26 for '26

Diet Coke is known as “the one thing.”

A genie grants three wishes.

March Madness ends with the Final Four.

In hockey, you’ll get five for fighting.

There’s the Magnificent Seven, “Eight Days a Week” by The Beatles, and a cat has nine lives.

Ten Commandments.

Twelve disciples.

Sweet sixteen.

A twenty-one gun salute.

You need to be 25 years old to rent a car.

And this week, we welcome ’26.

A whole new year. A second quarter of the century. Another fresh start for anyone looking for one.

When it comes to numbers, when I hear 26, I think of the alphabet.

So here are 26 possible words for you to focus on in 2026.

A is for Attitude

It’s a choice.

Is today going to be a great day… or a great day?

B is for #BecomeBetter

What would happen if you improved just 1% in one area of your life or career?

C is for Consistency

Competence and confidence matter, but without showing up every day, they don’t mean much.

D is for Discipline

Get up.

Show up.

Do the work.

E is for Enthusiasm

Make people want to be around you.

F is for Fun

Without it, why would you get up, show up, and do the work?

G is for Go for "No”

If success depends on people saying “yes,” you’d better be willing to hear “no.”

More no’s lead to more yeses.

H is for Hope

They say hope isn’t a strategy, but if The Shawshank Redemption is one of your favorite movies like it is mine, you can probably hear Andy Dufresne right now:

“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

Wake up every day hoping today is the day.

I is for Integrity

J is for Journey

A year isn’t a lifetime.

A month isn’t a year.

A week isn’t a month.

A day isn’t a week.

“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.”

– Arthur Ashe

K is for Kindness

No explanation needed.

L is for Loyalty

If your business is built on repeat and referral, take great care of the people most likely to repeat and refer you.

M is for Memory

Remember names.

Spouses.

Kids.

Pets.

What people care about.

“Care about what the people you care about care about.”

– Jon Acuff

N is for Nice

Please.

Thank you.

Don’t interrupt.

Smile.

Turns out the easy stuff works.

O is for Opportunity

Every day gives you a choice.

Try something new.

Take a risk.

Get outside your comfort zone.

Do something that might make a difference.

Or stay the same...and let the status quo win.

P is for Permission

Stop asking for it.

Start giving it to yourself.

You deserve to be happy, to thrive, and to be recognized.

Q is for Questions

Never stop asking them.

The best salespeople are the best question-askers.

R is for Respect

Respect your elders.

Respect your mentors.

Respect your competitors.

Respect your peers.

Respect your clients.

Give respect, and you’ll earn it.

S is for Systems

“You don’t rise to the level of your goals.

You fall to the level of your systems.”

– James Clear

T is for Try Your Best

The odds of being #1 are slim.

The odds of being the best version of you are pretty strong.

“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”

- H. Jackson Brown

U is for Upbeat

Does your energy lift people up?

V is for Versatile

Real estate is different every day.

That’s the challenge.

That’s the opportunity.

W is for Wow!

People don’t tell stories about average.

They tell stories about "wow!"

X is for “Sign Here”

What are you doing today that could get a signature tomorrow?

Solve for X.

Y is for Yesterday

What did you learn?

Who do you need to follow up with?

Where can you improve today so you don't look back tomorrow and wish you would have done it differently?

Z is for Zone

Where are you at your best?

Build your days around your strengths.

As Marcus Buckingham says,

"Focus on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses."

So which word stood out?

Which one rang in your head?

Which one jumped off the page?

Which one tapped you on the shoulder and said, “This is your word”?

Write it down.

Memorize it.

Make it who you are.

Or pick them all and use one each week.

With 52 weeks in the year, you’ll get to visit each one twice.

That feels like a pretty good way to start ’26.