Outside of running, reading is a love of mine. I recently dove back into my history collection, paging through my books on the Civil War. One story that stuck with me was the siege of Vicksburg and the relentless determination of General Ulysses S. Grant.

Vicksburg, Mississippi, was a fortress—both by nature and by design. Perched on towering cliffs above the Mississippi River, it gave the Confederacy control over a critical supply route. If the Union could capture it, they would cut the Confederacy in half. But taking Vicksburg wasn’t going to be easy. Grant didn’t have an immediate answer. There was no clear plan.

Yet instead of waiting for the perfect strategy to emerge, he kept his army moving. They tried everything—digging a canal to bypass Vicksburg, flooding lakes to create new waterways, even blowing up levees to find a back route. None of these efforts worked. But in Grant’s words, they kept the Army busy.

Why? Because movement kept them fit. It kept them engaged. It kept them focused on their goal. And eventually, through this process of trial and adaptation, the right plan emerged. The Union took Vicksburg, and the course of the war shifted.

I see a lesson in this. Too often, we wait for the perfect plan before taking action—whether in running, business, or life. But progress doesn’t come from standing still. It comes from moving forward, trying things, staying engaged, and adjusting as you go. Action creates clarity.