Collaboration > Comparison
Isn’t it wild how today’s world practically runs on comparison?
You open your feed.
Someone is lifting heavier.
Someone is scaling faster.
Someone is traveling more.
It’s so easy, almost automatic, to measure yourself against them.
But comparison robs you.
It steals energy.
It drains creativity.
It quietly kills joy.
And underneath it all is this subtle lie:
There is not enough for all of us.
As if someone else winning somehow means you are losing.
But different strengths mean different paths.
Different paths mean different impact.
So what if instead of measuring ourselves against each other, we amplified each other?
That’s what collaboration does.
Collaboration is not just exchanging tasks.
It shapes who you become.
It is choosing to offer your strengths first.
It is trusting that over time you will grow from someone else’s wisdom.
It is playing a long game. Decades > Days.
And I did not always see it this way.
There was a season when I was deep in comparison.
I worked at an organization where certain people were constantly traveling together. Big events. Big stages. Big opportunities. And I was not on those trips.
I remember feeling jealous.
I would watch them leave and think,
Why not me?
What am I missing?
What do they have that I do not?
What I did not realize at the time was how much energy I was burning thinking about them.
I was so focused on what they were doing that I was not fully present in what I had.
Comparison had capped me — not because anyone limited me, but because I was living in my head. I was draining creative energy analyzing their lane instead of building mine.
And it was killing my potential.
The shift did not happen overnight.
I did not suddenly get invited on every trip.
What changed was simpler and more powerful.
I decided to focus on adding value where I was.
Instead of asking why I was not included, I started asking:
How can I serve?
How can I strengthen the people around me?
How can I become undeniable in this role?
That changed everything.
I started seeing the impact I could make with what I already had.
I found purpose in the work right in front of me.
I built stronger relationships.
I collaborated instead of competed.
And ironically, opportunities began to open.
But by the time they did, something had shifted inside me.
It did not matter as much whether I traveled.
It did not matter whether I got the attention.
What mattered was that I was in a space where I could add value to other people.
That was freedom.
You see it with leaderboards too.
At first, you look and measure.
Who is ahead?
Why are they ahead?
What am I not doing?
It becomes a rabbit hole.
But now when I look at a leaderboard, I see something different.
I see a map of collaborators.
I ask:
What can I learn from them?
How can I add value to them?
The leaderboard is not just a scoreboard.
It is a place full of potential partnerships.
And that shift changes everything.
Collaboration is slower.
It is not flashy.
It is not a quick transaction.
It is the tortoise, not the hare.
But it builds something deeper.
When you collaborate, you are not just trying to win today.
You are becoming the type of person who wins over decades.
And you help others become who they are meant to be too.
So the next time you catch yourself comparing, pause.
Instead of asking,
How do I beat them?
Ask,
How could we build together?
How could we both grow?
Because when you make that shift, you are not just changing how you work.
You are changing who you become. 💯
Well Rounded > Lopsided
We often look at superstars and assume they’ve figured life out.
The entrepreneur crushing revenue.
The athlete in elite shape.
The communicator who owns every room.
We see one dominant strength and quietly start believing they must be strong everywhere else too.
But that’s rarely true.
What social media amplifies is specialization. What it hides are blind spots.
Being exceptional in one area can actually hide weakness in the others.
That’s why I think so much about being well rounded.
When I think about growth, I think in seven focus areas:
Personal Development — lifelong self awareness and character
Professional Development — expanding your skill set and competence
People Development — nurturing relationships and leading well
Play and Experiential Learning — staying curious and stretching yourself
Health and Fitness — physical wellness, nutrition, energy
Financial Health — discipline, margin, long term freedom
Mental, Emotional, Spiritual Health — your internal compass
Now pause for a second.
Think about what it takes to build just one of those well.
Now multiply it by seven.
No one dominates all seven. No one.
And if they claim to, they’re either unaware or pretending.
In Growdie, we measure this through something called integration. If someone has meaningful activity across five or more of those seven areas, over 8 percent in each, they’re considered integrated.
Only 34 percent of people fall into that category.
That means 66 percent are lopsided or one laners. Heavily invested in one to four areas while neglecting the rest.
That stat is not meant to shame anyone.
It’s meant to wake us up.
Because once you see it, you cannot unsee it.
I’ve seen it in myself.
I’ve built health and fitness consistently for over a decade. Discipline in the gym. Consistency in nutrition. Reps over motivation. That area is strong because I have put thousands of reps into it.
