There’s a famous image of a gold miner digging.

He’s tired.
He’s frustrated.
He’s been going at it for a long time.

So he stops.
Turns around.
Walks away.

What he doesn’t realize…

He was one inch away from gold.

I think about that a lot, because I’ve seen it happen in real life.

Let’s call him Chris.

Chris is 27. Works at Cheesecake Factory.

He’s been there for a couple years. He’s not lazy. Not a screw-up. He shows up, knows the menu, handles his section, helps when asked.

Managers trust him… but they don’t lean on him.

New hires come in, and somehow they’re the ones getting groomed for the next step. He tells himself it’s politics. Timing. Luck.

But if you really watched Chris on a shift, you’d notice something small:

- He does his job… but doesn’t go beyond it
- He waits to be told instead of asking
- He watches strong people… but doesn’t study them
- He finishes his shift and checks out mentally

Nothing terrible.

But nothing that closes the gap.

And over time, something shifts:

He stops asking for more.
Stops expecting more.
Stops believing he’s close.

He doesn’t quit his job.

He just quietly quits growing.

Chris isn’t far away.

He’s not years behind.  

He’s not missing something massive.

He’s probably:
- one skill away
- one conversation away
- one mindset shift away  

But because he can’t see it…

He turns around.

I’ve had that same feeling with Snibbs.

There were stretches where:
- we thought we had it figured out
- then everything shifted (tariffs, retail, costs, demand)
- what worked… stopped working  

And it felt like we were digging and digging without hitting anything.

There were real moments where I thought:

“Are we actually on the right path?”

And looking back now?

We weren’t far.

We were just:
- one test away
- one insight away
- one decision away  

That was it.

I recently talked about Ike from Ike’s Place.

At one point, he was living in his car.

Thought he was done. Thought it was over.

Now?

He owns 120+ sandwich shops.

Think about that.

That’s not talent suddenly showing up.

That’s someone who stayed in it long enough to get through the part where it looks like it’s not working.

If you feel stuck right now, it’s usually one of three things:

1. Skill Gap
You haven’t done it enough yet
→ You need reps, not doubt  

2. Exposure Gap
You haven’t seen what great looks like
→ You need proximity, not time  

3. Mindset Gap
You don’t believe you’re that person
→ You need action, not confidence  

That’s it.

(PS…past episodes of Dine & Grind can be found by clicking HERE.)

If this is hitting, don’t just read it.

Run this.

Step 1 — Identify your gap (5 minutes)

Ask yourself:
- Where do I feel behind?
- What am I avoiding?
- What frustrates me most?

Pick one answer.

Step 2 — Label it (30 seconds)

Is it:
- Skill
- Exposure
- Mindset  

No overthinking.

Step 3 — Close it this week (this is the key)

If it’s skill
→ Ask to do it. Even if you’re not ready.

If it’s exposure
→ Find the best person and watch them like it matters.

If it’s mindset
→ Do the thing anyway. Confidence comes after.

Step 4 — Don’t turn around early

Stay in it one week longer than you normally would.

That’s where most people lose.

THE REAL QUESTION

Are you actually far away…

Or are you just one inch away and about to walk?

This week:

- Identify your gap
- Take one uncomfortable action
- Stay in it longer than you normally would  

Because sometimes…

That’s the difference between average and everything changing.