Focus more on the system and less on the goal.

How do I want to show up today?

As 2026 begins, I’m rethinking how I want this next year to look. I’m focusing on how I want to show up. I’m considering how I want to be. This is more important than what I want to do.

I’m focused more on the internal and less on the external. 

I recently finished rereading Atomic Habits by James Clear, and I’m reminded of this:

…it doesn’t matter how successful or unsuccessful you are right now. What matters is whether your habits are putting you on the path toward success.

The key word is ‘toward.’

Am I moving in a direction that puts me on the path to the person I want to be?

How am I going about doing so each day?

Systems vs. Goals

Doing so looks like putting together a system. That’s why Clear promotes focusing on systems instead of results.

Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results. — James Clear

I’ve always been a goal-oriented person, and there’s nothing wrong with goals. However, it’s even more important to focus on what’s getting us there, in other words, the process.

That’s where the secret sauce is.

And that’s definitely where I have fallen short. 

For example, many years ago I had a goal of running a half marathon.

I found a 16–week running plan and implemented the running workouts (the process). 

I did it and completed my goal, but I didn’t focus enough on the journey. I focused only on the destination.

I didn’t focus enough on the journey. I missed paying better attention to how I felt after each workout. I would have implemented more weightlifting to complement the running workouts. I would have journaled how I felt after each workout and made better adjustments.

That’s all about the process, the journey.

Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress. — James Clear

In Conclusion.

When it comes to the person I want to be, I’m focusing how I’m showing up each day.

I journal about it in the morning, check in at lunch, and reflect at the end of the day.

I make adjustments to my system as I progress, and I focus on the journey. Because in all reality, being the person I want to be doesn’t have a deadline. I’m continuing to evolve one day at a time.