But financial health has been a different story.
It was not sharpened the same way.
At some point I had to admit something uncomfortable:
I have disciplined my body more than I have disciplined my money.
That was humbling.
But this is where Decades > Days changes everything.
I am not trying to fix my finances in 30 days. I am not trying to become elite overnight.
I am building it the same way I built my health.
Rep by rep.
Year by year.
Decision by decision.
That is the difference between hype culture and growth culture.
Hype culture says level up now.
Growth culture says build for decades.
When I built Growdie, this was one of the core challenges I wanted to address. I wanted to give people clarity in areas they rarely examine and tools to approach those areas in a healthy way.
The radar chart shows you exactly where your energy is going across all seven focus areas. You can see where you are strong. You can see where you are light.
Then you can look at someone else’s profile and see where they are strong.
That is where collaboration begins.
You do not have to become world class in everything.
But you do have to stop neglecting the other areas.
Being well rounded does not mean you are the best in all seven.
It means you refuse to let two or three of them quietly decay.
We are building something that holds up 10, 20, 30 years from now.
This is what gets me fired up!
Let’s build a real growth culture.
Let’s stop idolizing one dimensional success.
Let’s hold each other to the fire, not to be perfect, but to be integrated.
Reps > Motivation.
Decades > Days.
Where are you strong?
Where are you avoiding growth?
And who around you can help you build the areas you have neglected?
That is how you stop being lopsided.
That is how you become well rounded.
And that is how you build a life that does not collapse when one strength fades. 💯
Proof > Intentions: Why what you do matters more than what you mean to do
Have you ever confidently told yourself, “I’m definitely doing this”—laundry, that oil change, or hitting the gym—only to end the day with it undone?
Intentions feel great. They let us believe we’re the kind of person who follows through.
Yet studies consistently show we overestimate ourselves. We think we’re doing more than we are.
Intentions keep us comfortable. Proof asks us to face reality.
And reality, whether it’s habits, health, or consistency, is often humbling.
In a world that rushes us to appear “there,” intentions start to feel like enough. We say, “I’m that kind of person,” and for a moment, we believe it.
But proof exposes the gap.
That’s where excuses show up. “I was going to, but…”
Without proof, we stay stuck. Ownership is the way out.
Intentions feed our ego. They let us put our best foot forward.
Proof humbles us because it shows where we fall short. And that’s exactly what growth requires.
When you show your proof, people see the gaps. That’s not a weakness. That’s where real support begins.
Intentions flatter. Proof fuels growth. Because now someone can actually help you move forward.
I’ve felt this firsthand.
There were seasons where my intentions sounded solid, but my consistency told a different story. I wasn’t lying to anyone. I just hadn’t faced the data yet.
And once I did, it forced a decision.
Either keep protecting my ego or start building real proof.
Intentions might fuel a week of excitement, but real growth isn’t a sprint. It’s about becoming the kind of person who shows up over time.
Most people can do something for a short burst. Very few can sustain it.
Proof reveals patterns—how consistent you really are, where you fall off, and what keeps getting in the way.
That’s where most growth breaks down.
If you want to be the leader you’re called to be, you can’t sprint on intentions alone.
Showing proof, even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable, will change your life.
If you want different results, you have to grow. And growth means showing your work.
When you do, patterns emerge. Some show you what’s working. Others reveal what’s holding you back.
Proof over time builds the person you’re becoming.
This is exactly why I built Growdie.
I needed a system that forced me to face reality too.
Growdie is an ecosystem where you show up every day, prove your work, and grow.
Inside, you set priorities, habits, challenges, and goals across all areas of life—from professional development to health and fitness. Then you show up daily and log what you actually did.
Over time, it’s no longer about intentions. It’s proof.
We have people with hundreds of reps who can clearly see their strengths and their gaps. They’re breaking free from instant gratification and building something that lasts.
It’s delayed gratification. It’s becoming the leader you’re meant to be—not just today, but over decades.
And if you’re not ready for Growdie yet, that’s okay.
Start small.
Create a text thread with three to five friends who want to grow. Tell them exactly what you’re committing to for the next seven days. Then send proof every day.
A photo. A note. Something tangible.
That alone will stretch you. It introduces accountability. It moves you out of intentions and into proof.
Will your friends want to see that for a year? Probably not. That’s why Growdie exists. But as a starting point, it works.
