Your words = your results ... [🐝U]

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Yesterday I heard the most dangerous end-of-year lie … TWICE

2 different people told me the same story using different words:
→ I’ll just try again in January
→ I didn’t make any progress & year’s almost ending now

Both said that on a scale of 1 to 10 of importance, it’s a 10

Is it?
Really?

It reminded me how easily we talk ourselves out of the things we say matter most.

I closed my laptop, pulled my toque over my eyes & just sat there …
Because the cold wave hit me … the kind that reminds you you’ve been avoiding your own truth …

I’ve said those exact same words.

& in my own year-end review seeing exactly what they’re costing me.

If you’re honest, you’ve probably whispered a version of this in your own head this year.

The words we choose in talking to people, your customers, & even ourselves matter more than we realize

& this is the time of year those words get louder … & more dangerous

With 2026 planning season in full swing, we need to better appreciate how our words accidentally make or break our goals.

Words Matter.

They set tone, intention, perspective, & everything else that comes into effective communication.

That’s especially true online & in our minds.
Mostly because we can’t see the reactions or hear the tone of those we’re talking to

So we need words to do all the heavy lifting.

& if you really want to see how your word choice exposes your effort level (& results), here’s a framework from “Secrets of a Millionaire Mind” I need to put on a post-it until it’s tattooed in my brain.

Because most of us start our businesses for the financial freedom & time flexibility … so I’m going with a “rich” goal …

But you can swap it for whatever you’ve got planned.

“I want to be rich”

Wanting is motion without momentum.
It feels productive
But costs us nothing.
& gets us even less!

You can “want” something for years & never move an inch.

“wanting” is the most socially acceptable form of procrastination.
We can dress it up, justify it, even make it sound strategic…
But it’s still doing nothing.

It’s great if it falls in my lap kinda thing …
like maybe some long-lost relative leaves you a boatload of money.

“I want to be rich. Maybe I have a long-lost really-rich relative out there that’s leaving me money”

wanting ≠ having 

Words tell your brain how serious you are & what level of effort is required

There’s better word options when talking to yourself & sharing your goals with others

“I choose to be rich”

Choosing feels stronger.

That’s next-level to just wanting.

You’re making a decision …
& deciding means you’re removing options & alternatives

“I choose to be rich & I’m not waiting around hoping for an inheritance.”

Choosing IS stronger.
But it still leaves the back door propped open for an easy out.

“I commit to being rich.”

The definition of “commitment” (in the Cambridge Dictionary) is “
→ “a promise or firm decision to do something”
→ “ willingness to give your time & energy to a job, activity, or something that you believe in”
→ “something that you must do or deal with that takes your time”

Commitment is when you weld the escape hatch shut & watch the torch melt the last possible excuse to ‘get out’

“commit” removes your escape hatch.
“commit” means being willing to do what it takes

You give 100% for as long as it takes, not as long as it’s convenient.
… even on days when quitting feels so much better

No excuses not to
Because your reason(s) TO are stronger

Here’s the uncomfortable part …
We don’t actually behave like people who are committed.

The commitment gap we pretend isn’t there.

Most of us “think” we’re committed …
But our actions tell a different story

I know because I’ve been that person.
& it shows in the words we’re using.

We say what we “want”
Wanting feels good.

We can “choose” a path
Choosing feels responsible.

But committing?
That’s where the excuses die
& most of us aren’t ready for that part.

Ultimately, it comes down to us.

Here’s how wanting, choosing, & committing played out for me in 2025…

I committed to this newsletter earlier this year.
I committed to a “weekly-ish” schedule.

Guess what … I achieved what I committed to.

I didn’t commit to subscriber counts, new clients, or income levels
(& yes last week I talked about how SMART goals are ‘dumb’ unless they’re ACTION-based instead of OUTCOME-based)

I did “want” them
I did “choose” different ways to make most of that happen

But on a “commitment” level … they just didn’t happen because I didn’t “commit” to making them happen … not like I did with the writing part.

beehiiv was kind enough to remind me of all this with their version of Spotify Wrapped

On a personal level, I did commit to buying property so I could become “Grizzly Adams with tech” …

& some days I probably should be committed for sticking it out for so long in the snow & cold & county-permit chaos

& in case you’re wondering …

STILL no solar
STILL no heat!
STILL freezing in a tiny trailer sometimes questioning what in the frilly heck I was thinking.

(BTW, If you’re ever looking to add solar power, I can whole-heartedly tell you who NOT to work with!)

The difference?

It’s a lifestyle I wanted.
I chose where that path led.
& I committed to it.

The reason TO is more powerful than any excuse not to.

Your words decide what happens next

Your results will always rise to the level of the words you use.

Rewrite 1 of your 2026 goals using the word “commit” instead of choose or want.
You’ll feel the difference immediately.

“I COMMIT to being ____”

Make it a great “ committed “ week!
EG

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