New year, new you or same you?

Is 2026 going to be your best year ever or is it going to be a continuation of 2025? I'm going to start by saying that I don't usually start or do anything different on the 1st January : often I'm away somewhere sunny with my family so my focus is on having fun and making memories. This year we're at home yet it's still my kids holidays so I'll be delaying any start time. I share this because the 1st January may seem like a neat date but does it work for you in starting something new? remember you can choose any time to start and build new habits, routines and rituals. Pick a date that works for you So.. instead of the 1st January pick a date where you know it will be good for you to start. I'm picking the 5th my kids are back at school and I'm back at work so it's back to routine. Consider your goals and vision Then consider what you want : we're overwhelmed with "noise" and other people's goals. I'm not denying that running every day or not drinking alcohol for a month are good things to do I'm asking you to reflect what these would mean to you and how committed and motivated you are. Think about how this links to your identity When we choose a goal or a habit it needs to align with who we want to become identity wise as well as what is important to us. For example I love running.. I don't love running in the cold, dark and wet so it's not on my list in winter (I am a fair weather runner). Think about cues and rewards Consider what you already do that you enjoy and gives you a benefit and ask how can I build on this? and then look at what you're doing which you'd like to reduce. If you start small you'll be able to look at something called "the compound effect' where that daily or weekly increase will build over the year. When you know what you want to do and what it means to you consider how you'll feel afterwards and how you'll celebrate your progress as well as how you can remind yourself to start: cues and rewards are key to habit formation: this is known as the "habit loop" In one of my favourite studies some researchers looked at supporting people to exercise more. They found that those who had chocolate after exercise continued with the habit more than those who didn't as they associated exercise with pleasure. As an exercise and chocolate lover it's a great study and supports the habit loop theory. Consider how you'll get back on track We can often look at "all or nothing" thinking around habits instead consider how you'll get back on track if there are obstacles or barriers. This supports building new neural pathways and means you're more likely to stick at things long term. As we come into the new year we're running a special new year coaching experience and we'll be sharing about habits alongside some other sessions https://www.optimuscoachacademy.com/coaching-experience-week-january-2026 And we teach how to support clients to build habits and change behaviour in our diplomas which you can find out more about here https://www.optimuscoachacademy.com/