Thrive Wave Coaching

Here’s the 3-Step Strategy That Broke the Cycle and Guaranteed Success

For many years, I used to plan and set goals that I wouldn’t keep. It made me think that I was lacking the willpower or some special juice that kept me from achieving them. But I was wrong. 

The real problem was that I had set poor goals for the wrong reasons. Once I understood this and learned to set proper goals that actually mattered to me, it changed everything.

Let’s jump back to the time I was in my early 20s. I remember setting goals such as  achieving success, getting in shape, climbing that corporate ladder, and even going vegan. Maybe you have had some similar goals at some point.

And the pattern that followed was always the same. I’d expect to wake up on January 1st, magically transformed into a person who keeps their goals and takes determined action towards achieving them. 

For the first couple of days, this was true. But by the beginning of February, the motivation and excitement had vanished into thin air, and the goal was nothing but another failed experiment  that left me feeling like a loser.

So, what was wrong with these goals then? It’s not that striving for better health, financials, or lifestyle are bad goals. Quite the opposite. The real problem is that these are way too generic and lack meaning. And frankly, these kinds of goals won’t take you anywhere. 

To set goals that break the cycle and drive success comes down to these three things:

• Be specific
• Make it meaningful
• Make it big enough

By setting goals that check all of the above boxes, you’ll be on your way to making 2026 your success year. So, let’s break these down.

Specific Eats Generic for Breakfast

The thing with generic goals is that they easily change as time passes. Let’s take the goal of getting in shape as an example. 

What does this even mean? 

It could mean that I can run 1 kilometer further than last year, or it could mean that I become a gym rat. It could also mean that I now perceive myself as more fit, because I wear these new gym clothes I bought to boost my motivation.

And over time, I can always adjust the meaning, depending on my progress. In January, it could still mean losing 5% of body fat. By February, it could mean that I’ve been to the gym 10 times. In March, it’ll most likely mean that I’ve done more sports than last year, so I’ll call it a day.

Do you see why generic goals won’t take you anywhere?

Let’s make your goals more specific so that they also stand the test of time. To do this, start by defining what your goal looks like. What does [insert your goal] mean to you? What does success look like? What does it feel like?

Next, take your generic goal and make it so specific that it prevents you from changing it along the way. Build on the previous answers and drop in a number, time frame, or something measurable. For example, in the ‘Get Fit’ case, this could mean working out 3 times per week, or running 5 kilometers in under 30 minutes. 

Now that we have specified the goal, let’s make it meaningful.

Meaningful Goals Boost Meaningful Action

Meaningless goals fade away as quickly as the snow melts on a sunny spring day. This was a lesson I learned in recent years, and the #1 reason why my plans always failed. 

I used to base my plans and goals on what other people were doing or expected of me. Which led me to set goals that didn’t really matter to me and contributed to my long list of failed attempts.

The thing is, we hope our intentions and occasional spurts of motivation will be enough to take us to our goals. But this is very rarely the case. Instead, we must have a deeper reason to keep pushing when we hit a wall. And trust me, the wall always comes.

For this, we have to reflect and understand what drives us. When you are setting a goal, ask yourself: Why does this matter to me?

When I started asking myself this question, something shifted in me. For one, I realized that a lot of the things only mattered to me because they mattered to someone else or I was trying to fit in somewhere. (If this happens to you, ditch the goal and focus on something that truly matters to you!)

The second thing that shifted was that I learned a ton about myself. I started to understand my motivations, behavior, and thinking patterns better. This made it easier to craft goals and plans that I was excited to execute throughout the entire year. 

Here are two questions that help you make your goals more meaningful: 

• Why does this goal really matter to me? 
• How would this change my life for the better?

If you cannot clearly answer these questions, it might be a good idea to review another goal. After answering these questions, you should have some sort of emotional connection to achieving this goal. 

