Living Intentionally: From Surviving to Thriving

Joe Gagnon is the CEO at RaYnmaker and a veteran entrepreneur with over 20 years in executive roles at companies including Sparkcentral, Penn Foster, e-Dialog, and IBM. Founder of The High Performance Life and co-host of the Chasing Tomorrow podcast, he is also an accomplished endurance athlete. Joe has completed more than 70 marathons, multiple Ironman triathlons, a solo 3,000-mile bike ride across the U.S., and in 2017 ran marathons on six continents in six consecutive days. He’s the author of Living the High Performance Life and Living Intentionally: How intentionality enables success, fulfillment, and growth blending his passion for business, wellness, and pushing human limits.

When I first met Joe Gagnon, I was struck not just by his incredible achievements, but by his ability to make his philosophy tangible. Too often, personal growth advice feels lofty—beautiful words but no clear bridge to action. Joe’s approach is different. His philosophy doesn’t just inspire; it equips you.

And now, his new book distills decades of hard-won wisdom into something you can apply in your daily life—whether you’re chasing a personal goal, building a business, or simply trying to become a better human.

The Wake-Up Call

Twenty-five years ago, Joe had what he calls his “moment of truth.”He couldn’t run a mile. He couldn’t do a push-up. He couldn’t write a paragraph.

By all external measures, he was “successful”—a good career, income, and the trappings of the life society says you should want. But internally, he felt unfulfilled, isolated, and disconnected from his true potential.

That moment sparked a journey—not of overnight transformation, but of deliberate practice. Joe rebuilt his life, brick by brick, from a spreadsheet tracking daily habits to years of relentless testing of his mind, body, and spirit. Along the way, he became a six-time CEO, an ultra-endurance athlete, a writer for over 4,000 consecutive days, and a student of what it means to live intentionally.

The Three Words That Shape His Day

Joe starts every morning with three words: Move. Write. Breathe.

Simple? Yes. Easy? Not always.These actions ground him, reset his system, and prime him for intentional living. And while the concepts aren’t hard to understand, the execution is where most of us stumble—because our cultural narrative often runs counter to what truly makes us thrive.

We carry, as Joe puts it, “a lottery ticket in our pocket” but forget to cash it.

Redefining Discomfort

One of the most powerful shifts Joe made was in how he views discomfort.Pain, failure, and struggle aren’t signals to stop—they’re invitations to grow. They are the language of resilience, the currency of transformation.

This mindset carried him through extraordinary challenges, including the grueling Badwater 135 ultramarathon in Death Valley—120 degrees, three mountain passes—and left him feeling not broken, but stronger.

The same mindset applies in leadership. In business, missed targets, tough competitors, and difficult quarters are not “lows”—they’re the baseline. Once you accept that reality, you stop wasting energy wishing it were different and start investing 100% of your effort into creativity, problem-solving, and execution.

Core Values as Cultural Anchors

Joe’s leadership philosophy is rooted in unshakable core values: Respect. Teamwork. Positivity. Boldness.They aren’t just wall slogans—they guide daily decisions, shape interactions, and become the “gravity” that holds a culture together. When leaders live these values, they create teams that defend the culture, protect it, and multiply it.

And it starts with the leader thriving first. You can’t walk into a room with a gray cloud over your head and expect to energize a team. As Joe says, “Fall in love with every day.” That doesn’t mean ignoring reality—it means bringing the positive energy that fuels high performance.

The 1% Rule

At the heart of Joe’s philosophy is what he calls The 1% Rule—the commitment to doing just a little more than yesterday. Run one more lap. Write one more paragraph. Do one more push-up.

This small daily push triggers your body’s growth systems and compounds over time, much like interest in a bank account. Eventually, you realize you’ve pulled far ahead of the majority who remain in “survival mode.”

The 1% Rule is also the antidote to our culture’s obsession with quick fixes. Instead of swinging for unsustainable grand slams, you focus on incremental wins. You fall in love with the process, and the results follow.

The Mirror Test

Ultimately, living intentionally is about accountability to yourself.Look in the mirror and ask: Do I like who I see? If not, the process—the small daily actions, the embrace of discomfort, the clarity of values—is the way to get there. And there’s no rush. As Joe says, “We’re going to be here for a while—so get in the game and enjoy it.”

Takeaway: You don’t need to run ultramarathons or become a CEO to live intentionally. You need clarity on your values, the courage to embrace discomfort, the discipline to grow 1% every day, and the energy to show up as your best self—for yourself and for those you lead.

Your lottery ticket is already in your pocket. The only question is: when will you cash it?