Did you know that most resolutions die by January 17th? The reason is simple: Resolutions are just wishes attached to a calendar date. We treat January 1st like a magic portal that will change our personality, but by week three, the motivation fades and the old habits return.

In this first episode of 2026, Jim Burgoon breaks down why "hype" fails and gives you a boring, tactical plan that actually works. We are ditching the year-long promises and building a 90-Day System based on clarity, tiny actions, and real accountability.

If you want this year to look different than the last one, stop relying on willpower and start relying on a plan.

1. Fewer Goals, More Clarity: Your brain cannot handle 12 priorities at once. Pick 3–4 specific goals for the next 90 days. "Get fit" is a wish; "Walk 30 minutes Mon/Wed/Fri" is a plan.
2. The Weekly Review: A goal you don't review is just a daydream. Schedule 15 minutes a week to ask: What moved forward? What stalled? What is the one action that matters next week?
3. Tiny Actions Beat Big Hype: Big goals fail because the next step is vague. Break your goals down into tiny, repeatable actions (e.g., "Two minutes of quiet prayer before I touch my phone").
4. Define the Win: You need two types of wins: Outcome Wins (the result) and Process Wins (the behavior). If you only measure the outcome, you will feel behind. If you measure the process, you will realize you are winning every day you show up.
5. Real Accountability has Teeth: Real accountability isn't a cheerleader saying "Good job." It's a friend asking "Did you do it?" and a consequence if you didn't.

1. "Resolutions are about a mood. A plan is about a method."
2. "If everything matters, nothing moves."
3. "What isn't written is a daydream."
4. "Discipline is rarely a personality trait. It is usually a calendar decision."
5. "The amateur misses a day and quits for the year. The pro misses a day and returns the next morning."

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We usually end the year with a victory lap. We talk about the wins, the revenue, and the growth. But if we’re being honest, the most important lessons usually come from a face-plant.

In this final episode of 2025, Jim Burgoon shares the "Ugly Truths" of the past year. From realizing that his "discipline" was actually fear dressed up as productivity, to a major health crash that came from ignoring his body's limits, Jim holds nothing back.

If you want to walk into 2026 with a new foundation instead of just a new calendar, this episode is for you. We are leaving the hustle, the people-pleasing, and the burnout in 2025.

1. Hustle is a Wound: If you can't rest without guilt, you aren't a high performer—you're a high-functioning captive. Jim admits how his "work ethic" was often just a way to avoid processing the grief of losing his mother and sister.
2. Calling ≠ Invincibility: Your nervous system is not impressed by your calling. A holy mission with an unhealthy pace still ends in a crash (and sometimes an autoimmune diagnosis).
3. Performance Kills Leadership: You cannot lead people you are secretly trying to impress. If you are addicted to approval, you will manage reactions instead of building trust.
4. Belonging vs. Proving: Your best work happens when you stop trying to earn a seat at the table. You don't find your voice by forcing it; you find it by standing in it.
5. Trust Your Intuition: Trauma can make you second-guess your gut. Jim shares why you must stop "logicking" your way out of red flags—if it feels off, it usually is off.

1. "You can't build a new future on old foundations."
2. "When worth is the paycheck, you never clock out."
3. "My nervous system is not impressed by my calling."
4. "A holy mission with an unhealthy pace ends in a crash."
5. "If I need you to like me, I cannot lead you."

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2. Full Episode Show Notes & Transcript: www.leadwithjim.com/podcast

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We have sanitized the Christmas story. We’ve turned it into a cozy postcard with silent nights, clean stables, and a glowing baby that never cries. But the real Christmas story wasn't cozy—it was chaotic, confusing, and messy.

In this special Christmas episode, Jim Burgoon offers a fresh perspective on the nativity. We dive into five principles hidden in the chaos of Christmas—from why God chose the night shift workers first, to why obedience often requires confusion.

If you are frantically trying to finish your year-end goals or just surviving the holiday travel, this episode is your permission slip to stop striving. God isn't allergic to your chaos; He was born right in the middle of it.

1. God Delights in the Overlooked: The casting call for the incarnation included a teenage girl from a nowhere town and shepherds working the graveyard shift. God does His loudest work in the quietest places.
2. Obedience in Confusion: Mary and Joseph didn't get a 10-step business plan; they got a disruption. Faith is saying "yes" to God when the path is unclear and the cost is real.
3. God Steps Into Chaos: The first Christmas happened during a political crisis, a travel crisis, and a housing crisis. God moves toward your mess, not away from it.
4. Glory Looks Ordinary: To the naked eye, the manger looked like poverty. To the spiritual eye, it was filled with angels. Don't confuse "visible success" with God's favor.
5. For All People: The guest list included local blue-collar shepherds and foreign Gentile scholars. Jesus tears down every boundary we try to build.

1. "We have sanitized the Christmas story... but the real Christmas story wasn't cozy. It was chaotic, it was confusing, it was messy."
2. "God does his loudest work in the quietest places."
3. "Faith is saying yes to God when the path is unclear and the cost is real."
4. "God is not allergic to your chaos. He always moves towards it."
5. "Jesus wasn't meant for Christians. He was meant for a dying world."

1. Join the Newsletter: www.leadwithjim.com/nl
2. Full Episode Show Notes & Transcript: www.leadwithjim.com/podcast

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