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“If no one would notice you quitting, you probably will.”
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​Hey Reader,

The ball is dropping at various hours around the world for you, and a lot of people are about to start the clock on failed New Year’s resolutions.

I don’t hate resolutions. I’ve made plenty.
Some worked. Most didn’t. (Don't ask about my 22 year nail-biting one)

What I’ve learned is that they rarely fail because we don’t care enough.
They fail because we try to change our lives in private.

👥 THE FRIEND

Every offseason, Jerry Rice ran a brutal hill in San Carlos, California. [If you don't know about this, you need to see it]

Not as part of a team program. But because he's Jerry Rice and that's how you get to be the GOAT.

Over time, other players started showing up.

Wide receivers. Defensive backs. Guys trying to make rosters. Guys trying to last a little longer than their bodies wanted to.

They didn’t come for motivation. Jerry wasn’t giving speeches.
They came because doing that kind of work alone is almost impossible to sustain, unless you're the GOAT receiver of all time - (I won't be accepting arguments on this one)

When you run hills by yourself, quitting is quiet.
When you run them with other people, quitting is obvious.

🛠️ THE FIX

So instead of making a resolution, try this:

Don’t ask, “What am I going to do next year?”​
Ask, “Who’s going to notice if I stop?”

Most resolutions fail because they’re invisible.
No standing expectations. No shared goals. No one mildly inconvenienced if you quit.

So pick one resolution and give it a witness or even better, a partner:

• a race, hike, or trip you already told someone you’d train for
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• a standing weekly workout where bailing means canceling on a real person
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• a shared goal with a date on the calendar that would be awkward to back out of

Because here’s the quiet truth about New Year’s resolutions:

If no one would notice you quitting, you probably will.
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So in 2026, let's make quitting loud.

📚 THE RECO

For my money, the best movie of 2025 was F1. (This is what we in Hollywood do from around December to March, we debate movies.)

That’s why I go to the movies.
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Scale. Craft. Actual stakes. No winking at the audience. Not a movie with dialogue intended for people scrolling on phones at home.

It trusted spectacle again. It reminded you what it feels like to sit in a theater and lock in.

Here’s hoping they make more of that in 2026. Here's to hoping I am one of the people who gets to make some of it in 2026 ;)
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Would love to hear from you all about your favorite movies, your resolutions, what you're excited for in 2026...reminder, I'm hear to be your friendship accountability buddy, so use me as a resource :)

Happy almost–New Year,
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Matt
The Friendship Guy

P.S. If you enjoy this newsletter or it helped you in any way this year, the best thing you can do is pay it forward it to a friend. They can sign up for the Friendship Challenge by clicking here.​

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