New Year, Stronger You: How to Stick to Your Goals in 2026
We are 4 days into the new year, and the motivation to achieve your 2026 goals may already be slipping. No amount of motivational content or vision boards can change the facts: your goals are unachievable without the correct systems in place. But, how do you build a successful system? How do you literally make your dreams a reality? Let’s break it down:
The Problem: Motivation vs. Discipline
Why can't you stick to your goals? The problem is simple: you are relying on motivation rather than discipline. Discipline, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of conduct, with punishment or other undesired consequences for those who fail to comply. It is the act of doing things without feeling like it, without motivation, to pursue a larger goal. It is actively refusing gratification in exchange for greater success. Motivation is short-lived and will not last you the entirety of 2026. Discipline will last a lifetime.
Building Systems > Goals
As I have mentioned in numerous other blog editions, one of my favorite and most influential books is Atomic Habits by James Clear. In this book, Clear breaks down the difference between goals and systems and explains which one is more likely to drive success. The difference between a goal and a system lies in the action and the way you take it. Clear uses the example of a coach: “If you're a coach, your goal might be to win a championship. Your system is the way you recruit players, manage your assistant coaches, and conduct practices.” To achieve real success, you must take small, daily steps using your system. How do you create a system, you may ask? Take these steps:
Get extremely clear on your goal. Do you want to have all A’s this year? If so, how much do you need to study? What resources will you use to study?
Create a schedule or daily to-do list that incorporates these actions. If you want all A’s, carve out an extra hour a day to study.
Set rewards and consequences for each action. Did you complete your extra study hour every day this week? Great! You may now see a movie on the weekend. Did you skip a few days? That’s okay, but you have to make up those hours on the weekend. These rewards and consequences will motivate you to form and maintain your habits.
Increase Momentum
One of the best ways to stay motivated (on top of discipline!) is to recognize the work you have completed thus far. Create a way to see your progress. Use a calendar and mark every day that you study, put a sticky note on your wall every time you receive an “A,” or utilize one of the many habit tracker apps available on your device. Reflect on your wins. Really celebrate your small successes and feel proud of every hard step you took to get there. By doing this, you will want to take action, if only to feel proud of yourself again.
The Result
What will all of this hard work get you? Initially, probably nothing. With small actions, change will be slow. But the fantastic thing about small actions is that they compound greatly. One day, you will realize how far you have come and how much work you have put in to get there.
When you choose to build strong systems rather than chase flimsy goals, you will achieve real success. Even if you have slipped up on your goals in 2026, it’s not too late. Create just one system today, stick to it, and I promise your reality will be astoundingly different by the end of this year. Wishing you all the best in 2026!
RISE. LEAD. SUCCEED.
Love,
Juliet & Study Strong