If you want to take your growth seriously, you have to be willing to get a little uncomfortable.
Showing your work isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress.
Where in your life are intentions still doing the talking?
It’s time to show the proof. 💯
Social Growth > Solo Growth
For a long time, I thought growing alone was a strength.
It felt disciplined and efficient.
And for a while, it worked.
But over time, I started to notice something. The areas of my life that grew the most were never the ones I kept to myself. The biggest shifts didn’t happen in isolation. They happened through relationships, through conversation, accountability, challenge, and support.
I’m finishing up a challenge called GrowOrDie30 today, and I did it alongside Daniel, Michael, and Anthony. A handful of the most meaningful things I learned during this challenge didn’t come from the work itself, but from doing the work with them. The learnings were subtle, but they’re the kind I’ll carry with me long after the challenge ends.
Research backs this up. People who share their goals with someone else have about a 65 percent chance of achieving them. When they add regular check-ins, like we did during this challenge, that success rate can rise to around 95 percent.
Involving others in your growth matters.
So why do so many people still try to grow alone?
Because it feels safer.
Growing alone limits exposure. There’s less fear of judgment and less risk of being seen before you feel ready. It can also feel faster. You move at your own pace and avoid tension or friction. But that speed is misleading. Without challenge or outside perspective, growth often plateaus.
Solo growth tends to become about control. And while control can feel stable, it also limits depth and resilience.
Social growth is harder.
It requires vulnerability. You have to show up honestly and be open to feedback. You have to accept that others may see blind spots you’ve learned to avoid. There will be moments of discomfort, disagreement, and tension.
But when you stay in it, trust develops. You’re pushed when you stall. You’re supported when things get heavy. You don’t just learn from your own experience, you learn from the experiences of others.
Over time, that kind of growth compounds. It produces clarity, resilience, and perspective that are difficult to develop alone.
Social growth isn’t something you complete.
It’s easy to think you’ve arrived once you find community or momentum. But every season brings new challenges, career changes, family responsibilities, leadership pressure, shifting priorities. Each season requires input from others.
You don’t graduate from needing people.
Without consistent relational input, growth doesn’t just slow, it drifts.
And drift often feels harmless until you realize how far off course you’ve gone.
This is the gap Growdie exists to fill.
Most people want social growth, but they don’t have the structure, visibility, or consistency to sustain it. Growdie is built to make growth shared and visible every day. A place where people don’t wait until things look polished to let others in. A place where progress is tracked over time, supported by relationships, and reinforced by consistency.
Being seen changes how you grow. It sharpens your thinking, clarifies your priorities, and makes the process more engaging and honest.
Growth isn’t meant to be easy.
It’s meant to be healthy and sustainable.
And that’s extremely difficult to do alone. I’m saying that from experience.
I’m committed to building a network of people who choose to grow together for the long haul. Not for a season. For life.
Because growing alone may feel easier, but it’s not how we become who we’re capable of becoming. 💯
Patterns > Moments: Moments Matter. Patterns Shape You.
I’m deeply grateful for moments.
I think about family road trips when I was growing up. One in particular stands out, driving from Michigan to Florida to go to Disney World in our green and white van. Green suede seats. A tiny TV mounted up front that barely worked. Music playing the entire drive, singing at the top of our lungs. I remember playing I Spy with my brother and sister, arguing about who got the back middle seat, which I always wanted and almost never got, and somehow holding it when I had to use the bathroom every 30 or 45 minutes.
Those moments are burned into my memory. They matter. They shaped my childhood. And I’ll always be grateful for them.
Moments are powerful like that. They’re emotional. They’re easy to remember. They’re easy to talk about. They give us something to celebrate.
And that’s exactly why we lean into them so much.
Moments feel safe.
They’re exciting. They’re socially rewarded. They’re easy to point to and say, “That mattered.” We post them. We talk about them. We relive them. Moments feel like progress because they stand out from the rest of life.
But here’s the problem.
If moments are the only way we measure growth, we end up with a distorted picture of what’s actually happening in our lives.
Because growth doesn’t live primarily in moments.
It lives in patterns.
Patterns are harder to talk about. Harder to celebrate. Harder to look at honestly. And most of the time, when we do talk about patterns, it’s in a negative light. Bad patterns. Unhealthy patterns. Destructive patterns.
Patterns get treated like the stepchild of personal growth.
And I think I know why.
Patterns are revealers.
