Last week, in the quiet hours of the morning, I sat down at my desk and spent some time reflecting on the goals I made for myself last year and considered what I might want to focus on this year. Within a few hours, I had my first draft of my goals for 2026. After coming back to them a few more times over the following days, I felt good about them and posted a picture of them online, as I always do.
At the time of this writing, I’m three days into the new year and I’ve already failed.
Here’s how:
Eat in a way that supports my long-term health. On January 2, I had two helpings of boneless chicken wings at dinner. On January 3, I ate a snack pack left over from the holidays when I was digging through the fridge trying to find a water bottle.
Move daily and commit to regular strength training. I haven’t been to the gym since the New Year.
Use time traveling to “get ahead.” I flew on Friday and scrolled TikTok videos for most of the flight. (The memes with John Hamm always make me laugh.)
If you’re anything like me, you’ve already failed, too.
Allow me to offer some encouragement: You’re not alone. Statistically speaking, 23% of people will completely give up on their goals for the new year by the end of this week. Many studies suggest most will give up by the end of next week, with one study finding that 88% of people functionally quit trying to keep their goals by January 14.
Here’s the thing, though – there’s a massive difference between temporary failure and completely giving up.
Temporary failure says: ” I messed up, but I’m going to get back on the horse and give it my best today. Here’s a chance to do better tomorrow. What can I learn from today’s failure that will give me a better chance of success tomorrow? I failed, but I’m not a failure.”
Giving up often sounds like this: “I failed, so there’s no point in continuing to try. I am a failure. It’s okay to give up; almost everyone else has, too. I’m worthless.”
I wish this didn’t transfer to other areas of our lives, but it does. How we view failure related to New Year’s goals is typically reflected in how we view all the failures we experience. Most importantly, it impacts the way we see ourselves. That’s important because the way we see ourselves impacts how we feel about ourselves, and we feel about ourselves ultimately impacts how we perform. This is true both personally and professionally.
If you’re somebody who struggles with this, accept this encouragement to speak to yourself a bit more gently this year. Your failures are final only if you allow them to be. What will you allow?
If you’re somebody who does well with this, let me remind you that you’re surrounded by people who aren’t as good at this as you are. Your words often have the power to fan their flames or to put the fire out completely. What kind of leader, colleague – or spouse, parent, or friend – do you want to be?
Cheers to the New Year and to YOU!
#ChooseToBeGreat
Angelo
CHOOSE TO BE GREAT 