Every new year arrives filled with promises: to improve, to grow, to finally achieve what once remained unfinished. No entanto, experience is clear and firm in teaching us that success does not begin on January 1st. It begins at the moment a person decides to take responsibility for their direction. The calendar does not transform us — decisions made with confidence, perseverance, and commitment do.
A real-life example that illustrates this clearly is J.K. Rowling. Before becoming one of the most widely read authors in the world, Rowling began a new year in extremely difficult circumstances: a single mother, unemployed, living on government assistance, and facing deep depression. There was no success, no stability, no guarantees. What did exist was a quiet yet firm decision — a commitment, sustained by confidence and perseverance, to a story she believed was valuable. The success that followed was neither immediate nor easy. Her manuscript was rejected by more than a dozen publishers. Each rejection could have confirmed failure. Yet Rowling did not use those circumstances as an excuse to give up; instead, she used them as a filter to focus on what truly mattered: writing better, persisting, learning. Years later, her work not only transformed her own life but impacted millions of readers around the world.
This example reminds us of something essential at the start of a new year: real success is not born only from enthusiasm, but especially from the consistency of personal commitment. It does not depend on ideal conditions, but on the ability to move forward even when circumstances are adverse. Starting the year well does not mean having everything resolved; it means being clear about what is worth sustaining when difficulties appear.
Além disso, success rarely arrives as a sudden explosion. It is usually built quietly, far from applause, through small but repeated decisions: getting up one more day, making an uncomfortable call, correcting mistakes, trying again. A new year does not demand perfection — it demands honesty with ourselves: recognizing where we are, what we are willing to do, and how far our commitment truly goes.
We can share that this year begins gloriously with the opening of a new hospital — now totaling 18 — and we believe this number will continue to grow. We are truly proud of the groups in different hospitals who join silently, with great professionalism, studying day by day with honesty and solidarity, the science of consciousness during cardiac arrest. Something is improving in our society, even if polarization also exists.
Portanto, this year, instead of asking, “What do I want to achieve?” perhaps we should ask, “What am I willing to sustain when the enthusiasm fades?” That is where true success is born — not in grand resolutions, but in daily coherence between what we dream and what we do.
Happy New Year 2026, dear friends.
Xavier Melo PhD
Diretor Fundador
Fundação Icloby