When you zoom out and look at a collection of small moments stacked together, your habits, your routines, your daily choices, you start to see patterns. And patterns don’t let you hide behind a highlight reel. They show you what’s actually true.
How you really spend your time.
What you consistently prioritize.
Where you’re steady.
Where you drift.
Where you start strong and fade.
That kind of honesty can feel uncomfortable.
Moments let us celebrate.
Patterns ask us to reflect.
And reflection takes courage.
But here’s the reframe that changed everything for me.
Patterns aren’t there to shame you.
They’re there to serve you.
Patterns exist to help you grow.
That’s why, inside Growdie, we measure behavior patterns. Not to label people, but to give them clarity.
We look at patterns like:
Are you a Builder, or do you tend to dabble?
Are you Steady, or do things come in waves?
Are you a Pacer, or do you sprint and burn out?
Are you a Connector, or are relationships staying surface level?
Are you an Integrator, or does growth stay siloed?
Are you a Finisher, or do things stall out before completion?
When people first see their patterns, there’s usually a reaction. Especially when they see red, yellow, and green. Everyone wants to be green. No one wants to see inconsistency or gaps.
But here’s what I love watching happen next.
Once people move past the initial emotion, they realize something powerful.
Knowing where you are gives you the ability to get better over time.
If you’re a dabbler today, you’re not stuck there.
If you’re inconsistent right now, that’s not your identity.
If your growth has been lopsided, that’s information, not a verdict.
Patterns give you feedback without judgment.
They allow you to make small, intentional changes that compound into real transformation. Not overnight. Not in one big moment. But over time, through reps. 💯
And this is where everything comes full circle.
Moments are meaningful.
Patterns are formative.
Moments give us memories.
Patterns shape our character.
If you want a life defined only by highlight reels, moments are enough.
But if you want to become the kind of man or woman who grows steadily, leads well, and builds something that lasts, patterns matter far more.
So here’s my invitation to you.
Give patterns a chance.
In Growdie, we surface behavior patterns once a month. Just enough to help you zoom out and see the bigger picture. Try it for a month. Look honestly at what’s forming in your life. Make one small adjustment. Then let time do its work.
You don’t need more motivation.
You need more awareness and steady reps.
Because growth isn’t built in moments alone.
It’s built in the patterns you’re willing to face and shape.
Reps > Motivation: The Quiet Power of Showing Up Daily
We all know motivation fades. Everyone gets that. And yet, it’s wild how often we still fall into the same cycle, waiting on the next burst of inspiration to carry us forward.
Motivation might get you started, but it won’t sustain you. Reps will.
That isn’t just feel-good advice. There’s a real reason behind it. Consistent action is how habits are formed. When you repeat something long enough, it stops being something you try to do and starts becoming something you simply do. It’s muscle memory for your character.
“Motivation is what gets you started; habit is what keeps you going.” — Jim Rohn
The real growth doesn’t happen on your best days. It happens when you show up on the ordinary ones.
I’ve seen this play out firsthand. I have multiple habits that have crossed the 300-rep mark. And once you hit that threshold, something shifts. You’ve lived that habit through busy seasons, hard seasons, high-energy seasons, and low-energy ones. At that point, it’s no longer about grinding or fighting resistance. It’s part of who you are.
That’s when you realize you’re playing a different game. You’re no longer asking, “Can I keep this up?” You’re seeing the results compound and thinking, “I’m operating on a new level now.”
This is why reps beat motivation every time. Motivation depends on a feeling. Reps depend on a decision. And feelings are unreliable, but systems are not. As James Clear puts it, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” The life you build is a reflection of the systems you practice daily.
So if you’re wondering where you fall on the motivation vs. reps scale, here are a few questions to reflect on. If you find yourself answering “yes” to most of these, you’re relying too heavily on motivation:
Do you often wait until you “feel” like doing something before you start?
When you lose motivation, do your habits tend to fall away quickly?
Do you find yourself needing a big goal or a new challenge to get back on track?
Is it hard to stay consistent with routines when life gets busy or unpredictable?
Do you notice that your progress is inconsistent—some weeks are strong, others drop off entirely?
When you think about your habits, do they feel like a struggle rather than something that’s just part of your day?
Do you find yourself frequently starting new routines but not sticking with them over the long term?
