Coincidental Courage and Random Rainbows

Dear Student Leader,

How are things? Did you use last week’s lesson on consistency and accountability?

We are less than a month into 2026. Like any day, now is a great time to build new habits.

Take the “New Year Resolution train” and start your journey to making changes. Failures will happen, but don’t let them stop you.

Courage isn’t authorizing bombings, shooting observers, or removing politicians. Loud power plays often feed weak egos and starving ethnocentric beliefs. Daily choices to learn, reflect, and persist show real courage.

I offer this advice after reflecting on my experiences in 2025.

Last year’s move to the States strained my family’s finances. We lost a major income source. I struggled to pay bills and needed help from others.

On the professional side, I struggled with my writing. While The Good Men Project and PsychDiscourse published my articles and blog posts, I received numerous rejections from other editors. The proposals I sent to literary agents for representation either went unanswered or were rejected.

I almost changed my name to Failure.

Financial and scholarship challenges were tough and made daily life difficult. It took patience and courage to transform the painful setbacks into learning opportunities.

In Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s book, The Mis-Education of the Negro, he critiques the American school system. Add it to your reading list. Among other relevant criticisms, Woodson discusses how schools reinforce spending rather than saving or investing.

Reading Woodson’s words and seeing my youngest fail multiple times in his skating adventures before succeeding this week reinforced two of the courageous lessons I brought into 2026.

It takes courage to fall, get up, and try again. Courage is also necessary to…

Create and maintain a household budget.

For reinforcement and to understand why this practice is important, read Jess Mecham’s book, You Need a Budget: The Proven System for Breaking the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle, Getting Out of Debt, and Living the Life You Want.

Learn from failure, teach yourself.

Read Robert Greene’s book Mastery for learning strategies and creative insight from notable artists, inventors, scientists, and activists.

Last Thoughts on Courage…

While exercising on Saturday, I found a bullet. Later, a double rainbow appeared. Both moments lingered until I connected them to this post.

Courage is no accident; it comes from knowing we all die and appreciating life. Whether by bullets, illnesses, or natural causes, our time will end. The recent ICE shooting, miles away from the George Floyd murder scene, teaches us that unchecked and misguided fear precludes tragedy.

Courage requires recognizing and accepting failure. During these moments, we must learn the lesson and shift as necessary. Internalize this perspective and share it with your peers to foster resilience together.