Cold Water, Hard Things, and Confidence

Down at the lido the water hit 2 degrees this week - my coldest ever swim. The weekly challenge of getting into cold water through winter has anchored me for the past five years of running my own business.

When you run your own company, there’s no shortage of uncertainty and risk. Some weeks feel steady; others feel like standing in freezing water, convincing yourself to breathe and step forward anyway.

Cold water has taught me something simple but powerful: I can do almost anything.

Choosing to do something hard - deliberately, repeatedly - rewires how you feel about yourself.

As we head back into the world at the start of a new year, it’s worth remembering how capable we are when we put our mind to it. And practising hard things in one area of life has a way of showing up everywhere else - in work, in relationships, in leadership, in the risks we’re willing to take.

So here’s a question for you to carry into the year ahead:

What would you do if you were 100% confident in yourself this year?