In past years, I’ve done personal and professional strategic planning and goal setting with a focus on goals first at a high level based around desires like Connection (Relationship), Purpose, Impact, and Service, and created goals under those headers.

This year, instead, I reflected on what I wanted to change, experience, or be in my life in 2026, and then created goals under those desires. Some of the things I want for 2026 include feeling more connected to my wife and kids, creating a better system to track my priorities and to-dos, and feeling more intentional, present, and engaged instead of frenetic and busy.

As I reflected on those desires, I started to create goals that are more inspiring for me this year, than the last few years, because they are more focused on what I want and less goals that feel like they are reacting to what I think I “should” be working on.