In the first newsletter of 2025, I told you that 80% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions by February. Well, here we are.

So… how are you doing? If you’re in the 20% still pushing forward, nice job. Celebrate your tenacity. Keep going. Keep putting in the work. You’ve proven to yourself that what you want matters.

But if you’re in the 80% who let their resolutions slip?Snap out of it. Recommit. Get up. Stop making excuses. And no, I’m not asking you to. I’m telling you to.

At first, I didn’t understand the difference between pain and suffering. Pain is the heartbreak, the loss, the feeling of the ground shifting beneath your feet. Suffering is what we create when we hold on to what we can’t control, replaying the pain in our minds over and over.

And for a while, I was doing exactly that—wallowing in self-pity, ruminating on every detail, replaying every conversation, and constantly hoping for an explanation that never came. I stayed stuck in my suffering far longer than I needed to, clinging to what I couldn’t change.

Eventually, I realized I had a choice: I could stay there, trapped in that cycle, or I could take a step forward and start living my life again.

Have you ever wanted something so badly, so deeply that you felt it with every fiber of your being, and you swore you’d do whatever it took to get it?

That is, of course, until the climb got steeper, the obstacles grew tougher, and the glitter of something easier caught your eye. Maybe you told yourself, this is good enough, even though deep down, you knew it wasn’t.

In the last newsletter, we talked about becoming resolute—about standing firm when the storms hit. But staying resolute requires more than determination in the moment; it requires vision for the long game.

Studies show that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February.

Why? Because a resolution is just a decision. A wish.

But change doesn’t come from wishing. It comes from doing. And most people don’t want to keep doing the work necessary to make their dreams, their wish, come true.

See, resolve is your ability to keep at it with the same firm determination you started with—because the race is that important to you.

And when you practice resolve consistently, you’ll notice something powerful.

Let’s talk about the things we’ve all been taught to be scared of:

Fear. Jealousy. Ego. Vulnerability. Attention. Anger.

We’ve been told they’re not healthy, that we’re bad for engaging in them, and that they need to be avoided or suppressed. But here’s the thing: they’re not inherently bad.

They’re just misunderstood. Like all of us.

You can tell a lot about someone by how they respond to truth.

You shine a light into their life through honest feedback, well-meaning advice, or even just an honest observation about someone’s blind spots, and what happens next tells you everything.

Sure, we’re valuable. No matter the heartbreaks, betrayals, lies, and letdowns, our core worth doesn’t just disappear.

But we’re not like a $20 bill. We’re not something that can be crumpled up, traded, tossed aside, or forgotten about. We’re not paper that can just be flattened out again and thrown back into circulation.

We’re something way more valuable.

The other day, a client came to me after getting a well-earned promotion, and thinking they were going to be super excited about it, they surprised me by nervously saying, “Now, I really need to prove myself!”

Wait … what?

“Hold up,” I said. “You’ve already done that—your reviews, your hard work, the results you’ve produced, and even a boss who championed you for this new position. That’s done.”

Their wheels turning.

“You’ve already proven yourself. So, it’s not about proving you can do the job. It’s about improving in it, making this position your own.”

They slowly began to smile.

Ding.

You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones you avoid. The problem is, every conversation you avoid doesn’t just disappear. It builds pressure. And the longer you hold off, the more it creeps into other areas of your life. You carry it to bed with you, run it through your mind in the shower, and it pops up at the worst times—like when you’re sitting in traffic or trying to fall asleep. It doesn’t care if you’re tired or busy. Avoidance isn’t saving you. It’s stealing from you—your peace, your clarity, your energy.

Let’s get honest and talk about the things you’re avoiding—those quiet truths you push aside because it’s easier not to deal with them. Maybe it’s the fact that the relationship you’re in is draining you. Maybe it’s that you’ve outgrown your current job but fear stepping into the unknown. Maybe it’s the acknowledgment that you’re capable of so much more than you’re letting yourself believe. Or even that you deserve so much more.

Self-awareness is so powerful that it’s the foundation of personal growth, allowing you to Rescue Your Dreams™ and transform your reality. The more you understand about who you are and what drives you, the better equipped you are to make meaningful changes in your life.

Many times when we’re given feedback, or someone points out a blind spot we have, we instantly rush to being defensive. As if we have a reasonable excuse for everything we do, and why we are the way we are.

But when we do that, we end up personalizing what’s been said, and we run the risk of feeling like our identity is being attacked.

Not because I’m ending it.

But, because there’s a last time for everything.

And many times, our last time isn’t something we plan for.

Or even know is coming.

One of my pet peeves is when someone complains about being the one who does more work than anyone else. And this comes up quite a bit.  “Adam, you don’t understand. I have to do all the heavy lifting at work because everyone else is too lazy to do their jobs!” I do understand. You’re telling me that you have a stronger work ethic than those around you. And you’re not willing to compromise your integrity by “phoning it in” and being as lazy as everyone else. Am I right?

Congrats!

Life is going your way, you’re harvesting the fruits of your labor, you wake up excited for the day, and you can’t believe you’re in the place you are!

The warm glow of having your life unfold in beautiful ways has given you renewed energy and a deep well of hope for the future.

Now it’s time to shine some of that light into the darkness, so others who are struggling can see a way out.

And shining that light is a simple three step process.