Now that 2026 is here, many of us are looking ahead with anticipation at what the year may bring. In business especially, it’s exciting to think about new opportunities, ideas, and growth on the horizon. But the start of a new year is also a powerful time to pause and reflect on what no longer serves you. As you step into 2026, consider what habits, patterns, or mindsets you should leave behind in 2025. Take an honest look at how you operated over the past year-are any of these showing up for you? If so, it may be time to let them go.
Decisions made from urgency instead of strategy
Not every fire deserves my energy. That’s the reason I’ve hired other people-to share ownership of those fires and address them at the appropriate level. Building a leadership team means trusting them to step in, problem-solve, and take action, rather than pulling everything back to the top. Reacting to whatever shows up in the moment is also not conducive to long-term business success. Decisions made in urgency often overlook the bigger picture. Instead, every decision should be grounded in strategy and aligned with long-term goals, not driven by the need to simply put out today’s fire. If your decisions in 2025 were more reactive than strategic, the beginning of 2026 is the perfect time to change that.
Over-functioning for people who aren’t owning their role
Support does not mean carrying others. If the people you’ve hired are not performing according to clearly defined expectations or fulfilling their role responsibilities, it is not your job to fill in the gaps. This is where strong leadership requires having honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations. Revisit expectations, clarify responsibilities, and be transparent about the consequences of not meeting them or failing to take ownership of the role. And as difficult as it may be, be willing to let someone go if needed. Your business must be able to function as it was designed-with each person accountable for their part. When tasks aren’t being done, the entire system breaks down. And when you’re constantly picking up the slack, you lose the capacity to focus on the strategic, high-level work your business truly needs from you.
Tying my worth to how hard I’m working
Impact matters more than hours. Our culture often equates exhaustion with effort and burnout with worth-as if being tired is proof that we’re working hard enough. But that narrative isn’t why you started your business. You didn’t become a business owner just to recreate the same grind you experienced as an employee. Your value is not measured by how many hours you work or how depleted you feel at the end of the week, and your business’s success isn’t determined by either. Instead, look at the impact your work is actually creating. Let the numbers, outcomes, and sustainability of your business tell the real story-regardless of how many hours are on the clock.
Letting the expectations of others dictate my priorities
Alignment matters more than approval. Not everyone will agree with how you choose to run your business-and that’s perfectly okay. Differences of opinion don’t mean anyone is right or wrong; they simply reflect a lack of alignment. Misaligned views don’t require you to abandon your approach or shift your priorities to meet someone else’s expectations. If you’ve been doing that in the past, it’s time to leave it behind in 2025 and step into 2026 with clarity and conviction.
Guilt for enjoying the life I’ve built
Growth doesn’t require permission. You don’t need to-and shouldn’t-feel guilty for enjoying the rewards of your hard work. Doing well doesn’t mean you’re looking down on others or have forgotten what it was like to start out; it simply means you’ve earned it. If 2025 brought guilt along with your success, let 2026 be the year you lean into your achievements and fully enjoy the life you’ve built.
