Your 2026 Starts With This Question
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Before You Set Goals, Ask Yourself: How Do I Want to Feel In My Business?
It's that time of year again.
The time when everyone's talking about goals. Revenue targets. Growth metrics. Systems to implement. Habits to build. The hustle for a "new year, new you."
And maybe you're feeling it too - that familiar pressure to make 2026 the year everything finally clicks into place.
But before you dive into the planning, the vision boards, the 90-day sprints - can we ask you something?
How do you want to feel in your business next year?
Not what you want to achieve. Not what you want your business to look like from the outside. But how you want to feel on a random Tuesday in March. How you want to feel when you wake up on a Monday morning. How you want to feel when you close your laptop at the end of the day.
This isn't a fluffy question. It's the most practical one you can ask.
Why We Start With the Wrong Question
Most year-end planning focuses on external metrics. Hit this revenue number. Launch this product. Grow to this many clients.
Those goals aren't bad. But here's what happens when they're all we focus on:
We hit the goal and feel... empty. Or we don't hit it and feel like failures. Either way, we've built a business that doesn't actually serve the life we want to live.
Because here's the truth: success that feels terrible isn't really success at all.
You can have the six-figure business and still feel exhausted every day. You can have the full client roster and still dread checking your email. You can have the metrics and still feel like you're losing yourself in the process.
That's what happens when we chase outcomes without considering the emotional experience of getting there.
The Emotional Foundation
Emotional intelligence starts with a simple but profound question: What do I actually need to feel grounded, clear, and alive?
Maybe for you, that's:
- Spaciousness - room to breathe, to think, to create without constant pressure
- Connection - genuine relationships with clients and colleagues, not just transactions
- Autonomy - the freedom to make decisions that align with your values
- Purpose - knowing your work matters in a way that feels meaningful to you
- Joy - remember that? The feeling that got buried under "productivity"
These aren't nice-to-haves. They're the foundation of sustainable success. They're what prevent burnout. They're what make a business worth building.
A Different Kind of Planning
So what does it look like to plan for 2026 with emotional intention?
It doesn't mean you ignore practical goals. It means you ask deeper questions about them:
Instead of: "I want to make $100k next year."
Ask: "What would earning $100k feel like? Would it bring me security? Freedom? Validation? And are there other ways to create that feeling?"
Instead of: "I need to post on social media every day."
Ask: "Does this marketing strategy align with how I want to show up? Does it energize me or drain me? What would work-life balance actually look like in my business?"
Instead of: "I should be further along by now."
Ask: "What do I need to feel proud of where I am? What would it take to lead with empathy - for myself, not just for others?"
See the shift? You're not abandoning practical planning. You're making sure your plans serve your wellbeing, not just your bottom line.
What Emotional Intelligence Makes Possible
When you build emotional awareness into your business from the beginning, everything changes.
You make decisions from clarity instead of fear. You set boundaries that actually protect your energy. You communicate with clients and team members in a way that builds trust, not tension. You recognize when you're headed toward burnout and course-correct before you crash.
You don't have to sacrifice your wellbeing for success. You don't have to choose between growing your business and maintaining your sanity.
Those feel like the only options when we approach business from a purely tactical place. But when you develop emotional intelligence for entrepreneurs - when you learn to notice what you're feeling, regulate your responses, and lead with empathy - you start to see a third way.
A way that honors both your ambition and your humanity.
The Practice That Changes Everything
Here's what we want you to know: emotional intelligence isn't something you're born with or without. It's a practice. A set of skills you can learn, develop, and integrate into every part of your business.
It starts with self-awareness - noticing what's happening inside you without judgment. It grows through self-regulation - choosing your response instead of just reacting. It deepens with empathy - for yourself, for your clients, for everyone you work with.
And the result? A business that feels as good as it looks. Work that energizes you instead of draining you. Leadership that comes from a grounded, authentic place.
This isn't magic. It's not a hack. It's the intentional, ongoing practice of building a business that serves your life - not the other way around.
Your Invitation
If you've made it this far, something in you knows this matters.
Maybe you've been running so hard that you've forgotten what it feels like to enjoy your work. Maybe you've hit goals that left you feeling hollow. Maybe you're just tired of the grind and ready for something different.
Here's what we want you to know: it doesn't have to be this way.
There's a path forward where you don't have to choose between success and wellbeing. Where you can grow your business without losing yourself. Where you lead with clarity, communicate with empathy, and make decisions that align with who you actually are.
That path starts with emotional intelligence.
An Offering
We've created a course designed specifically for entrepreneurs like you - people who are building something real and don't want to sacrifice their humanity in the process.
Emotional Intelligence: Lead with Empathy. Grow with Insight isn't about formulas or proven methods. It's about giving you the tools to discover what works for you. To notice your patterns. To regulate your stress. To communicate authentically. To build a business that honors your unique path.
Because the truth is, there's no one right way to run a business. There's only your way. And discovering that way - messy, imperfect, uniquely yours - is some of the most important work you'll ever do.
One Last Question
Before you close this tab and move on to the next thing on your list, we want to leave you with this:
How do you want to feel in your business in 2026?
Sit with that question. Write about it. Talk to someone you trust about it. Let it guide the choices you make in the weeks and months ahead.
Because goals are just numbers on a page. But how you feel on the journey? That's your life.
Make it count.
A Reflection Prompt:
Take 5 minutes right now. Close your eyes. Imagine it's December 2026. You're reflecting on the year. What would make you feel proud? Not from external achievement, but from how you showed up, how you felt, how you led. Write that down.
Start Your Journey
Ready to explore what emotional intelligence could mean for your business? We're here to walk alongside you - not to tell you what to do, but to help you discover what's true for you.