This blog has been written, without a miss, for a decade, delivered every Sunday without fail.
Truthfully, I am stunned I’ve done anything this long, and it’s now time for a new promise.
Last week, between
BLACK FRIDAY
CYBER MONDAY
GIVING TUESDAY
WHATEVER WEDNESDAY
…I received more emails of annoyance from companies, peers, and causes than I could keep up with. I was hitting the UNSUBSCRIBE button so fast, being sent to the outer reaches of “Manage my Profile to End your Subscription” and other daunting tasks placed upon me (“do you want to report this as SPAM?”) to release the grip of consumerism, that I nearly gave up!
But I didn’t – and I rid myself of many needless distractions, sales I don’t want to be sold on, charities I’d never heard of but didn’t have any money left to give to (already supporting many others), and probably hurt the feelings of my friends whose email lists they stuck me on because we once emailed each other…and they probably check who drops more than I do.
It’s too much information, and if I’m interested I’ll come knocking.
What I can say to you, Dear Reader, is that I appreciate that you have been around this long as well. I don’t know why you haven’t unsubscribed up to this point, and to those still here, THANK YOU!
If you’ve read between the lines in the last few months, this blog consistency has worn on me. I am guilty of missing out on family time and saving it to the last minute, even on a Saturday night when I should be making out with my wife or watching a movie with my kids…instead writing a blog late into the evening, to keep a promise to myself to have a blog out every Sunday morning by 5 AM.
It was actually my family who encouraged a shift in the Promise Blog after hearing my millionth complaint about The Promise I made long ago to do this every Sunday.
When should The Promise of The Promise change?
When should we stop doing something that serves us so little just because ego says we ought to continue, without much ROI to prove it’s value outside of, “Ha! See! I did it.”
Is that enough to keep going?
It has been for a few years.
In my search for more time, as I sleep less hours, running multiple organizations, receiving more unexpected opportunities on huge public stages requiring my travel and racing around the world, being stretched to the limits, I am needing to allocate my efforts to that which is most beneficial.
I just realized the other day – I haven’t written a new book since 2020, and that was submitted to the publisher in 2019.
Dang. The Promise was to write one every year. Haven’t done one in 5 years? What?
The question became – had I given that time to writing more books instead of the efforts of this blog, would I have done so? I’d like to think so, but who knows? The time has passed.
In the past few months I have taken it upon myself to write my Dad’s life story.
For 40 years ghostwriters have fallen by the wayside of honorable attempts at finding my Dad’s voice and telling his stories like he would…but it could never be completed.
As we met, my Dad would listen to my version of each story and laugh out loud, wondering how distorted I saw his life and legend from my youthful perspective of a Big Fish life, while he would correct me of the numbers or situations of his life’s story I was missing.
It has been the richest experience of our relationship, my mining of his history, to be able to retell that which can only live on if I write it finally.
That’s a Promise worth making and keeping! But guess what’s in the way, other than my insane schedule, being a Dad, and all else?
This blog.
Every week.
And I’m stretching to say and share what matters some times, and to me that is not The Promise, other than perhaps The Promise to not give up on something worthy to do with great effort and very little return in terms of leading to opportunity, changing lives, even comments for heck’s sake, and being monetarily beneficial.
And so, this is it, my friend!
I mean, not the blog, just the Blog showing up every Sunday with consistency.
I need a break, and I probably didn’t need to tell you, as perhaps it wouldn’t be too noticeable to more than a few, but I felt it important to at least let you know what happens when The Promise changes.
I’m writing my Dad’s book, and I have others asking me to write theirs, too.
There aren’t enough hours in the day to do them all, and so I will write a Blog post when inspiration strikes, an experience is too incredible not to share, or there’s something really amazing to say.
Until then, I’ll be writing books, making and keeping New Promises, and completing the story of my Dad’s life, which is also my story in it’s own way, and that is more important to our family and lives right now.
I appreciate you understanding, and am thankful for the kind things you’ve said about enjoying this blog coming to you every Sunday.
It will still show up when the time is right, and I hope we can continue this journey together, it just won’t be every week.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll reconsider your Promises, and which ones need to change because they’ve run their course or are no longer serving you, getting in the way of the greater Promises you need to keep.
Also, I have an ASK: if you have a favorite Blog post I’ve written, I’d love to have you comment or send me a private message which one that was, what you liked about it, as it means a lot to hear from you.
