“HOW TO TRY SOMETHING NEW FOR 30 DAYS - AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER!”

As we approach the dawn of 2025, a lot of us are beginning to ruminate over our ambitious New Year’s resolutions; whether it be prioritizing personal growth, career goals, or building better habits in general. To start the slate anew is an opportunity one creates for themselves. As is put succinctly, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.?

Recently, I have had the privilege of interviewing Ms. Jill Sinclair for my Communications report, who was graciously introduced to me by Bill Van Luven . Ms. Sinclair is a motivational speaker, author of Hustler Sophisticate, and a renowned mentor specializing in personal growth and leadership. She guides individuals and budding entrepreneurs to overcome barriers to success, and helps people break free from their limiting beliefs.?

This interview, hopefully, insights for anyone seeking to make the most of their New Years’ resolutions and embark on a meaningful journey of personal development. Here I give you a detailed summary of my conversation with Ms. Sinclair, which focuses on her philosophy revolving around overcoming self-doubt, staying motivated, and taking actionable steps toward success.

INTERVIEW SUMMARY:

"Motivation is a bonus, but commitment to the bigger picture is what sustains you through difficult times."

Interviewer (Jaismine): "Ms. Sinclair, thank you again for agreeing to this interview. Could you please tell me about how people can even begin to transform?"

Ms. Sinclair: "Transformation is not something that happens overnight. It’s a process, and it’s built on small, deliberate actions that you repeat consistently. The key is not expecting immediate results or waiting for a big burst of motivation. In fact, most people wait for the 'right' moment or the 'perfect' motivation, but that’s a trap. If you wait for the stars to align, you’ll be waiting forever. It’s about focusing on doing something—no matter how small—each day, and before you know it, you’ve made significant progress.

Consistency is more important than any one-time act. Motivation is helpful, but it’s unreliable. It fluctuates, and on the days you don’t feel motivated, it’s the discipline to keep moving forward that will keep you on track. When you make it a habit to act, even when you don’t feel like it, you’re much more likely to reach your goals."

Interviewer: How do you coach people to overcome that initial inertia and take those small steps?

Ms. Sinclair: "The first thing I always say is: start small. Don’t overwhelm yourself with grand goals from the start. Break down big tasks into manageable pieces. For instance, if someone wants to get fitter, I don’t say, 'Go run five miles tomorrow.' Instead, I’ll suggest they walk for 10 minutes. Put on your shoes. The key is making it so small that you can’t fail at it. Once you get into the habit, it’ll become easier to add more over time. But, if you expect too much too soon, you’ll burn out. So, you set up tiny wins that start building momentum."

Interviewer: How do you keep people motivated when those small wins feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things?

Ms. Sinclair: "Well, that’s a mindset shift I work on with my mentees. It’s all about reframing how you view success. If you only look at the end goal, it feels too far away and almost impossible. But when you focus on those small wins—no matter how small—they add up. It’s important to celebrate the little victories because they are the foundation for bigger ones. If you focus on the journey and recognize your progress, even in small steps, that can be incredibly motivating in itself.

Accountability is one of the most powerful tools you can use. I always suggest partnering with someone who will check in with you regularly—whether it’s a friend, a colleague, or even a coach. Having someone who is aware of your goals and your progress makes a huge difference. A lot of people start with the best intentions but then get distracted or lose steam. When you know someone else is expecting you to follow through, you’re much more likely to keep your commitment. In fact, I’ve worked with many people who’ve said, 'I wouldn’t have made it if I didn’t have someone keeping me on track.'"

Interviewer: Could you share an example of how embracing small, consistent changes has led to significant transformations in someone’s life or career?

Ms. Sinclair: "I can think of one person in particular that I mentored—a young man who had been in and out of the system, struggling with confidence and direction. He was stuck in a cycle of short-term goals and never truly saw anything through. When he came to me, he was just about to give up on the idea of building a career. But we set up an accountability structure. He would report in every week, and each time, he would get closer to his goal. Initially, it was just small steps—like applying for jobs or updating his resume—but over time, his confidence grew. Today, he runs his own business and has a team of employees. He credits the accountability system we put in place as the key to his success. It helped him stick to his plan and ultimately turned his life around. And that’s the beauty of it—he didn’t need to do anything extraordinary. He just needed to make those small, consistent steps and show up for himself and for his accountability partner. That’s all it took. Eventually, he gained the skills and mindset to take on bigger challenges, and now he’s a completely different person from when we first started working together."

Interviewer: That’s incredibly inspiring. Moving on, I feel many people fear failure. How do you help them overcome the fear of failing?

Ms. Sinclair: "People don’t exactly fear failure, they fear what other people might think of them if they fail at something. This can obviously be ingrained in them as well, they might see themselves that way too. What you fear is someone's judgment of that perceived failure - that's what you fear and that is based on your ego. I personally don't fear failure because I don't care what someone thinks about it. For instance, if you don't like my book, awesome. If you do like my book, awesome. And so for me, it's not fear of failure. We need to back that up. It's fear of judgment. And why do you fear judgment of people that you don't even know? They're not even thinking about you. And if they are, they're usually jealous of you.

The first step is to shift your focus from the fear of failure to the opportunity to learn. People often fear how others will perceive them if they fail, but I remind them that other people’s opinions are none of their business. What matters is your own growth. And with every failure, you learn something that makes you better prepared for the next attempt. So, I encourage my clients to see failure as a necessary part of their journey, not a roadblock."

Interviewer: That’s definitely a refreshing way to view it. Lastly, you’ve built a successful career helping others achieve their goals. Have you faced any setbacks in your own journey, and if so, how did you manage them?

Ms. Sinclair: "Oh, definitely. I’ve faced setbacks, especially when I started my business. There were times when I felt discouraged, especially when the results weren’t immediate. But what kept me going was a sense of responsibility. I knew that what I was doing mattered—whether I had setbacks or not. I had a commitment to the people I was helping, and that drove me to keep pushing forward. Motivation can fluctuate, but when you have a deeper sense of responsibility and a strong sense of why you’re doing something, that will keep you moving, even in the face of challenges."

Interviewer: So, for you, it was about the larger mission, not just personal motivation?

Ms. Sinclair: "Exactly. Motivation is a bonus, but commitment to the bigger picture is what sustains you through difficult times. It’s that sense of responsibility to yourself and others that keeps you going, no matter the obstacles."