{"id":7070922,"date":"2026-10-01T05:53:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T05:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7070922"},"modified":"2026-10-01T05:53:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T05:53:27","slug":"new-years-goal-setting-8-unconventional-ways-to-meet-your-goals-make-your-habits-stick-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7070922","title":{"rendered":"New Years Goal Setting\u20148 Unconventional Ways to Meet Your Goals + Make Your Habits Stick in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"


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8 Unconventional Ideas to Make 2026 a Smashing Success by Dean Bokhari<\/p>\n

These ain\u2019t your typical \u201cmake 2026 your best year\u201d tips.<\/p>\n

Read on Substack<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

1.
Use a yearly theme to guide your New Years goal setting efforts.<\/h2>\n

Choose a simple one-to-three word theme to define what you want 2026 to be about. Your annual theme serves as an overarching intention that guides your daily actions. It\u2019s a unique approach because it keeps you focused on progress <\/strong>(which is the real key to happiness). A strong yearly theme also keeps you locked-in + focused throughout the year\u2026 Instead of deferring your happiness until you accomplish a specific goal, each day you do something in line with your theme, you\u2019ll get a sense of fulfillment, which makes it easier to stay motivated and on track.<\/p>\n

Here are some examples of my own yearly themes from the past: 2018\u2013Inspire + Inform, 2020\u2013Be Prolific, 2026\u2013BOLD Action.<\/p>\n

2.
Focus on the process, not just the outcome.<\/h2>\n

Most new year\u2019s resolutions and goals are purely outcome focused<\/em> (ex: \u201crun a marathon by X date\u201d). That\u2019s not a bad thing\u2026 Unless you overlook the actions that lead to the outcome you want. To increase your likelihood of achieving your 2026 goals + give them extra power, you want to fall in love with the daily practice<\/strong> that leads<\/strong> to that outcome<\/strong> as well. You\u2019ve got to fall in love with the struggle, the hard stuff, the consistent practice and the actions you need to take in order to achieve your goal.<\/p>\n

For example, If you want to have written a book by this time next year (your outcome), then commit to a writing practice every morning, and the results will follow. This isn\u2019t about one or the other \u2013 you need to be clear about what you want, and<\/em> you also need to be willing to take focused action toward making it happen.<\/p>\n

3.
Get specific with your goals + habits.<\/h2>\n

One reason so many New Year\u2019s resolutions fail is because they\u2019re too fuzzy \u2013 e.g. \u201cget in shape\u201d or \u201csave money\u201d\u2026 Let go of vague resolutions and replace them with specific outcome-based goals or daily habits. For example, don\u2019t set a goal to \u201close more weight,\u201d set a goal to \u201close 25 pounds in 12 months by meal prepping + exercising 5x per week\u201d. Or, if you\u2019re setting a habit goal\u2026 Don\u2019t say you\u2019ll \u201cmeditate more,\u201d say you\u2019ll \u201cmeditate for 10 minutes every morning at 7:00am.\u201d<\/p>\n

This forces clear thinking and deliberate action. Stop setting fuzzy goals, and start writing down a detailed outcome along with all the sub-goals you\u2019ve got to meet in order to get there (monthly, weekly, daily targets). The specificity and built-in action plan make success FAR more likely than the usual vague and open-ended goals that most folks set.<\/p>\n

4.
Use anchoring beliefs.<\/h2>\n

New year\u2019s goals\u2014or any goals for that matter\u2014are most effective when they\u2019re anchored to strong beliefs. When you believe strongly in something, what you\u2019re really doing is sending signals to your brain\u2014signals that say, \u201cthis is really important to me\u201d or \u201caccomplishing this goal is a high priority.\u201d And when you anchor a strong belief to a goal, you reinforce how much it really matters to you, which increases your likelihood of accomplishing it. Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve got a new year\u2019s goal to lose 25 pounds over the course of the next twelve months\u2026 Here\u2019s an example of how you might anchor your goal of dropping the weight to a strong belief:<\/p>\n

