Man… we made it to 2026.And if you’re still here reading this, that means you survived something.

Let me be real with you.

2025 humbled me.

I made mistakes — in business and in my personal life. Big ones. And the hardest part? I let things bother me that I teach my players and my sons never to let touch them.

I cared too much about opinions.I let outside noise slow my feet.I let people who never built anything make me question my next move.

And that hesitation? That hesitation has buried more dreams than failure ever has.

There are people walking this earth right now with nothing to show for their life — not because they weren’t talented, but because they never tried.Others quit the moment they felt embarrassed. Some stopped after their first “no.”Some folded the first time they didn’t look good.

Failure didn’t stop them.Fear did.

I helped people who later turned around and stabbed me in the back. I held onto ideas I knew would help others — not because they were bad ideas, but because I was afraid someone would say, “I don’t think you should do that.”

Let me tell you something real:

People who say that have never done anything worth protecting.

Life is not a straight line. It’s highs, lows, wins, losses, setbacks, and bounce-backs. But when you know in your heart that what you’re chasing gives your life meaning — GO GET IT.

There will be coaches, players, friends, and even family who try to slow you down. Not because you’re wrong — but because your courage exposes their comfort. Do not let them stop you. GO GET IT.

In baseball — and in life — you need a short memory and thick skin.

There will always be someone bigger.Faster.Stronger.

There will always be someone with more money, better facilities, better connections, and a cleaner path.

That’s not unfair. That’s reality.

But here’s the truth nobody wants to say out loud:

Most people with all the resources don’t have EFFORT.

Effort is the separator.

Effort is the equalizer.

Effort is what people who’ve never struggled can’t fake.

They weren’t built like you.They didn’t grow up seeing without.They didn’t learn hunger the way you did.

So in this new season — walk into the room, the field, the gym, or the workplace with PURE EFFORT.

Be okay with trying something new and failing. GO GET IT.

Be okay with hearing the truth about yourself and not getting soft. GO GET IT.

Be okay with people calling you an “aura farmer.” GO GET IT.

Be okay with friends falling off as your vision gets clearer. GO GET IT.

Be okay with being the only one who believes in you. GO GET IT.

This is our year.

No excuses.

No backpedaling.

No cutting corners.

And take no disrespect from doubt — especially your own.

GO GET IT.

Coach B. Gilbert Jr. (FMBA Founder, CEO)