Over the last few weeks, we’ve covered a lot of ground.

We’ve walked through the core foundations of change, starting with reflection, moving through structure and direction, and finally unpacking the resistance that often comes as a byproduct.

That’s why this week, to close the loop, we’re going to take it one step further.

Because even once you’ve made the decision to confront the initial resistance, to take a bold first step (to whatever it may be!)… the real challenge isn’t just starting.

It’s staying in it and seeing it through.

That’s where most people stagnate, or tap out. Not because the outcome isn’t worth it, but because they never got honest about the cost of reaching it.

And this is the focus of today’s newsletter.

What I’m speaking about, is sustaining the behaviours, actions and habits that are required to keep pushing after the initial novelty or motivation of getting started wears off.

Which, to me, comes down to one, core principle.

Choosing, conquering and defending your hill.

The way I see it, is that the path to anything worthwhile involves commitment, grit, dealing with rejection, and the wisdom to see failure as feedback, and losses as lessons.

Yet, what I’ve seen time and again is that most people don’t struggle with starting, but rather with staying.

They’ll take the first step, declare the goal and (may!) even make an initial push, fuelled by excitement, inspiration, or a strong sense of alignment.

But when things get hard, they retreat.

Not because they don’t want it, but because they didn’t fully consider what it would take to keep going once the novelty wore off. And that’s why the real work lies in getting radically honest about what your hill will demand from you, not just on day one, but week after week.

Because you don’t just choose the hill once. You choose it again and again — and that’s what most people forget.

You cannot say you want the growth, the outcomes, the fulfilment and simultaneously resist the process required to earn it. If you aren’t willing to give what it takes… then you haven’t truly chosen your hill, you’ve only entertained the idea.

The ultimate question here is not, “What do I want?” but rather “What am I truly willing to endure, to fight for, to stand for to get the very thing I say I want?”

That’s the real choice. It’s a decision made in full awareness of what your hill will demand from you — the effort, the discomfort, the repetition, the stretch, and a willingness to keep showing up for what you say you want, no matter what.

So, if you’re still feeling the gap between what you committed to at the start of this year and the reality you’re experiencing now, it may be time to step back and look at it through a different lens.

Not just through the lens of what you want, but through the lens of what you’re actually willing to give.

To help you ground that reflection, here are three steps to walk through this weekend:

1 | Choose your hill.
What’s the result, outcome, or change you say you want right now?

2 | Define the cost.
What does your hill demand from you?

3 | Get honest about your commitment.
Are you truly willing to endure, to fight, to stand for the very thing you say you want?

If the answer is yes, then don’t wait for perfect conditions, identify your next step, and face it with unwavering commitment.

But if your honest answer is no, and you recognise that you’re not ready, or not currently willing to give what it takes, that’s okay too. There’s no shame in acknowledging that.

In fact, it takes strength to be honest enough to let go of the things you’re not truly prepared to work for, at least not right now. But that awareness comes with its own responsibility.

Because if you’re not ready to fully commit, it also means something else needs to happen — you must make peace with the life you currently have.

To stop expecting more from a version of yourself that isn’t ready to give more.

Because few things are more quietly exhausting than wanting things to be different, while continuing to live in a way that guarantees they stay the same.

There is no right or wrong answer, but it is a necessary one.

And now’s the time to make it.

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