Put Yesterday Down

Hey team. All right, so here we are. Guess what? Today is the first day of 2025! Can you believe it? Let me be the first to congratulate everybody—Happy New Year! Well, I’m probably not the first. You were probably at a party last night or working last night, and somebody else said it to you when midnight hit. You’re not seeing this at midnight most likely—unless Jimmy is posting these at midnight. Maybe you guys are getting it at midnight. How cool is that?

The ball’s dropping, there are fireworks everywhere, and you’re listening to me at midnight while out on patrol or on-site. I just think that’s the coolest thing in the world. You’re probably rolling your eyes like my son Jonathan would and saying, “No, Chad, no. Seeing you at midnight is not the highlight of my career.” Don’t worry, I get it.

I just wanted to get the year started. I saw this quote a couple of months ago, and I’ve been saving it for this purpose: “Yesterday is heavy—put it down.”

“Yesterday is heavy—put it down.”

That’s a pretty powerful quote, isn’t it? Yesterday is heavy—put it down. You can’t carry yesterday. And since today is the first day of the year, 2024 is over. It’s behind us—all the successes, all the failures, everything, all the mistakes. It’s in the rearview mirror.

You have 365 days ahead of you in 2025. This year, Northwest Enforcement will be celebrating 25 years. That’s right, we’re 25 years old! So, we’re going to put yesterday down because it’s too heavy to carry into the future, and we’re going to start fresh with what we’ve got going on. I want you to do the same.

Think about consistency, think about habits. Think about the things you can do in 2025. I’m not talking about New Year’s resolutions. Set some goals, write them down, and start marching toward them. Put them on your bathroom mirror so you see them while brushing your teeth. Set daily goals, quarterly goals, monthly goals, and annual goals. Write them down and start checking them off.

Tell someone about your goals. Have someone hold you accountable so you can achieve them. If your goal is to read 10 pages a day, have someone check in with you regularly to ask, “Did you read your 10 pages today?” If you didn’t, then you’ve got 20 pages to do tomorrow. Don’t let it slide for more than two or three days, or you’ll fall behind, and the book won’t get read by the end of the month. Then, you won’t read a second book the next month, or a third the following month, and you won’t grow.

Failures will happen in the new year, but leave yesterday behind.

Carry the successes forward and build on them. Make it happen. Be a part of it. Have those accountability partners, habits, and goals. Write them down and put them where you’ll see them every day.

Make copies and put them in multiple places—your notebook, your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator, even your cereal cabinet. That way, when you grab your cereal, you’ll see your goals staring back at you. And if you’re trying to lose weight, maybe skip the Fruity Pebbles or Honeycomb. I’m saying this with love.

I’m on a diet right now—Seafood Diet. Get it? See food? Just kidding! I’m actually planning to work out this year, trim down a bit, and get back into better shape. You can be my accountability partner. Send me an email and ask, “Chad, did you go to the gym today? Did you get it done?” If I didn’t, tell me to go tomorrow. Help me out the way I want to help you.

As we head into 2025, Northwest Enforcement’s 25th anniversary, I’m so excited that you’re with us. We’re going to do this together. We’re going to be valuable because nothing less will do. Every shift, every day, we’ll show the world how valuable we are. We’ll gain more clients, and we’ll hire new team members. Maybe they’ll be your friends, or maybe they’ll become your friends. How cool is that? You’ll get to share with them the joy of being part of this family at Northwest Enforcement.

I’m excited for 2025—our 25th anniversary. Let’s put yesterday down, move forward with less baggage, and start fresh. Let’s do it!

God bless you all. Be valuable—nothing less will do. I’ll see you next week, or whenever next week is. Maybe Monday. Or if you stop by the office tomorrow, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.

God bless. See you soon. Bye.