Hey friend, haven't set your 2026 money goals yet? Me neither!

Why? Am I just being lazy? Nope!

I am taking myself through my "turning of the year" process, and setting goals is the FINAL step.

There are two things I recommend you do before setting your goals, especially the financial ones, which I break down in detail on Episode 77 of the Money is Emotional podcast.

Most people skip these steps. I used to skip them too. And skipping them is one of the biggest reasons goal setting feels heavy, pressured, or oddly disconnected from real life.

So let’s do this differently.

1. Celebrate Before You Strategize

Before we talk about where you’re going, let's honor where you’ve been.

I take time at the end of each year for an Annual Year-End Celebration—not to brag, not to perform, but to integrate.

Why celebration matters:

  • It reminds you of what you actually accomplished (not just what’s still undone).
  • It grounds you in the truth that you are building on momentum, not starting from zero.

January 1st is an arbitrary date. Your progress didn’t disappear at midnight, and neither did mine.

For years, I treated the new year like a full reset:

  • Zero progress made
  • Zero dollars earned
  • Zero new clients

That mindset quietly erases your dignity. Your life doesn’t restart on January 1st to zero unless you decide it does.

During my celebration, I:

  • Review photos from the year and save meaningful memories
  • Scan my calendar and planner to remember what I lived, not just what I produced
  • Revisit journal entries to harvest lessons, especially from the hard moments

And no, I don’t skip the disappointments or challenges.

Instead, I ask: “What wisdom does this experience have for me? ”

Don’t waste the wisdom from your challenges.

2. Vision... But Only After Celebration

Once your celebration is complete, then it’s time to vision.

But first, one important distinction. Before I create a Vision Board, I create a Celebration Board.

Using photos from the year—money wins, personal milestones, relationships, joy, travel—I anchor in what already exists.

Why this matters:

  • Celebration creates safety in your nervous system
  • Safety creates clarity
  • Clarity creates an aligned vision

Your Celebration Board becomes proof: “I’m not behind. I’m building. ”

Only then do I move into visioning for the year ahead.

Goals land very differently when they’re built on gratitude instead of pressure. Visioning from celebration feels expansive. Visioning from scarcity feels exhausting.

Gold Nugget

Before you set a single goal for 2026, ask yourself:

  • What did I accomplish this year?
  • What memories did I make?
  • What did I learn, especially from what was hard?
  • What foundation am I already standing on?

Celebrate first. Then vision forward—from wholeness, not hustle.