It's quite windy here today in Connecticut.

There's a fresh 2 inches of snow on the ground, but the wind is whipping it all around violently it appears like it's snowing when in fact, the sun is shining.

This reminds me of many late night messages from business owners spinning out because things appear bleak in their business or funnels, but upon closer inspection, there's usually only one specific thing wrong, or... nothing at all (just numbers that are too small).

Lest this weather analogy get too poetic, the pretend snow tornado out my window is an illusion. The snow already fell. The storm has passed. Yet it looks like it's still here.

That is very apropos for 2026. There was a storm in 2025, no doubt. A business storm of epic proportions where everything that used to work seemed to stop.

But that jolt has come and gone. We're normalizing (for now) in a newish normal, but many people are acting like the storm is still here.

• They see the debt on their P&Ls from past mistakes
• They continue to compare their current KPI's to 2021 versions
• The fear and anxiety make every small hiccup seem insurmountable

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But in truth, many of us are in an aftermath that's windy, not a storm. You probably have offers and funnels that will still work.... with time, money, patience, and precision.

Current numbers might be great but because it can't make up for past debt and mistakes, you feel like it's not working.

Discernment is my word for 2026. It's not about specific knowledge, tactics, or strategy. It's about knowing when and where and how to deploy each one of those in a way that brings you closer to your goals.

Knowledge, strategy, and tactic all point to building a newsletter, webinar, membership, whatever.

Discernment will be the skill that keeps you going. Teaches where to improve, where to be patient, when to pivot, and how to read signals.

I wrote a few goals for myself for the new year as well. Sent them to my kids in hopes they might swipe a few for themselves. I was promptly ignored. 😂

But maybe you'll want to swipe a few for you as well!

1. Spend a minimum of one hour a day outside... work up to two. Rain or shine.
2. 5000 steps a day... work up to 6000. Then 10,000.
3. Read one chapter of the Bible per day.
4. Spend 30-60 minutes every business day, working my active leads and sales convos.
5. Do a weekly webinar for any product I want to scale. The single highest leverage activity I can do!
6. Skim the AI headlines daily. Keep a pulse on what's happening.
7. Develop an AI proof skill, hobby, or side hustle (for me, animal husbandry).
8. Sleep 8 hours a night, no excuses.
9. Replace one regular show/social doom scrolling routine with a book instead.
10. Muscle building exercise three times a week.

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Happy New Year!

xx Julie

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