Sunday. Week’s end. Time to extract the lessons.

Every Sunday, I sit down and ask: What did I learn this week? What worked? What didn’t? What am I taking forward?

This isn’t about perfection, it’s about paying attention.

Here are the 3 things I learned this week.

---

LESSON 1: RESOLUTIONS ARE LIES WE TELL OURSELVES

This week, I wrote about decisions vs. resolutions.

And then I had to confront my own pattern.

The Uncomfortable Truth:

I’ve been making resolutions disguised as decisions.

“I’m going to eliminate 2 clients in January” sounds like a decision.

But it’s actually a resolution. It’s activity-based, not identity-based.

The Real Decision:

“I’m becoming someone who only works with clients who energize me.”

That’s identity. That’s transformation.

The elimination is just the evidence of the decision.

Why This Matters:

Resolutions are about doing. Decisions are about being.

And being always wins.

When you decide who you’re becoming, the actions become inevitable.

The Lesson:

Stop making resolutions about what you’ll do.

Start making decisions about who you’ll become.

The Win:

Clarity. I rewrote my 5 decisions this week to be identity-based, not activity-based.

The Loss:

Ego. It stings to realize I was still playing the resolution game while preaching decisions.

Moving Forward:

I’m auditing every “decision” I made this week.

If it’s activity-based, I’m rewriting it to be identity-based.

---

LESSON 2: ADDITION IS EASIER THAN SUBTRACTION (AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM)

I’ve been preaching subtraction for weeks.

But this week, I caught myself adding.

What I Added:

• A new content idea (before finishing the current one)
• A potential partnership conversation (before evaluating if it fits my 20%)
• A “quick project” for a friend (before considering the time cost)

None of these are bad. But all of them are additions.

The Pattern:

Addition feels like progress. Subtraction feels like loss.

Addition is exciting. Subtraction is uncomfortable.

Addition makes you look busy. Subtraction makes you look selective.

The Trap:

I was adding because it felt easier than subtracting.

But every addition was stealing from my 20%.

The Lesson:

Addition is the default. Subtraction requires discipline.

And discipline is what separates transformation from optimization.

The Win:

I caught the pattern before it became a problem.

The Loss:

Time. I spent 3 hours on “quick projects” that didn’t move the needle.

Moving Forward:

New rule: Before I add anything, I have to eliminate something.

For every YES, there must be a NO.

---

LESSON 3: PEACE ISN’T PASSIVE, IT’S DESIGNED

I’ve been saying “peace is infrastructure” for weeks.

But this week, I realized: I’m not actually designing for it.

The Reality Check:

I said no meetings after 4 PM. But I scheduled one anyway because it was “important.”

I said no Slack on weekends. But I checked it “just in case.”

I said no chaos clients. But I’m still working with one because “the revenue is good.”

The Pattern:

I’m treating peace as a goal, not a system.

I’m hoping for peace instead of designing for it.

The Lesson:

Peace isn’t something that happens to you. It’s something you create.

And creation requires systems, not intentions.

The Win:

I caught myself breaking my own rules. That’s awareness.

The Loss:

Integrity. I said one thing and did another. That’s identity debt.

Moving Forward:

I’m building systems around my peace boundaries:

• Calendar blocks after 4 PM (no exceptions)
• Slack notifications off on weekends (no “just checking”)
• Client elimination timeline (January 15th deadline)

Peace isn’t passive. It’s designed.

---

BONUS INSIGHT: THE THINGS I’M CARRYING INTO NEXT WEEK

1. Identity > Activity
Decisions are about who I’m becoming, not what I’m doing.

2. Subtraction > Addition
For every YES, there must be a NO.

3. Systems > Intentions
Peace isn’t a goal. It’s infrastructure.

4. Awareness > Perfection
Catching the pattern is the first step to changing it.

5. Grace > Guilt
I’m not perfect. I’m progressing.

---

THE WINS

✅ Rewrote my 5 decisions to be identity-based
✅ Caught myself adding before subtracting
✅ Identified the peace boundaries I’m breaking
✅ Created systems to protect my peace
✅ Published content that challenged my own thinking
✅ Got vulnerable about my own patterns

---

THE LOSSES

❌ Spent 3 hours on “quick projects” that didn’t move the needle
❌ Broke my own peace boundaries (meetings after 4 PM, Slack on weekends)
❌ Still working with one chaos client (revenue over peace)
❌ Made resolutions disguised as decisions

---

MOVING FORWARD

This week I’m committing to:

1. Rewrite all 5 decisions to be identity-based (not activity-based)
2. Eliminate one thing before I add anything new
3. Build systems around my peace boundaries (calendar blocks, Slack off, client elimination timeline)
4. Track motion vs. momentum again to see if the 30-minute planning rule is working
5. Actually follow through on the boundaries I set (no exceptions)

---

WHAT I’M READING NEXT WEEK

📚 “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown (re-reading for the subtraction mindset)
📚 “The One Thing” by Gary Keller (to clarify my 20%)

---

WHAT I’M GRATEFUL FOR

This week kicked my ass. Again.

And I’m grateful for it.

The discomfort forced me to confront patterns I’d been avoiding.

The frameworks gave me language for what I was feeling.

The community engagement showed me I’m not alone in this work.

And the lessons created space for what actually matters.

---

YOUR TURN

Three questions for your Sunday reflection:

1. What’s one thing you learned this week (about yourself, your business, your patterns)?

2. What’s one win (even a small one)?

3. What’s one thing you’re committing to next week?

Drop your answers in the comments. Let’s learn out loud together.

---

One lesson, one week, one transformation at a time.

Grace over guilt. Always.

---

See you Tuesday for the next deep dive. Rest well. Reflect deeply. Come back ready to build.