The start of the new year is often an opportunity to set the wishes and dreams that will be attempted over the coming 365 days. During vacations, strategies are devised to achieve them, and when the year's activities begin, a tentative schedule is usually drawn up. The most repeated goals for 2026 focus on consolidating labor flexibility, achieving comprehensive well-being, and mastering new technologies, collected by the Argentine News Agency. In general, there is concern about burnout, a state of prolonged physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by chronic stress, and the intention is to review notifications at specific times, closely monitor health metrics, adjust diet or exercise based on real data, and prioritize maintaining muscle mass. Another premise is to diversify income through smart money management and investments, learn an analog art like painting, cooking, or gardening, and undertake a training course related to work or profession. To avoid frustration when planning, Suzette Roldán, president of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Puerto Rico Chapter—the world's largest association of coaches with more than 62,616 associates in over 170 countries—shares some key principles that can make a difference: Reduce the number of goals and focus on the essentials. What if you chose less, but with greater intention and consistency? Define realistic goals, considering resources, context, and life stage. Does this goal propel you or demand from you in an unsustainable place? Build a support structure: habits, conversations, and structures that sustain the process. What do you need to strengthen for this goal to have real space in your life? Review and adjust without guilt, understanding that changing course is also progress. Do you give yourself permission to learn and recalibrate along the way? Planning from intention does not mean lowering ambition, but elevating awareness, she rounds out. It is about choosing to grow without excessive demands, to advance with meaning, and to build a year that reflects authenticity, purpose, and continuous learning, she concludes. The frustration usually does not stem from a lack of ability to achieve a goal, but from the gap between an idealized expectation and our own humanity. It is time to stop planning the 'perfect year' to start designing a real one. For this, tools like coaching can help transform pressure into purpose and demand into a sustainable strategy. One of the most common mistakes is to set goals disconnected from a clear intention. It's not just about what we want to achieve, but the why. So, it's important to ask ourselves, 'What is truly important to me at this stage of my life?' When goals do not respond to a meaningful personal or professional vision, they lose strength and are easily abandoned. A powerful alternative is to start from intention, as it acts as an internal anchor that guides decisions, behaviors, and priorities throughout the year. Unlike rigid goals, they allow flexibility and adaptation in a constantly changing environment. The limits The main issue lies in learning to recognize one's own limits and those of the context. The formula repeated in the education received is that great achievements are based on self-demand, but after hitting your head against the wall many times, the appeal to replace discipline with conscious flexibility gains space.
