You Don’t Need a New Goal. You Need a Theme.
Edition — 004
Welcome to The Obsession, glad you’re here.
Next week is the start of a new year. It’s crazy how fast 2025 flew by.
Every year, I spend time thinking about what I want to come out of the year. One thing that’s helped me is picking a theme, something simple that I can come back to no matter what I’m doing.
My theme for 2026 is: Be Consistent.
Not “do more.” Not “try harder.”
Just consistent, because I’ve learned that consistency is usually the difference between momentum and frustration.
What consistency means for me next year shows up in three big areas:
Relationships
Work
Self
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s avoiding the ebbs and flows, those stretches where you’re all in for a week, then disappear for two. I’m after steady improvement that I can actually feel at the end of the year.
The biggest thing that pulls me away from that is spending too much time living in the future. Thinking about what’s next, what could go wrong, what I need to do later. And if I’m living in the future, I’m certainly not dwelling in the present.
That’s why this year, consistency is going to be built on the foundation of being present.
If I’m working, I’m there to work.
If I’m on date night with my wife, I’m there with her.
If I’m training, I’m on the run or in the gym both mentally and physically.
I also like how Gino Wickman talks about operating in a 90 day world because most people can’t stay focused for an entire year, but they can stay focused for 90 days. That idea keeps you from drifting too far into the future and helps you stay locked into what matters right now.
The point of a theme isn’t to make you “grind harder.” It’s to create alignment. A theme becomes a filter. When your calendar fills up and life gets loud, your theme helps you answer: Is this moving me toward the year I said I wanted?
For 2026, I want consistency across all three buckets:
Relationships: This will be a real test next year. My wife and I are both stepping into new roles that will take more time than ever before. That’s exactly why consistency matters here, because the things that matter most don’t stay strong by accident.
Work: As I step into a new role, I know there will be challenges. But I also see it as an opportunity: to show up with more consistency, more creativity, and more intention, especially in a competitive landscape.
Self: For me, this is mostly fitness. I’ve had seasons where I was locked in, then seasons where it tailed off. And when it tails off, it’s never because of one big decision. It’s a slow drift. This year I want fewer restarts, and more steady reps.
Here’s my challenge to you going into 2026:
Don’t just write goals. Look for the theme underneath your goals, the common thread, and make that your north star. Because when you know the theme, your decisions get simpler. And consistency gets easier.
A few specific commitments I’m using to support the theme
Read 2 pages every day (and read 8 books in 2026)
Log 30 miles or more per month, on top of 5 days of lifting
Plan one real date night per month with my wife (planned, protected, not optional)
Small things. Repeatable things. That’s the point.
The Weekly 3
1) One Question I Asked Myself
Where am I living too far in the future, and losing the moment I’m actually in?
2) One Idea That Shifted Me
You don’t need to “win the year.” You need to win the next 90 days.
3) One Challenge to Take Into Your Week
Pick a theme for 2026, and write down one daily habit that proves you’re serious about it. Keep it small enough that you’ll actually do it.
