2025 wasn't bad, but it was a setup year. A lot of foundation work and starting things that don't have finish lines yet. To be honest, basically I was getting my shit together. 2026 is when I'm looking for some of what I did last year to start paying off.
The doctorate work keeps moving forward. Three courses down, two more enrolled for January-May 2026, and ten or eleven to go. Every semester is one step closer to done. It's not glamorous or fast. It's actually a fucking grind. But progress is being made and a big chunk will be knocked out in 2026.
The CGEIT certification is within reach this year. I've just got to execute the study plan and use the flash cards. Then sit for the exam before end of year. That credential opens doors for the kind of work I'm building toward with the business.
The business has a clearer shape now. I know who I'm targeting and what I'm offering. The prospecting system is built. Now it's about consistency and letting the lead pipeline do its thing in 2026.
My health is what it is and it is not changing. But I'm getting better at working around it instead of fighting it. I learned in 2025 to do the energy audits and leverage the 4 AM window. I started trusting bad days instead of grinding through them. All of that makes the good days more productive. 2026 should be a year I get better at doing this.
I started the Whole Health program with the VA in 2025. Tai Chi and meditation are weekly things now. I plan to improve and increase my sessions in these for 2026. Maybe even add some yoga, chair yoga at that. Not something I ever thought I'd be doing but here we are.
And honestly? I'm just tired of treading water. 2025 had a lot of "getting ready." 2026 needs to be about "doing."
Will everything go perfectly? No, most likely there will be some curveballs I can't see coming. But the pieces are in place and the work is in front of me. I just have to show up and keep moving.
That's the plan anyway. But we know what they say about plans.
Thanks for reading,
Joe
Notes:
-All content is mine unless otherwise annotated.
-Images are my own unless otherwise noted.
-Photos edited using MS Paint and/or iPhone SE.
-Page Dividers from The Terminal Discord.