For years, I woke up on January 1st feeling hungover on regret. I would look at the calendar and feel a heavy, suffocating weight in my chest. I wasn’t excited. I was tired. I was dragging around a corpse—the dead weight of every mistake, every missed workout, and every broken promise from the year before. I was trying to run a race while looking backward. And it was destroying me. Then, I felt the shift. It wasn't a whisper; it was a lightning bolt. I realized that the past is ash. It literally does not exist anymore. I realized that I wasn't "continuing" an old story. I was holding the pen for a brand new book. I felt the weight drop off my shoulders. My lungs filled with clean, cold air. The possibility of who I could be was suddenly electric. It wasn't about "fixing" the old me. It was about birthing a new one. I realized that right now, this very second, is the only reality we have. We get to decide. We get to set the standard. We get to be the kings of our own lives again. That is what The Proving Grounds is. We are a tribe of men who refuse to live in the rearview mirror. We are building the future with our bare hands, starting today. 1. If you truly believed your past mistakes were gone forever, how big would you dream for yourself today? 2. What is the one massive, scary goal you’ve been afraid to touch, that you are finally going to hunt down this year? Your action today: Stand in front of the mirror. Look yourself in the eye for 60 seconds. Say out loud: "The old man is dead. I am choosing who I am right now." Feel the fire come back.

I traded the iron for the office, thinking I was being "productive." In reality, I was just becoming a weaker version of the man my family deserves. Last year was a damn gauntlet. I stood at the grave of my father and watched five years of grueling work to become a lawyer vanish because I refused to stay silent about the corruption in family court. There were days the weight of it all felt like a physical pressure on my chest. I chose the "hustle" over the gym, telling myself I didn't have time. But looking back, I see the truth: I was just leaking energy. I was "busy," but I wasn't powerful. I was fighting the world while letting my own temple crumble. I realized that if I’m going to be the man who topples a corrupt system for dads everywhere, I can’t do it while carrying an extra 30 pounds of excuses and a heart full of "what-ifs." I learned that setbacks aren't stop signs; they are filters. They filter out the men who just talk from the men who actually do. I’m stepping into 2026 with the clarity of a man who has nothing left to lose and an entire world to gain. I realized that my son doesn’t just need a dad who works; he needs a dad who is physically capable, mentally sharp, and spiritually unshakeable. We aren't just "trying" this year. We are building the House of Hope. We are becoming the biggest change for fathers in history. That starts with me being under 190 lbs, keeping my word to the iron, and showing my son what a man looks like when he refuses to quit. By next Christmas, I’ll be standing in our new home with a fenced yard for the dog. I can already feel the cold air of Breckenridge and see the dust on our boots from backpacking through Mexico. This is the year we build the family crest. This is the year we prove who we are. 1. If I looked at your life from a 3rd person view on Dec 31st, 2026, would I see a man who conquered his excuses or a man who was conquered by them? 2. What is the one "noble lie" (like working instead of training) that you are killing off today?

Sometimes meal prepping can be tedious and become boring. For those looking to change it up, try following Stealth Health Life of you haven't already to see if there are new recipes to try. Especially after the holiday eating and slow down.