2026: Stay In The Arena

Reflections on staying the course, even when the progress feels slow

Hello my people,

Every year, I send out an annual letter.

It’s a moment for me to reflect on the year that has passed and to share what I believe the new year is inviting us into — personally, creatively, and collectively.

Over the years, these letters have carried different titles, each one shaped by the season I was in at the time.

In 2022, it was On Unicorn Dreams.

In 2023, Honour Thyself, Buy the Lottery Tickets.

In 2024, The Year of the Creator.

I’ll be linking them here in case you want to go back and read (or re-read) them. Each one captures a particular moment in my journey, and maybe you’ll find something in them that still resonates.

As I thought about what I wanted to write this year, I asked myself a simple question: What has been most consistent in my journey so far?

This year feels especially significant because I turn 40. And while there’s a popular tradition of sharing “40 lessons in 40 years,” I decided not to start there — at least not in this first letter of the year. Instead, I kept coming back to one idea.

Staying power.

If I look back on my life and work, I see a familiar cycle that many of us experience. It usually starts with clarity and excitement. A vision feels strong. A meeting goes well. A project feels promising. You commit time, energy, money, and belief. You start something with people who can see what you see.

At the beginning, there’s momentum, confidence, certainty about where things are going.

And then reality shows up.

Things take longer than expected, plans shift, opportunities don’t land when you thought they would, people change their minds, and resources get tight. Life interrupts.

One of the biggest lessons life teaches you is that things rarely unfold exactly the way — or at the time — you imagine they will.

Over time, I’ve come to believe that what separates the small percentage of people who build long-term, meaningful success from those who don’t isn’t always talent, skill, money, or even access. It’s not just hard work or network. It’s staying power - the ability to keep going after the excitement fades. The willingness to remain in the arena when others quietly step away, and the discipline to continue when progress feels slow.

Sometimes I go through emails from 10 or 15 years ago and see names that were everywhere at the time. People with platforms, visibility, and momentum. Some of them are still building. Others aren’t. Yes, success is relative, and fulfillment looks different for everyone. But I also know people who regret leaving too early — people who stepped away from something they cared deeply about, only to realise later how hard it is to return. They found stability. They found something else to do, but not always a sense of fulfillment around the dream they once carried. Gratitude and contentment matter. But there are certain dreams that stay with you — because you know you had the capacity to see them through.

Many visionaries say they were early. And sometimes that’s true. But being early only matters if you’re willing to stay long enough for timing to catch up.

Over the years, I’ve evolved and iterated many times. I’ve changed direction, adjusted my approach, and rebuilt more than once. I’ve learned to see that as growth, not failure. And I’ve learned to recognise progress differently.

We often say “I’m trying to move the needle,” but needles don’t jump dramatically. They move in small increments. Sometimes so small you almost miss it. But even the slightest shift changes the reading. Direction matters more than speed. And small movements, over time, compound. I’ve learned this lesson personally, in very real ways.

I recorded my first podcast in 2016. It was called The Ripple Effect, and we eventually published it around 2017 or 2018. Podcasting drew me in because it allowed me to think out loud, to explore ideas deeply, and to share my thought leadership in a way that felt natural to me. That evolved into The Lumination Show around 2020. Later, that became Switch On with Adaora — a podcast where I released about 75 episodes. Many of you may still know it today as The Purpose Circle.

Each version looked different. The names changed. The formats changed. The platforms changed.

But the mission never did.

For the past 20 years of my life, I’ve been on a mission to help people become better versions of themselves — and to help creators grow, learn, build, monetize, and scale. The expression evolved, but the mission has stayed the same.

And here’s something else staying in the arena teaches you: you learn a lot while you’re there. Even when you’re not playing. You learn by watching others. You learn how the game works. You learn the rules, the boundaries, the consequences. You learn by observing yourself — how you react to pressure, silence, and uncertainty. That’s where self-awareness is built. That’s where identity work happens. So when people look at the quality of what I produce today and say, “She values excellence,” they’re right — but excellence didn’t appear overnight. It came from time in the arena. I remember putting out episodes years ago and barely anyone listening. Very few views. Very little feedback. No immediate validation. But I stayed.

I was learning how to communicate, how to structure ideas, how to listen — to myself and to others. Waiting was not wasted time. And this is where I also want to speak to those of you who support visionaries. There’s something my friend once said to me that stayed with me: “A lot of people plant the seed, but they don’t stay for the harvest.” People leave opportunities. They leave organisations. They leave founding teams. They leave communities they helped build. And then the harvest comes — and it goes to someone else. It’s very easy, in hindsight, to say, “Maybe that wasn’t meant for me.” But what if it was meant for you? What if that was your harvest — and impatience made you miss it? This isn’t about guilt or blame. And it’s not an invitation to stay in situations that don’t serve you. We all know the difference. Your gut always knows. No matter how logical you try to be, your body and your spirit register misalignment immediately. And when you leave something you know you were meant to stay in, your soul feels that regret — even if you explain it away.

Staying power is about discernment, not suffering. The staying power I believe in comes from conviction. From alignment. From seeing enough evidence — internally and externally — that something still has real potential. Not 20%. That’s too low. But if there’s even a 51% chance — if more points toward growth than collapse — then I believe that’s a risk worth taking. This is why I often say the most important thing you can do is stay in the arena.

Think of a football team. Not every player is on the pitch every game. Some sit on the bench for weeks. They train, observe, and stay ready.If you leave the arena, you remove the possibility of being called in.

And timing matters.

There’s a verse in the Bible that says, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

Life moves in seasons. Some things are valuable but not fully realised in the season they’re introduced. Like cocoa — it doesn’t grow year-round. Farmers know there’s a specific season to plant and a specific season to harvest. The same seed, planted at the right time, produces abundance. Some of you are carrying ideas like that.

They’re not broken.

They don’t need replacing.

They don’t even need reinventing.

They need timing.

They need patience.

They need you to stay.

This doesn’t mean being passive. Dreams don’t “just happen.” Every breakthrough is backed by action — a call made, a document written, a decision taken. But there are things effort alone cannot beat. Time is one of them.

So as we move into this year, I want to say this directly to you:

Stay.

It’s hard.

It’s frustrating.

Sometimes it feels like you’re moving slower than everyone else.

Sometimes it feels like you’ve been running for a long time without the reward matching the effort.

If you’re tired, sit on the bench.

Rest.

Breathe.

Regroup.

But don’t leave the arena.

with Love,

— x. Lumina

P.S. I’m excited to share that the 2026 revised edition of my book, This Thing Called Purpose, is finally here. Even if you have the first edition, I encourage you to grab this version — it’s a cleaner, more refined copy with a few updates and improvements. This is a pre-order, and copies will start shipping on March 1st. Stock is limited, so make sure to secure your copy here.

This book is a guide to understanding yourself, clarifying your purpose, and stepping more fully into your vision — and I hope it serves you well in this new year.