...why your resolutions fail (and what to do instead)

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Hey Reader,

I don't set resolutions.
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Let's face it: most of us set them at this time of year and by mid January we've already 'failed'.

It's usually because we're thinking too big...but also because we're focused on the what, not the how.

And - most importantly - because we're trying to build them on someone else's operating system.

When you set goals that ignore your energy architecture, you're not being ambitious. You're being self-destructive.

So this year, instead of resolutions, I'm asking myself a set of questions - ones that centre how I actually work, how I actually think, and what my nervous system can sustainably hold.

And I'm doing it from a beach!

Unbound Shift

The year you WANT to live starts with telling the truth about the way you operate.

2026 doesn't need you to be a more motivated version of yourself; it needs you to be a more accurate one.

When you design around your nature, rather than against it, everything becomes easier: decisions, relationships, work, creativity, rest.

Not frictionless - but aligned.

And alignment is what carries you through the year without burning out halfway through it.

Unbound Step

Take a few minutes this week to answer these questions:

1. What environments bring out my best work?​
   Not the idealised version of myself - the real one. What flowed? What energised me? What felt aligned? Where did I show up as myself and it worked. Did my physical space support how I work best or how I think I should work?
2. Where did I abandon my capacity last year?​
   Not to judge myself, but to notice patterns. Is my calendar designed around my energy patterns - or someone else's? Am I pursuing things because I genuinely want them, or because they signal something to others? In my relationships, am I showing up authentically or performing the version of me that I think others prefer?
3. What would become possible if I stopped treating energy as an afterthought? What would I finally admit isn’t working?
4. Which parts of my life run smoothly, and which parts grind?​
   Friction tells the truth quicker than goals do.

For each area where you notice friction, you have three options:

Redesign - change the structure to fit your wiring
​Remove - accept this doesn't fit this season
​Reimagine - find a different path that honours your capacity

Use these patterns as your design constraints: the boundaries within which your best life actually fits.

You cannot keep pretending you'll eventually develop the capacity to thrive in structures that actively deplete you.

You won't. And you don't need to.

The goal isn't to become someone else; it's to build a life that fits who you already are.

What would change if you designed 2026 around your actual energy rather than borrowed ambition? Hit reply and tell me.

In your corner always,

Sam 💛

P.S. Happy New Year!

Sam Sheppard Introvert OS™ I share practical tools to help you design a life that actually fits.

Let's connect! 👋🏻 You can find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Threads. Catch up with past editions on my website.
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