Before you set a goal, ask yourself this one question.

We are just over a month into 2026 and this year is giving fast as f*ck boy energy to me. 

You know those perfect, thoughtful, yearly intentions that you created on December 31st, how are they going… for reals? Are they on target, or have they slipped away in the chaos? 

Goals get a lot of airtime around this time of year. But there’s one question that rarely makes the Pinterest boards.

What problem do I think this goal will solve?

It’s such an interesting question and had me dumbfounded when I was first asked it. I had this preconception of goals. They were up on a pedestal. They were magic ✨ Which meant, if I stopped making progress or god forbid, failed, then I must be lazy and unwilling to go after my wildest dreams. Turns out, comfortingly, most people quietly drop their New Year goals within the first couple of months of the year. Not because they lack discipline or they don’t care about what they set out to do, but because the goal was misaligned or focused on the wrong thing, let me explain.

The trap a lot of us fall into is basing our decision off extrinsic motivation, running toward something exciting or away from something uncomfy. #guilty. Unfortunately, that shit rarely maintains motivation so we ‘fall off the wheel’ and go back to our regularly programmed habits. Only to promise ourselves next year that this year will be the one that breaks the pattern and launches us into our dream reality.  

Picture this, four years ago I was burnt out in a way I hadn’t experienced. I promised myself on December 31st that I was going to quit my corporate job and never return. Go all in on my business as a travel journalist (that could barely afford rent and a steak). I spent close to 3K on business and mindset courses determined to ‘make it work’. 

Spoiler, it failed spectacularly. 🤭

I believed on a cellular level that I should just pack it in, get back in my cubicle, type my silly little emails and resign myself to the fact that I had another 30 years of this. Did I want my business to work, f*ck yes I did, but I was coming at a rather lofty goal from the wrong angle. I was using it to escape a job that was soul draining… It was my ticket to freedom.   

Which was an absurd amount of pressure to point on a)myself and b)my goal. It immediately stopped being fun, adventure filled and exciting and instead started waking me up in a sheer panic at 3am. That’s the thing about extrinsically motivated goals. They feel electric at the start. New notebook. Food prep done. 5am alarm set.

Then life happens. Uni gets busy. It’s cold. You’re tired. The 5am alarm gets snoozed. Screen time creeps up. The goal slowly becomes background noise.

So if this sounds a little too familiar and you have a habit of blaming yourself when your early morning 67-step Korean skincare routine doesn’t fix your whole life, this next bit is for you. When you zoom out, a lot of goals are created with an intent to fix an underlying feeling, even subconsciously. Such as:

💪Having more discipline → wanting to reclaim control in your life 

🎨Waking up earlier → craving time to focus on passion projects 

🌱Launching a business → A sign it might be time to update your LinkedIn and look for a new role

✈️Travel more → craving rest or adventure

🧠Setting better boundaries (and sticking to them) → wanting to protect your peace. 

Maybe that’s not the case for you. But there’s nothing to lose asking yourself the question: 

What problem do I think this goal will solve? 

You may just be surprised by the answer. 

So if December 31st you set big, dreamy goals that make present day you want to roll your eyes then that’s perfectly okay. You have not failed 2026. 

Maybe the goal wasn’t wrong. Maybe it just wasn’t solving the thing you actually needed solved. Turns out your 5am alarm isn’t the villain. Confusion and clarity is.

Either way, you can always reset. You don’t need to wait until a Monday or next year, you can start right now. 

So much love, 

Your Friendly Redhead.