You Will Thrive in 2026

Woman preparing to write her goals.

Happy New Year!

Indeed so many of us have made plans and set goals to ensure that 2026 is better than 2025 but if we are honest with ourselves each year some of us promise ourselves that the new year will be different though sometimes it isn’t. Even as believers we pray and commit the year into the Lord's hands, which really is the first step, but many of us treat it as the only step and just stop there forgetting that we still have a part to play. Undoubtedly, we set goals because we want to achieve them, however how many of us actually prepare to ensure we succeed at setting the goals? How many of us set goals just for the sake of saying we've to set them? Well, hopefully after this blog the answer will be none of us; personally, in the past I had little success in achieving my goals until I realized some of what I will share with you in this blog. So if you are interested in thriving in 2026, go ahead and continue reading.

Shift your mindset in 2026.

No matter how good your goals are, if you don't shift in your mindset nothing will change; if your goal is to read two new books a month and you normally think 'I don't have enough time' a mindset shift would lead you to think more like 'I can make time to read two books a month by doing xyz'. It goes without saying but a mindset shift has to be accompanied by an action hence why succeeding in this area of goal setting also depends on your mindset.

Stop bad habits.

There's a popular saying that goes 'If nothing changes, then nothing changes'. Unless you make it a point to work on bad habits, you will not be able to effectively accomplish goals. Similar to the impact of an unproductive mindset, bad habits will keep you stuck where you are and prevent you from moving forward. If you want to be debt free, continuously buying impulsively is not going to help, however putting a limit on your card, writing a budget, and doing things that limit impulsive spending will. Bad habits are enforced by a negative mindset about certain things so to accomplish your goals you must work to overcome them.

Celebrate your wins (no matter how small they are).

Though seemingly unimportant, celebrating your wins (whether big or small) is important because it gives you fuel and motivation. Ever have a task to complete and the moment you do so, you feel energized and motivated to do more? Well that is because celebrating your accomplishments helps you to see what you can do once you put your mind to it thus keeping you motivated especially when the going gets tough on some goals. Naturally, we are overly critical of ourselves so much so that we may miss or forget to celebrate our wins but keeping a gratitude box, or journal can definitely help so that when moments of doubt or discouragement comes you are reminded that you can do it.

Build discipline and perseverance.

To stay the course, especially when it comes to accomplishing goals requires discipline and perseverance. One of the reasons why people fall off their new years resolutions so early on is because of the lack of discipline/push/drive to get it done. A little discouragement here, some trials there, a misstep here and BAM- we give up however if Thomas Edison gave up at the first sign of a challenge, then we would not have the light bulb. Achieving goals we have set out for ourselves is never going to be easy however when we have discipline and persevere through challenges eventually we will reach our goal.

Get yourself a mentor and surround yourself with the right people.

They often say that if you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room. If you want to achieve your goals, dreams, and aspirations you must seek the wisdom and knowledge of those who've gone ahead of you because it is there that you will learn something you did not know. When they make suggestions, actually apply them and if you have any questions in the process bring it back to them- that is what they are there for. One thing that you will discover about highly successful people is that they all have mentors so find one for yourself. Also everyone cannot go with you where you are going so look at your circle of friends, if there is anyone who may not be in alignment with where you are going you may have to rethink that relationship or categorize it differently. 

Research and take notes.

Whether blogs or articles, get comfortable reading up on things that relate to the goals you want set. Take some time to highlight what you have learned, joy down important points and to bring it back to your mentor or even for personal reflection. I also want to mention that YouTube has a wealth of knowledge so when you watch videos take notes and don't just binge watch 10 videos on how to organize- there is no change that will happen. Rather take a moment to sit, reflect on what you have watched and try to create some actionable steps so that there is something you can apply. If you watch a video and learn nothing that you can apply to your life today, then you may have to consider whether the video you watched was worthwhile (unless it’s just for entertainment but even then you can still learn something). Don't waste your time researching watching videos if you won't actually apply their suggestions. 

Take inventory of your life and what you do.

Sometimes we actually do too much and that can make it difficult for us to actually make time for our goals. In order to ensure you are able to set yourself up for success in 2026, take a moment to note everything that you are involved in and after doing so ask yourself the following questions : Is this in alignment with my purpose? Will this help me achieve any goals? Do I get any sense of fulfillment when I do this? Am I able to actually help others effectively? Is this in God's will? Honestly ask yourself questions that will get you to reflect and think critically about what you are involved in and if after doing so there are some things that are just not in alignment you may want to consider whether or not to continue engaging with said activity/organization. By doing this you are able to take back some of your time and use it to engage in activities that can actually help you accomplish your goals.

Engage in self care you can thrive in 2026.

You cannot pour from an empty cup and you cannot give what you do not have. As unimportant as it may seem, taking care of yourself is actually important in ensuring you achieve your goals because it helps keep things balanced. When you are stressed you will not be able to perform as well and may struggle to complete any goals you have. Having moments where you unwind and take care of mind, body, spirit, and soul is essential in ensuring success in the long run because it helps you refuel.

This is by no means an exhaustive list or explanation however if you are able to tackle some of these things, chances are that you will have a better shot at maintaining your new year goals a lot better. If you want to learn how to identify and create actual smart goals, click here to read the next blog in the series.

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