Happy New Year + Irreversible Decisions

Hey 10X Vets,

Happy New Year.

Like most people, I’ve been reflecting a little over the last few days and thinking about goals, plans, and what I want this next year to look like. And I had a realization this morning that surprised me, so I wanted to share it with you.

When I look back at the decisions that actually changed my life for the better, none of them became real because of a goal I set.

They became real because I made an irreversible decision.

• Deciding to fully commit to a cross-country relationship with my now wife early in my Navy career with no guarantees it would work or that I’d ever be stationed back in Newport where she lived. I eventually did get orders back, we married in 2005, and last year we celebrated our 20-year anniversary.

• Moving our family from Massachusetts to Charleston in 2018.

• Leaving my job and going all-in on my business in 2019.

• Committing to my health last year and losing 25 lbs.

In each case, once I made the decision, I knew something important: psychologically, I could never go back to the way things were before and be able to live with myself.

That’s different from a goal. Goals can be adjusted, postponed, and renegotiated. Irreversible decisions quietly change who we are.

It made me realize that maybe the question for this year isn’t:

“What do I want to accomplish?”

But instead:

“What decision do I need to make once, so I don’t keep re-deciding it?”

Not a resolution or a metric. Just a line to cross.

I don’t have a prescription here, and I’m not suggesting anyone blow up their life on January 1st. But I do think many of us feel that subtle ceiling, the sense that we’re optimizing the same version of ourselves instead of stepping into the next one.

So as you think about 2026, maybe consider this:

What’s one decision that, once made, would make going back no longer an option?

No need to announce it or rush it. Just something worth sitting with.

I'm grateful to be on this journey with you guys, and excited to see what this year brings. Not just in results, but in who we decide to become. I look forward to seeing many of you in Tampa in a few weeks.

Cheers,

Scott