Reflect, Then Redirect
Quote from James Clear, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems” on a letter board in front of a dandelion-knit blanket
Editor’s note: This post will continue to evolve as I do.
Welcome all, new and seasoned readers to 2026. I hope your new year celebrations included delicious food, good vibes, and an unforgettable night. Most of all, it’s great having you back.
Before we begin today’s post, here are a few changes you’ll notice this year. The first is that each month will focus on a particular topic. For instance, January’s focus is Foundation and Reflections. Throughout the year, we will only continue to build on each month. Two, if you follow me on social media, I will no longer share poll questions daily. That was a challenge I specifically gave myself for the year of 2025. If you don’t already follow my page, follow Inspire Those Who Inspires You page, you can do so on Facebook (facebook.com/itwiy) or Instagram @inspire.those.who.inspire.you, for more up-to-date-information. And last but not least, I want to create content that helps or inspires you. I originally created this blog for that intent over 10 years ago. While the material or topics have changed, the goal hasn’t. This year will be more about helping you develop personally in your own life, less about what has occurred in mine.
Let’s get going before the day’s over, shall we? Head to your nearest book nook and settle in. There’s no better day than today to reflect and redirect. Think about the foundation you already have in your life. That’s where we’re going to start and build up from there.
Whether you are someone who constantly reflects or its just these year-end holidays, you’re in the right place. You don’t have to constantly reflect on your choices, because let’s be honest, that’s just exhausting. Instead, think of it as a personal check up to see if you’re on track of following your goals. This can be work related, personal, hobbies, family, you name it. It’s not restrictive to one area of your life.
Last year, I decided to change the game for my new year’s resolutions after I saw a post on Instagram (that I can’t find anymore). It said something along the lines of having no strict guidelines of “I’m going to work out every day” or “I’m going to drink more water” and it was more all-consuming with the focus of just being. Finding places to improve without feeling a need to change yourself. And I feel like I did just that.
This year I want to take it a step further. I want to add onto the foundation that I already have. There’s a lot of ways I want to continue to improve and put myself out there. For some context, last year’s focus was unraveling all I thought I was. And instead, recognizing where I am, and building from there. A specific example I have was building up my confidence, learning to embrace my flaws, and working on speaking better.
If you haven’t read “Coming to a Close” which was the end of the year post of 2025, I shared apps that I found to be beneficial in my progress and helped me hone in where I needed too.
Before we get too far into this post, my question for you is: 1) Where do you feel you are today? 2) Where is it that you want to improve in your life? 3) What’s your biggest issue? Is it consistency, motivation, crafting a routine?
In the past, the most frequent mistake I made was being unrealistic with my goals. You may not believe it, but it can quite literally work against you, take it from me. If a goal is too high-reaching, it can become stressful to maintain or keep up with. Those are not the goals to set. It’s about baby steps. This method works wonders.
As I mentioned, my goals used to be too far-fetching. If it wasn’t one extreme of waking up and deciding one day I was going to go “cold turkey” from soda, French fries, desert, it was forcing myself to eat foods that I didn’t particularly love, in the hopes of switching out things. But through a lot of trial and error, I found that neither of those worked. Rather it made me crave those things more, to the point of going overboard. This would then lead to negative feelings of guilt, shame, and regret.
We’re human. You and I. I’m sure you are aware of this just as much as I am. Life gets busy, we get lazy, we make excuses, and the list goes on and on. Just because we may slip up sometime and fall back into old routine, old habits, doesn’t mean, we aren’t working towards becoming better. This post is meant to help you recognize where you are making progress and where you need some more focus. For example, applaud yourself when you’ve hit a new record, such as eating at home three days in a row, you’ve been drinking a bottle a water a day, you’ve consistently went for a 30-minute walk, or you have a social media free day. All of these things are huge accomplishments. They’re not something that should be overlooked just because you aren’t yet where you’d like to be or because someone you know has completed double the amount you have. Think of it more as choosing to build the life you want.
It's about rephrasing our thought process. This, too, was a common piece of advice I received in my own life. The only problem? I didn’t understand what that meant or how to get started. And that’s exactly what I want to help you with. So, you do not feel as I once did. It’s not that we need to reinvent who we are or become something we aren’t, all we have to do is reframe the mindset. Reflect, and then, redirect.
As a signature of my blog, I’d like to end this post with a suggestion to “Pass on kindness.” There’s no time like the present to Inspire Those Who Inspire You. Acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, can have a direct, positive impact on someone else. Go out there today and change someone’s life for the better!
***These are my personal opinions and may not be those of my employer.***
