Ask this before you set new goals for 2027.
Every November, the same advice starts showing up. Pick a word for the coming year. Make a vision board. Set your intentions. Plan your goals for 2027, quarter by quarter.
It sounds motivating. And for some people, it works. Many of the goal-setting workshops I’ve seen are thoughtfully made. But they’re rarely designed for people who feel 2026 didn’t give them what they wanted. They look at what’s needed to reach new goals, but skip the real question: why wasn’t this year ‘it’ yet?
Trying harder
When you didn’t reach your goals yet, it’s tempting to try harder. So we do more. Work longer hours. And keep pushing through. We look for more tools, strategies, courses or AI shortcuts that promise to finally make it click. But more output doesn’t fix what isn’t working. And it stops us from asking: what exactly is keeping us stuck?
Whose goals are these, anyway?
We’ve been sold the dream. Be your own boss, that’s what’ll give you freedom. Build an online business, so you can reach millions. Launch a course, it’s your ticket to ‘free money’. It all sounds so easy, of course we want it too. But most of these goals were never really ours. We picked them because they seemed promising. No one asked: does this goal fit you as a person? Your strengths, your values, the way you work best?
So if goals like these still feel vague and confusing. If reaching them feels like a chore. Trying harder won’t magically get you there. It’ll only make you resent them more.
Where doesn’t it fit anymore?
Before setting goals for 2027, ask yourself: what exactly made this year not ‘it’ yet?
The answer is rarely one thing. And it’s hardly ever ‘I didn’t try hard enough’. Usually, it’s something that stopped fitting. Or wasn’t yours to begin with. Look at these places first.
Your identity and role. Who do you think you should be? How do you think you should show up? Where have you outgrown the role you built?
Your doing. What part of your work drains you? What do you keep doing because you’ve always done it that way, but never really questioned?
Your thinking. What do you believe will bring you success? Has that turned out true for you this year?
Your relationships. How do you feel about your clients, collaborations and dynamics? Are there any that keep you stuck? Or where can’t you hold your boundaries?ç
Then plan what’s Unmistakably Yours
If you want 2027 to be different, don’t repeat what already isn’t working. Don’t set new goals for a life that no longer fits. Start with defining what’s Unmistakably Yours.
Because once you know where it stopped fitting, goals look different. Some disappear. Some get smaller. Some get braver. And the ones that stay are actually yours.
If you read this and thought where do I even start, that is exactly what Unmistakably Yours is for. It’s our one-on-one identity coaching programme, helping you (re)build your foundations by answering these questions:
- Who are you, now
- What do you want
- Which way of making money actually fits you
- How will you make it yours, and keep it?
I don’t have your answers yet. But I do know where to start. Apply for Unmistakably Yours, and we’ll begin with a free exploration call.
