26 Ideas for '26

Dec 6

It’s almost mid-December. We’re coming to the end of the year. We’re finishing off our gift shopping, tying up loose ends at the office, signing off on all those holiday cards that still haven’t made it to the post office (or, is that just me?).

And, so, with that in mind, I thought it made sense to keep this one short and sweet.

So instead of a long essay, here is what has apparently turned into a long list of 26 things I keep coming back to.

You don’t need a new life/job/career/marriage/house. You need a new relationship with your fear.

Fundamentally, especially with people and teams I work with, this is what it all comes down to. I just finished building out a new development model I’m working with, and the ultimate threshold for resistance is fear.

Obviously, there are going to be times when this is wrong. But, most “stuck” professionals aren’t lacking direction — they’re just afraid of following it. Have a fear for 2026? What’s that about?
Your internal saboteur isn’t a bad guy - although it might feel like one.

It’s really just there because of that whole “fear thing” (see above). Teach it to be less afraid, and it will shut up (at least temporarily).
The stories we tell ourselves about risk are often more dangerous than the risks themselves.

Your imagination is usually scarier than your reality. In other words, the only thing to fear is fear itself. Eliminate the feeling of fear, and there isn’t anything really left to dread.
Most people don’t fear change. They fear being seen changing.

See Item 13 for more on this.
Purpose isn’t found - it’s chosen repeatedly.

This one is annoying. I know. I’ve found that a trap most people fall into (myself included) is that your purpose is this thing that you find and it doesn’t change and you can basically rely on it forever to guide you.

That’s a myth - and an unhelpful one. Not only will it change over time, but you need to keep choosing it each and every day.
Action is more important than thinking.

Over-thinker? Great. Me too. This is for you.

This is also something I mentioned to my own coach recently - that I wish I was “doing” more and thinking less. She didn’t know what I meant.

I meant that I get caught up in planning, ideating, strategizing - but sometimes, I wish I could just skip that whole part and just “do”, regardless of the potential for failure. She reminded me - the way you get better at doing the things you’re afraid of, is to just do them, and then see how you feel after the fact. So, go out and do something.
The job after the job is learning who you are - again.

This is a fun one - once you get the job or career or position you’ve been after, all of a sudden, you’re like “great, now what?” Totally normal. For the most part, people are looking for their work to fill some other hole that has to do with identity - not work, not income, not prestige.
Stop expecting clarity before movement; it usually shows up after.

This one pisses people off, but it’s true. See Item 6, above.
Your next chapter won’t arrive until you grieve the old one.

I keep going back to this, probably because I am still processing my old chapter. Do people truly get over things? I am not entirely sure. But, for the most part, it’s really impossible to move on to the next thing until you have reconciled yourself to the death of the thing behind you.
The biggest trap in mid-career? Mistaking competence for calling.

You can be really good at something and it could still be wrong for you. Once you admit that, moving on from what you’re doing (which you are good at and makes you a good living and all the things) gets easier.

Your values are a better compass than your CV.

This relates to Item 5 - because, yes - you can pick a purpose for the day or week or year. But, how? What is it based on? Values - the things that really matter to you, that are lasting, that are more than just temporary experiences.
Identity weighs a lot.

This doesn’t mean you need to drop it. At least not entirely. But, there’s this thinking I have that, if we hold onto it too tightly, it starts to really weigh us down. The albatross, if you will. So, like sand, hold it lightly - it won’t cause as many problems.
Your nervous system is in charge.

This is a difficult one - at least I think so. Despite years of yoga and all sorts of other physical/somatic trainings, and even vocal cord surgery (probably related to stress) I still find it so hard to just trust that, when my stomach is turning or my throat is clamping up, my nervous system is telling me that something is off and that - maybe - I should just take a minute, reset, and then revisit what’s happening - instead of pushing through.
Feedback isn’t the end.

So many folks I know look at feedback as being, “Oh, shit. I guess this means my work is no good, which means I am no good, which means I better start figuring out my next thing.”

No.

