Most people approach goal setting by jumping straight to outcomes.
More money.
More clients.
To make a bigger difference.
That’s all great but by February, they’re already frustrated with themselves.
Not because they lack discipline, but because their goals were never connected to what actually matters to them.
Before you decide what you want to achieve in 2026, it’s worth slowing down and asking a different question:
What’s important to me in my business?
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Start Goal Setting With What’s Important
A lot of people think what will motivate them is more money. And for some, it absolutely does. For others, it’s something they’ve been told they should want.
Instead, I invite you to look at:
- What the money allows you to do
- The difference you make to others
- The difference you make to yourself, or the experience you have
At different stages of life, different things matter. Sometimes it’s stability. Sometimes freedom. Sometimes presence, or simply having more capacity for the people you care about.
If your goals aren’t aligned with what’s important now, they’ll always feel forced.
Take a moment to reflect:
- What’s important to me at this stage of my life?
- What will the money from my business allow me to do or have?
- What do I want my business to give me?
This is the foundation. Without it, everything else becomes noise.
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Clarify the Goal
Vague goals create vague results.
“Do better in business” or “be more confident” sound good, but all they create are unfulfilled expectations.
You need something measurable.
Examples:
- “I earn £3,000 per month in profit.”
- “I have two new clients in January.”
When it comes to the end of January, you can clearly say whether you achieved it or not. “Be more confident” is too subjective.
Now add a by when. When will you achieve this goal?
Ask yourself:
- What do I want to have one year from now?
- How can I make this goal measurable?
Create 3 monthly milestones:
- September 2026
- June 2026
- March 2026
Instead of: “Have more people in my fitness class”
You could write: “Have five more clients in my fitness class by June 2026.”
When a goal is clear, everything else becomes clearer too.
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Understand What Will Keep You Going
Motivation isn’t something you find. It’s something you connect to.
The question isn’t “How do I stay motivated?”
It’s “Why does this matter enough for me to stay with it when it’s uncomfortable?”
Because at some point, it will be uncomfortable.
Conversations will feel awkward.
Boundaries will feel confronting.
Old habits will pull you back.
Ask yourself:
- Who am I really doing this for?
- What will following through allow me to have or be?
- Why does this matter now?
When you’re connected to your “why”, all those touch conversations start to happen.
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Be Honest About the Cost of Doing Nothing
Not changing is still a choice… and it has consequences.
Unspoken conversations don’t just disappear.
Weak boundaries don’t magically strengthen themselves.
Patterns repeat until they’re interrupted.
This isn’t about judging yourself, it’s about being honest with yourself. You need to know what the impact will be if you just sit on your goals AGAIN for another year.
Ask yourself:
- What happens if nothing changes in the next six months?
- How will I feel if I’m having the same conversations this time next year?
- What opportunities might I miss by staying where I am?
Sometimes we need to be honest about what we’re tolerating.
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Set Goals That Fit Your Real Life
Goals don’t fail because you’re inconsistent.
They fail because they’re built around an ideal version of your life.
I used to plan my days as if I had 24 hours of usable energy. You don’t wake up, work and sustain focus until bedtime… it doesn’t work like that.
There are points in the day where you have more energy for certain tasks. And you also have a life outside your business; friends, family, children.
It’s important to look honestly at what matters to you right now and whether you have the time and energy for what you want to achieve.
Ask yourself:
- What tasks do I need to do to achieve these goals?
- What time do I realistically have each week?
- When do I do my best thinking?
- Are my goals realistic given the time, energy, and resources I have?
When your goals fit your reality, they stop feeling hectic and busy.
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Turn Insight Into Action
Reflection is powerful, but insight alone doesn’t change behaviour.
Progress comes from small, deliberate actions:
- One conversation you stop avoiding
- One boundary you actually follow through on
- One commitment you keep, even when it’s uncomfortable
Left alone, most of us fall back into our usual ways of working. We need other people for accountability, perspective and support.
Ask yourself:
- What’s one thing I can do this week to take a step closer to achieve my goal?
- Who can support or hold me accountable?
- How will I recognise progress, even if it feels small?
Momentum comes from action, not overthinking.
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Why This Approach Works
When goals are set this way, something shifts.
You stop forcing yourself.
You stop starting over.
You stop dragging last year into the next one.
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If you want to enter 2026 without the weight of old patterns, start by setting goals that reflect who you are now, not who you think you should be.
Need some help goal setting?
If you haven’t already, complete your year with last week’s blog
Complete 2025 fully — so you can create 2026 intentionally.
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