1/2/26: Take Two — Course Correction, Not Reinvention
Ideas and inspiration for a more intentional, extraordinary life.
January 2, 2026
Course Correction, Not Reinvention
We often approach the New Year as if it requires a total overhaul of our lives. New habits. New goals. A new version of ourselves.
But meaningful change rarely happens that way.
Commercial airplanes offer a helpful reminder. After a plane takes off, it's slightly off course for much of the journey. What matters isn’t flawless precision—it’s the constant course corrections made along the way.
Small adjustments. Repeated often. That’s how a plane arrives where it intends to go.
Our lives work much the same way.
Most New Year’s goals fail not because we lack motivation in January, but because we don’t revisit them in February… or April… or October. We set a direction once and hope momentum will carry us the rest of the year. When life inevitably drifts us off course, we don’t notice—or we notice too late.
The alternative is simpler and far more effective.
Instead of asking, How can I reinvent myself this year?
Try asking, What small correction would bring me closer to the life I want to be living right now?
Improve your sleep.
Reduce screen time.
Watch less television and read more books—even a page or two each day.
Give more time and attention to your health, your relationships, your spiritual life.
Course correction doesn’t demand perfection. It requires awareness.
And the good news is this: you don’t have to wait until next January to begin again. You can recalibrate today. Tomorrow. As often as needed.
A meaningful life isn’t built through dramatic resolutions. It’s shaped through small, repeated adjustments.
What small adjustment can you take today that will help you move in the direction of the life you want to live?
THREE QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
A New Year is an invitation to ask better questions—because the quality of our lives is often shaped more by the questions we ask than the goals we chase. Here are three worth sitting with as you begin the year:
1. Fast forward to December 31, 2026—what one thing would need to have happened for you to feel this was a good, meaningful year?
2. If you knew 2026 would be the last year of your life, how would you live differently than you did last year? What conversations would you want to have?
3. What routines, habits, or time-consuming activities are no longer serving you? Remove one that's not working and replace it with something that will help you create the life you want.
NEVER MISS THE CHANCE TO START AGAIN
A new year doesn’t magically change our lives—but it does offer something precious: the chance to begin again with more wisdom than before. I wrote a short article that explores the value in starting again. You can read it here.
QUOTES TO CONSIDER
Quote #1:
“You do not have to be the same person you were five minutes ago.”
— Alan Watts
Quote #2:
“The truth is each of us are only one or two decisions away from a more beautiful and winsome life.”
— Bob Goff
Quote #3:
“Although no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending.”
— Carl Bard
BEFORE YOU GO
I hope the year ahead is filled with wonderful moments and memories you’ll carry with you for years to come.
Spend some time imagining what this year could bring—but remember, you don’t have to have the whole year figured out. You don’t need a flawless plan or perfect follow-through. You only need a direction, and the willingness to make small course corrections along the way.
If you’re looking for ideas and inspiration for living a more meaningful, purpose-filled year, I invite you to read my first book, A Life Worth Living. I wrote it as a reminder—to myself most of all—to live intentionally and to make the most of my one wild and precious life. I’m reading it again now, because I’ve learned I always need reminding to live the life I’ve imagined.
Stay inspired by the life you’re living.
Kevin