This is a complete fallacy. All feedback is is a chance to look, get curious, and then consider, “Is there anything I would want to do differently? Why?” And, then to Item 6 above (or, to quote Nike) - just do it.
Try to need less approval.

Making huge changes (or even small ones) often comes with the thought of “what will they think?” (where “they” could be anyone from your parents, to your partner, to your kids, to the broader “they” of society-at-large"). And, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter who the “they” is - because, you have to just not care what “they” think.

Most people generally don’t care what you do. And, even if they did, and they disapproved - what does that change?
Burnout isn’t about doing too much - it’s about doing too little of what works.

Forget everything you’ve been told about burnout.

We get really tired when we keep expending energy on things and see no change - in outcomes or how we feel. You could do less - and things could get better (i.e. coincidence), or get worse (i.e. drift along).

Or, you could do more and things get better - but only because you are doing what works - because you have figured out why certain things work for you and certain things don’t. In other words - you are clear on the desired future.
You can outgrow a life that still looks good on paper.

A lot of things look good on paper:
- The perfect budget.
- Fully open concept homes.
- Communism.
And, like these things, life can also look good on paper. I call this “ticking off the boxes” - you’ve done everything you were supposed to do, but so what? The itch still isn’t scratched. This may be an existential condition of course, but even still - just because it looks like it’s supposed to be working, doesn’t mean it is.
Curiosity is the antidote to paralysis.

Stuck? Look around. I mean this both literally and figuratively. Get out of your head. Look up and out. To the horizon. What do you see in your field of view? Curiosity is the basis of exploration. And what do you need to do to explore? Move.
Most career ruts are spiritual problems disguised as professional ones.

Now this is one that I think most people want to avoid. But it’s connected to Item 22 below - when we lose hope, we stop aiming for the next chapter - the next part of life or work or relationship to unfold.

When we have faith that whatever unfolds is what is intended (not necessarily better, but for the better) then allowing that to happen becomes something we resist that much less. This isn’t a call to go get religious or anything (though, there is nothing wrong with that).

But, consider: what are you putting your trust in besides yourself?
If your life feels too small, it probably is.

I don’t have anything to add to this.

Know someone who needs one of these? Send it their way.

You don’t need more confidence - you just need more practice.

Confidence isn’t mystical; it’s just muscle memory.

Confidence is an outcome, not a prerequisite, to taking action, to trying and failing, and to taking risks. Just like any muscle, confidence won’t grow unless you exercise it - and sometimes that’s painful.
Hope is a strategy.

See 17 above. If you can hope again, no matter how hard that is, not only do the issues of the day seem less important, but there reappears the reason to keep trying - the knowledge that things do get better, no matter what “better” is.
The fastest way to feel alive is to stop outsourcing.

Here we are again at the idea of “doing”. Bored? Don’t hire someone to mow the lawn - mow the lawn yourself. Uninspired? Don’t ask someone to take a picture for you. Take the picture yourself.

Stuck? Don’t ask anyone else to solve the problem - do the work, and solve it yourself. You’ll see - you’ll feel much more capable pretty quickly.
The discomfort you’re feeling is the sign.

Meaning: pay attention to it. What’s it saying? Can you learn from it? (The answer is, yes). Great. Now what do you do with that new knowledge? We are so conditioned to run away from discomfort that we really lose out on what it is trying to tell us - and, how much closer we can get to where we are meant to be.
What got you here won’t get you there.

Literally. Or, to quote Anton Chigurh of No Country for Old Men, when finding yourself in a situation that you really don’t want to be in: “If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?“
The night is darkest before the dawn.

Cliché, I know. But, really - when it feels shittiest, that usually means you’re on the brink of something great. So, keep going.

I’d love to know which of these hit you - and which didn’t. Send me a note here.

→ Let me know which topics, challenges or thinkers I should write about next - Reply or comment and tell me what you’d love to learn more about.

→ Follow me on LinkedIn - I share more thoughts like these there.

Jordan Nahmias https://www.jordannahmias.com

26 Ideas for '26

Finding Your Voice Is a Task You Never Outgrow

How I Actually Left the Law (And What No One Tells You About Switching Careers)