Hi friend,

Most people are already thinking about what they want to achieve next year.

Very few are thinking about what they need to do consistently to make those outcomes inevitable.

That’s the difference between setting goals and building leadership capacity.
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The life lesson: build habits that will help you win

Outcomes follow systems. Systems are built from habits. And habits only last when someone takes full ownership of them.

James Clear, in his book "Atomic Habits," reminds us that lasting change doesn’t come from ambition or motivation. It comes from small behaviours, repeated often, tied to identity.

Jocko Willink, in his book "Extreme Ownership," adds the harder truth. If the habit isn’t happening, the failure is yours. No excuses. No outsourcing. No waiting.

Together, the lesson is simple and uncomfortable. Leadership starts with what you do when no one is watching and whether you own the results.

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Reframe success in a way most people miss

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

Goals are useful for direction, but they don’t change behaviour. Habits do. And habits stick when they are:

• obvious
• easy
• rewarding
• connected to who you believe you are becoming

But here’s where many people stall.

They design good habits and then abandon them when life gets busy, motivation dips, or progress feels slow.

That’s where Extreme Ownership becomes the missing piece.

Jocko’s message is blunt. If a habit breaks, it’s not because of your schedule, your environment, or your circumstances. It’s because you didn’t own it hard enough.

Ownership means:

• planning for failure before it happens
• adjusting without self-pity
• tracking reality, not intentions
• recommitting daily, not annually

When you combine these two ideas, a powerful leadership system emerges.

• Build habits small enough to survive chaos
• Take full responsibility for keeping them alive
• Track them as commitments, not wishes

That’s how leaders quietly compound advantage year after year.

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​Three actions to set up 2026 the right way:

1.Turn your 2026 goals into identity-based habits Instead of asking, “What do I want to achieve?” ask, “What would the kind of person who achieves this do every week?”​
Examples:

• Not “get healthier” but “be someone who moves daily”;
• Not “grow professionally” but “be someone who learns deliberately”;
• Not “be more present” but “be someone who protects focus”.

Design habits that reinforce the identity, not the outcome.

2. Apply Extreme Ownership when the habit breaks ​
Missed a day? A week? A month?

No drama. No guilt. No story.

Ask only:

• What failed in the system?
• What didn’t I plan for?
• What adjustment makes this harder to break next time?

Leaders don’t judge themselves. They diagnose and adapt.

3. Track habits, not just results, next year

Results lag. Habits don’t.

Choose three to five core habits to track weekly next year. Simple. Binary. Honest.

• Did it happen or not?
• What percentage of weeks did I execute?

By the end of next year, you won’t need motivation. The data will tell the story.

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Most people wait for January to set goals.

Leaders use the turn of the year to lock in behaviours.

Small habits. Clear ownership. Visible tracking.

That’s not self-improvement. That’s self-leadership.

And it compounds faster than almost anything else.

Thank you for being part of this community of people who learn, reflect, and grow together every week.

Until next time,
Alex Rășcanu
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P.S. If you'd like to read the past life lessons-focused e-newsletters, you can find them here.

P.P.S. On top of the monthly #ExperienceTO historical tours, we can now stay in touch via the virtual #LeadershipBookClub as well.