Happy New Year! It’s January 1st, 2026. If you are reading this, you probably have a list of resolutions sitting somewhere in a notebook or the notes app on your phone. Maybe you want to lose twenty pounds, launch that side hustle, or finally read fifty books this year.
I have been there so many times. I remember waking up on New Year’s Day in 2024, hungover not just from champagne but from the sheer pressure of "becoming a new me." I had a list of ten massive goals that I swore I would crush. By February? I was back to my old habits, feeling like a total failure.
The problem wasn't my ambition; the problem was my strategy. We tend to think that a new year demands a massive overhaul of our lives. We treat January 1st like a magic portal that washes away our old self. But the truth is, you didn't wake up a different person today. You are the same person, just with a fresh calendar.
That sounds depressing, but it is actually incredibly liberating. It means you don't need to burn your life down to build a better one. You don't need "resolutions" that rely on willpower, which we know fades faster than the battery on an old iPhone. What you need are shifts—tiny, almost invisible adjustments to how you view the world and yourself.
Over the last two years, I stopped making resolutions. Instead, I focused on shifting my identity and my mindset in micro-doses. The results were compounded in ways I never expected. I became more productive, healthier, and genuinely happier, all without the white-knuckled stress of "grinding."
Since we are kicking off 2026 today, I want to share the eleven mindset shifts that actually work. These aren't about adding more to your plate; they are about looking at the plate differently. Let’s dive in.
1. Shift From "Goal-Oriented" to "Identity-Oriented"
Most of us set goals like "I want to run a marathon." The problem is that running a marathon is a one-time event. Once you cross the finish line, the motivation evaporates. I used to do this with writing. I would say, "I want to write a book." I would write furiously for a month and then burn out.
The shift that changed everything for me was adopting an identity rather than chasing a result. Instead of saying "I want to run," tell yourself "I am a runner." It sounds like a subtle semantic trick, but it changes how your brain processes decisions.
A "runner" doesn't skip a run just because it's raining; that’s what runners do—they run. If you identify as a "healthy person," you don't agonize over choosing a salad over fries every single time. You just ask, "What would a healthy person do?" and the decision is made for you.
James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, put it perfectly when he said, "The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It’s one thing to say I’m the type of person who wants this. It’s something very different to say I’m the type of person who is this."
This year, don't write down what you want to achieve. Write down who you want to be. The achievements will follow the identity, not the other way around.
2. Embrace the "Two-Day Rule"
Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. I used to have a streak mentality. If I planned to meditate every day and I missed day four, I would think, "Well, the streak is broken, might as well give up." It’s an all-or-nothing mindset that destroys consistency.
I started using the "Two-Day Rule" a few years ago, and it saved my sanity. The rule is simple: I am allowed to miss a day of my new habit, but I am never allowed to miss two days in a row.
Missing one day is life. You get sick, work runs late, or you just feel lazy. That is human. But missing two days is the start of a new, negative habit. By catching yourself immediately after a slip-up, you prevent the slide into apathy.
This removes the guilt. You don't have to be perfect in 2026; you just have to be consistent enough to not let the chain break completely. It turns "failure" into a minor "rest day" and keeps the momentum alive.
3. Replace FOMO with JOMO (The Joy of Missing Out)
We live in an attention economy that is constantly screaming at us to look at this, buy that, and be there. In 2026, the noise is louder than ever. I used to say yes to every dinner invitation and every networking event because I was terrified of missing an opportunity.
The result was that I was spread so thin I wasn't actually present for any of it. I was physically there, but mentally checking my watch. I had to learn to love the "Joy of Missing Out."
JOMO is about reclaiming your time and energy. It is the satisfying feeling you get when you politely decline an invite to stay home and work on your craft, or just rest. It is realizing that by saying "no" to the good, you are making room for the "great."
Productivity expert Greg McKeown discusses this in his philosophy of Essentialism. He suggests that if it isn't a "hell yes," it should be a "no." This year, try to get a thrill out of skipping things that don't align with your core values.
4. Stop trying to "Find" Time; Start "Stealing" It
I hear people say "I don't have time" constantly. I say it too. "I'd love to learn Spanish, but I don't have time." "I want to start a side business, but I have no time."
Here is the harsh truth I had to accept: I will never find time. It’s not going to appear under the couch cushions. I have to steal it. I have to steal it from my phone, from Netflix, and from sleeping in.
Audit your day. If you spend two hours a day scrolling through TikTok or Instagram reels, that is fourteen hours a week. That is basically a part-time job. What could you build with a part-time job's worth of hours?
I started waking up thirty minutes earlier. That’s it. Just thirty minutes. But over a year, that is over 180 hours of focused work. I wrote half of my best content in those stolen morning hours. Stop waiting for a free schedule; it’s never coming.
5. Fall in Love with the "Plateau"
We are addicted to the dopamine hit of progress. When we start a new diet, we lose five pounds in the first week and feel amazing. But then week three hits, and the scale doesn't move. We hit a plateau.
Most people quit on the plateau. They think the process stopped working. But the plateau is actually where the real work happens. It is where your body and mind are recalibrating to the new normal.
George Leonard, in his incredible book Mastery, explains that the path to success isn't a straight line upward. It’s a series of long, flat lines (plateaus) punctuated by brief spurts of progress.
