New Year's Note

It’s customary to make, and often break, one’s New Year’s resolutions. It’s sort of a cultural caricature for this time of year, especially after a season of indulgence. But that’s not the goal, and that’s not how it should be. Changing shouldn’t be some daunting struggle. It’s only a daunting struggle if you don’t have a plan and you try to swallow a big problem whole. So, for this post, I won’t list my successes, and I won’t spill what I want to accomplish in 2026. I just want to briefly talk about the essential process that I think should be pretty common for all of us, and that I’m going to commit to right out of the gate.

One of my core beliefs is that the self-help, life-hacking culture that lots of smart tech people buy into is more or less hogwash, and that the path to success, and to happiness in life, is essentially simple and decidedly not secret, magical, or a difficult puzzle. It’s basic meat-and-potatoes stuff. You take problems and break them down into manageable parts. You set a goal and take consistent even if very small steps toward that goal every day. You clarify your will and keep your attention directed toward these goals through reflection. Control what you can control and keep going. Let nothing break that essential force of will as you move toward your goal(s).

I, for one, have experienced some success here, but I can do better. I’ve done the soul searching about what I want. I’ve made lifestyle changes. I’ve escaped disharmonious circumstances and moved to more harmonious ones. I’ve surrounded myself with more good people. But I can do better at setting myself up for success by having a stronger routine so it’s easier to make progress every day and to maintain the will to continue. I intend to continue paring away things that can derail me or impede my attention and will. I commit to having better day-to-day consistency as I take baby-steps toward my goals, as Dr. Leo Marvin might say. So, for me, 2026 is the year of building upon success and burning a little cleaner.

Now, I’m not in a position to give definitive advice to anyone. But if you find yourself in tough circumstances that are changeable, then I think a few simple practices could work for you, as they have worked for me, and as I continue to work them:

1. Know what you want and exert your willpower toward your goal(s). Meditate on it constantly until you know. If things become cloudy, you have to take time out and seek clarity and the truth. This process is the engine that makes it all go, in my opinion.
2. Orient yourself so you align with your surroundings for the better. If there is disharmony that makes progress impossible or exceedingly difficult, then you might have to make a change. Don’t hesitate to make it once you know what it is.
3. Once you have a goal that deeply resonates with you, and once you have alignment and harmony with your surroundings, take those small, reasonable, practical, constant steps without ceasing.

Rinse and repeat. The goal is your satisfaction and happiness. The goal is to live a good life. Try to make the world a better place along the way. Certainly cause no harm.

That’s it. I’m going to do that work better this year. Who’s with me?