Happy New Year, Patriots!
I hope you had a great time ringing in 2023 with family and friends!
Maybe you partied hard…

Or… maybe you did what we did… put the kids to bed, fell asleep by 9:30, and then got up the next day and worked like dogs.
Not complaining.
Complaining never works… see below…

Whatever you did, however you celebrate… the reality is: today is the 2nd and January is in full effect… so… now what?
What Are You Working on This Year?
I spend a lot of time every week consulting large and small business owners.
There are many parallels between fishing & business building.
Setting goals is a good practice in either area, and I’ve set quite a few over the past few years. Get better at fishing a jerkbait. Learn to fish clear water. Find more smallmouth bass nearby. Monetize a YouTube channel. Build a blog and make a few bucks while meeting new friends in the process.
(Hey… if you’re wanting to get better at jerkbait fishing… start with a few of these. Husky Jerks have been solid producers for me – and they won’t break the bank!)
Some of these goals have been partially realized, which is something we were reflecting on around Christmas.
But… the work continues.
This ties in with a message I was typing up for a consulting client yesterday that I wanted to share with all of you, my fellow fishermen.
Just start.
Clearly define what you want to get better at this year.
Start.
Don’t wait for some “magical date”, like so many that wait for New Year’s Day.
Don’t wait until you’re sure you’ll do the thing perfectly.
You won’t.
You’re going to suck for a while.
Embrace it.
You will embarrass yourself over and over again.
Who cares?
Most people won’t see your failures – and the people that matter, won’t belittle you.
They’ll be proud of you for pushing ahead.
The haters will hate, even if you do something perfectly.
Their jeers are a reflection on themselves.
Their self-loathing.
Their inaction.
Their lack of courage.
Seeing you do something with your life makes them feel bad about themselves.
Instead of building, all they can do is destroy.
Tear down.
Let ’em.
They’re toxic, and they will congregate to wallow amongst themselves.
Let miserable people be miserable… but don’t join them.
Be a builder.
Whatever it is that you want, start moving towards it.
Today.
We have a lot more work to do this year, boys – whether that means becoming better fishermen, better business builders, better fathers, better grandfathers, uncles and husbands. Learning to exercise more, or how to eat better… or all of the above.
Whatever it is that you feel is important – start today.
I’m rooting for you.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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