New Year\u2019s Goal<\/strong>: Lose 25 pounds (or more) by this time next year.<\/em><\/p>\n

Anchoring belief<\/strong>: Living a healthy lifestyle allows me to live with vibrancy and perform at my peak on a daily basis.<\/em><\/p>\n

You can create whichever types of anchoring beliefs you want. The only real criteria is whether it inspires you\u2014emotionally and viscerally\u2014to be the type of person<\/strong> who achieves these goals or practices certain habits. Can you see how powerful linking an anchoring belief to a goal can be?<\/p>\n

5.
Limit your number of resolutions.<\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t overwhelm yourself with dozens of goals, and don\u2019t neglect important areas of life. I suggest setting no more than 7\u201312 goals for the year and making sure they\u2019re spread across the key domains of your life. For example, you might have one health\/fitness goal, one financial goal, one personal development goal, one relationship\/family goal, and so on \u2013 whatever areas matter most to you.<\/p>\n

This gives you a more holistic approach to self-improvement<\/a>, unlike typical New Year\u2019s resolutions that often fixate on just one aspect (such as only fitness or career success). By having a well-rounded set of goals, you\u2019ll grow in multiple dimensions and avoid the trap of overloading in one area of life while ignoring others.<\/p>\n

6.
Connect your roles to goals.<\/h2>\n

Look at the important roles you play in your personal + professional life \u2013 e.g. parent, leader, student, partner, entrepreneur \u2013 and set one majore, meaningful goal for each. This helps you prioritize and align your goals with your actual, real-life responsibilities.<\/p>\n

For instance, if one of your roles is \u201cManager,\u201d a fitting New Year\u2019s goal might be \u201cimprove team morale by organizing quarterly team-building events\u201d . If you\u2019re a writer, your goal could be \u201cpublish one article per month in a major outlet\u201d . This role-based approach ensures that your resolutions directly reflect what matters to you in daily life (your family, your career, your community), making them far more personal than generic goals. It also helps you avoid neglecting any role \u2013 an issue with typical resolutions that might, for example, emphasize work at the expense of family or vice versa.<\/p>\n

7.
Make contingency plans for your goals.<\/h2>\n

Most people don\u2019t consider what happens to their resolution when life hits \u2019em with a curveball. For each goal you set, think through potential obstacles<\/strong> in advance and decide on a fallback plan\u2026 A \u201cminimum viable action\u201d as I like to call it. For example, if your goal is to hit the gym five times a week and you suddenly have to travel, or you fall ill, or you\u2019re short on time \u2013 plan an alternative like doing bodyweight exercises in your hotel or a quick at-home workout.<\/p>\n

Setbacks are inevitable, having contingency plans<\/strong> in place is like having insurance plan for your goals. They\u2019ll keep you on track even when the unexpected happens. This addresses a common reason so many resolutions fail (life getting in the way) in a proactive way. So, anticipate the \u201cwhat if\u201d scenarios (what if I have to travel? what if work gets crazy?) and write down a minimum action you can do to make progress so you don\u2019t lose momentum at the first sign of trouble. Very few people do this, but it can mean the difference between crushing it vs giving up by February.<\/p>\n

8.
Declare a year of action.<\/h2>\n

Sometimes, you\u2019ve gotta let go of the plans that keep you in paralysis and just TAKE ACTION. Stop over-planning and start DOING. I dare you. In fact, I challenge you to decide right now to make 2026 the year you take courageous, heroic action on your biggest goals rather than endlessly strategizing or waiting for the perfect moment. The best time to get moving towards your goals was yesterday. The second-best time is TODAY.<\/p>\n

Deep down, you already know the one change that would most improve your life. It probably scares you, too. It could be changing careers, making more cold calls, launching a business, sharing how you feel with someone, or transforming your health. Instead of setting a long list of resolutions, commit to that #1 goal\u2026 Stop talking about it, and start doing <\/strong>something about it. Starting right now.<\/p>\n

Enjoy these ideas?<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a lot more where that came from\u2026 Inside Club 12.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n