Most people drift through a year…

A few choose to define it.

Misogi (禊) is a Japanese concept rooted in ritual cleansing. In its modern form, it means choosing one deliberately difficult challenge to shape an entire year.

A Misogi should scare you a little. 

The standard test is simple: if success feels guaranteed, it’s too small. 

The difficulty is the point.

The challenge forces you to build resilience, and is also what will make the achievement memorable for many years to come.

A Misogi isn’t universal. What breaks one person barely registers for another. 

For some, it’s physical, such as running a marathon or climbing a mountain. 

For others, it’s mental or skill-based. Perhaps learning an instrument or committing to a silent retreat.

The form doesn’t matter. The meaning does.

Years later, you should be able to point back and say:

“That was the year I did that.”

My personal Misogi is to rebuild the Survival Fitness Plan.

I know this just sounds like I’m going to work, but for me it also means staying in one place for an entire year. 

No summer camp. No visiting family in Australia. No traveling to new places.

For someone who hasn’t stayed in the same spot longer than 6 months in the last 20 years, this is definitely a challenge.

Now it’s your turn.

Have a good, long think about what you would like to achieve this year.

Choose something you know will be difficult for you. 

Something which you will most likely think about giving up on during the process.

Something you can be proud of once you’ve completed it.

Something that you can look back on years into the future and say:

“I did that in 2026!”