Over the past few weeks, I keep getting messages from people saying, “I can’t wait to see your list of goals for 2026! It’s one of my favorite posts!”
And I had to laugh and realize that I’m going to shock some people with the decision I made in November with the encouragement of my husband and my business coach: I’m not setting goals for 2026!
I know! It’s not like me at all.
I have been setting goals since I was a child
In fact, when I thought about setting goals, I realized that I probably started setting goals when I was 11 years old. The first new thought in the new year… was very exciting for me. And – being the overly ambitious person that I am! — I took out a clean sheet of paper and made a long list of big creative goals.
I loved a fresh start. A clean slate. A chance to dream big dreams. And set BIG goals.
Goals Stopped Serving Me and Started Enslaving Me
The problem was, in the long run, those goals didn’t help me; they began to enslave me. Like, I felt like I needed to try to beat them and I used to feel depressed or down if I didn’t.
Another thing I used to do with setting goals was to really consider the season of life I was in. I was already so excited about all the things I wanted to do and set out to accomplish these big goals without counting the cost… like, how much time do I really have to accomplish more things this coming year?
I also wouldn’t include things that are distracting or unexpected. No, I was focused on all the things I wanted to do or felt I should do. I tried setting only weekly or monthly goals instead of annual goals, and that worked better, but I found that I was working really hard (a lot!) to try to meet the goals.
Goals Were Unhealthy and Harmful to Me
As I mentioned here, I started working with a nutritionist in mid-2025. He ended up changing my life and helped me see many dysfunctional beliefs and patterns I had in my life. One of those was pushing instead of paying attention to my body’s signals for things like hunger and sleep.
Little by little, when I started to notice my body’s signs of things like eating and resting, I realized how I had been neglecting my health and myself – especially in the last five years as there was a lot going on in our lives.
Encouraged by this, I found a functional medicine doctor to help me get better. He really challenged me that I wasn’t taking care of myself and that my blood and health were showing signs of this. He told me that I may feel fine now, but if I continue in the pattern I am in, my body will begin to deteriorate in 15 years.
The Process of Weighing Back and Saying No
This was a real wake up call for me. I began to look for ways that I could reduce my responsibilities and obligations to allow more time for rest, more rest, more time to recharge, more sleep, and less movement in my life.
I started tracking how many hours I worked each week and was shocked to find that I was always working at least 50-60 hours (sometimes more!) I love what I do but no wonder my body didn’t like my pace of life.
As I thought about what it would mean for me to stop working 40 hours a week and start having a little more breathing room and space in my life, I knew the only way to do this would be to say no to many things and stop pushing myself to achieve one season’s glory.
Freeing Myself from Finding My Value in What I Accomplish
I am in the process of freeing myself from finding my worth in my work and my accomplishments. I didn’t know how addicted I was to work and being busy.
It was scary and strange to have open spaces in my day and life. Going into 2026 without a big list of ambitions. Other than knowing that I’m launching a new book in the fall and running a business and taking care of my family, my marriage, and myself, I don’t have any big things to chase, pursue, or build.
It feels restless and quiet. And, right where I should be. I feel like I will learn and grow a lot this year and it will heal me in so many ways. I’m excited to see what happens in the next 12 months!
Want to hear more about this change? Jesse and I recorded a podcast where I share in detail Why I’m Not Setting Goals This Year. Listen to it here.
An Important Word About Goals
Do I think goals are bad or wrong? Not at all. They are not working well for me in this season. If you are at an age where goals are motivating and fun and healthy, please set them! And I’ll be here to cheer you on!
I have a feeling this non-goal thing is just a season and I’ll probably go back to goal setting after this year. But I’m not thinking about that right now. In the meantime, I just learned the lessons I need to learn right now in this quiet season.
If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions, I’d love to hear them!
