Pivot #54: Seven Questions to Ponder Before 2026

Welcome to Just One Pivot, your weekly pause to find clarity and consider your next best move. If this was sent to you, subscribe to get your own copy next time.

Before We Begin: A Personal Note

Last week I wrote about the power of a hiatus, the medicine we need for cognitive restoration, creative renewal, emotional recalibration, and so much more.

In that spirit, Just One Pivot is taking a pause until the new year. Our next issue arrives January 4, 2026.

Pivot Point

Every December, I return to a ritual that has shaped my own personal and professional breakthroughs: asking better questions.

On that note, I want to leave you with a simple year-end ritual, one I'll be following myself during this pause. It includes seven questions designed to help you close 2025 with intention and enter 2026 with clarity and confidence.

Consider them my gift for your end-of-year reflection.

7 Questions to Ponder Before 2026

1. What deserves a celebration?

Your brain needs closure before it will let you begin again. This is why celebration isn't indulgent. Think of it as neurological bookkeeping.

Before you turn the page on a new year, pause long enough to honor what strengthened you: the small wins, the unexpected opportunities, the people who stood with you, and the miracles that came and went while life moved too quickly.

Reflection metabolizes experience. Gratitude integrates it. Celebration is how I tell myself, "I made it through, God walked with me, and I learned something along the way." What would a celebration practice mean for you?

2. What am I ready to release?

Every season asks us to loosen our grip on something: an outdated goal, a draining commitment, a story we've outgrown, or a pattern that once served us but now weighs us down.

Releasing isn't failure. We let go of what we no longer need to make room for what we want. Letting go frees the energy that's been leaking through frustration, guilt, noise, or obligation. What you release creates the space for what wants to emerge next.

3. What do I want? (Plainly and without qualifiers)

We often bury our truest desires under layers of practicality, fear, or politeness. Yet clarity doesn't require full certainty'; it simply calls for the courage to tell the truth.

Naming what you want before you worry about the "how" or "what others will think" is an act of congruence. It organizes your focus and interrupts the drift toward default choices.

Let the answer be imperfect, bold, or even surprising. Honesty is a powerful pivot.

4. What does it cost to pursue what I want?

Every meaningful pursuit carries a cost. It may cost you a leap into the unknown, mastering new skills, having uncomfortable conversations, or developing the discipline to show up when you lack motivation.

You're more likely to pay the cost if you count it at the beginning. It's your first step toward sober commitment. You're saying, "This matters enough for me to invest in it."

The question is simple: Is the life I want worth this cost?

5. Who do I want to become in the process?

Goals aren't only about outcomes and achievements. Goals are the carrot that pulls you toward growth and growth toward the person you wouldn't become otherwise.

Imagine the future version of yourself, the one who holds the results you want. How does that person think, decide, act, speak, or listen?

Let that future version of you take shape one action at a time, one pivot at a time. Behaviors follow beliefs about who we are and who we're becoming.

6. What obstacles might stop me, and how do I prepare for them?

Internal resistance is the biggest obstacle you will face, and it isn't a sign that you're off track; it's proof you're moving toward something meaningful. The brain is wired to conserve energy, so anything new triggers hesitation.

Predict the obstacles now (fatigue, doubt, competing responsibilities, shifting priorities) and plan for those moments. When you expect resistance rather than fear it, it loses its power.

Preparation becomes its own form of momentum.

7. One year from today, what story do I want my life to tell?

The stories we believe win, whether they're true or not. Stories shape direction because they give the brain a destination to work toward.

Imagine yourself at the end of 2026: Where are you standing? What have you completed? What surprised you about your own resilience or discipline?

Write the story as if it already happened. This isn't wishful thinking; it's truth in advance, what neuroscientists call "priming." Give yourself a story worth moving toward.

Your Move

Over the next few weeks, choose one of the seven questions and spend some uninterrupted time thinking, journaling, and digesting. Sit with each of them before the year ends, and let your answers guide your next pivot in 2026.

Thank You

Thank you for reading, sharing, and inviting these ideas into your life each week. This community has become one of the most meaningful parts of my work, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak into your life.

I'll see you on January 4, 2026.

Wishing you rest, clarity, and a peaceful close to the year.

Your move.