Will 2026 Really Be Different?

Real change, or just another list to complete?

The start of a new year often feels like an invitation to reset, a moment that appears to offer a clean slate on which to rethink direction, recalibrate priorities, and refocus attention. Yet despite the optimism that accompanies this moment, most resolutions fall away. It is tempting to label this as laziness or a lack of commitment, but that explanation rarely tells the whole story.

One of the more overlooked reasons change fails to take hold lies in how the brain is wired. When goals are set without emotional meaning they are processed largely by the rational, effort-driven parts of the brain, which are excellent at planning but notoriously poor at sustaining change under pressure.

Many goals are created because it feels responsible to have them, because they offer a sense of productivity, or because they give you something tangible to work towards and eventually tick off, even when they are shaped more by external expectations than by what genuinely matters to you.

From a neurological perspective, a goal without emotional relevance is treated as a task, not a priority. It may trigger short bursts of motivation but when energy dips or circumstances change the brain naturally reverts to familiar patterns that feel safer and require less effort. This is not a character flaw rather it is the brain doing what it is designed to do, conserving energy and protecting stability.

Intentions work differently because they engage emotional and motivational circuits that influence behaviour far more deeply than logic alone. When you are clear about how you want to feel as you move through your days, the brain has a reference point that helps it filter decisions, direct attention, and reinforce behaviour through repetition. This internal state becomes a driver of action long after initial enthusiasm has faded.

Writing goals down still has value. It helps to organise thinking and brings clarity to priorities. The difficulty arises when that process turns into a purely mechanical to-do list. When goals feel heavy or obligatory they demand constant willpower which is one of the brain’s most limited resources, and as a result they tend to drain energy rather than create momentum.

A more effective approach is to anchor your goals in emotion. Rather than asking only what you want to achieve, it is worth asking how you want to feel as the year unfolds, using language that is present tense, specific, and grounded. Feeling energised, focused, calm, or confident in decision-making gives the brain a clear internal signal, allowing those states to act as a compass for prioritisation, boundaries, and daily choices.

The difference between short-lived resolutions and lasting progress is rarely effort alone. More often, it is the degree to which intention, emotion, and behaviour are neurologically aligned. When those elements support one another, change becomes far more resilient and far less dependent on motivation.

This year, it may be worth focusing less on ticking boxes and more on creating the experiences, habits, and internal states that reflect who you want to be and how you want to operate. That kind of alignment works with the brain rather than against it, and it is far more likely to lead to change that genuinely lasts.

If that perspective resonates, you’ll know whether it’s the right time to explore it further.

Be fabulous, because you are -

If this way of working resonates and you would like to explore it in a leadership coaching context, you can book a conversation here: https://bit.ly/cohesion-clarity-call