There is an irony I didn’t fully appreciate until recently.
For over twelve years, I have written a weekly blog to share my thoughts and experiences with you about growth, never settling, reaching your full potential and doing the hard work to get there. I have challenged you, and honestly myself, to embrace #beBetter as a daily mindset — the reminder that when we think we have arrived, we begin to lose our way.
And now #beBetter has come for the blog itself.
That is the thing about a genuine growth mindset. It doesn’t only show up in convenient moments. It shows up in the hard ones, too. The ones where you have to let go of something near and dear so you can reach for the next ring. That is where I find myself today.
My friends and incredible supporters, the time has come to pause the weekly #beBetter blog. This is not a retirement — I want to be clear about that. When the right opportunity presents itself, I will be back in this space. But the weekly rhythm is stepping aside so I can go deeper, reach further, and share more through my new primary platform — YouTube.
Many of you already know that I have been building a YouTube channel that closely aligns with the principles and wisdom we have shared right here. As I have invested more deeply into the channel, I have had to face a truth that every leader eventually faces: you cannot do all things well at once. Something has to give so something else can grow.
The blog is giving. The mission is not.
What #beBetter Has Always Meant — and Why It Still Matters
Before I close this chapter, I want to share why I have held onto this rally cry for so long and why I always will.
We all need motivation. We all need encouragement. And we are at our absolute best when something challenges us to grow. #beBetter is that challenge. It represents a growth mindset and serves as a daily reminder that there is always a better version of ourselves worth pursuing. Not compared to anyone else. Not a standard that beats you up when you fall short. Simply the distance between who you are today and who you are capable of becoming.
#beBetter is also one of the most powerful ways I know to receive feedback. When you carry a growth mindset, feedback becomes a gift rather than an attack. You stop reaching for your defense mechanisms and start asking what you can actually use. Not all feedback deserves equal weight — some is too generous, some is too harsh, some carries emotional ties that have nothing to do with the truth. The discipline is to take what is useful, especially anything showing up as a recurring theme, and leave the rest on the plate.
One of the most joyful things I ever witnessed was what happened when our team at HORNE fully embraced #beBetter together. It became more than a mindset — it became a language of recognition. Team members began giving each other #beBetter stickers whenever they saw someone make a contribution that moved the team forward. That little gesture carried enormous meaning. It said:
I see you. What you did made us better. That is magnetic energy in its purest form.
A Word of Deep Gratitude
None of this — not a single post across twelve years — would have happened without you. Your support has built accountability, provided insights, and helped spread this message far beyond anything I could have reached on my own. You made this blog possible, and I am genuinely grateful.
I also want to shine a bright light on two people who have worked behind the scenes for years and deserve far more recognition than they have received. Marla Gardner and Bruce Walt — close friends and former colleagues — have served as my unofficial editorial board, offering honest feedback, sharper perspective, and steady encouragement through more posts than I can count. You might have caught their names in a story or two but probably had no idea how instrumental they have been on our blog.
And CeCe — twelve years of material (thank goodness, I didn’t use all of it — happy wife, happy life), twelve years of patience, twelve years of shaking her head and smiling anyway. Thank you.
Come Find Me on YouTube
This is not a goodbye. Not even close. I hope to see you over on YouTube, where I am posting both shorts — under a minute — and longer videos that go deeper into leadership, workplace culture, and what it really takes to build something that lasts. If you want to come along for the next part of the journey, I would love to have you. You can find me at youtube.com/@JoeyHavens.
Always remember — #beBetter