I learned to love the boring days where nothing seems to be happening. If you go to the gym and don't see muscle growth that day, you still went. That discipline is the victory. In 2026, don't quit when the excitement fades. That is just the universe testing your resolve.
6. Treat Your Energy Like a Bank Account
We manage our money with budgets and spreadsheets, but we treat our energy like it is an infinite resource. It isn't. You only have a certain amount of cognitive and emotional bandwidth every day.
I used to spend my "prime time"—my clearest mental hours in the morning—answering emails and doing busy work. By the time I got to my important projects, my brain was fried. I was spending my energy currency on cheap things.
Now, I do an energy audit. I identified that I am sharpest between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM. I guard that time with my life. No meetings, no emails, no phone calls. That is when I do the work that actually moves the needle.
Pay attention to what drains you. Is it a specific person? A specific task? The news? Cut those expenses just like you would cut a subscription you don't use. Invest your energy where you get the highest return.
7. The "Input matches Output" Principle
You cannot output high-quality thoughts if you are inputting low-quality garbage. It’s the "Garbage In, Garbage Out" rule of computer science applied to the human soul.
If I spend all day reading angry political threads on Twitter and watching brain-rot reality TV, my writing and my mindset will reflect that chaos. I’ll feel anxious, scattered, and cynical.
To reinvent yourself this year, you need to curate your information diet. I started reading biography books of people I admire instead of scrolling news feeds. I started listening to podcasts about history and science instead of true crime.
The change in my mental state was almost immediate. When you feed your brain with ideas of resilience, creativity, and wisdom, those are the things that will flow out of you when you speak and create.
8. Normalize "Looking Stupid"
Growth is inherently embarrassing. You cannot get good at something without first being bad at it. The reason so many of us don't start that YouTube channel or go to that dance class is that we are terrified of looking clumsy or amateurish.
I remember my first few blog posts. They were terrible. I mean, genuinely cringeworthy. But if I hadn't written those terrible posts, I never would have written the good ones. You have to be willing to be a beginner.
There is a great concept called "The Cringe Threshold." Successful people have a very high tolerance for cringe. They don't mind asking the dumb question or posting the video that only gets ten views.
Make 2026 the year you stop caring about looking cool. Coolness is stagnation. Looking stupid is the price of entry for being great. Embrace the cringe.
9. Optimize for "Regret Minimization"
When I am faced with a tough decision—like whether to take a risk or play it safe—I use the "Regret Minimization Framework," popularized by Jeff Bezos.
I project myself forward to age 80. I ask, "Will the 80-year-old version of me regret not doing this?" If the answer is yes, I do it, even if I am scared.
This perspective shifts you away from short-term fear and toward long-term fulfillment. You won't regret the times you tried and failed. You will regret the times you didn't try because you were too comfortable.
I used this when I decided to start investing in my personal development courses. It was expensive, and I was scared. But I knew 80-year-old me would kick himself if I stayed stagnant just to save a few dollars.
10. The Power of "Yet"
This is a classic Carol Dweck "Growth Mindset" concept, but it bears repeating because it is so powerful. It is the difference between saying "I’m not good at this" and "I’m not good at this yet."
The word "yet" opens up a future of possibility. It tells your brain that your current limitations are temporary, not permanent. "I don't have a partner" becomes "I haven't met the right person yet." "I'm not making money" becomes "I haven't figured out my revenue model yet."
I catch myself constantly. When I get frustrated with a new software or a new skill, I have to force that little three-letter word into the sentence. It instantly lowers my blood pressure. It reminds me that I am a work in progress.
11. Celebrate the "Micro-Wins"
We are terrible at celebrating. We achieve a goal and immediately look for the next mountain to climb. We don't stop to breathe and appreciate how far we have come.
This year, I want you to celebrate the tiny stuff. Did you drink your water today? Win. Did you read five pages of a book? Win. Did you keep your cool when your boss was being annoying? Huge win.
When you celebrate small wins, you release dopamine, which reinforces the behavior. You are essentially training your brain like a puppy. "Good job, you did the hard thing, here is a chemical reward."
I keep a "Win Jar" on my desk. Every time something good happens, no matter how small, I write it on a post-it note and put it in the jar. On days when I feel like a failure, I open the jar and read a few. It is a tangible reminder that I am winning, even when it doesn't feel like it.
Conclusion
2026 doesn't have to be a year of radical, painful transformation. You don't need to become a different person. You just need to shift your perspective slightly.
Think about a plane taking off from New York. If the pilot shifts the nose just a few degrees to the south, the passengers won't notice a thing. But after six hours of flying, that tiny shift means the difference between landing in Florida or landing in Mexico.
These eleven mindsets are that tiny shift. They seem small today, but if you hold them, day after day, month after month, you will end up in a completely different—and better—destination by December 31st.
So, tear up that intimidating list of resolutions. Pick one or two of these mindsets to focus on this week. Be kind to yourself. Embrace the messiness of growth.
What is the one mindset shift from this list that resonates most with you right now? Let me know—I’d love to hear how you are tackling the New Year. And if you want a simple way to start, why not try the "Two-Day Rule" starting today?
Happy 2026. Let’s make it count.
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