As the year came to an end, Cardinal Nation reached out to individuals to ask about their upcoming goals that they would like to accomplish for the year of 2026. Although the excitement of the new year has begun to fade, many people are still reflecting on their resolutions and finding ways to stay motivated. From improving mental health and academics to focusing on fitness and personal growth, students are looking forward to making this year one of progress, balance, and self-improvement. Here’s what they had to say:
Cardinal Nation: What is one of your main goals for 2026, and how do you plan to achieve it?
Brooklyn Hall: My main goal for 2026 is to focus more on school and put even more effort into it then I already do as an attempt to get me ready for the next school year in the fall because of the AP classes I will be enrolled in, but I also would like to find a better balance between school and home life so I am able to put time towards bettering my mental health. I plan to execute this by making schedules with dedicated study time and personal time. I will be able to follow the schedules and adjust as needed based on the amount of homework and how much I understand a concept in class or put more personal time if I’m having a bad day.
Maria S: Keep up with my really busy schedule and still have good grades. I need to not waste time on my phone and complete my homework before allowing myself to do fun stuff to achieve this.
Julia Kaleal: One of my main goals for 2026 is to be kinder. I feel like in the past year, I have been so focused on me and whether it be my school assignments, busy schedule, or anything that I was more focused on what I had to do rather than how it affected and impacted those around me in my friends and my family so that is something I am trying to work on in 2026. I plan on achieving this by having little check-ins with those around me and myself as something else I’ve learned in 2025 is that you never know how much someone is struggling until you ask.
Bella Bognar: My main goal is to further my writing career by doing more signings and reaching out to network.
Neveah Payerchin: My main goals for 2026 are vague; being a better academic student, being a better teammate, and being better for myself. All go hand in hand as the plan is to make me a more likable person, but not just to others. My plans to achieve my goals all go in parallel with each other, hard work. I plan to first focus on managing time more efficiently and then move to working on myself. I want to be a reliable person, hence the teamwork portion. Tying all of this together will make me like myself more, filling all my goals.
Cardinal Nation: How do you stay motivated once the excitement of the new year starts to fade?
Brooklyn Hall: For me personally, there is never any excitement of the new year. I heavily view the years based on school, so it being a new calendar while still being halfway through the school year there isn’t much motivation of a new chapter because I’m still currently in a specific chapter of my life and that goes with the school year. However, after midterms my motivation can be lacking so a way to up my motivation and stay positive is taking time in my day to think about what I’m grateful for and small joys to look forward to. I also try to spend more time reading my Bible as I personally find comfort in it, and my faith is something I hold very dear, but I am aware that that is not for everyone.
Maria S: For me, I wouldn’t really say there’s any excitement for the new year, but I motivate myself by making little competitions between myself and others, since I’m a very competitive person.
Julia Kaleal: That’s a really good question actually! I guess my motivation is to looking forward and think about the future and less in the past. For me, I am always overthinking and that often makes me less motivated, so focusing on “new year, new me” as the saying goes helps me as the future is endless depending on your point of view.
Bella Bognar: I love using Pinterest to inspire myself and read books that illustrates the life I want.
Neveah Payerchin: When the excitement of New Year’s starts to fade, I stay motivated by holding myself accountable. I ensure that I am sticking to my goals, my morals, and my happiness. I try to not let exhaustion overrule me as New Year’s slips past and the new year truly begins. For me personally, I need to find future motivation to keep me going. Therefore, I set reminders of when I am hanging out with friends or a break from school is upcoming.
Cardinal Nation: What is one piece of advice you would give to someone trying to stick with their goals this year?
Brooklyn Hall: A piece of advice I would give to someone to trying to stick to their goals this year is to allow slip ups and set the bar low. A lot of people in the new year try and set very harsh and big goals for themselves and a lot of them are just simply unattainable and then they feel bad when they don’t achieve it. Starting small is a huge difference and accomplishing even small feat makes you feel really good about yourself and with those small accomplishments, you don’t have to constantly be perfect. I think a lot of people set very high standards and when they failed to meet those high standards every single day they feel really guilty and they shouldn’t. People have off days, where what you’re able to give doesn’t meet your expectations of yourself. If you want to go to the gym every day and work out, but you have a really really bad day and you are so physically exhausted to the point where you cannot go that’s not something to feel guilty about – you’re human. Or if you want to eat healthier and you have a day where all you want to eat is a cheeseburger, that is completely fine – you cannot be 100% all of the time and I think people lose sight of that once they are trying to achieve their goals. If someone allows themselves to be human and make mistakes, I think that they are more likely to actually stick with their goals because it won’t be a harsh set of rules. It’ll be a part of your life and a part of your day-to-day, and days and days go up and down so if you let your goals, go up and down with that while still focusing on your primary want it’ll be easier to get through the year.
Maria S: Figure out what motivates you in a sport or another activity and translate that to school.
Julia Kaleal: One piece of advice I would give would be to think back to the why behind the goal. Why did you make this a goal? How could it help you? Why is it important? And for me this is where reflecting on the previous year helps me make my goals, but for others it might not so I would say to remember the why along with the reminder that we are all human and make mistakes.
Bella Bognar: The main advice I have is to have reasonable goals and set ways to achieve them.
Neveah Payerchin: One piece of advice I would give someone trying to stick with their goals this year is to make sure they are doing it for them. People doing things for parents, siblings, friends, etc, usually do not end up well as the narrow vision of people does not see how it benefits themselves. Open up that vision and see how sticking to your goals benefits you!
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As January continues, these voices remind us that the new year is not about perfection but persistence. Whether it is improving academics, health, or mindset, this year offers everyone a chance to learn, grow, and build better habits that last well beyond the first month of the year.
In the end, it is not about how quickly goals are achieved but about the lessons learned along the way. Every step forward, no matter how small, contributes to a bigger picture of progress and personal growth. As the year unfolds, Cardinal Nation encourages everyone to keep moving forward, stay resilient, and make 2026 a year defined by effort, reflection, and lasting change.
