Podcast Ep 395 - Before You Set Your 2026 Goals, Listen to This

You’re Not Behind — You’re Building

The start of a new year often comes with pressure. New goals. New plans. A quiet voice asking if you should be further along by now.

But what if the real work this year isn’t about setting bigger goals — but about shifting how you see yourself while you pursue them?

One of the most exhausting thoughts in business is the quiet belief that you’re behind.

Behind on goals.
Behind on income.
Behind compared to everyone else who seems to have figured it out already.

But what if that thought isn’t true?

In this conversation with Heather and Nicole, something powerful comes up again and again: growth doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like small habits, subtle shifts, and learning to stay in motion—even when you don’t have the full picture yet.

Progress often begins before confidence does.

Many creatives wait to feel ready before moving forward. They wait for clarity, certainty, or proof that their efforts will pay off. But confidence doesn’t usually arrive first. It’s built through action—through showing up, practicing new habits, and allowing momentum to compound over time.

As one moment in the conversation highlights, when you start to feel better, you act better. And when you act better, results begin to follow. Not all at once—but gradually, in a way that’s sustainable and real.

Another important theme is proximity. Being around belief—hearing possibility spoken out loud, witnessing others move forward imperfectly—has a quiet but profound effect. When belief is repeated, it becomes familiar. And when it becomes familiar, your brain starts to accept it as possible for you too.

That’s why community matters. Not because it gives you answers, but because it gives you evidence that growth doesn’t have to be rushed or forced.

There’s also permission woven throughout this conversation—permission to stop labeling yourself as slow, late, or behind. If you’re building, you’re not behind. You’re in it. And being “in it” means you’re learning, refining, and becoming the version of yourself who can handle what you’re creating.

The journey doesn’t require a fixed timeline. It takes what it takes.

And maybe the most encouraging reminder of all is this: you don’t need to know every step before you move. You only need the next one. Momentum comes from staying in motion, not from waiting until everything feels perfect.

If you’re reading this and feeling discouraged, tired, or unsure—let this be your reminder that progress is happening, even if it feels quiet right now. You are building something real. And that counts more than you think.

You’re not behind.
You’re becoming.