It’s 2026. The inboxes are full of “New Year, New You” cheer squads. The socials are buzzing with people declaring this will be their “best year yet”. And maybe that message used to land… but now?
It feels tired. Performative. Like that reality show promo that rolls out every season claiming “best season ever!” Mate, you said that last year!
The problem isn’t the intention. It’s the pressure.
Because the truth is, we’re still going to face challenges throughout the year. There’ll be highs, yes. But also, chaos, curveballs, and probably a few facepalms. When we frame success around “best year yet,” we set ourselves up to feel like we’ve failed at the first wobble.
And more importantly? It makes us miss the question that actually matters:
What do I need right now?
That question is everything.
There are two types of motivation: rocket fuel or rhythm
- Moving away from pain – the rocket up your butt.
- Moving toward pleasure – the rhythm, the small steps.
The New Year push? It’s almost always driven by the first type — away from pain.
Think about it. Many of us overindulge over the Chrissy break, and come January, we feel it. Low energy, sluggish, out of routine. So we set health goals. Sign up to gyms. Download the planners. Stack our calendar with all the hacks.
That burst of motivation can be powerful. It gets us moving — and that’s important. But it’s not built to last.
To stay the course, we also need to layer in consistent, small steps towards pleasure. It’s not just about escaping how bad it feels now. It’s about building momentum around how good it could feel.
That’s why so many fall flat by February. Not because they’re lazy — but because they relied on the kind of motivator that burns out fast.
To create real change, the kind that actually sticks, we need to tap into both types of motivation.
Here’s two ways you can do this…
1. Vision Planning
Reconnect with. Re-evaluate (and you might even need to redo) your vision, your mission, your purpose, and your values from both a business and personal lens.
Just because you’ve done this work before doesn’t mean you don’t look at it again. We’re constantly evolving. For some, this might be a simple check-in. For others, it might mean throwing the old ones out and starting fresh.
For me, this year was a full rework on my business values. I simplified down to three:
- Commercial IMPACT
- Intentional ENERGY
- Smart GROWTH
I also choose a word for the year, a practice I’ve been doing for years. Not for show. Not for socials. Just for me.
This year, my word is AWE. It’s a double meaning:
- Awe as in living in a state of wonder
- And AWE as in Abundance With Ease
It keeps me focused on how I want to feel and how I want to grow. (Side note: be careful what you choose, your brain will start filtering the world through it.)
2. Commercial Clarity
This is where vision meets action with purpose.
Get clear on your 12-month targets and markers of success.
Have you got a sales strategy in place including an audit of your sales culture, operating rhythms and 90-day milestones?
Are your team nurturing leads, or just waiting for referrals to land?
Let go of the hype. Anchor into what’s true.
You don’t need hype. You don’t need pressure. And you definitely don’t need to tick a box that says “best year yet.”
What you do need is a sense check. A reset that’s actually aligned to where you’re at.
Maybe you need big energy to push through – sweet, ride that wave. Or maybe what you need is some quiet calibration. A softer, steadier start.
There’s no one-size-fits-all. The real question is: What do you need right now?
This is your permission slip to drop the pressure and get results in a way that feels aligned, achievable and intentional.
That’s smart growth. That’s what we’re building here.
Want a deeper dive? I break this down in a recent podcast episode.
🎧 Listen or watch the full episode here 👇
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