On this episode of Grit Meets Growth, we jump in mid-conversation—because we were already in it—and unpack what confidence really looks like when you level up: that moment when you finally feel like you belong… until you stretch again and the old self-talk comes roaring back. This is a gut-check about the quiet cost of what we’ve normalized—tolerating pain, drifting on the fence, letting tired become identity—and why most people don’t fail in January… they fail right now by refusing to decide. Answer one question before 2026 gets here: What are you refusing to carry into another year?

Five Takeaways: 

• Confidence is built by shedding baggage. Every new “room” you enter exposes old self-talk—growth happens when you set it down and keep moving.
• The danger isn’t January—it’s now. People don’t fail on New Year’s Day; they fail in the last stretch by not deciding and hiding on the fence.
• Tolerance quietly lowers your standards. “It is what it is” can sound mature, but it often means you normalized what you never meant to live with.
• Choose your pain. There’s pain from drifting (unhealthy body, strained marriage, draining job, loneliness) and pain from growth (discipline, tough conversations, training, action). Same coin, different outcomes.
• Goals don’t change you—hard conversations and brotherhood do. Motivation fades; discipline + a real crew that holds you accountable is what keeps momentum alive through the holidays and into 2026.

One Truth: Avoiding the hard conversation today is the fastest way to carry the same life into next year.