Another year has passed and 2026 is now here. All the messiness of the past year is replaced by the hope the new year brings. After I reviewed my 2025 goals, I was struck by how few I completed. I am goal-driven and normally, my goals would be dutifully checked off. Yet, last year I rarely glanced at my goals. Perhaps it was because I knew, deep down, that I did not want to be as disciplined as I age. Maybe I just wanted to do as I pleased, no matter the long-term consequences. I just may be resting on my laurels.
I know that I should eat and drink healthier. I certainly know which foods are better for my body and can easily prepare them. When I eat in a restaurant, there are always healthy selections on the menu. After my April heart attack, I have a greater incentive to eat heart healthy foods. Yet, my willpower declines each day as the new year progresses. I start compromising: “I am with friends and they are not eating healthy,” or “I am tired and need a sugar boost.” It is so difficult to steer my mental elephant when it wants to dive into high calorie foods! I know that processed foods are unhealthy, but my brain lights up when it sees sugary desserts, starches, and fats.
I can write down a worthy relationship goal, such as being a better listener and focusing on others, but I usually fail as soon as the conversation steers towards me. Later, I remember this goal, then sulk about a lost opportunity to learn from and minister to others. Some habits are near impossible to break without total focus. Amid life’s daily ebbs and flows, important goals can quickly get left behind.
Embedding a new goal takes consistency. I have heard that a new habit starts to embed after three weeks of consistent, daily practice. Goals should be reviewed each morning before the day gets going, then practiced. This takes a dedicated personal commitment. The number of goals should be reasonable, like a golfer who works to master a small swing change before attempting another change. Increasing the complexity usually leads to capitulation.
Goals highlight your priorities. Some goals get completed quickly when the priorities are urgent, like the need to repair a leaky roof or see a specialist about a painful back. Goals can get sidetracked due to crisis, such as caring for a sick relative, or unexpectedly losing a job. New habits can get quickly tossed when critical needs arise. One day, I was not feeling well and then I was in the heart hospital for four days having two stents placed in my arteries. Life can get complicated quickly.
Some of my goals are lifestyle changes that contribute to a better future: healthy nutrition, physical and mental exercising, adequate sleep, fulfilling relationships, and spiritual practices. The focus should be to balance these important life aspects. It can be difficult, but so fulfilling once achieved.
As I reflect on 2025, two themes come to mind. The first is the fragility of life. My heart attack was a sudden shock, undetected by my doctors and coming after many years of consistent exercise. My family experienced two deaths, one tragically to cancer. My friends and family experienced numerous illnesses and accidents that constantly reminded me of how we must treasure the time we have while on earth. Each day should be lived with joy and wonder.
The second theme is the need to disconnect from the depressing world news and expanding commercialism. I am not advocating turning off the news but limiting it. Instead, allocate more time to personal relationships that are meaningful and uplifting. This includes honoring the Sabbath. This sounds old fashioned in our technological age, but life will become more joyful when technology is turned off.
Four days a week, I do cardio in a gym and watch the local morning news on the cardio monitor. I am astonished as to how little news is broadcast compared to the high number of commercials. American society has become so used to commercialism that it is normalized. Fortunately, there are alternative non-commercial programs available. One must purposely choose to limit the exposure to commercialism rather than succumb to it.
As I write this blog, I realize that I have spent several hours writing while my wife sits alone watching a college football game. The sun is shining outside and the temperature is 70F, well above the normal January high. Most of the American Midwest and Northeast is blanketed in snow while the Rose Bowl Parade is experiencing heavy rain. I need to seize the moment and practice what I have endorsed in this blog: spending time with someone you love. So, I sign off this first day of the New Year blog to depart on a leisurely walk with my wife.
Happy New Year! May you experience hope, peace, joy, and love in 2026.
