What Are You Collecting Evidence For?

It’s the First of the Month.

Wow. It’s already August.

Not too surprising.

Not too fast.

Just on time.

Ever since I started living one day at a time, something interesting has happened. I don’t think much about what day of the week it is anymore. I don’t obsess over the month either. My attention has shifted to daily choices, daily experiments, daily promises.

Ironically, when you zoom in on the day, time doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s speeds up. It just keeps moving whether you’re paying attention or not.

I think that’s an awareness problem.

A few years ago, I had a 9-to-5 that I absolutely hated. Every day I argued with myself about how miserable I was. I was convinced that job was the manifestation of my worst nightmare.

Looking back, I see it differently.

No one forced me to apply for the job.

No one forced me to stay.

No one stopped me from applying somewhere else.

Yet there I was.

Miserable.

And if I’m being completely honest, I think there was a part of me that felt safe being the victim.

I’d have these vivid visions of living my dream life. What’s wild is that, at one point, I was one decision away from my dream life… and I didn’t take it. I blinked. I hesitated. Then I spent years replaying that story.

“I always lose.”

“I’m not one of the lucky ones.”

“I’m just not the type of person things work out for.”

Eventually, that story showed up everywhere.

My skin reflected neglect.

My posture screamed insecurity.

My clothes looked like I’d given up.

My work ethic suffered.

I genuinely believed I was good at losing.

Today, I know something I didn’t know then.

My awareness had become glued to everything that was wrong.

And here’s where science helps explain what was happening.

Your brain has a filtering system called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). Every second, it decides what deserves your attention and what gets ignored. Pair that with something psychologists call confirmation bias, our tendency to notice evidence that supports what we already believe, and you get a powerful feedback loop.

I believed I was stuck.

So my brain collected proof that I was stuck.
My behavior reflected that belief.

Then my results reinforced it.

Round and round we went.

Maybe your awareness isn’t stuck on a job.

Maybe it’s your body.

Maybe it’s money.

Maybe it’s your business.

Maybe it’s your relationships.

Maybe you’ve quietly accepted a story that sounds like, “This is just who I am.”

The thing is that your brain is incredibly loyal. Once it believes a story, it’ll spend all day trying to prove itself right. (read that again)

It took me three years to make a decision.

Then another three years to start changing my life.

Most before-and-after stories skip that part. Mine didn’t.

There were internal battles that nobody saw. No cheering section. No roadmap. No coach. No therapist. Just me and my thoughts.

The experience was a solid -10,000/10. I do not recommend.

That’s exactly why I’ll always advocate for asking for help.

Community.

Therapy.

Coaching.

Mentorship.

A trusted friend.

Something outside of your own mind.

And shamelessly, might I add.

Fast forward to today.

I started this newsletter.

I relaunched my YouTube channel. (Albeit a new channel, still...)

I’m taking my health seriously.

I’m building a business that aligns with my values.

Ironically, these are the very same things I wanted back when I felt the furthest away from them.

I could spend my life blaming circumstances.

Instead, I’ve decided to forgive myself.

Let bygones be bygones.

Because guilt doesn’t build a future.

Daily action does.

Maybe that’s why you’re reading this.

Maybe you know you’re capable of more, but something keeps pulling you back into the same thoughts, the same habits, the same story.

Maybe you’ve tried before.

Maybe something didn’t work.

Maybe you weren’t ready.

Whatever the truth is, here’s what I know:

You don’t have to overhaul your life this month.

You just need to collect different evidence.

One walk.
One workout.
One healthy meal.
One difficult conversation.
One application.
One video.
One page.
One promise kept.

Tiny moves have a funny way of becoming massive transformations when you repeat them long enough.

That’s exactly why I created my 100 Day Challenge.

Not because 100 days is magical.

Because 100 days gives you enough time to gather evidence that you’re becoming someone different.

Someone who follows through.
Someone who keeps promises to themselves.
Someone who no longer needs to borrow confidence because they’ve earned it.

So, here’s my challenge for you this August.

Every morning, ask yourself one question:

What am I collecting evidence for today?

Because if your awareness is searching for proof that you’re failing, you’ll find it.

If it’s searching for proof that you’re growing, you’ll find that too.

Awareness is powerful like that.

Here’s to the eighth month of 2026 according to the Gregorian calendar.

And double cheers to the best month of every year according to me. 😉

Whether August is your birthday month or not, you don’t need permission from the calendar to become someone new.

You just need today’s decision.

See you Tuesday for my weekly Life Design Lab exclusive email only BTS and next Saturday for the weekly deep dive newsletter.

Peace Out, Peace In.

-Spivey J.