And, that’s a wrap!
If you’ve been following along over the past week, you’ll know that I’ve been sharing my GENIUS Approach to resolutions. It’s based on the belief that traditional resolutions usually come with an unspoken message: You need to become someone else. Fast.
A new body, new personality… a new version of yourself who somehow wakes up on January 1st, perfectly disciplined and ready to change their whole life.
But we all know that growth is about integration. You can’t force it.
If you look at how nature grows, it never asks something to replace itself to evolve. Think of a seed, for example.
A seed doesn’t wake up one day and decide to become a plant by force. Instead, the seed is watered and nurtured until it breaks open. Then, it expands into a stalk.
Notice how the seed itself doesn’t disappear or get forgotten. It simply unfolds into something more. The stalk grows from the seed, not away from it.
Then, the leaves come. But the stalk doesn’t disappear. It just keeps doing what it does. Standing, strengthening, holding the growth.
And if fruit or flowers show up, nothing below it has to disappear either. The new life gets integrated into what’s already there, until the whole thing becomes bigger, fuller, more beautiful, and more productive than it was before.
That’s what this entire GENIUS Approach has been about.
Not forcing yourself into a new identity or trying to “turn a new leaf” while throwing away the stalk. That’s not sustainable.
Learning how to grow from the version of you that already exists is exactly the point.
The goal isn’t to erase yourself. The goal is to grow.
On Purpose
On Wednesday, I sat down with world-renowned climber Alex Honnold to explore what truly lies behind fear, focus, and extraordinary achievement. Alex shares how his relationship with fear has been shaped not by a lack of it, but by years of consistent exposure, revealing that courage isn’t about being fearless, but about learning how to listen, respond, and stay present.
Listen on
If you want to feel inspired, learn practical tools, and hear powerful stories, follow and listen to On Purpose on Amazon Music, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Try This
A Breathing Practice For Integration
Find a comfortable seat.
Let your hands rest wherever they feel natural.
Close your eyes.
Take a slow inhale through your nose for 4 seconds…
Hold for 2 seconds…
Then exhale through your mouth for 6 seconds.
Again: inhale 4… hold 2… exhale 6.
As you breathe, repeat this silently: “I grow from who I am.”
Inhale: I grow
Exhale: from who I am
Let that land in your body, not just your mind.
You don’t need to become someone else.
You don’t need to reject what’s true.
You don’t need to fight your way into change.
You are not a problem to fix. You are a seed to nurture.
Stay here for three more rounds of breath, and each time you exhale, let the pressure to wholly reinvent yourself leave with it.
One final affirmation: “I expand. I integrate. I grow.”
Open your eyes when you’re ready.
