Career

Sometimes We Have to Get Dirty

/ Greg Schaffer

It was my first mountain bike organized event.

Author, covered in mud, riding bike across finish line.I had prepared well for the Hammer Drop 18-mile race at Henry Horton State Park. This was the trail where I had learned to mountain bike, a fun, flowing course with just enough technical sections to teach me a few painful lessons. Early on, those lessons came in the form of bumps and bruises as I discovered that a little speed is often your friend and that SPD pedals probably aren’t for beginners.

Wait, you might ask, aren’t you an old guy? Why take up mountain biking at this stage of life? I’m 59; I should be focused on something less risky, like checkers, right?

A couple of reasons. I enjoy being in the woods, and I like having different ways to stay active. To be clear, I’m a “two tires on the ground at all times” rider. No jumps. No screaming descents. I still wear plenty of protective gear, though. A bruised rib from a series of falls last December is still fresh enough in my memory to keep me humble.

Race day began with perfect weather, until it didn’t.

About forty-five minutes before the start, summer showers rolled in. Just as it looked like they were ending, another round arrived, then another. By race time, the course was muddy enough that the organizers shortened the event from three six-mile laps to two. The combination of slick trails and wet rocks would likely slow everyone considerably.

I’d only ridden in heavy rain once before, ironically less than a week earlier while on a business trip in Kentucky. I was caught in a downpour during the final two miles of that ride. It wasn’t ideal, but it gave me a little confidence that I could handle whatever the trail offered that day.

I wasn’t about to quit before the race even began simply because conditions weren’t perfect.

Sometime later, while looking at the photo of me crossing the finish line, a friend commented that I looked determined all the way to the end.

He was right.

I had decided before the race started that I was going to finish, regardless of the mud.

That reminded me of two simple truths I needed to hear again: don’t give up because things don’t go your way, and keep moving forward when you don’t feel like it.

I’ve been blessed with a long and steady career. I’ve never been fired, never been laid off, and I’ve never left a position without another one waiting. That doesn’t mean the journey has been easy. There were plenty of seasons when things seemed to be going exactly the wrong way.

In fact, I was talking with a friend over breakfast this morning about one particularly difficult job. I admitted that I had wanted to quit.

He responded with something to the effect of, “If you had quit then, you wouldn’t be where you are today.”

He was right.

Sometimes life isn’t as clean as we’d like.

Sometimes we have to get a little dirty.

Sometimes we end up completely covered in mud.

We don’t control the weather. We don’t control the trail. We don’t control many of the circumstances life puts in front of us.

But we do control whether we stop pedaling.

The trail eventually dries. The mud washes off. The finish line is still there for those who keep moving.

Photo by David Cloud

The Power of Consistency

/ Greg Schaffer

Some time ago, I was asked about what makes a good podcast. There are many elements that I could choose from, but one immediately stands out – consistency.

Afterwards, I pondered my response, realizing that there was more truth behind the simple answer that I needed to unpack. I’ve hosted and produced the Virtual CISO Moment podcast for many years now, with the last three and a half devoted to weekly discussions with information security pros. There have been weeks that I didn’t feel like recording, or when a guest didn’t show, and I could have just let it slide.

But I never did, because I believe in the power of consistency.

To me, it seems that hose who are successful got that way by patiently doing what they need to do. They realize gratification isn’t immediate, that time and patience and grinding is what is needed to build anything – a podcast, a business, a new habit. Over the course of my podcast’s lifetime, I’ve seen other security podcasts come and go. It’s not that they weren’t of value. Rather, I think the producers of each that ended didn’t see at the beginning the need for consistency and constant dedication.

It’s easy to make a commitment, but it’s difficult to follow through.

In July 2025 I completed a 2200 push up challenge to raise awareness (and perhaps a few dollars) of the needs of veterans. The primary reason for doing it was obvious; I believe in supporting my fellow veterans. But there was another reason: I wanted to demonstrate, and be held accountable for, making a commitment and sticking with it. Every. Single. Day. To that end, I recorded a “first 22” (first 22 push ups of the day) video every day, usually early in the morning. It was more for me than anyone else, because I publicly held myself accountable.

It was not about the number of pushups. It was about showing up and doing the push ups every single day. I could have kicked the 2200 out in a day (or a few) and be done with it, but the opportunity for a lesson on consistency and follow through would have been lost.

It’s not as if there weren’t obstacles. Some days I didn’t feel like doing it. Several times I had to get out of bed to push out the last dozen or two because I forgot to finish during the day. This morning while getting in an early mountain bike ride at Montgomery Bell State Park I came across the obstacle pictured above. There seemed to be no way around it. However, instead of reversing (which would man giving up on the trail), I found a way to push through.

Consistency is not the key to winning and success, but it is one component. Show up every day, especially when you don’t want to. Do the grind, and pay the dues. You will find a reward . That’s the real lesson of the power of consistency.

Why I Quit My Job So I Could Write More

/ Greg Schaffer

Heh – when I logged onto WordPress this evening, I had no idea what I was going to write about, then saw I had saved this title two weeks ago. Present Greg thanks Past Greg!

It’s true, in a way – I quit my job so I could write more, but that was one part of the equation (yay, a cliche and I’m only on the second paragraph). I was in charge of information security for a decently sized community bank and I could have remained in the position for many more years beyond the five-and-a-half I had already served – maybe even to retirement. It was a comfortable existence. But God had other plans for me.rye-jessen-1145106-unsplash.jpg

On the professional side, the message I received was that while I was using my talents well, I could apply them more effectively. Small and midsized businesses don’t have access to the information expertise Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) bring, so we provide part-time virtual CISO services that fit their budget and risk tolerance. I’m using my talents more for service while still earning a living.

On the writing side, I am called to write Christian fiction novels, as I’ve mentioned before, but it wasn’t always that way. My first two novels are more fantasy with some Christian elements and some non-Christian ones. I struggled to find writing time, and quitting my job was supposed to provide more bandwidth to write.

Here’s the odd part of all of this. I am working harder in my professional field than I ever have before, and yet I have more time for writing. How is that possible? My making this move, I’ve eliminated several time-wasters:

Commute – I cannot begin to calculate how much time I’ve wasted in traffic. Podcasts and audio books can only go so far. For awhile, I rode a commuter bus to work and was able to then write during the commute, but the conditions were not ideal.

Now, my drive is less than five miles each way in light traffic. I could have kept my home office and reduced my commute to zero, but I found that I accomplish much more outside the home office.

Meetings – It’s a fact of corporate existence – meetings. Meetings to discuss meetings. Meetings to examine output from meetings. Meetings just to hold regular meetings. Meetings that you don’t need to be in. Sure there are productive meetings, but in hindsight looking back on my career probably 50% of the time I spent in meetings was wholly unproductive. Now all of my meetings are productive, because my clients pay by the hour.

Low-Value Projects – This relates to meetings, as all projects hold meetings to discuss progress. But when those projects are not significantly advancing the core reasons why you’re employed, all activities associated with the projects, including meetings, become an exercise in checking boxes. I once sat through a series of meetings on designing policy templates, including the type and size of font. Is that really an efficient use of a senior executive’s time? See the “pay by the hour” comment above.

Nine-To-Five - I have the flexibility to create my schedule as I see fit. This means that often I start the workday at 5:30, take a writing break from 7-8:30, and work until 3:30, then go to the gym, ride my bike, or whatever. When inspiration hits, I can stop what I’m doing (for the most part) and write. You can’t do that on corporate time.

The takeaway? God has given me the opportunity to use my time efficiently. It’s up to me to do so for His glory.

Photo by Rye Jessen on Unsplash