Back in November, I attended a conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand. During the pre-conference events, we had a talk by Itamar Marani, an elite performance coach who draws on lessons from his time in the special forces. I get his newsletter, and I thought I'd repost his end-of-year message as food for thought. I hope you find it as helpful as I did and wish you all health and every success in 2026. Credit: https://itamarmarani.com/ "Here are 3 quick ideas I want to share with you about holiday season overwhelm. I. Most people already have a maxed out system. Bad habits, negative environments, mental blocks. During New Year's, they try to overcome all the negativity with brute force by adding more. "I have all these bad habits but I'll develop this new positive habit to cancel it out." It's like building something amazing on shaky foundations. II. What would you rather do: Add something new that could "fix" everything or face reality and remove what's holding you back? The "adding" option appeals to everyone. But the easiest way to speed up a computer is to close some apps and browser tabs. Accept that about yourself too. III. What if January was a subtraction month? A month where you focus on removing the 3 main negative anchors in your life so the rest of the year is easier. Less friction. Less negativity to fight through on your way to achieving goals. A smoother environment where success becomes inevitable. Question for you: Is your New Year's resolution focused on creating a smoother environment where it's easier to succeed or will it add more friction to an already maxed out system? Who dares wins, Itamar"