A Smarter Way to Think About Goals in 2026 & Beyond

Updated yearly to reflect how I’m thinking about goals right now.

Consistency over intensity. Always.

In this article:

- Why outcome-only goals fail without values and systems

- How to define values and identity before setting goals

- How to turn big goals into realistic timelines using SMART planning

- Why discipline—not motivation—is what actually carries you forward

- How to stay consistent without burning out

This year, my goals come with flexibility—not rigidity. I’m open to changing course, adjusting direction, and even dropping a goal entirely if it stops working. Not because I’m giving up, but because life has a way of reminding us that the best plans still need room to breathe. 

If you’ve ever set a big, shiny goal—make six figures by 30, land the new job by year’s end, hit a certain milestone by a certain age—you already know how this goes. On paper, those goals look ambitious and impressive. In reality, they’re often missing the most important pieces: your values, your systems, and an honest answer to whether you actually want the thing you’re chasing—or just the idea of it. 

(Hello, memetic desire.)

I’ve had plenty of those goals. And I didn’t miss them because I wasn’t capable—I missed them because they were too vague, too rigid, and completely unprepared for life’s curveballs.

So this year, I approached goal setting differently. I focused less on the outcome and more on three functions that actually make goals livable: flexibility, sustainability, and—most importantly—why a goal matters in the first place.

What does it support? What does it make possible? What kind of life does it help you build?

This year, I got specific. But before I touched a single metric or timeline, I started with my values—who I am now, who I’m becoming, and what kind of life I’m actually trying to support. From there, the goals became clearer. Sustainable goal setting means aligning what you want with how you actually live.

Start With Values, Not Outcomes

Your values—who you are and who you want to be—are what link any goal you set to the bigger picture of why it matters, especially when motivation fades. Without that connection, goals tend to collapse the moment life gets inconvenient. So the real question isn’t what do I want to achieve? It’s: what actually matters to me right now?

A simple place to start: grab a list of values or adjectives (there are plenty online), scan through it, and highlight anything that genuinely resonates. Then narrow that list down to four or five core values that feel essential in your current season of life.

From there, define what each value means to you, specifically. For example, here’s how mine look right now:

Stability: health, calmness, consistency, security, nervous system safety

Autonomy: independence, flexibility, self-trust, choice

Growth: honesty, accountability, learning, responsibility, wisdom

Connection: love, kindness, compassion, community, family, friendships

Joy: creativity, curiosity, fun, humor, beauty, adventure

If you want to take this a step further, you can translate those values into a short core identity statement. Here’s an example of mine:

I believe in myself and my ability to create a meaningful life across my relationships, creativity, career, and finances. I am worthy of love, respect, and safety exactly as I am, and I choose environments and people that foster my growth. I am committed to a healthy, mindful, and moderate life that supports my mental, physical, and emotional well-being. I accept myself fully—including my imperfections—and move through life with courageous action and calm power.

A goal shifts from “I want a Mercedes” (a vanity metric) to “I want safe, reliable transportation that supports my freedom, stability, and ability to stay connected to people I love.” Same desire—completely different grounding.

And to the overthinkers out there (hello, me): don’t overthink this. Do what feels true right now. Start where you are. You can revisit and revise later—because if you’re not changing your mind occasionally, you’re probably not paying attention. The point isn’t perfection. The point is beginning.

Turn Values Into Actual Goals & Make Them SMART

Repeat this to yourself: not all goals are created equal—and goals are allowed to change. As you gather more information, your priorities shift, your resources evolve, and your understanding deepens. That’s not failure; that’s learning.

Maybe the Mercedes becomes a Ford. Maybe the Ford becomes a bike. If all three accomplish the same underlying value—freedom, safety, autonomy—that’s adaptability, not settling. And adaptability is essential if goals are going to stay attainable without burning you out.

Start by choosing three or four goals that align with your values and identity. Let’s say one of them is: make one million dollars.

Great goal. Ambitious. Also incredibly vague.

“Make one million dollars” becomes something more workable, like: Grow my wealth strategically and efficiently.

Now measure that goal across stages:

Three months

• Create a realistic annual budget

• Cancel subscriptions and services that aren’t adding value

• Pay off all credit card debt

• Set up automated savings

  
  

Six months

• Research and test a side hustle

• Ask for a raise or promotion

  
  

One year

• Increase annual income

• Be better positioned to invest

  
  

Yes—use the same SMART framework you apply at work and finally apply it to your own life.

We spend years creating strategic plans, timelines, and KPIs for corporations, but hesitate to invest that same energy into ourselves. That’s the real disconnect.

When a goal feels rigid and overwhelming, we shut down. But when it’s broken into manageable steps—saving $15K in six months, paying off one debt at a time—that million-dollar goal stops feeling abstract. Momentum builds through repetition, not leaps. You don’t jump to the top of the mountain. You climb it—one solid step at a time.

Discipline Is What Carries You Forward

Here’s something you probably won’t love hearing—but it’s worth making peace with: most of the time spent reaching big goals is boring. It’s routine. It’s showing up when nothing feels exciting. It’s choosing consistency over intensity and learning to respect discipline for what it is.

Someone wiser than me put it simply: “Discipline is the highest form of self-love.”

The point isn’t punishment. It’s reality. If you want a life that feels stable, expansive, and intentional later, you have to learn to tolerate—and eventually appreciate—the unglamorous work now. Discipline is what remains. And this is where your values matter most: they carry you forward when inspiration disappears.

Once your goals are broken down into realistic timelines, the next step is building habits that support them. Not extreme ones. Sustainable ones. Start small, but make them purposeful. A ten-minute weekly budget check-in. Cooking at home most nights. Limiting eating out—not eliminating it.

This is where the ten-minute rule comes in. When you don’t feel like sticking to the plan, commit to ten minutes. Ten minutes of budgeting. Ten minutes of a workout. Ten minutes of cooking dinner at home. If after ten minutes you truly want to stop, stop. You showed up. You honored the habit.

But most of the time, you won’t stop. And if you do, that’s still a win.

Give yourself permission to be imperfect. Expect missteps. What matters isn’t flawless execution—it’s returning to center. All-or-nothing thinking is the fastest way to quit before you’ve even begun. Discipline isn’t about never failing. It’s about continuing anyway.

Start Where You Are

Final truth: you will never be perfect. But you will get better—more capable, more confident, and more consistent—when you stop waiting for ideal conditions and start where you are.

Progress favors consistency over intensity every time. Someone who works out for ten minutes a day is far more likely to reach thirty minutes a day than the person who goes all-in for one intense week, burns out, and then disappears for the next six—only to repeat the same cycle and wonder why nothing sticks.

This idea isn’t new. Someone wiser than all of us wrote a story most of us learned as kids, and it remains wildly underrated advice: the tortoise wins, not the hare.

So be the turtle.

Go slow. Stay steady. Keep going.

FAQs

How do I set goals without burning out?

By anchoring goals in your values, breaking them into realistic timelines, and prioritizing consistency over intensity. Burnout happens when goals ignore how you actually live.

What’s the difference between motivation and discipline?

Motivation is temporary. Discipline is what remains when motivation fades—and it’s built through small, repeatable habits, not force.

Can SMART goals work for personal life, not just work?

Yes. When used lightly, SMART goals add clarity and structure without rigidity. They support flexibility rather than limit it.