It's not going to be easy whenever you do it. It's going to be uncomfortable. It's not going to pay off right away. It may even be a little painful.
But you know what?
Procrastination isn't saving you…it's only adding interest to the bill you're going to have to pay eventually. As Nathaniel Rateliff sings in his song Center of Me, it's a trap that we all fall into:
Hey wait, why do I wait until this shit gets harder?
Hey wait, my words are arriving now
So I wait, I wait until the shit gets harder
Alone in my hะตad
We do this to ourselves, putting off until tomorrow what we could do today. We delay conversations we need to have, only making them more painful when we ultimately do have them. We put off going to the gym or exercising, ignoring the fact that we're only digging a deeper hole we'll have to climb out of. We tell ourselves we'll deal with our phone addiction 'soon,' but our reliance on it only gets harder to break with each day and week that passes (and the consequences on our relationships pile up too). We put off starting something we know is going to take a long time…as if that does anything but push back the completion date.
Maybe after this big project at work. Maybe after things "settle down" a bit. Maybe after your parents' visit. Maybe after this next birthday. And on and on.
"How much longer are you going to wait," Epictetus says, "to demand the best for yourself?" Why are you waiting to make that change—and by delaying it, also making it harder to realize?
Change isn't easy. It takes work—real, deliberate, consistent effort.
Being more present at home, getting over your envy, eating better, drinking less, reading more, building your strength or stamina… it's not going to happen by accident. It's never going to happen if you don't start.
Imagine what that positive habit could have done for you if you'd begun it already. Imagine what those small gains would have added up to by now. What would that freedom feel like? What would you give to add a new positive way of thinking or acting into your daily routine? And wouldn't it be easier to start now than to put it off as it gets harder and harder to change?
Well, that's what Stoics all over the world are coming together to do in January. People just like you, struggling, growing, trying to make that satisfying progress towards becoming the kind of person they know they can be—are coming together for the 2026 Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge.
Maybe you're thinking of joining us…but you've put off signing up.
Why?
Why not kick off 2026 with 21 actionable challenges, presented one per day, built around the best exercises in Stoicism, and designed to help you do exactly what Marcus Aurelius strived to do himself: Rising up, driving out the bad, and taking action on becoming the person you know you're capable of being. It's stuff you know you need to do…so do it now. Not later.
This year, we've taken everything we've learned—years of feedback, insights, and hard-won lessons—and distilled them into our most powerful challenge yet.
2026 is going to be a challenging year…so let's rise to meet it!
We've intentionally updated the challenges, building on the successes and insights from each previous year to create something designed to meet the unique demands of 2026 and help you take control of your life like never before.
How would you feel if, when next year comes around, you weren't doing the same old thing? If you weren't being jerked like a puppet by your bad habits?
Don't wait another year to change the course of your life. Don't wait another year to resolve your flaws and be rid of your vices.
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