Don’t let 2026 Disappear
I don’t want to wake up a year from now and wonder what happened to 2026.
That thought really bothers me.
Because it happens all the time.
A year goes by and you can’t point to anything specific you created, changed, or truly lived. You were busy—but not busy becoming. Your days filled with screens and walls, but your life didn’t move forward.
And I think one of the biggest reasons is simple:
We spend too much time looking backwards.
We replay what we used to do. Who we used to be. What we should have done. What we missed. What we lost. What we regret. We keep our attention locked on the rearview mirror, then act surprised when life feels stuck.
But becoming requires a different direction.
Becoming is forward-facing. It’s intentional. It’s built in small decisions, stacked day after day, until the “better version of you” isn’t a goal anymore.
It’s just who you are.
So here’s the real question:
If I don’t want 2026 to vanish, what do I need to do?
1) Stop living on default
Default living is when your schedule is run by other people’s priorities, random distractions, and whatever screams the loudest.
Default living feels like motion. But it isn’t progress.
If you want a different year, you need different defaults.
2) Decide who you’re becoming
Not what you’re doing. Who you’re becoming.
Because goals can be postponed. Identity can’t.
Pick a few traits that define the person you want to be:
Strong
Disciplined
Curious
Courageous
Creative
Then ask: What does that person do every week?
That’s where the truth lives.
3) Turn “becoming” into proof
This is where most people fail: they keep it inspirational.
“In 2026 I’m going to…”
No. Not going to.
Prove it.
Proof looks like:
strength sessions you can count
rides you can point to
words you wrote (a post, a page, a journal entry)
conversations you actually had (not just intended)
Receipts are what keep a year from disappearing.
4) Use a simple daily filter
Here’s a daily question that changes everything:
Did I move, make, or create today?
Move: train, walk, lift, stretch, ride
Make: write, build, plan, improve something that matters
Create: try something new—cook a new recipe, take a photo, learn a skill, be fully present
Do at least two of the three most days—and your life won’t drift.
5) Make your purpose serve your identity
For me, 2026 isn’t just a calendar year. It’s a proving ground.
I’m riding the Great American Rail-Trail with Warrior Expeditions to support veterans, but I’m also focused on becoming the person I want to be.
This isn’t just a long bike ride. It’s training for life.
Because the bike expedition doesn’t care about intentions. The bike expedition only responds to preparation, consistency, and courage, one mile at a time.
My point:
A year doesn’t disappear all at once.
It disappears one unchosen day at a time.
So I’m choosing 2026.
Not perfectly. Not dramatically. But intentionally.
Because I don’t want to look back and wonder what happened.
I want to look back and say:
That’s the year I became.
What are you becoming this year?
