New Year’s Resolutions
I’ve decided my New Year’s resolution for 2026 is 4K.
Not “4K steps,” not “4K savings,” not “4K followers.”
I mean 4K like screen resolution. So I can spot the 1 pixel mistakes easier. And so I can see more of my 100+ Chrome tabs at once, like the healthy, stable adult I clearly am.
Jokes aside, New Year’s resolutions are just a fancy way of saying:
“I want to change something.”
And change always starts the same way: with perspective.
If your perspective stays the same, your resolution is basically just a wish wearing a suit.
The Invisible Cage: Imaginary Constraints
Most people don’t fail because they’re lazy. They fail because they build goals inside a cage they can’t even see.
I call it imaginary constraints.
It’s the internal voice that says:
- “That’s not possible.”
- “That’s too big.”
- “That’s just how it is.”
- “I don’t have time.”
And you believe it, not because it’s true, but because it feels true.
Let me give you a stupidly practical example.
The 500 Email Problem
This month my COO dropped a target on the table: 500 cold outreach emails.
My first thought? Easy. Two days. Done.
Then reality arrived and kicked my chair out from under me.
Because “500 emails” is not one task. It’s a pile of tasks:
- finding the right companies
- in the right industry
- at the right stage
- with the right people
- with real emails
- and enough context that your message doesn’t sound like a spam bot with a pulse
When you actually care about targeting properly, it takes longer. Like, ten times longer.
So my brain did what brains do: it tried to protect me from discomfort.
It said: “This goal isn’t possible.”
Then another thought showed up, louder:
People literally send rockets into space.
Surely I can send some emails without turning it into a daily archaeological dig through the internet.
That was the perspective shift.
The problem wasn’t the goal. The problem was the process I was using to chase it.
So I sharpened the axe.
I researched. I changed the system. I stopped doing it the dumb way.
And yes, I found a tool that made the whole thing faster and less painful. Apollo, specifically, is wild for lead sourcing, sequencing, and pulling accurate contact data. If you’re doing cold outreach and you’re still doing it like it’s 2016, you’re making your life harder for no reason.
Anyway.
The point isn’t “use Apollo.”
The point is this:
Most “impossible” goals are only impossible inside your current process.
Change the process, and suddenly the same goal becomes normal.
Resolutions are Not Goals. They’re Identity.
A resolution isn’t “I want to do X.”
A resolution is:
“I’m becoming the kind of person who does X.”
That’s why perspective matters.
If you cannot picture success, you won’t walk toward it. You’ll negotiate with your own fear until February, then quietly pretend you never made the resolution in the first place.
So here’s what actually moved the needle for me. Not the flashy stuff. The simple shifts that compound.
6 Simple Changes That Quietly Upgrade Your Life
1. Fix your circle
Your environment starts with people.
If you spend time around people who drain you, your “motivation” will always feel like a limited resource.
Get closer to people who:
- make good decisions consistently
- think bigger than your current reality
- don’t turn every interaction into emotional admin
- make you feel lighter, not heavier
I’ve cut people out over the last year or two. It was uncomfortable. Also, it was worth it.
All worthwhile decisions are rarely easy.
2. Fix your work situation (or at least your plan)
If you like your job, great.
If you dread mornings, feel stuck, or you’re constantly eating stress for breakfast, you don’t need a new vision board. You need a decision.
Not “one day I’ll leave.”
A decision with a plan.
Easier said than done, I know. But it will never be worth the mental and physical toll of a bad work environment long-term.
3. Fix your space
Where you live matters more than people admit.
I stayed in an apartment for four years with too many bad memories baked into the walls. Last year, I went to one viewing in Melkbos, loved it, signed that day, and moved a week later.
Just like that.
Fresh space, fresh energy. Calmer. Beach nearby. Brand new place.
I underestimated what a reset like that does for your head.
4. Stop doing things you don’t want to do (the optional stuff)
I’m not talking about rent and responsibilities.
I’m talking about the things you say yes to because you’re scared of how it looks if you say no.
If it’s been a hard week and you’re cooked, decline the invite.
If you need a day alone to reset, take it.
You don’t need to be available to everyone 24/7 to be a good person. You’re allowed to protect your energy without writing a full apology essay.
5. Bring back the hobby you abandoned
This one’s personal.
I’ve always loved gaming. For almost three years I barely touched it because I was drowning in work and carrying guilt anytime I did something that wasn’t “productive.”
Then I finally had time again and the guilt was still there.
That’s the trap. You can escape the workload and still keep the mindset prison.
Now I’m back to enjoying it with my partner and friends after hours, because rest isn’t laziness. It’s maintenance.
6. Support the people close to you
This sounds like a fortune cookie until you live it.
Put energy into your people. Encourage them. Help them win. Be proud of them out loud.
Karma is real in the practical sense: what you put out tends to circle back through relationships, opportunities, and how you see yourself.
The Actual Resolution
So if you want a real New Year’s resolution, here it is:
Don’t just pick a goal. Pick a new perspective.
If something feels impossible, assume you’re missing a better method, not missing “talent.”
Sharpen the axe.
Most cages are imaginary. Most exits are just education plus action.
Have a kickass 2026. Make it weird, make it brave, make it yours.
And if you’re building something and want a partner that feels in-house without the overhead, that’s literally what we do at Nexubis.
Empowering Dreams.