If you answered “yes” to most of those, it’s time to shift focus from waiting on motivation to building steady reps. Every rep is a vote for the person you’re becoming. 💯
Decades > Days: Becoming Who You Want to Be, Not Just Chasing What’s Next
When I talk about thinking in decades, not days, I’m talking about focusing on who you are becoming over the long haul instead of racing toward the next achievement. It’s the difference between letting your values lead your life and letting your goals quietly decide what you think matters.
That difference shows up everywhere.
In your career, it looks like moving away from “I need that promotion this year so I can feel successful” and toward “I’m developing the skills and character to be a better leader for the rest of my life.”
In your relationships, it means letting go of the need to impress people right now and committing to relationships that deepen, mature, and grow over time.
In personal growth, it means you are not reading books just to say you finished them. You are building a lifelong habit of learning that steadily shapes who you are becoming.
This matters because the world around us is pulling in the opposite direction. Social media trains us to chase the next moment, the next win, the next visible milestone. And if you live that way long enough, there is a cost.
I spoke recently with someone who had achieved everything on paper. Success. Financial security. The outcomes many people are chasing. And yet he felt empty. Not because he was short on accomplishments, but because he had never stopped to consider who he wanted to become. He climbed hard and climbed fast, only to realize the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall.
When goals drive your life, they eventually start shaping your values. That is where people get stuck. When values lead, goals fall into their proper place.
If one of your core values is to love your neighbor as yourself, that value will naturally produce goals centered on building meaningful relationships and serving others. Not chasing recognition. Not collecting milestones. Investing in people in a way that actually lasts.
This is why decades thinking matters.
If you stay focused only on days, you may achieve a lot and still feel lost. If you anchor your life in decades, you build something far more important than results. You build a life that holds together, makes sense, and reflects who you were actually meant to become. 💯
How To Plan Goals That Actually Fit Your Life
As we step into a brand new year, there’s always that buzz of fresh motivation in the air. And if you’re like me, you’ve probably had years where you set goals with real enthusiasm in January, only to realize a few months later that they’ve lost momentum. I’ve definitely been there.
What I’ve learned is that meaningful goal setting isn’t about a quick ten minute exercise. It takes a couple of hours of thoughtful planning. But the payoff is worth it. You become more prepared, more realistic, and far more strategic about what you’re actually aiming for.
In this blog, I want to walk you through a straightforward, step by step process to not just set goals, but to fit them into your real life in a way that makes them achievable. And by the end, you’ll see how all of these pieces work together. If you want extra support along the way, Growdie is built to help you do exactly this.
Most people don’t fail at their goals because they lack discipline. They fail because they plan their growth in a fantasy version of their life instead of the one they’re actually living.
Step 1: Write Down Everything You Want to Accomplish This Year
Step one is simple, but powerful. Start by writing down everything you want to accomplish this year. You can write it on paper or type it out. Do whatever works best for you.
If you want some structure, you can use the seven focus areas we use in Growdie: Personal Development, Professional Development, People Development, Play and Experiential Learning, Health and Fitness, Financial Health, and Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Health.
You can use these categories or create your own. The goal here is not perfection. It’s getting everything out of your head and onto the page.
Step 2: Identify the Type of Investment
Step two is about clarifying the type of investment each item represents. Not everything you wrote down is a “goal” in the same sense.
Goals are typically long term investments. They usually take three months or more to complete and require high activation energy. Activation energy is simply the effort it takes to get started.
Challenges or projects are shorter term investments, usually under three months, but they also require high activation energy.
Habits are long term investments with low activation energy. These are things you do daily or weekly.
Priorities are short term, low activation energy tasks, usually taking an hour or less.
Understanding this hierarchy matters. It helps you see what kind of effort each item actually requires and prevents you from treating everything the same.
Step 3: Map Out Your Current Week
Before you plan your ideal week, you need to map out your current one.
Take an honest look at how you’re spending your time right now. Include everything. Hours at work. Hours sleeping. Even habits you might not love admitting, like scrolling on your phone or binge watching shows.
This isn’t about guilt. It’s about awareness.
Once everything is on paper, you’ll probably notice places where your time doesn’t align with what you say matters most. That’s actually a good thing. You can’t change what you don’t see.
Step 4: Determine How Many Hours You Can Realistically Invest
Now that you see where your time is going, step four is to figure out how many hours you can realistically invest in your goals.
Just because you find an open hour doesn’t mean you need to fill it. Sometimes you don’t have the mental or emotional capacity to add something new, and that’s okay. This step is about being intentional, not busy.
