Man, 2025 sure was something, a difficult year for anyone who watches the news or cares about global democracy, but let's not talk about it.

We’re going to work on what’s in our control.

In true ENTPreneurial fashion, this post is a little late, but what you read, you should be able to implement immediately.

Today we're going to talk about living 2026 intentionally, why you always fail your New Year's resolutions, and why setting a New Year's "theme" is better. Then I'll tell you about mine and show you how you can pick yours.

Let's make 2026 a year of growth and self-improvement!

New Year's resolutions. Everyone has one. No one follows through. Think back on all the resolutions you've made—how many have you actually followed through on?

But the fault is not yours; it's in the design. New Year's resolutions are doomed to fail because they are merely aspirations. As I've mentioned many times in this newsletter, goals are worth nothing if they are not accompanied by systems to support them.

Resolutions are doomed for the same reason as any other goal: they're simply wants, the "what" without a "why" or "how."

So what's better than a New Year's resolution? Having a New Year's theme. A theme gets at the heart of what a resolution is supposed to do—you're deciding that you're going to be intentional with your year and make progress toward an aspiration, but without the discursive fail state that leads you to quit after the first hiccup.

What are New Years' Themes?

Like all great ideas, this one is stolen. I've been doing themes for years now, ever since I watched this CGP Grey video:

Themes are the big idea for the year.

They're not pass/fail or objectively measurable. Themes sit far above goals, they are flexible, "fuzzy" aspirations that you can interpret in whatever way works for you in the moment. There are times that life gets in the way, sometimes missing a goal is outside of your control, but a theme, a greater ideal, will accompany you no matter what twists and turns 2026 has in store for you.

Your New Year's theme will serve as your mantra for 2026. A good theme acts as a razor for your decision-making. As you live your life and do your daily routines, your theme will be there to remind you that you're trying to make better choices. It should serve as your new default mode.

Here's a really common New Year's resolution and how you could swap it for a theme.

"In 2026, my resolution is to lose 20 lbs" becomes "The Year of Protein first: whenever I'm deciding what to eat, I'm going to make choices that add more protein to my diet."

In practice, this means that when you're looking over a menu at a restaurant, you might choose steak over pasta, or you might make eggs instead of eating Captain Crunch. Maybe it's as simple as finding ways to sneak protein powder into things you eat.

Why would this work? Having this mantra in your back pocket yields actionable advice at every meal. You can't cheat or fall off because it's not about maintaining a streak or doing a heroic lift. It's about theming your decisions—as long as you're directionally correct, your life will improve.

I know this post is a little late, so here's how you could convert your resolution(if you already have one) to a theme. Here are some of the most common resolutions and how I'd change them:

Broad and vague are good!3

I'm obsessed with personal improvement. I read a lot of books, watch a lot of videos, and listen to podcasts. But how much of it have I truly absorbed? What do I have to show for it?

I used to brag about how many books I've read. I can stand in the non-fiction section of my local Barnes & Noble and genuinely point to most books on the aisle caps and display tables and say, "Hey, I've read that one." But when I think back on reading these books, I maybe have ONE or two insights max that I can remember.

If you read a book and you have an idea that you take from it that shapes your life, I'd say that's worth it. But over the years, I've developed a new philosophy around reading.

Reading is a lot like dating.

You should read as many books as possible. If a book doesn't hook you, dump it. Flirt with authors, fall in and out of love quickly.

But eventually, you want to settle down some. Occasionally a book will surprise you with its depth and richness, an unwaning novelty. You realize that the whole point of dating so many different books was so that you could find the few worth marrying.

So this year for me is the year of committing to books, and finding my personal bibles.

I'm going to severely limit the scope of what I'm reading this year and try to focus on re-reading books that were transformative in some way—books that, if I were to truly internalize them, would make me better.

This means that I'll:

Here are the books that I'm choosing and why:

Principles by Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio is the founder of Bridgewater Associates—the world's largest hedge fund.

He is an incredible thinker and strategist. His success, he claims, is all due to his ability to model the future based on principled thinking and learning from the past. This book's lessons can be universally applied to all areas of your life: financial, business, and personal. My goal with re-reading this book this year is to be more intentional with the experiments I run with my life, using my manic exploration of novelty to carve out a personal set of principles that I can refer back to.

I often repeat mistakes, something I aim to change about myself.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

A book so good, I believe this is my third newsletter mentioning it(I'm too lazy to check).

Atomic Habits is one of the 10 best-selling self-help books of all time. This is a book I've read multiple times and have struggled to actually implement. I have a hard time developing habits (good ones at least), which is probably true of most ENTPs.

My goal with this book is to actually implement the advice in the book, and focus on building better routines for myself.

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

Another book I've covered in my newsletter, The Creative Act is partially responsible for me finishing my adaptation of Spring Awakening in 2024.

The Creative Act is already a bible for me. Rick Rubin is one of the most influential music producers of the last 40+ years, working with Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Kanye West, Adele, and many others. He distills his learnings over his career into philosophies and prescriptions that can serve you whenever you're stuck on a creative project.

My goal with The Creative Act this year is to be more flexible with my creative process, to be more spontaneous with my creations.

Some of you might choose to do my theme with me. If you do, here's how you should go about it:

Think back on a book you've read that's stuck with you. Maybe it's a book you find yourself quoting a lot.

It doesn't have to be non-fiction.

Think of the actual bible. The bible is not a list of tactics reported to you by an expert. The bible is a series of rich allegories you're supposed to reflect on. There's a reason people wear "what would Jesus do" bracelets. Sure, you could have the goal of being more charitable, kind, patient, etc. or, in a difficult situation, you could just think "WWJD."

No one is stopping you from making your bible The Lord of the Rings.

Maybe you're exhausted, but your loved ones need you, and you remember Samwise Gamgee carrying Frodo up the mountain. Or maybe, when trying to overcome your own imposter syndrome, you consider Aragorn finally accepting the crown. Or maybe you're struggling with your own vices, and you remember how the Ring corrupted Gollum into a wretch.

Fiction or non-fiction—it doesn't matter, but you should pick something that's rich enough to apply to a variety of situations; something you don't mind reading multiple times.

Below is a list of books you could consider reading and rereading. This list is not exhaustive by any means, but hopefully one of these titles sparks a memory of a book you read long ago that's worth getting to know better.

Life moves on, time passes. The world does not wait for you, and 2027 will happen regardless of how you live your life. Where do you want to be a year from now? It's not going to happen by accident. If it could happen by accident, it most likely would have by now.

You do not need concentrated heroic effort. You need the leverage that comes with intentional use of your time.

The first step to being better is defining what better means to you. Then, you just do your best to make decisions that align with that vision.

Self-improvement is not a road, it is a cardinal direction. Look ahead of you, and start walking.

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