Strategies for Achieving Outstanding Success This January

 

There is a strange tension that hits all of us at the beginning of each month. It whispers, “Are you getting better? Are you growing? Are you advancing?” And most of the time, if we’re honest, we don’t like our answer. We either feel behind, feel stuck, or think our progress isn’t loud enough to impress anyone on Instagram. But growth doesn’t work that way. Progress rarely appears with fireworks. It arrives quietly, through responsibility, small decisions, and honest bravery.

This is the core message: you improve not by waiting for perfect conditions but by taking responsibility for what your life needs—especially when uncomfortable.

Stephen Covey expressed it well: we’re surrounded by endless stimuli, but it’s only when we deepen self-awareness, conscience, will, and imagination that we stop being acted upon and become proactive. That’s the kind of growth that lasts. And sometimes, it takes a hard story—yours or someone else’s—to remind you how short life really is.

Real transformation is slow, uncomfortable and incredibly personal. But every bit of progress compounds when you choose responsibility over avoidance.

To illustrate this, I want to share two journeys — Michael’s and mine — both messy, imperfect, and painfully human. Each uncovers three truths about improving.

1. Responsibility unlocks clarity.
2. Proactive choices break the cycle of fear.
3. Small beginnings create unexpected breakthroughs.

Let’s walk through them.

1. Responsibility Unlocks Clarity (Even When Life Forces It On You)

Michael had been trying to quit his job for five years. Five years of pep talks, private frustration, googling “How to know it’s time to leave a job,” then doing nothing. His fears clung to him like ticks, convincing him that stability meant survival and that survival required staying exactly where he was—exhausted, uninspired, and slowly disappearing inside himself.

From the outside, he appeared stable—a newborn baby, a partner, a job many would envy. But inside, he was a man shrinking. His once bright creativity had faded. His energy was always at zero. His laughter had disappeared somewhere between long nights and silent mornings. Yet he kept showing up at work like a ghost, hoping something—anything—would change.

But nothing changed.

Life only started moving the day he lost his father.

There at his father’s bedside, listening to a dying man whisper the one sentence that sliced him open:
“I regret never following my dreams when I still had the energy.”

That moment shook him awake. The funeral was a blur, the grief unbelievable, but the clarity unmistakable. Two weeks later, sitting at his desk deep into the night, something snapped. He printed a resignation letter, placed it on his boss’s desk, and walked out of the building.

He didn’t even look back.

2. Proactive Choices Break the Cycle of Fear

It wasn’t glamorous or easy. He faced people who expected him to stay in his “safe lane.” Some protested, others ghosted him. Friends disappeared. The community suddenly went silent. Only his pregnant girlfriend stayed by his side with quiet understanding.

But here is where responsibility becomes magic:

When Michael finally stopped outsourcing his life to fear, energy surged back into his body like breath after drowning. Dreams he had buried under paychecks started to feel alive again. His mind, once foggy and exhausted, began sensing new possibilities.

Then, in what some call destiny and others call preparation meeting opportunity, a foreign delegation entered the country looking for someone to manage their brand. A friend recommended him. The meeting went smoothly. He was offered a role, then asked to build a team. After that, he was appointed as a distributor. Eventually, he was given a performance-based percentage that completely changed his financial situation.

This is what taking responsibility does:
Life becomes clearer the moment you stop waiting for permission to be yourself.

Michael isn’t at a “happily ever after.” He’s simply on the right road—finally walking in the direction of his own life.

3. Small beginnings create unexpected breakthroughs.

At the beginning of the year, I faced my own wrestling match with responsibility. I had been considering the idea of starting a men’s group for over a year. Not because it wasn’t a good idea—but because I felt unqualified. That sneaky impostor syndrome loves to show up right when purpose is calling. And I, like most people, was engaging in my best Olympic-level procrastination.

I knew men needed a safe space. I understood that conversations about mental wellness, friendship, health, and black tax were meaningful. But the idea of leading such a group? My introverted self wasn’t thrilled.

Then came the fast. 120 hours. Five days. Enough hunger to make a man rethink his entire destiny.

And when I finished, something shifted. Confidence. Clarity. Conviction. I asked a few friends to meet. We had three sessions. Then three became six. Then six became a movement. What started as a small circle grew into a community of more than 100 men—showing up, sharing openly, healing loudly, growing deeply.

Every session, I committed to improving one thing. Just one. No pressure for perfection. No comparisons. No fancy structure. One improvement. That tiny rule became the engine that pulled us forward.

But listen to this:
There were many moments when I felt uncomfortable. I often questioned myself. I frequently had to push beyond my introverted instincts and talk to people—hundreds of them—inviting them into something I wasn’t even sure I was “qualified” to lead.

But discomfort is the gym where responsibility trains you.

The group grew because responsibility has a fragrance that people recognize. Men came seeking belonging, wisdom, and a new way to navigate life. And that required me to become someone bigger than my fears, bolder than my doubts, and more committed than my insecurities.

Growth didn’t come from confidence. It came from movement—one uncomfortable step at a time.

If You Don’t Take Responsibility for Your Life, Someone Else Will

This is the haunting truth many people don’t want to admit:
If you don’t take responsibility for your time, your effort, your relationships, your boundaries, your habits—then someone else will take it for you.

Your boss.
Your children.
Your partner.
Your friends.
Your culture.
Your fears.
Your comfort zone.
Your procrastination habits.

Life is always ready to run your schedule if you don’t. Other people are always ready to assign you roles if you don’t assign yourself any. The world will always welcome a responsible you — but it will gladly exploit an irresponsible one.

Both Michael and I started this year in the same way many people do—aware of what we wanted but afraid of the responsibility required to reach it. The turning point wasn’t luck. It wasn’t motivation. It wasn’t some magical breakthrough.

It was a decision. A quiet, serious, almost stubborn decision:
“I am responsible for my own progress.”

And that’s the real work: building the muscle of self-awareness, willpower, courage, and discipline. Responsibility is not punishment. Responsibility is freedom disguised as effort.

Conclusion — Your Progress Will Be Slow, But It Will Be Yours

I wish I could tell you that once you start taking responsibility, everything becomes easy. It doesn’t. Sometimes you’ll feel lonely. Sometimes you’ll feel unsure. Sometimes you’ll feel like quitting to escape accountability.

But here is what is guaranteed: Your life will move.
Not instantly. Not dramatically. But steadily. Consistently. Authentically.

Small steps compound.
Small decisions accumulate.
Small improvements reshape destinies.

Whether you're where Michael was—trapped in fear—or where I was—trapped in doubt—you have the power to take your life back.

The month is new. The year is still alive. Your story is still editable.

Start small.
Start scared.
Start unsure.
Just start.

CALL TO ACTION

If this message stirred something in you, don’t let it fade.

1.       Join my LinkedIn Habit Coaching Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/habits-with-coach-edwin-7399067976420966400/

2.       Join my Habit WhatsApp Community at https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAmKkOBvvsWOuBx5g3L  

3.       Alternatively, sign up for my 6-month Personal Transformation Coaching Program by sending me a message on WhatsApp at +254-724328059.

Let’s build your momentum, one responsible step at a time. You don’t have to walk alone.