Goal Setting and Action Workbook – 2026
Step 2: Identify Your Intentions
“Intentions are not goals. They are how you choose to live while pursuing goals.”
This step defines the quality of life you want to create next year.
Goals come later. This is about direction, tone, and inner alignment.
Estimated Time: 60 minutes
Rule: Write simply. Truth over ambition.
1. The Big Picture
1. If 2026 had a single theme or word, what would it be?
(Examples: Stillness, Depth, Joy, Strength, Clarity, Presence)
Why this theme feels right now:
2. What kind of year do I not want to repeat?
(Name patterns, not events)
3. What kind of person do I want to be at the end of 2026?
(Think in qualities, not achievements)
2. Awareness and Truth
4. What do I know to be true about myself now that I must design around?
(Energy limits, attention, recovery, motivation)
5. If I protected my attention as if it were my health, what would change?
6. If I knew I could not fail, what would I give more time and space to?
3. Joy, Energy, and Aliveness
7. What activities consistently put me in a “green zone”?
(Energy, calm, joy, clarity)
8. What drains me even when it looks productive?
(Red zone activities, hidden costs)
9. How do I want most days to feel in 2026?
(Choose 3–5 words)
4. Letting Go and Creating Space
What I Intend to Shed
1. What attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors am I ready to release?
2. What activities or commitments no longer justify their cost?
3. What do I need to say no to earlier and more clearly?
5. Habits as Identity (Not To-Do Lists)
1. What foundational habits must exist for me to thrive?
(Think minimum viable habits)
2. What habits must stop because they undermine everything else?
3. What habits will I protect even in busy weeks?
6. Stillness, Mind, and Nervous System
1. What role will stillness play in my life this year?
(Daily, weekly, non-negotiable)
2. What is my intention with meditation?
(Minimum version counts)
3. How will I notice early signs of overload?
(Signals from body and mind)
7. Fears, Constraints, and Self-Permission
1. What fear might surface if I live this way?
2. What permission do I need to give myself this year?
(Examples: to slow down, to be less available, to choose joy)
3. What internal obstacles do I need to work with, not fight?
8. Relationships and Connection
1. Which relationships deserve my best energy?
2. What kind of connections do I want more of?
(Depth, play, learning, shared movement)
3. What boundaries will protect my relationships and myself?
9. Closing Intention
One sentence that defines how I want to live in 2026:
Optional: Read this once a week before planning.