2026 Goals Thoughts
Before Repeating Goal-Setting Mistakes of the Past, Take a Moment to Reflect
Like many, I’ve been contemplating my goals, destinations, and aspirations for 2026. The phrase “become” is crucial, but I’ll address that in another post.
A friend’s feedback on something I was working on prompted me to rethink my approach to 2026 goals. Here, I’ll share some ideas to help us avoid common pitfalls in goal setting.
Be Deliberate
Most of us are not nearly as deliberate as we would like to think we are. The path of least resistance is to just go with the flow, go where the worlds says we should, or just align with whatever is easiest in life. It would be great if that always led us to the place of our greatest potential or real happiness, but it rarely does.
What it does lead to is pursuing goals and paths that don't align with who we really are or want to be and definitely doesn't help us to get the absolute most out of life. Following the path of least resistance most often leads to mediocrity. Let's not go down that path.
Determine What Matters Most
In order to be deliberate, you have to first know what matters most to you. As we have all heard over and over again, if we don't know where we are going, or in this case if we don't know what matters most to us, then it doesn't really make a difference what we decide or don't decide to do.
Most of us skip really sitting down and thinking about what matters most to us. We tend to think the next job, accomplishment, raise, promotion, etc. are what matters and that's what we go after. But do we ever sit back and think about the trade off costs for that next step and decide if it's worth it? Too theoretical? How about an example?
I was having a conversation with a family member recently about their current job. There are a lot of changes going on and there are some pretty intriguing opportunities from other companies they are constantly being recruited for. More money, more prestige, and likely more tools and opportunities to be successful. Most people would say that is an easy decision.
I was very impressed with the conversation with this family member that even with all of those aspects seeming to be very appealing, they don't believe it is a good fit for them. Why? They have young kids that are very involved and the position would require a very high % of travel. In addition, they have seen what has happened to others that have taken positions like this and how it impacted their family lives.
That is a really good example of someone that understands that not missing out on family is more important that those other perks. They have a specific set of priorities they are trying to stick to.
Lesson: Don't set goals without understanding what matters most and then aligning the goals with those priorities.
Focus on Larger Themes
Another way to set better goals for 2026 is to not get hung up on tons of minutia, especially at the beginning. A lot of people setting goals for the new year are going to focus on setting large specific goals and then diving in. That's fine if you feel all of the higher level stuff is aligned, but in my experience trying to set too specific of goals spanning an enter year is just checking something off a to do list instead of focusing on making real progress.
This is where starting with where you want to go or who you want to become over the course of the next year can make a huge difference. Here are too examples, one for my own focus next year and one that a family member of mine is focusing on.
For me, one of my become focuses next year is to do the right things, for the right reasons, and to do them the best I can. I'm calling this doing good. There are a lot of nuances to this but essentially this is me trying to keep my priorities in order and focus on what matters most, do my best, and leave the rest.
For a family member of mine, their focus for this next year is to simplify. I thought this sounded great and actually aligns with my doing good theme because it too aligns with focusing on what matters most.
Build Momentum thru Small and Simple Steps
Ok. So if you have now identified a theme or two, are you done? Not even close. You still need a plan, otherwise you are violating the first idea here of being deliberate.
But here is a secret: don't start big. That's what most people try to do. They identify the biggest goal they think will make the most impact and want to just dive in and tackle it. That rarely works out. Instead, focus on small and simple things you can do right now, claim victory, and build momentum. Eventually you will find that your giant step is within reach and that you don't need to tackle it all at once.
Another example: if I have been a couch potato for the last year and decide that this is the year I want to be healthier, I might have a goal to lose a whole bunch of weight. So I set my weight target and my goal for January 1st to December 31st is to eat no junk food and to work out six times a week. Sounds like a good way to lose weight right?
How many people make this very resolution every new year and three weeks in have given up? Just go look at the gym parking lot on January 1 and compare that to February 1.
The better approach would be to say I'm going to be healthier this year. Then to identify what I'm going to work on changing in January. Small and simple things like cutting out one type of food by the end of January that you know contributes to your health. Another might be to spend the month of January trying different types of exercise that you think you will like. Then in February, your goal could be to settle into a new exercise routine.
If you were to take this approach and constantly assess where you are and what next small and simple step you can take, you are much more likely to start seeing progress, building momentum, and achieve that ultimate goal of being healthier by the end of the year.
Embrace Course Correction
Here is my last tip for this post: don't get so hung up on whatever goals, plans, or even themes you set at the beginning of the year. Life is always in a state of change so you can't get so hung up on achieving those things you set as your goals at the beginning of the year that you aren't willing to alter them or even throw them out as priorities, focuses, and situations change.
This is just one more reason why the approach of sticking with a theme and focusing on small and simple things can help you make more progress.
If I go back to my example of being healthier: let's say I make a ton of progress in the first part of the year and then while I'm camping in April I have a major crash on my mountain bike. Now what do I do? If I'm so set on riding my bike every day and my bike is either totalled or I'm physically unable to exercise, where does that leave me?
If that were to happen, I need to be able to take a step back and make a deliberation decision on what I can do to stay on my healthy track and get back to where I can get into that routine I had earlier in the year. If I'm focused only on the big goals and I'm not willing to course correct, then the path of least resistance will be to say I'm done for the year and go back to being a couch potato until next year.
Wrap Up
So those are a few of the thoughts I have had this week as I think about the imminent flip of the calendar to 2026. I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you are a member of my community, you can share your thoughts there or in the comments below.
