7 steps to actually hit your 2026 goals

i think most new year’s resolutions are bullshit.

we’ve all heard the stats about how 80-90% of them fail by February, & you’ve probably been a part of that number — so have i.

but for the past 3 years now, i’ve achieved every single one that i set.

here’s how:

step 1: find what you actually want

if you’re planning on doing something for 365+ days, i think it’s a good idea to put more than a few minutes of thought into what that something is.

most resolutions can be boiled down to ‘i want to look/feel better.’

i want you to ask yourself why.

would your goal still matter to you if nobody else could see your results?

if your answer to that question is no, choose a new resolution.

the reason for this is simple:

when your motivation is external, you’ll have no reason to keep going once you realize that no one is watching.

when your motivation is internal, you’ll have no reason to quit once you realize that it’s just you against you.

step 2: choose 1 thing that matters most

lots of people set multiple new years resolutions — i think it’s a bad idea.

if i gave you a list of 10 things to do every day, it wouldn’t be long before doing 7/10 things is considered a good day.

that’s a problem.

‘i was so busy but i still did almost everything’ is just a nicer way of saying ‘i didn’t do what i wanted to do.’

how would you feel 1 year from now if you almost lost weight?

what would improve about your life if you almost made more money?

how many memories would you make from the trip you almost went on?

i think you see my point.

it’s better to achieve 100% of 1 goal than 70% of 10 goals.

it’s also a lot easier, too.

pick 1 thing. that’s it.

step 3: output > outcome

once you have a goal to aim for, it’s important to make sure you can actually achieve it.

the way you do that is by setting an output-based goal, not an outcome-based goal.

for example:

aiming to get 1,000,000 views on a youtube video is out of my control. (outcome)

aiming to release 100 quality youtube videos is entirely within my control. (output)

what i love about this is how output-based goals tend to also increase the odds of achieving an outcome-based goal. that means you can get the best of both worlds without the downside of being overly attached to the outcomes.

simply put, you can always control what you do, but you can never control what happens as a result of it.

step 4: expect to suck

no matter how confident you feel about your new year’s resolution right now, i need you to take it down a notch bro.

doing the thing probably isn’t the hard part.

the hard part is doing the thing over & over again, rain or shine, motivated or not, 365 days in a row.

in other words, consistency.

i’ve talked a lot about this in the past, & i still feel like i don’t stress it enough — the ability to show up & do the work even when you don’t want to do it is the thing that separates the winners from the losers in life. full stop.

we struggle to recognize how hard it is to be consistent, because it’s impossible to observe without also being consistent.

does that make sense?

like, you could watch a video of me lifting a dumbbell & have a good idea of what it felt like for me.

but the only thing i could do to show you what it feels like to lift weights every day for a year is if you were to go through the entire year with me.

that’s why i’m saying you should expect to suck — none of us can really comprehend just how much work it takes to do anything for 365 days.

until we do it.

step 5: identity > results

this is one of the most helpful reframes that i use often — not just for new year’s resolutions.

basically, instead of trying to achieve a certain result, i find it useful to focus on becoming the type of person for whom it would be unreasonable if they did not achieve that result.

read that again if you need to.

basically, instead of my goal being to produce 100 good youtube videos, i would reframe it to something more identity-based, like ‘become the type of person who can produce 100 good youtube videos.’

i like how it forces me to confront all of the tiny underlying skills/behaviours that contribute to the ‘real’ goal.

sounds crazy, but it works.

step 6: measure like a maniac

what you measure is what you manage. simple as that.

i’ve found that the best way to track anything is to make a real paper calendar (bigger is better, i like 48” x 36” posterboard), display it in a prominent place in your home (ex. i like having it on the wall directly in front of my bed), & then use bold markers to log the 1 habit you’re trying to do every single day so it’s clearly visible at a glance.

then — & this is the secret sauce — i do a weekly review/preview every Saturday to see how i did & what i can improve on.

this might just be the most important step of them all.

step 7: keep it to yourself bro

lots of people like talking about their resolutions with other people because they feel like it keeps them more accountable.

for some people, this is reasonable.

for most of us, it’s completely backwards.

that’s because telling people about your goals activates the same neural circuits as when you actually do the thing you’re talking about.

that might sound like a good thing, but all it really does is give your brain a little bit of unearned dopamine, which means if you do it often enough, you won’t have enough left over to make you actually do the thing.

that’s a crazy oversimplification, but the point stands:

if you want to maximize your chances of achieving your new year’s resolution, shut up about it lol.

-
those are the 7 steps that have served me well these past few years.

please remember that none of my advice will work unless you do.

because most new year’s resolutions are bullshit —

but yours don’t have to be.

some things i learned

1. the ‘secret to success’

2. being a ‘night owl’ might be making you miserable
   as someone with naturally later sleep-wake cycle (the sleep schedule that feels best for me is ~1am-9am), this study supported a belief i already had — waking up earlier is probably better for you.

3. self-driving Tesla’s are already ~7x safer than human drivers
   with over 11 billion kilometres driven on Tesla’s full self-driving (FSD) software, the data is starting to look undeniable: tens of thousands of lives could be saved in the U.S. each year if every car was driven by FSD. that’s not even including the millions of injuries that could also be avoided.
   
   FSD has been a huge reason for my long-term stock position on Tesla, & after following it closely for several years now, i think it’s time to start asking a question that used to seem ridiculous:
   
   at what point does it become unethical to choose to drive yourself, instead of letting your car drive for you?
   
   i don’t think we’re there yet, but that day is creeping up fast.

cool stuff i found

1. a must-see in NYC
   every night at 11:57, all 92 screens in Times Square switch to a 3 minute digital art display called Midnight Moment. take a look at this month’s exhibit, called Drip Cascade by Jen Stark:

   

2. one of my favourite articles of the year
   i always look forward to when Gurwinder Bhogal releases new work — especially his lists of ideas, like ‘26 Useful Concepts for 2026.’
   
   here are a couple of my favourites from it:
   
   ‘Shower Test:

   We’re socially conditioned to chase what we think everyone else wants. But your true heart’s desire can often be found in the thoughts you gravitate to while undistracted, such as in the shower. As Walt Whitman said, “If you want to know where your heart is, look to where your mind goes when it wanders.”’
   
   ‘Coyote’s Law:

   Don’t give the government a power you wouldn’t want your political enemies to wield. Because, one day, they may well be in charge of it.’
   
   worth a read!

3. a new currency in Syria that looks awesome
   as a Canadian, i’m used to our money being some of the most colourful & unique looking, but i think there’s a new contender for that title now:

   

that’s all for this week… or is it?!?!

yesterday, my girlfriend & i sat in a cafe for several hours (lol) & did our annual ‘year-end review’ together.

it’s nerdy & sounds a bit over-the-top, but after doing it for the past few years, i can confidently say that it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself.

there was a common theme in my reflections for the year:

the massive importance of being in control of my time & attention.

since switching to a flip phone last week, i feel like i’m living a brand new life with so much more time in the ‘real world’ every day.

it’s not an exaggeration to say i’ve gained years of my life back by cutting my screen time down to an average of — checks notes — 19 minutes per day, instead of multiple hours like before.

i expect that number to increase slightly as the Christmas season ends & i get back into full-swing, but the craziest part about this whole experience is the fact that i don’t feel like i’m missing out on anything.

this flip phone might already be the best purchase i’ve ever made, just in terms of sheer ROI time-wise.

if you spend too much time on your phone, take the plunge.

i’m making a video to help you through the whole process of cutting down your screen time, so it won’t take you as many years as it took me to get to this point.

but until then, thanks for being here!

go make yourself proud this week.

~ liam (: