an uncle or been around kiddos in that, I don't know, eight, eight to twelve month range, typically when kiddos you know start to explore and walk, like they are relentless.

unknown 9:41

Right?

SPEAKER_00 9:42

They're looking around and they're seeing all these big people on two feet walking around and they're like, why am I on all fours? They're like, I'm gonna figure that out. And they they test and they iterate and they stand and they fall and they stand and they fall and they stand and they fall. And most times they don't even make a peep. Right now, if they fall and bump into something, you're gonna hear about it. But but most of the time they get a little wobbly and drop down on the diaper covered butt and go boop. And they're like, okay, that didn't quite work, but I got a little further along. Maybe I'll hold something or I'll crawl up on a footstool or whatever it is, right? And so that is how we're taught to learn discovery learning, action in the arena, not analytical, not just reading, but reading and then applying as adults, right? So I'm sitting here with a book, right? I want you to read. So we we get to have that unbiased, unvarnished, courageous, excited curiosity for what's around the next bend, what's next for me, right? What next do I get to do to create, to grow, right? And so when I set my goals, right, rooted in my vision, driven by clear intention, now it's up to me to do the action. It's up to you, and only you can do the work. I'm gonna say that again. Only you can do the work. And there's no guarantee. So you keep going. Now you iterate, right? So maybe you don't get the right result. What do we use results for? And we'll talk more about this in the next episode. Well, the results I get to look at is feedback. Go back to my vision, go back to clear intention, and start again. So there's a couple quotes here that I think are really, really amazing. And uh, one of them is from Winston Churchill in World War II. So, gosh, like approaching a hundred years ago. And uh, and he said, success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. And that that is just brilliant, right? Because life is full of failure. So I could take a failure and go, oh, that's the end of it, and be, you know, bummed out or down for the day, or be like, yes, I totally, totally failed and learned not to do it that way and to go on to something else. In our company, I tell our employees all the time, go out and break stuff. Like not be, not be uh, you know, casual about breaking things, but use everything you've learned to this point and go, hey, can I push this software further? Can I can I help this help this person and what they're doing better? Can I provide better customer service? Can I be more responsive? Can I can I care more about what I'm up to? Right. Like push the envelope. And if something breaks, we'll look at the pieces and put it back together and arguably build something better. Right? That's what we do when we pick up the pieces. So there's another quote that I think is is super helpful too. That and this one's from Ed Milette. Ed Milette says, uh, you don't have to believe in your entire journey. Just believe in the next step. Just believe in the next step. And that's the essence of committed action. Right? That's the essence of eating the elephant. There are no shortcuts. But I can keep my enthusiasm, keep my belief up, keep everything rooted back in my vision, that compass, that thing that's helping me decide what's going on today, what's most important. What do I get to say no to? And that and that's a hard one for me. No is a hard one for me. And I imagine for a lot of you, saying no is challenging, but it is so empowering. It is so powerful, right? When you know what you want, when you know what you're committed to, when you know your purpose, your passion, your vision, why you're here, the reason and the thing that only you can do, and you believe in the value of that future you and the impact that'll have. Now you kind of have to say no. Now you must quit those things that don't align, they don't serve you, they don't lift you up, they don't fill you up, they don't recharge you, they don't build you up from the inside. Because all of this work is an inside job. So use your vision and clear intention to fuel the committed action even when you don't want to. And on those days you fail, on those days you want to quit, on those days you didn't make the rep, you didn't make the call, you didn't walk the dog, you didn't hit the gym, you didn't do whatever was necessary, do not let perfection be the enemy of good. Get back in the arena, get back on the horse, get back on the bike, get back into action, committed action to make those goals, those results a reality. So this time we looked at what clear and committed action is. Sorry, went back on what committed action is, why we're doing it, and how we're doing it. And we looked at some tools. And so I invite you to stay the course. Your future self will thank you. In fact, think about what that future self would say to you to encourage you, to encourage you to stay the course. How amazing and powerful is that new you gonna be because you chose to do the hard work today. And that's the answer. I can't change tomorrow in any other place, in any other time, than in this exact divine present moment. I must take action today because it's the only time I have. So, with that, I thank you for your time. I thank you for your passion, I thank you for your courage. I thank you for the version of you you are building and creating and unveiling, shedding the limiting belief, shedding that like that language and that narrative that doesn't serve you, leaving behind those old stories that don't serve you, and stepping into that version of you that has always been there. Always. That's a cool thing. Like you're not trying to do something crazy. You're just, you know what to do, so you get to do it. So for those of you that this really, really resonated, do the work. For those of you that this reminded you of somebody, drop it into attack, send it to them, uh, connect with them on socials. Anywhere you find podcasts, you'll find navigating leaders. Shoot them over the website, navigatingleaders.com, and then get access to all the tools and resources there. Uh, but I am honored and I appreciate you. I salute you for the work you're doing. You are a champion, you are a hero. You can do this because you've already done it. You've already done it. You just didn't have the language, you didn't have the framework in which to demystify how did I get here? Right? It wasn't chance. You're exactly where you're supposed to be, but we're gonna speed things up. You're gonna be able to intentionally, proactively, with action, go build the life you've always wanted. So until next time, my name is Gabriel Grease, the founder and host of the Navigine Leaders Podcast. Thank you so much. God bless you.