This is also where habit stacking becomes powerful. Instead of finding new time, you can often attach a new habit to something you already do consistently.
Remember, even if you see ten free hours on paper, most people realistically have two or three hours they can invest well. That’s more than enough. Small, consistent investments compound over time.
Step 5: Goal Planning
Now we get into the actual goal planning.
Without this step, goals stay theoretical and depend entirely on motivation showing up when life gets busy.
Using the framework from step two, you want to break big goals into smaller, practical pieces.
For example, if your goal is to read 30 books in a year, that’s a big commitment. To support it, you might create a challenge to read six books in a month. You could build a habit of reading ten pages a day. And you might set a priority to create a book list so you always know what’s next.
You’re not hoping motivation shows up. You’re creating momentum through structure.
In Growdie, this is exactly how things are designed. Goals are supported by challenges, habits, and priorities. Challenges are supported by habits and priorities. Some habits even have priorities attached to them. They all work together to bring growth into your actual day.
Step 6: Place Habits and Priorities Into Your Schedule
This step is where everything becomes real.
As you place habits and priorities into your schedule, you’ll quickly see if you’re trying to do too much. And that’s what I love about this step. It’s a reality check.
In your head, it might feel doable. On your calendar, you see what’s actually realistic.
This is where wisdom shows up. Scaling back. Choosing a few key goals. Thinking long term. You don’t need to start everything on day one. You can build slowly and let progress compound over time.
Step 7: Review and Adjust
Your plan is not static. It’s a living document.
As you move through the year, you’ll learn more about yourself, your capacity, and the process. Some things will need to shift. Some goals might need to scale back or move to a later season. That’s normal.
Reviewing and adjusting is what keeps you from getting stuck. When something isn’t working, move it. Change the timing. Adjust the approach. Growth requires flexibility.
Join Us In Growdie
Everything I just walked you through is built into Growdie.
My goal is to make growth fun, engaging, and sustainable. Inside Growdie, you’ll find goals, challenges, habits, and priorities already set up. You can prove your progress, grow alongside a community, track your reps, see your growth over time, and earn rewards along the way.
Growdie isn’t for people looking for shortcuts. It’s for leaders who are willing to do the work and grow in a healthy, sustainable way.
This isn’t about overnight transformation. It’s about becoming the leader you’re meant to be through consistent, intentional growth.
If this framework resonates with you, join us in Growdie and start building in a way that actually fits your life. 💯
The One Step Most People Skip Before the New Year
As we head into the new year, I want to share something that might not be on your radar but has been a cornerstone in my life for over a decade: reflection. And I’m not just talking about an annual ritual. This is something I do daily, and when we’re stepping into a big new season, it becomes even more transformative.
If you don’t slow down to reflect, you’re almost guaranteed to repeat the same year with different goals.
A lot of people jump into resolutions fueled by a burst of motivation, and then it fades because there’s no deeper why anchoring them. Reflection changes that.
Research consistently shows that reflection improves follow-through because it connects your behavior to meaning, not just outcomes. When you take time to process what actually happened, you stop guessing about what you need next.
You start building from clarity.
So before you run into 2026, slow down and do this right.
Below are ten reflection questions to help you turn 2025 into a real roadmap for growth. Don’t rush these. Sit with them. Write honest answers. This is where clarity comes from.
10 Reflection Questions to Close Out 2025
What was one unexpected challenge you faced this year and how did you handle it?
What’s a moment from 2025 you’re especially proud of?
Where did you see the most growth in your life this year, and what contributed to it?
What did you learn about yourself that you didn’t know before?
If you could give your January 2025 self a piece of advice, what would it be?
What’s one habit or practice you want to bring with you into 2026?
What do you want to leave behind as you move into the new year?
How did your values show up in your decisions this year?
Who influenced you the most and how did they shape your journey?
What does a successful 2026 look like for you, now that you’ve reflected on this past year?
If you’re wondering how to reflect, here’s a simple framework I’ve used for years. You can use this daily, weekly, or as a year-end reset. Don’t overthink it. 5-10 minutes is enough.
A Simple Reflection Framework
How are you feeling?
Start with your emotions. Just notice them without fixing anything.
What’s on your mind?
Do a brain dump. Get everything out of your head and onto the page.
Any new insights?
Look back at what you wrote. What did you learn? What’s clearer now?