When I think of the (multiple) times I’ve tried to ‘Get Fit’ and failed, it wasn’t because I was weak or not ambitious enough. It was because of the ‘Why’ behind this goal.

When I was younger, I wanted to fit in, so I’d copy other people’s goals or their expectations and take them on as my own. To get fit was one of them. I never wasted another second thinking about why I should get fit. All I wanted was to fit in. So when the time came to put in the actual work, I had zero drive to actually get fit.

But when I learned to ask myself why these things mattered, I began to understand the real value and meaning of my goal. Suddenly, it wasn’t about fitting in anymore. It was about living a pain-free, active, and healthy life for as long as possible. It was about being able to do things independently, gain memorable experiences, and make the most of life.

This sparked my intrinsic motivation, determination, and discipline to ensure that I would, this time, achieve my goal. Because it was now something that really mattered.

Make It So Big It Scares You

Now, as the final step, we want to set big enough goals that make a real difference in your life. It’s based on the 10X Rule by Grant Cardone. The idea is to set goals that are big enough that force us to come up with creative ways to achieve them. It’s designed to push us out of our comfort zone and discover new ways of doing things. 

The thing is, we often settle. We settle for what we know we can achieve, for the safe option, for the reasonable thing. This is like choosing the standard delivery for your Amazon package. But if you want your package delivered the same day, this won’t do it. 

The same is true when we talk about change. The familiar and usual patterns support your change in a steady, predictable way. But if you want to expedite your change in 2026, this will not be enough. And this is where the 10x method comes in. 

10x Your Goals to 10x Your Outcome

This method, in short, asks you to 10x your goal. This means, if your initial goal was to lose 5% of body fat, make it 50%. Now the math doesn’t always work, but the core idea is still applicable. Make the goal significantly bigger than what you believe you can do.

The idea is based on the belief that we know our limits and our potential, which is flawed because most of us tend to underestimate our capabilities. 

Just think about it. Have you ever been in a situation that seemed impossible, but you still made it through? Or maybe you have heard stories of a mother saving her child from a hopeless situation. I bet not that many could have predicted the capabilities of the mother beforehand.

The lesson: when we are faced with an impossible challenge, we can still find a way through. 

And this is the aim of 10x your goal. To put you in an impossible situation, so that you find new actions to take that push you further than you believed you could. 

If you want to make it even more interesting, take that 10x goal and shorten the time frame. Let’s say your initial time frame was one year; make it 3 months. I know it makes it seem impossible. But trust me, your brain will start looking for completely novel approaches to make it happen. And this is the magic we’re after. 

To make the effect more concrete, take your original goal and compare it to your 10x goal. Does your original goal still look challenging? Or does it now seem very reasonable?

This comparison often reveals that we play it safe when setting goals for ourselves. So don’t be afraid to make it bigger, more challenging, and a little bit scary. Strive for that major goal, and you’ll notice that you’ll pass your original goal in no time. And on top of that, you’ll achieve something much bigger than you ever believed you could.

Make 2026 The Year You Turn Your Life Around 

If you’re currently planning and setting goals for 2026, set goals that truly matter and you’re driven to achieve. It requires a bit of reflection and courage, but it’s definitely worth the effort. 

Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Set specific goals that stand the test of time 
• Set goals meaningful to you, or you’ll risk losing interest before winter is over
• Set goals big enough that they push you further than you believed you could 

If you follow this recipe, you avoid trapping yourself in goals that may look good on paper, but don’t mean anything to you, and in the worst-case scenario, make you feel poorly about yourself for not achieving them. 

Big, specific, and meaningful goals make you feel something when you think about them. It doesn’t matter if it’s excitement, fear, or something in between. As long as there’s an emotional connection to that goal. It means that it really matters to you, and you will be more inclined to follow through. 

2026 could be the year that really turns things around for you, a year of exponential growth, and a year full of meaningful success stories. And it all starts with setting specific, meaningful, and big goals.

So, are you in?

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