Until then –
God Bless You.
God Bless America.
God Bless our World.
Keep the Promise.
Spread the ultimate CHRISTMAS Gifts of laughter and joy by clicking here, watch the video below, and grab tickets for my shows in 2025 at Hale Centre Theatre.
~ Jason Hewlett
Husband, Father, Writer, Mentor, Hiker
- Speaker Hall of Fame * Award-Winning Entertainer * Mentor
- World’s Only Keynote Speaker utilizing entertainment, musical impressions, and comedy to teach The Promise
- Author of “The Promise To The One”
- President of Cardio Miracle. Go to CardioMiracle.com to take your health back! Use coupon code HEW2024 for 15% OFF your order (NOT an MLM).
34 Responses
Hey Jason
“Husband, father, writer, mentor…hiker”? Hope your new promises include time hiking in the Alps. Or at least exploring more of Utah. Walk the Earth as Jesus did. With purpose.
Blessings to you in 2025 and beyond.
Elain
That’s a dream goal trip to hit the Alps. I hike every other week throughout Utah, thankful to live here!
Thank you for your blogs Jason! It is something I have looked forward to every Sunday! Your honesty, authenticity, and humor are refreshing & fun! The world needs more “clean” fun! And getting to know you & your family more through those blogs was a blessing! I will watch for that book about your Dad and the new promise you will bring! Thank you for every story, they were all great!
Thank you so much Sherry, that means a great deal.
Jason,
Thanks for your weekly dose of inspiration. I haven’t subscribed to the blog for the entire 10 years you’ve been doing it, but it probably has been five years or so. I have also probably written a comment two or three times during those five years. If I had to name a favorite entry that would be difficult to pin down- there have been many that have inspired me to be better to keep my promise better. A few examples- I liked the entry when you talked about getting the baptismal font ready early on Saturday morning- often losing sleep with worry over getting it full in time (with water still warm for the baptisms!). I enjoyed hearing about you meeting an NBA star with your kids in a restaurant in Salt Lake and your daughter had to “sneak” in a photograph of the moment. I sympathized with you as you wrote about taking an e-bike to the gym and those there who harassed you about how using an e-bike was “cheating”. I loved hearing your recent entries on the tour you took with Tucker Carlson and your plead for us to stop “canceling” each other and learn to get along with people who we don’t agree with.
As you have mentioned several times over the past year the blog can be burdensome and it has been a wonderful journey living these life defining moments with you. Thanks for the stories, thanks for being vulnerable and showing us not only your struggles, but your triumphs as well. Best of luck with your books and other endeavors. I’ll look forward to the blog entries whenever they come even if it isn’t every week.
Kurt, this is so awesome to see these stories lasted for you. Many blessings to you.
Your warmth and sincerity come across in your blog. I get so many emails and most I don’t open. With your ability to connect with readers I was inspired to open and read yours. May God bless you on your continued journey and writing.
Thank you so much Debra for the encouraging words.
Happy Holiday Season & Merry Christmas to You & Your Family !
When does a promise change ? As you write, when it’s not so much joy, but a serious chore. I will miss you every Sunday as I wake up & get going; but that means I will very much enjoy when we all hear from you.
Blessing of health & joy to you and your family –
Take Care & Stay Well,
Lynn from IL
Thank you so much Lynn, that means a great deal.
Jason, thanks so much for all your inspiration! I have loved your blogs. I can’t really say which is my favorite. I love how you make me laugh and smile. But probably the last video of your tour with Tucker Carlson is the one I have watched a few times.
Blessings on your book writings.
Thank you Paula, that Tucker experience was certainly one for the record books!
Jason, I don’t have a specific week that stands out, but I remember when you injured your leg and how hard you worked to get back in shape. I just looked back in my old emails and I’ve read every one except for last Sunday, but I promise I’ll go read that right away! I’ve been reading your blog since January 2019. This summer I took my husband to the Hale Theatre to watch you. We loved it and he has told many people how good your performance was. I will continue to watch for your occasional blog. Good luck with all of your future books!
So kind of you, Kris, to come to the show. Grateful you remember the leg injury one!
I will miss reading your Sunday blogs. Huge thanks for doing this. They are inspiring, funny, and motivating. One of my favorites is when you shared what your kids gave you for Christmas. The remake photos of 80’s sitcoms and style. Your family is awesome. I love you guys.
