Three Words That Beat Your Goals List

You don’t need another goals list.

You’ve made enough of those. You’ve crossed things off. You’ve failed at crossing things off. You’ve revised them, abandoned them, felt guilty about them, and started fresh with new ones every January for the past decade.

And here you are again.

So let me offer you something different: three words. Not a to-do list. Not a vision board. Not a manifesto you’ll forget by February.

Three markers that become your navigation system for the next 12 months. A filter. A compass. A way to make decisions when life inevitably doesn’t go according to plan.

Why Three Words Beat Goals (Every Time)

Goals are brittle. Life is not.

You set a goal: lose 10 kilos, get promoted, save $20K, run a 10K. Then the economy shifts. Or your kid needs you. Or your body decides to remind you it’s mortal. Or the promotion goes to someone else. Or you just… don’t want it anymore.

And suddenly you’re not winning. You’re failing. And failure is exhausting.

Three words are flexible. They create space for real life while keeping you oriented toward what matters. They’re about how you move through the year, not just what you achieve by December 31st.

They give you credit for progress even when the scoreboard doesn’t.

What Three Words Actually Do

These aren’t affirmations. They’re not wishes. They’re your decision-making shorthand. When you’re choosing between options, saying yes or no, prioritising one thing over another, deciding where to put your energy—your three words become the filter.

Mine for 2026? Fit. Focused. Flourishing.

That’s it. Three markers that’ll guide everything from how I structure my days to what work I take on to how I navigate setbacks.

Fit means my body matters in my decisions. Movement gets prioritised. Recovery gets respected. Energy management becomes non-negotiable. Not “lose weight” or “exercise 5x per week” or any of that specific-goal nonsense that makes you feel like garbage when Wednesday’s workout doesn’t happen. Just: fit. The specifics can shift, because life shifts, but the word holds.

Focused means my attention is a resource I protect. It means saying no to distractions that masquerade as opportunities. It means finishing what I start instead of collecting half-done projects like trophies. It’s about depth over breadth, presence over performance.

Flourishing means growth, vitality, expansion. It’s permission to stop surviving my own life and thrive in it. It’s a reminder that maintenance mode isn’t the goal. Flourishing doesn’t mean everything’s perfect, it means I’m actively cultivating conditions where I can grow.

Together, these three words become a lens for every choice. Does this support being fit? Does it require focus or scatter it? Will this help me flourish or just keep me busy? Three simple checks. Three clear answers.

How Three Words Support You When Goals Can’t

Here’s where these markers earn their keep: setbacks.

You will have setbacks. Your body will betray you. Work will blow up. Someone you love will need you more than you need that thing you were working toward. The timeline you set will prove laughably optimistic.

With goals, setbacks feel like failure. With three words, setbacks are just… information.

Say you’re committed to “fit” and you pull a muscle. A goal (“deadlift 200 lbs by June”) is now derailed. But your marker? That adapts. Fit means prioritising recovery. It means physical therapy. It means listening to your body instead of punishing it. The word still guides you even when the specific goal is temporarily off the table.

Or say “focused” is one of your words and six months in, a shiny new opportunity appears. Without that marker, you might chase it because it sounds impressive. But with “focused” as your filter, you can ask: will this deepen what I’m already building, or will it scatter my energy? The word gives you permission to say no without FOMO eating you alive.

Or maybe “flourishing” is your marker and you realise the path you thought would lead to growth is draining you. The goal might be dead. But the word? Still alive. Flourishing might mean pivoting to something that feeds you instead of forcing yourself to thrive in conditions that were never going to work.

Three words create space for the messiness of real life. They let you stay committed to what matters without being imprisoned by how you thought it would look.

Finding Your Own Three Words

So what are your words?

Not mine. Not the ones that sound good or impressive or social media ready. The ones that are true for you right now. The ones that address where you are and where you want to go.

Here’s how to find them:

Start with honesty. What’s not working in your life right now? What are you tolerating that you don’t want to tolerate anymore? Where do you feel disconnected from yourself? Get specific. Write it down. Feel the discomfort of naming it.

Then ask: what would the opposite look like? If you’re burned out, the opposite might be “restored” or “energised.” If you’re isolated, it might be “connected.” If you’re scattered, it might be “focused.” If you’re stuck in performance mode, it might be “authentic.” If you’re just getting by, it might be “thriving” or “flourishing.”

Choose exactly three words. Not two. Not five. Three. Enough to cover different dimensions of your life without overwhelming you. You need to remember these when you’re making real-time decisions, not when you’re journaling with a candle lit.

Make them active, not passive. Choose words that imply movement, process, ongoing practice. “Fit” works because it requires ongoing commitment. “Flourishing” works because it’s a continuous state of becoming.

Test them against real decisions. Imagine yourself six months from now facing a decision. Will these three words help you choose? If they’re too vague or generic to guide real choices, sharpen them until they’re specific enough to be useful.

Make sure they work together. Your three words shouldn’t contradict each other. They should create a cohesive system. Mine work because fit supports focus, focus enables flourishing, and flourishing requires being fit. They’re a loop that reinforces itself.

Living With Your Three Words

Once you have your words, put them everywhere. Phone background. Computer desktop. Sticky note on your bathroom mirror. Not because you need inspiration, you don’t, but because you need reminders when you’re in the middle of your life making real life decisions.

Use them as a filter for every meaningful choice. New project? Run it through your three words. Social commitment? Check it against your markers. How you spend your evening? Let your words guide you.

And here’s the thing nobody tells you: when you make a choice that doesn’t align with your three words, you don’t need to flagellate yourself. You just notice. Adjust. Choose differently next time. These aren’t commandments. They’re tools.

Also? They can change. If six months in you realise one of your words isn’t serving you anymore, change it. You’re allowed. This isn’t a contract with the universe. It’s a tool that’s supposed to make your life better. If it’s not working, get different tools.

Your Turn

What three words would make your decisions clearer over the next 12 months?

What markers would keep you oriented toward the life you want instead of the one you’re performing?

Don’t make it complicated. Don’t make it pretty. Just make it true.

And then use them. Every day. Every choice. Every moment you’re standing at a crossroads wondering which way to go.

Your three words aren’t magic. They’re just clarity. And clarity, in a life that keeps trying to pull you off course, might be the most valuable thing you can give yourself.

Your turn. Three words for 2026. Comment below—no overthinking, no perfect words, just your truth.