Stop Guessing: Six Shockingly Simple Questions to Make 2026 Your Best Year Ever

Stop Guessing: Six Shockingly Simple Questions to Make 2026 Your Best Year Ever

In a recent episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, Mel shared the powerful, research-backed strategy she and her husband have used for the last 22 years to guarantee the upcoming year is their best one yet. If you’ve been hoping for a fresh slate after a challenging year, or if you simply feel like you’ve forgotten 99% of what happened in the last 12 months, this is the blueprint you need.

Mel emphasizes a powerful truth: an amazing year, an amazing life, doesn’t happen by chance; it happens by choice. If 2025 felt like a "dumpster fire," you deserve to intentionally choose a better future. The trick to making that happen isn't just dreaming big, it's following a strategic, six-step plan that starts by looking backward.

The Critical First Step: Look Back, Not Just Ahead

The biggest mistake people make when planning for a new year is skipping the critical first step: reviewing what just happened. It’s mathematically impossible to create accurate directions for where you want to go unless you know exactly where you are starting from right now.

Mel explains that you need to approach the past 12 months as data. You've had wins, losses, highs, and lows, and by extracting the wisdom from those experiences, you can avoid repeating mistakes and double down on what went well. The first three questions of the ritual are designed to capture this vital data, and Mel suggests grabbing your phone, calendar, or camera roll, because you simply cannot trust your memory alone.

Question 1: What were the low points of your year?

This is where you start. While it might sound tough, facing what was hard, what knocked you down, drained you, or broke your heart, is not being dramatic; you are being self-aware, and that awareness is the starting point for change. Research confirms that intentionally processing negative emotions is vital. When you skip this step and try to move on, those feelings stick deep down, leading to increased stress and physical health issues. Acknowledging the lows, whether it was a health scare, losing a job, or simply missing out on family time due to being too busy, frees you from the weight of it and creates distance from those negative thoughts.

Question 2: What were the high points of your year?

After facing the lows, you immediately switch gears. Scroll through your camera roll looking for the highlights, the big wins, yes, but also the little moments that brought joy. This could be a great book you read, a Coldplay concert, or simply noticing flowers on your morning walk. The high points are the data that shows you what you want more of and what you are willing to work for. By noticing the highs, you might even challenge the narrative you use to beat yourself up.

Question 3: What are the lessons you learned?

The highs and the lows are data, and they are telling you exactly what you like, what you don't like, and what you need more of. The most important lessons often relate to relationships, which research shows are the number one predictor of living a good life. For Mel, looking back revealed that in-person experiences and intentional scheduling of time with loved ones are paramount. By connecting your goals to these deeply personal lessons, you create intrinsic motivation, the internal fuel that makes change inevitable.

The Path Forward: Stop, Start, Continue

With the wisdom extracted from the last 12 months, the next three questions provide the actionable plan using a strategic framework employed by global companies.

Question 4: What will you STOP doing?

If you want to change your life, identify what you need to quit. Winners quit all the time, not out of fear, but because something no longer aligns with their values or is draining their energy. As productivity experts advise, the key is "subtraction before addition". What excuses will you stop making? What patterns will you quit? Stopping is the lever that moves you forward. For Mel, this meant stopping excuses around resistance training, which she realized was a domino effect for her overall health and energy.

Question 5: What will you CONTINUE doing?

This is where you double down on the high points and lessons learned. What structures, habits, or relationships are working well and deserve more of your energy? If you noticed that scheduling time with friends made a huge difference, then you must continue being proactive about those plans. If your morning walk has been consistent and beneficial, keep that habit going strong.

Question 6: What will you START doing?

Finally, you get clear on what you will begin. This doesn't have to be starting a new company (though Mel did, based on the need for better protein sources highlighted by her podcast experts!). It could be starting therapy, speaking up at work, or simply going to bed 30 minutes earlier. The most crucial part is writing the start down. By putting it on paper, you take the idea from your mind and turn it into a reality.

By taking the time to answer these six questions, you are creating an intentional bridge between who you are right now and the version of yourself you want to become in the future. You are laying the groundwork to ensure 2026 isn't just a random year, but one of the best years of your life.

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Easy Takeaway

You can't create a workable plan for where you want to go unless you know the exact starting point. Always begin your planning process by thoroughly examining the highs and lows of the past 12 months, using the lessons learned as data for the future.

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Favorite Quote

"When you tell the truth about what knocked you down, what drained you, what broke your heart, you're not being dramatic, you're being self-aware and that awareness is the starting point for change".

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A Relevant Question

What is the one major thing you are sick of making excuses about that you need to stop doing next year?

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Source: Excerpts from the transcript of the video "How to Make 2026 the Best Year: 6 Questions to Ask Yourself" uploaded on the YouTube channel "Mel Robbins".