Nearly a third of the way through the year already! How has THAT even happened?
Quick question that I would like for you to answer for yourself WITHOUT JUDGEMENT or beating yourself up in ANY way… okay?!
How are the goals/intentions you set for yourself in January going?
Are you on track or exceeding them? Or…has life got in the way?
I am willing to bet most of you are saying the latter, and zero shade on you if you are. The truth is, MAKING CHANGE IS REALLY HARD. Even if it’s something you really want for yourself.
Life is busy and demanding in 2026. The level of external noise and worry is extraordinary. Our nervous systems are in a perpetual state of alert We are all carrying an addictive attention sucking device with us 24/7. We are eating food that is engineered to mess with our biological rhythms and mood. Making personal considered change in that kind of environment is HARD, so, please… do not be down on yourself. It’s not YOU, It’s the ENVIRONMENT.
We live in an environment that keeps us locked in a perpetual state of hurry and stress and it takes a phenomenal amount of willpower just to get through the day… it is NO WONDER AT ALL that personal goals and change are so difficult to make happen. It takes all our motivation and will power just to get through the day each day as we reel from the latest global catastrophe.
So, how can we make change effectively? Well, we need to stop relying on willpower and motivation for a start. Hoping/Trusting we will do something when we feel like doing it is not a recipe for success to lose 15kgs or become debt free or finish writing our memoir. Given the environment we will often be too tired too stressed and simply not feel like it and not have the willpower reserves to make ourselves take action. That’s what’s happening in the graph here…
So, you can see from that we need to change the environment in order to support change. That’s when we can RELY ON THE SYSTEM FOR SUPPORTED CHANGE not on our INEVITABLY fluctuating willpower and motivation.
We need a SYSTEM that negates the need for motivation and willpower.
That might look like:
- Joining a gym class, 4 x a week with a friend who you pick up on the way. You get there and then the energy of the class – the SYSTEM – will be the container, the structure, to hold your change.
- Setting up a financial structure of payments and accounts that get automatically set to ensure that you WILL be debt free in 19 months from now. Again, the SYSTEM – will be the container, the structure, to hold your change. No motivation or willpower needed.
- You structure a “writing morning” two mornings a week with a set word count to achieve and an online accountability group to cheer you on. The SYSTEM – will be the container, the structure, to hold your change. In 6 months, at just 1200 words a week, you will have your book!
All these systems take the place of the motivation and willpower that we cannot rely on having in 2026. It’s used up just getting through the day so SYSTEMS that ENABLE, SUPPORT AND HOLD change are the way to go.
(FYI: The Wellbeing Warriors Coaching Academy does exactly this. It’s an elegant structure for supported personal growth and change with a huge group energy that creates its own microcosm, its own environment for effective personal change. I see the difference it makes every single day.)
So, if you are not achieving the change you want in 2026, PLEASE do not beat yourself up. The environment for change is HARD in 2026. You don’t need to shout at yourself more; you need to find the right STRUCTURE to support your change, whether that’s a gym, a buddy, or a suite of new bank accounts. Introducing a solid structure is your route to change.