Bishop Christensen – you are the best. I appreciate so much encouragement from you about this blog for so long. We love your family.
Jason, just want to let you know I’ve throughly enjoyed reading each of your blogs since I’ve been a subscriber. Not sure how long that has been. I’ve received a lot of inspiration from them. I can relate to some, learn from some, be reminded from some and greatly inspired by many. With that being said, I also completely understand your need to change things up a bit and focus on something extremely important and that is your family and the history involved in it. I look forward in the future to read any book you write and wish you well in this endeavor. When you put your mind to something it’s never half way but your whole heart will be there. My best to you! Oh by the way I’ve been trying to unsubscribe to many email lists I’ve found myself on that I never intended to be on. What a challenge. Yours was certainly not one of them as I purposely chose to receive yours and will miss them. Thanks for all.
Thank you Bobbye, I always appreciate your comments and thanks for the kindness and support!
I have enjoyed so many! Thank you for the insight you give to everyday life as we all keep doing what we can and know. Looking forward to your book!
That is so kind of you Heather, thank you for taking the time to comment here.
I agree with so many of the comments above! I’ve appreciated your inspiration and the relatable way in which you right! The posts about your knee rehab are hard to forget. They were incredibly inspirational and so relatable in that we all experience challenges throughout life! Also, I understand the need to change the promise – seasons of life change. This is a perfect reminder to evaluate our promises and to let go of some promises so that we can make and keep new promises. It doesn’t always mean that letting go will be easy, but it will be worth it. I wish you the best as you begin writing your father’s story – what an honor it must be to do so!
Thank you Sabrina for taking the time to comment. I’m grateful the knee rehab story was relatable and hope you’ll watch for when more stories arrive.
Jason, I have enjoyed your blog for many years. One post that I remember in particular was when you shared an experience of visiting a friend’s home and seeing his handcrafted circus scene. Like an old-fashioned circus. It had animals, people, and circus tents. You said you wept when you saw it because of the dedication and incredible artistry the person displayed. I appreciated that you shared that experience because it shows the level of dedication a person gives to their craft. I thought it was a good way to honor your friend. Another memorable post is when you talked about driving your family in a motorhome for a summer vacation. You talked about how much your family loved it and yet how stressful it was to drive the huge motorhome. Funny how some of the most enjoyable things can cause so much stress for the organizer! Thank you Jason for taking the time to share your writing talent week after week. Enjoy your break!
Thank you so much Doug for these great memories. Yes, the post about Clint Pulver’s handmade circus actually even made it into my book! And the RV continues to give us fits among trips of great memories. Thank you for commenting.
Oh wow! I’m going to miss reading these every week but I completely understand what you are saying. I can’t choose just one blog, I have loved all of them. 🥰
I look forward to any that may pop up but until then Merry Christmas to you and your family. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much Ginger, that means a lot. Merry Christmas to you as well!
Jason Hewlett, CSP, CPAE I commend you! It takes real courage to take forward a bold Promise to the One in the first place, but to sustain it dutifully over the years as you have. Wow!! That said, It takes just as much courage, if not more, to pump the brakes, look up, and honestly assess what you need to amplify and what you need to jettison? And be willing to make the bold moves.
Perhaps, you might consider adopting a new mantra? How about…”The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
Sounds like you’ve rediscovered the main thing. Kudos, my friend.
My Brother! Thank you, Mr. Winters, for being my advocate for so long. I am grateful for you.
Jason, I have enjoyed reading your blog each week; sometimes they made me laugh, sometimes they made me cry, but ALWAYS they made me thankful that I was at an event you spoke at. God Bless you and your family and I look forward to your next post.
Thank you so much Lynn. I appreciate such encouraging words!
I actually looked for your blog because it hadn’t “shown up in my email”. I’m glad I decided to read this in its entirety to understand why.
I’m happy for you doing what is most important for you and your family. I would love to read your dad’s life story. Those stories that remind us of fond memories are being lost in this new “era” of life.
I wish you and your family a Happy New Year.
Thank you very much Marianne for inquiring and understanding. I have found great peace with this decision, and also much needed time to work on very important things. Can’t wait to release his story to the world.
I too have thoroughly enjoyed you blog these past few years. Great work, Jason! Many blessings to you and your family.
Thank you for the support Josh!