New Week!

I'm excited for the great things that are going to unfold for you in 2026. I hope you find some things in here that you can either apply to yourself or share with someone else:

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Just For Today

There was once a young minor league baseball player who was taking the league by storm. He was dominant. So dominant in fact that the baseball world was expecting his MLB future to be extremely bright; to him, the expectations made him uncomfortable. He was always a good player, but not considered to be one of the best in the country growing up. His success and praise started to create a sense of pressure. He didn't want to let people down.

That three-word phrase, “just for today”, was so impactful to that player that he wrote it on the inside of his hat. Many years later, that player went on to be one of the best players in the game.

Try it:

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the thought of carrying high expectations for a long time, ask yourself, "Am I willing to do it just for today?" That simple question may help you reframe your mountain of a task into a singular step.

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The Competence Trap

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When you’re highly competent, you increase the probability of running into this common trap:

In 19th-century Vienna, a doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis noticed a devastating occurrence happening in his hospital. In one wing, new mothers were dying at alarming rates. In another part of the same hospital, mothers and babies were healthy.

Most doctors accepted it as an unfortunate reality. But not Semmelweis, he wanted to do something about it.

He questioned the system, investigated the process deeper, and uncovered a simple, disturbing truth: doctors were moving from working with cadavers (dead bodies) to delivering babies without washing their hands.

Upon learning this, he demanded that all doctors add one simple element to their pre-baby delivery process—to wash their hands. Death rates dropped almost immediately.

However, despite the drastic, positive results, many doctors refused to change. Not because it didn’t work, but because it challenged what they believed they already knew. It took years for the world to accept that a small, simple change can save millions of lives.

This is called the competence trap: the better you are at something, the less likely you are to question it. Skill creates a body of evidence for what you're doing is working; that body of evidence produces confidence; and that confidence may quietly reduce curiosity. When outcomes decline, highly competent people are often the last to examine their own processes and get frustrated with those who do.

Try this:

Think of one thing you’re really good at. Now ask yourself one question:

“If I were to force myself to poke holes in my own process to make it better, what would I say?”

I'm not saying you have to do anything. It's just a thought experiment, just notice the answer.

Growth stops when you stop looking for strong beliefs that are no longer serving you.​​

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Shrink the Time Frame

It might not be your system holding you back; your time frame might be the issue.

Losing the drive to hunt your goals could be the result of your goals being too far away.Your mind works best when it has something specific to look forward to. With a clear target, your focus is sharper, and you feel more energized because you can feel success is right at your fingertips.

Long-term goals are good; however, be aware when they are so far away that they fail to drive your daily actions. Build a system designed to help you focus on actions in the here and now, within your control.You don’t have to lower your expectations, shorten your time horizon.

Try this:

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Consider something you really want to achieve in the long term. Now, ask yourself the question, “What are three things I can do every day this week that if I do, it will increase the probability of me achieving that long-term goal?” Then, go do those three things every day for 7 straight days. Make them so easy to do that you can’t not do it. It’s about gaining momentum.

Have a great week!

Justin Su'a

PS - If you are enjoying this newsletter, it would mean so much if you shared it with others. Thank you!

PSS - if you ever have a question for me, respond to this email and ask away! I'd love to answer it in a future email.

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