My philosophy around setting resolutions and goals have evolved quite a bit over the years.
In my 20s, I made long lists, organized into themes, set targets, etc. I’d complete a few, but most were unfinished or not even started.
More recently, I have realized such long lists of goals, besides being impractical, steal the joy of just being. They are an insidious form of clutter. They are also symptomatic of not knowing what really matters.
Now I’m a big believer of simplicity, both for personal and work goals. Simplicity forces you to prioritize. Simplicity helps you focus and finish. Simplicity adds up over time.
That’s why I was excited to learn about this concept of a Misogi challenge — picking just one meaningful and significant goal for the year. One thing that’d make the entire year feel successful.
Shaan Puri, the podcaster who I learned this from, shared that his Misogi for 2025 was to learn to play a beautiful, complex piece of music on the piano. Notice how specific it is - it isn’t to learn music, or even to learn the piano…it was to learn one particular composition. He did it, and it sounds amazing.
My 2025 Misogi, in retrospect, was to become a dad and raise a healthy, happy baby. I can confidently say that one single accomplishment eclipsed everything else.
I’m thinking my 2026 Misogi would be around improving my health and vitality, specifically VO2 Max and Body Fat %, significantly. Picking just one thing is really hard, but that’s the point. Health and vitality are upstream to every other important aspect of life, and I have ways to go. So it feels worthy.
What is your Misogi?