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There’s a Japanese legend that says: “If you feel like you’re losing everything, remember that trees lose their leaves every year and they still stand tall and wait for better days to come.”
That is not soft comfort. That is a leadership blueprint.
Trees don’t panic when the season changes. They don’t beg winter to be nicer. They don’t quit because it got cold.
They do what winners do: they stand tall, stay rooted, and wait out what they cannot control while preparing for what they can.
Some of you are walking into 2026 feeling like you lost a few “leaves” in 2025. Momentum. Confidence. A recruit. A big client. A streak you were proud of. Good. You’re not broken. You’re in season.
And if you’re with WealthWave, you’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from a system.
Here’s the truth: success is not a straight line. It is a repeating cycle of belief, action, results, refinement, and more action. The people who win are not the ones who never get hit. They are the ones who don’t stay down.
Winter doesn’t kill a strong tree. It reveals it.
If you feel stretched, pressured, or behind, you are not disqualified. You are being invited to lead yourself first, then lead others.
I’m about to begin my 44th year in this business model. I’ve learned a few things the hard way. I spent a decade each with Art Williams and Hubert Humphrey. I’m an original copy of the guys who built the foundation so many people have benefited from.
That perspective gives you one advantage: you stop chasing “new” and start building “lasting.”
And here’s one of the biggest lessons:
No system and no company is perfect.
But the most important decision in this business is who you join, not what you join.
Because products change. Compensation plans evolve. Technology upgrades. Markets shift. But leadership, culture, and integrity are what determine whether something lasts.
If you want something that outlives hype, it takes real ingredients:
Most companies that don’t make it aren’t failing on effort. They’re missing one or more of those ingredients.
WealthWave has them. That’s why we’re still here. That’s why we’re growing. That’s why you can build something real, not temporary.
A business you’re proud of is built when nobody’s watching, and it lasts because integrity is baked in, not bolted on.
Read this twice: As long as you don’t quit, eventually you’ll make it here.
Not because you “deserve it.” Because this model rewards consistency. It rewards activity. It rewards follow-through. It rewards leaders who decide that excuses are expensive.
And WealthWave gives you every single thing you need:
You are part of the business of the future, today. Financial illiteracy is still everywhere. Confusion is still everywhere. People are still being exploited by what they don’t understand. That is why our crusade is not “nice.” It’s necessary.
You want a better year? Stop hoping and start stacking wins. Here’s a simple plan that works if you will work it.
1) Re-Root Your Identity
You are not your last month. You are not your last rejection. You are not your last setback.
Decide who you are in 2026: a leader who finishes.
2) Rebuild With Contact
This is a contact sport. No contact, no contracts.
“The system works when you work the system. The quitters never find out how close they were.”
- Bill Mitchell
3) Teach First. Serve When Asked.
Start where the fear is. People are worried about retirement, taxes, inflation, debt, and running out of money. You don’t have to be loud. You have to be clear.
4) Build Leaders, Not Just Lists
A bigger business is built by bigger people.
5) Make Consistency Your Competitive Advantage
Most people are talented. Few are consistent.
Win 2026 by doing what others won’t:
Trees don’t “feel motivated.” They’re rooted. They’re steady. They stand tall through the season they didn’t order, because they know the season will change.
So if you feel like you’ve been losing leaves, good. That means you’re still standing. And if you’re still standing, you’re still in the game.
2026 is not going to be your best year because the market gets nicer or people get easier. It’s going to be your best year because you decide to lead at a higher level, contact at a higher level, and serve at a higher level.
Better days don’t come to the lucky. They come to the leaders who stay rooted, stay in integrity, and stay in the fight.
Let’s make 2026 the year you stop “trying” and start finishing.
Stand tall. Get back to work. Bring your team with you.
And go make dreams come true.
Tom Mathews
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