The Increase Your Impact Newsletter is your Monday morning edge, created for growth-minded individuals. Each issue is a 2-3-minute read that delivers actionable strategies and powerful stories straight from my work with the world’s top performers. I 'd love to have you join my weekly email list and join thousands of others who are striving to get better, just like you.
IYI Newsletter: Accept the immovable to become unstoppable
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Approximately a 3-minute read Happy Monday! Today's message is for those of you battling things that won't change. -Justin Fighting What Won't ChangeIn conversations with head coaches and executives, I sometimes catch a flash of deep exhaustion in their eyes—not from training or travel, but from wrestling with realities they cannot control or change. Maybe it’s an unexpected event they couldn’t have predicted, being mathematically eliminated from contention, or a colleague making things more difficult than necessary. Rather than asking how to work with these realities, some spend a great deal of energy wishing things were different. That refusal to accept reality ends up draining their time, effort, and attention. But then something shifts. The instant resistance gives way to acceptance, a new sense of possibility emerges. The harder we fight what won’t budge, the more drained and stuck we become. But when we shift our energy to acceptance, new possibilities and resourcefulness emerge, and we finally begin moving forward by working with reality rather than against it. We grow up believing the world bends to effort—that if we work hard enough, persist, and exhaust every option, we can shape anything. In some cases, this may be true. However, in other instances, we are pushing against an immovable object. Some obstacles refuse to yield, no matter the intensity of our will. The real turning point isn’t in doubling down, but in recognizing when to pivot. True progress starts the moment we stop exhausting ourselves over the unchangeable and start asking: What do I need to do differently to thrive within these circumstances? When we face something that simply won’t change, our instinct is often to push harder, hoping more effort or frustration will make a difference. Your teenager resists your rules. Your workplace refuses to budge on flexibility. A loved one’s illness remains out of your control. Your boss won’t change. We focus on what’s unfair and imagine how much better life could be if only this one thing would shift. But that approach doesn’t move us forward; it only drains us, turning our energy into exhaustion and resentment. The Better WayA better way begins with a better question. When we stop pouring ourselves into futile efforts to reshape the unchangeable, we open the door to adaptation. What if, instead of fighting, we asked, "How do I adapt to this?" "How do I evolve to meet reality head-on, as it truly is—not as I wish it were?" This isn’t surrender, it’s the discipline of channeling your energy into places where it can truly move the needle. The moment you stop wrestling with the immovable, you begin to see with new eyes. What once felt like a cage becomes a canvas—an opportunity to create something new. The people you once viewed as adversaries become collaborators. What you originally viewed as stumbling blocks to your success become stepping stones upon which you can create your best work. You stop wasting energy fighting how you wish things were and adjust to how things really are. Your TurnBegin with radical honesty: name what truly won’t change. Don’t let wishful thinking blur the line between difficult and impossible. Once you see what’s fixed, the real questions emerge: If this is the reality of my situation, who must I become to thrive? What new skills or perspectives does this reality demand? How can I expand my thinking to meet the world as it is, not as I hoped it would be? The instant you stop waiting for circumstances to change and start working with what’s immovable, you reclaim the energy that was draining you. That’s the turning point: when you finally stop fighting the unchangeable, you unlock the possibility and progress you’ve been striving for all along. Two final things:
Hope you have a great week! Justin Su'a If this email was forwarded to you and you want it to come directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe |
Justin Su'a
The Increase Your Impact Newsletter is your Monday morning edge, created for growth-minded individuals. Each issue is a 2-3-minute read that delivers actionable strategies and powerful stories straight from my work with the world’s top performers. I 'd love to have you join my weekly email list and join thousands of others who are striving to get better, just like you.
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