A question to lift your gaze
End with one question that helps you zoom out and see the bigger picture as you move forward.
This practice may look simple, but it’s powerful. Reflection is how you stop getting trapped in the day-to-day and start thinking in decades.
This is why Growdie exists.
I’ve been diving into the 2025 Growdie data, and it’s incredible to see how clearly people’s growth stories come into focus when reflection is built into the process. Growdie helps you reflect as you grow, not after the year is already gone.
If you want to step into 2026 with clarity, intention, and a real foundation, start here. Slow down. Reflect. And build forward with clarity and intention. 💯
What Courage Looks Like For Me Right Now
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about courage.
Not because I feel particularly courageous, but because I’m becoming more aware of how much I need it in this season.
The more I think about it, the more I’m reminded of how uncomfortable courage actually feels. I’m working on growing in this area, which means my courageous moments still feel fewer than most. But when they come, they hit hard. Courage has a weight and a tension to it, and it rarely feels clean or confident in the moment.
Courage, I’m learning, isn’t about feeling ready. It’s about welcoming responsibility before you feel prepared.
Lately, I’ve been working through a definition to help anchor me when that discomfort shows up. Something to remind me what I’m choosing when I take the next step.
Here’s what I have so far:
Courage is taking ownership of your growth and inviting others into theirs, even when you’re unsure how it will turn out.
I’m sure it will change over time, but it’s been helpful for me to come back to and look at as I grow in this.
Two Types of Courageous People
As I’ve been thinking about courage, I’ve noticed there are different reasons people take responsibility.
Some people step up because they want to be seen. They take risks, lead from the front, and carry weight, but much of their motivation is tied to recognition. Their courage is real, but it’s often aimed at validation rather than responsibility.
But there’s another kind of courage.
It’s the courage that takes responsibility because something matters. Not because it will be noticed, but because it needs to be carried. It’s rooted in belief, not validation. You step forward because you feel accountable for who you’re becoming and who the people around you could become, even when the cost is real and the outcome is unclear.
Most people don’t avoid courage because they’re afraid of risk, but because they’re unwilling to carry the responsibility that comes after the decision.
My Relationship With Courage
I’ve had moments of courage. I had the courage to leave a ministry job that was no longer healthy for me — staying would have cost me more than leaving did.
Leaving made my future uncertain, risked my reputation, and forced me to start over in ways I didn’t expect.
I also had the courage to go full-time with my business, Grow or Die, stepping away from predictability to pursue something that didn’t exist yet.
That decision threatened my financial stability and removed the support system I had relied on at work. There was no safety net.
Those were real risks.
But lately, I’ve felt the need to step into a deeper version of courage. Not just making hard moves, but leading others into a future that hasn’t been built yet.
That kind of courage puts my business on the line, risks losing people prematurely, and constantly surfaces insecurity around what I’m building and whether it will actually last.
I second-guess myself every day. And at the same time, I’m deeply confident in the direction I’m moving. Doubt and conviction live in the same space as I learn to lead while still becoming.
What I’m Learning About Courage Right Now
Courage starts with ownership.
For me, courage begins internally. It looks like taking responsibility for who I’m becoming instead of waiting for better conditions or more confidence. Most days, courage doesn’t feel bold at all. It feels heavy. It feels like choosing ownership when it would be easier to explain, delay, or stay comfortable. But that weight is honest. And it’s necessary.
Courage invites without forcing.
As I grow into leadership, courage has also meant inviting others into their own growth. Not forcing it. Not convincing anyone. Just setting direction and extending a clear invitation. Some people walk with you. Some don’t. Leading clearly doesn’t mean shrinking the vision to keep everyone comfortable or resenting those who choose not to come. It means staying steady either way.
Courage commits without certainty.
This is the tension I’m living in right now. Courage hasn’t been confidence in the outcome. It’s been commitment to the responsibility. Moving forward even when I don’t have all the answers. Even when I second-guess myself. I keep taking the next step not because everything makes sense, but because staying where I am would cost more over time.
What responsibility are you hesitating to carry because the outcome isn’t clear yet?
Still Growing
I’m still learning what courage looks like in this season.
For me, it’s showing up daily and taking ownership of what’s in front of me, not chasing dramatic moments or trying to prove anything. It’s staying faithful to the responsibility I’ve been given, even when it feels ordinary or heavy
I don’t feel fearless, but I do feel committed to continuing the work, and that feels like enough for now. 💯