It Takes What It Takes: Removing the Distraction of Choice

Jun 11, 2025

by Matt Sowash

As a lobbyist for MLC, Matt’s extensive campaign experience brings a ‘never quit’ energy to his work for all our clients.

For most of us, daily life is defined by a series of constant decisions. Should I wake up at 5:30 a.m. to hit the gym, or hit snooze and sleep until 7, only to spend the rest of the day regretting it? Do I approach Legislator X or Legislator Y to champion a difficult policy issue? From the mundane to the high stakes, the mental load of constant decision-making can be overwhelming.

Trevor Moawad’s book, It Takes What It Takes, offers an interesting alternative. Rather than viewing success as the result of endless micro-decisions, Moawad challenges the entire concept of choice in the pursuit of excellence.

Moawad — who sadly passed away in 2021 after a battle with cancer — was a renowned mental performance coach. He worked with elite athletes, teams, and leaders, helping them strengthen their mental approach to high performance. His core message was as clear as it was uncompromising:

Success doesn’t care how you feel. It doesn’t wait for perfect timing. If you want to win in life or competition, you must be willing to do what’s required, every time.

In other words: It takes what it takes.

This mindset strips emotion from the equation. Whether you’re tired, stressed, or uninspired, the standard remains the same. Success isn’t about feeling motivated — it’s about consistently doing the work, regardless of how you feel. It’s not personal. It’s a process.

Rather than idolizing discipline as a constant series of strong-willed choices, he reframes it: there are no choices in success. You do what’s required — period. The decision is already made, not in the moment, but in your commitment to the goal. The more you reduce daily decisions, the more energy you preserve for execution.

Moawad’s approach helps eliminate the mental friction that derails so many people: the internal negotiations, the rationalizations, the self-doubt. When you stop debating whether to take action — and simply take it — you free your mind to focus fully on performance.

In a world flooded with advice on “choosing the right mindset” or “making better decisions,” Moawad flips the script: the best performers don’t make better decisions — they make fewer of them. They commit to the process and eliminate the distraction of choice.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Recent Posts

MPSC Commissioner Named

MPSC Commissioner Named

Shaquila Myers was named to the Michigan Public Service Commission this week by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She is appointed to represent Democrats for a term commencing July 21, 2025, and expiring July 2, 2031. Ms. Myers succeeds Alessandra Carreon, whose term...

Chief Climate Officer Announced

Chief Climate Officer Announced

Former Michigan Public Service Commissioner Alessandra Carreon was named the chief climate officer at the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). In the role, she will lead EGLE’s Office of Climate Energy, which works to bring environmental...

June Unemployment Rate Decreases

June Unemployment Rate Decreases

Michigan’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate last month declined one-tenth of a percentage point from the prior month to 5.3%. During the same period, the national rate also decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.1%. Key Points: Employment receded by 4,000...

Looking for older articles?

We’ve recently made improvements to our blog to provide a better user experience. If you’re searching for older posts, click here to search our archive.

Michigan Legislative Consultants

Michigan Legislative Consultants
110 W. Michigan Avenue
Suite 500
Lansing, MI 48933
517.372.2560
517.372.0130 fax

1001 Woodward Avenue
Suite 500
Detroit, MI 48226

MLC is proud to be the Michigan member of NASL