How to Set Powerful and Meaningful Goals for 2026 Using the 'Values-First Compass':

As we move toward 2026, many people are already thinking about resolutions and goals. In my counselling practice, and through the research I completed during my Masters, I kept noticing the same pattern… most people build their goals on an upside-down structure.

They start with big goals, hope those goals create meaning, and then hope that meaning aligns with their deeper values. It looks productive, but it’s incredibly fragile. When life gets stressful or unpredictable, motivation drops and people feel like they’ve failed again.

Through years of clinical work and academic study, I developed a framework that flips this approach. I call it the Values-First Compass.

It works like this:
Values → Meaning → Goals → Daily Action
Each part depends on the next. When the order is right, the system is strong. When the order is reversed, everything wobbles.

1. Values
Your values are the qualities you want to embody in the way you show up each day… honesty, compassion, connection, growth, courage. Values give direction and form the foundation of identity. But they only matter when they translate into behaviour.
A value in action might sound like:
• Integrity looks like following through
• Connection looks like being present
• Growth looks like trying something unfamiliar

2. Meaning
Meaning isn’t found in a future achievement. Meaning is what you feel when your behaviour aligns with your values. This shift is often huge for clients. Instead of chasing purpose, they experience it in the way they live. When values guide behaviour, people feel calmer, clearer and more grounded.

3. Goals
Only after values and meaning are clear do we look at goals. In the Values-First Compass, goals become expressions of identity… practical pathways for living your values, not tests of your worth.
For example:
Connection → “I feel most alive when I’m present with the people I love.” → Weekly one-on-one time with each child
Health → “I feel grounded when I take care of my body.” → Walk 10,000 steps a day and swim twice a week
Growth → “Learning stretches me in meaningful ways.” → Start a course in March and present a new idea at work by August

Goals become actions that embody your values and reinforce your sense of meaning.

A simple way to set values-driven goals for 2026:
Choose your top 5 values
Define one behaviour for each
Write one sentence about what each value means to you
Set 1–2 goals that express each value
Ask: If I lived these consistently, what would December 2026 feel like?
When values lead, you stop chasing a life that looks good and start building a life that feels good.

If you’d like help identifying your values or creating a values-first plan for 2026, feel free to reach out. This work changes lives, and it’s a genuine privilege to do.

Here’s to a year lived with intention, clarity and connection.

(Image = NY Day sunrise)