I’ve always been fascinated by marathon runners. Why would anyone train to run 26 miles feeling out of breath, fatigue in their legs, and maybe even muscle cramps at the finish line?

The closing weeks of 2024 are considered prime time for conceiving annual goals for 2025. However, if that’s what you’re planning to do, I caution you to avoid making a big mistake.

Featuring a transformational message to digest, and questions to personalize the message, boldness and regrets play a vital role in achieving worthwhile goals and the standout, unforgettable moments in your life.

To ignite your absolute best effort, draw upon two underestimated sources of motivation. Ask yourself: What identity will empower me to consistently deliver my absolute best effort? What are the most effective intentions to guide my moment-by-moment actions?

“What is the unique thinking that leads someone to become an Olympic athlete?” I decided to inquire into that question while I was reading 75 quotes from 2024 Olympic athletes, mostly medal winners.

We have to be okay leaving the life we are living to embrace the life we dream of living. It’s so easy to dismiss advice that seems overly optimistic or requires lots of effort. Being receptive to life-changing advice takes extreme accountability to assess risks and benefits.

Intentions are different from goals. Goals describe the desired result of a series of actions. If you’re not being intentional in your pursuit of goals, you’re just reacting to whatever thought, stimulus, or sensation grabs your attention as seconds pass by.

What is the one occasion in life where failure is impossible? Answer: An experiment. What if your life were an ongoing experiment where you knew you were safe and could not fail?

We set achievable goals to preserve our comfort by expending reasonable effort and avoiding failure. But we’re ripping ourselves off from discovering our absolute best effort which comes from pursuing unachievable goals that truly matter.

What is the most common mental trickery when we stop pursuing our dreams that take obvious effort to accomplish? We perpetrate the “Colossal Deception,” an unconscious choice to gain immediate comfort and assume no serious long-term consequences will occur.

What life do you want—the life dictated by rationalizations you dream up to stay comfortable OR the life of your dreams? This is a high stakes question most people never acknowledge until it is too late. Fortunately, you are reading this newsletter, so you won’t be one of them.

A breakthrough is a result that goes beyond what would logically be predicted based on past performance. You summon the courage to commit to achieve results you thought were impossible to accomplish.

The quality of your life is determined by how you engage with comfort zones. The ultimate outcome of many choices comes down to how you answer one question: Will you cave to discomfort or demolish discomfort?

Anyone who displays the courage to continually defy the dual constraints of nature and nurture is being heroic. Heroes are often the last ones to know when they are being heroic.

It took six years after I first read Mandela’s quote to comprehend the life-altering implications in his words. In 2016, I launched a self-experiment to pursue my never going to happen goals.

“If I practice and get enough repetitions, I’m bound to get better.” Malarkey! Performance improves only from deliberate practice where you master uncomfortable tasks with relentless intent to raise your skill proficiency. Forget reps. Focus on comfort zones demolished.

Wakeup calls usually happen when unpleasant situations force you to make more effective choices and actions. Proactive wakeup calls occur when you stop deceiving yourself that “all is well,” and take accountability to do what’s required to achieve your desired results.

When you fail, just know you are in good company. No one can sustain success without plenty of unwanted outcomes along the way. In fact, the titans in any field who sustain exceptional performance are serial failures.

Even if your 2023 goals seem finalized, be aware of a huge missing ingredient. You must also demolish the comfort zones likely to be serious obstacles to accomplish your heartfelt goals. What comfort zones will you demolish this year that are equally essential goals?

There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you only do it when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to doing something, you accept no excuses just results.