That’s the promise—and the challenge—of this conversation with psychologist Simon Matthews, author of the article “You Don’t Need More Willpower.”

So many of us assume growth is about discipline: pushing harder, resisting temptation, forcing better habits. But what if that mindset is the very reason you keep getting stuck?

In this episode we explore why willpower fails, what actually drives lasting change, and how faith reshapes the way we understand transformation.

Simon's article | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | X

• (00:00) - – Intro
• (01:25) - – New Years failures and why they fail
• (11:51) - – Old ideas of "self-control" and virtue
• (13:50) - – Is willpower just a fake construct?
• (18:54) - -- Is everyone just better than me?
• (20:37) - – Alexander the Great, Augustus
• (26:54) - – So should I just be lazy?
• (29:28) - – Needs & values
• (39:30) - – Habit-building
• (44:36) - -- Your environment matters
• (49:38) - -- A healthier question than "why don't I have better willpower?"
• (53:39) - – Final Takeaways

It's our end-of-year wrap-up episode! This time, we look back at some of our favourite articles from Signs of the Times for 2025.

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It's the holiday season, and for all of us who celebrate, it's often a time of reflection—on our personal lives, on the state of the world—and our place in it. It's also a time when much of the world pauses and indulges in food, family and gift-giving. Much of the secular world obsesses over these material pursuits in an ever-unsatisfying of consumption and excess.

For those of us who follow Jesus, however, Christmas is more than just gifts and food. It's a time when we reflect on a tiny baby who entered the world in a time of war and strife to bring peace "on earth to all men (and women, of course)". In the December 2025 issue of Signs of the Times, two articles focus on this theme of peace: one through the lens of a Roman emperor, and the other through a miraculous moment during the carnage of World War I.

The Prince of Peace | The Christmas Truce | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | X