2026 Outlook 🪩

Hey all and Happy 2026! 🪩 

If you’re like me, you get all reflect-y between Christmas and New Years. Honestly it’s my favorite time of year besides an 83 degree summer day with a slight breeze.

I really enjoy it and wish we had other times throughout the year as a society where it was normal to stop and ask ourselves if we actually like how things are going.

On that note, three thoughts..

1. Climbing the right ladder: I was listening to a business podcast the other day and the interviewee said this:

“The biggest risk you have is trying to do a really good job at the wrong thing.”

This is one of those quotes that I suggest we all sit with for more than 2 seconds. Are you putting your time (calendar), money (bank account) and effort (mental energy) towards the right things?

At the top of my list, it’s 1) following Jesus 2) being an intentional father and 3) getting better at building businesses.

What are the “right things” for you?

2. My 2026 goals: When I reflected on 2025 and how I want 2026 to feel different, these themes stood out:

• Less scrolling (barely used IG in 2025 and it was amazing. now I’m cutting out Twitter/X)

• More people (more time interacting with other humans in real life ← sounds weird, but I mean it)

• More play (play more pickleball, joke around more, create silly content in addition to serious content)

• Move more (work out four times a week + less time sedentary during work)

• Be a local (build more relationships with our neighbors and our town)

Some of these are straightforward solves (no Twitter). Others will require more creativity (more in-real-life interactions even though I work remote). Overall, I’m feeling excited and hopeful about 2026.

Note: I highly recommend this interview with James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) if you want 2026 to be better than every year prior. It’s much more effective to think in terms of systems (habits) than goals.

3. We are all going to die: I attended a few funerals in 2025. Whenever I attend one, I naturally think a lot about the reality of death. The fact that I (and all the people I love) will die.

Cliché for sure, but it’s just real. Life is too short to waste time doing things I’ll regret when I’m 80 (e.g., scrolling on Twitter).

To help me remember this, I temporarily changed my phone background to this memento mori image (latin for remember you must die). It auto-updates and each dot represents one week. I’m 32. If I’m fortunate enough to live to 80, I’m almost halfway through.

Until next time,

Kieran

P.S. When your 1.5 year old is better than you at delegating…

P.P.S. Here are a few things I’m working on - let me know if I can help.

• Running Facebook and Instagram Ads to grow audiences (link)

• Memorizing Scripture (link)

• Consulting (link)