If your goals don’t bring you closer to Christ, they’re just distractions
The brutal truth about worldly success, and how to make 2026 a year of true renewal
BREAKING NEWS: I am made in the image and likeness of God; just as you are. That means we are some-one and not just some-thing. We have an eternal soul, can make and carry out plans, choose freely, and create. But, given my genetics, I also appear to be made in the image and likeness of a penguin. On one hand, (or wing) I love seafood and I enjoy being in water. Living in Minnesota, I also relate well to the arctic climate. What I am less easy with is that I am short in stature and have a growing mid-section. At least I float. But over the holidays I came to the decision that it would be smart to set a goal to loses weight in 2026.
Are you ready to set some goals?
With the start of the new calendar year and church year, many of us take stock of our lives and set goals for what we want to learn, earn, do and be. This has been an ongoing process for me in the past, this year I am joining the many to shrink my mid-section, get better sleep, and most importantly set spiritual goals to go deeper in my Catholic faith.
Worldly goal-setting is often focused on striving for external validation. If I am being honest I have at times fallen for the lie that the best life is rooted in achievement, comfort and shiny things. Nothing inherently wrong with that unless these goals reflect what you worship or if they are born from a spirit of comparison or pride. Rather, all of what we do and strive to be ideally draws us closer to Christ. So, the beginning of 2026 goal-setting offers a sacred opportunity to renew our hearts, refocus our priorities, and recommit ourselves to the vocation God has entrusted to us. My goals of weight loss and greater sleep could seem prideful, but I pray they will enable me greater energy and clarity to do the work God has called me to.
We can’t go wrong using scripture to guide our goal setting choices. The apostle Paul uses the word “renewal”. Renewal is not about self-improvement alone; it is about conversion. As St. Paul reminds us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Also, Jesus said “I’ve come that you have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
Since Christ calls us to a higher standard, rooted in humility, sacrifice, and love, I am encouraging all of us to set goals or resolutions as Jesus wants. This new year let’s pause and honestly ask: Who am I becoming? and Am I moving closer to the man God is calling me to be? Even from those of us who are a bit older, scripture assures us that God is never finished with us: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Renewing our goals is an act of trust that God is still working in our lives.
Said another way, renewal begins with the interior life rather than exterior. Without prayer, our resolutions quickly become empty promises. Jesus himself modeled this priority: “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).
If you are at a loss as to what you might do in 2026, use Jesus’ example. Set these goals:
Deeper daily prayer
Regular Scripture reading
More faithful participation in the Sacraments.
Confession and the Eucharist are not spiritual add-ons; they are sources of strength that restore what sin weakens and heals what the world wounds.
If you are still seeking, one other area that I wrote about in our Q1 “Heroic Man” magazine is the call we share to reclaim responsibility. From the beginning, God entrusted man with stewardship and leadership: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Catholic men are called to lead first by example whether as husbands, fathers, sons, or brothers in Christ. Here, renewing goals for 2026 means resolving to be more present at home, more patient with loved ones, and more intentional in passing on the faith.
Men, going forward, whatever your goals, let’s keep the main thing the main thing: We want to grow closer to Jesus this year. This won’t mean perfection, but fidelity. “strive forward to what lies ahead; I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 3:13–14).
May this new year be marked by a renewed commitment to holiness, courage, and love so that, by God’s grace, we may become the men He created us to be!
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The penguin analogy caught me offguard but the point about goals needing to draw us closer to Christ instead of external validation really cuts through all the new year noise. Been guilty of setting fitness goals purely from comparision instead of stewardship. The reminder that God's never finished with us even when we're older is something I needed to hear today. Makes the whole renewal process feel less like performance and more like trust.