It's never too late to shift your mindset. Every new year people rush to redo their visionboards, establish new goals. And make new promises. I do it myself too, all of these things.

But let's take a step back.

It's fine if you don't "keep all the promises" to yourself — we can't always achieve everything and that's ok. If you don't have the things you want, it's because you aren't the person that has the necessary personality, habits and routines down in order to own these things.

And that's exactly the gap that people shouldn't skip. The gap of recognition and slow growth. Everyone wants everything fast — but to be able to do that you need to be trained in performance and gone through the process at least once. There's a process. Some people go faster, others slower.

And, in my opinion and experience, the more you reflect, the easier you can reset, the "faster" you will be able to make the changes that will get closer to whom you want to become.

There's no driving around that rift: you have to face what you're lacking to become the person you want. There's no shortcut. There's no savior. Actually, it could be you from the future. You're the savior.

What's the prospect you have for the new year? What are you looking for to better in your life?

What’s your first step? It sounds like such a simple question, but I know it’s anything but. Taking that first step isn’t just about action—it’s about clarity. And clarity only comes from reflection.

"By the regular practice of concentration (as to which there is no secret—save the secret of perseverance) you can tyrannize over your mind (which is not the highest part of you) every hour of the day, and in no matter what place. The exercise is a very convenient one." - How to live 24 hours a day

When I sit down to reflect on my year, I don’t just skim through a highlight reel of wins or failures. I dismantle the engine that’s been running my life. I ask myself: What worked? What didn’t? Where did my energy go? Which systems supported me, and which ones sabotaged me? This is a wealthy muscle to nurture. One that takes some extra effort to build, hurts, and can be confusing to start building.

This isn’t a pity party or a pat on the back—it’s about facing the facts. We often carry habits, routines, or ways of thinking that aren’t just outdated but actively working against us. And yet, we hold onto them. Why? Because letting go means confronting that we’ve been wasting energy. Letting go what we got used to. "But I always do it this way!" Comfortable, yes, but not helpful. Or, worse, there's also feeling guilty of letting go of a promise to ourselves. What is the major promise, though? We need to ask ourselves that.

But here’s the plot twist: letting go of what doesn’t serve you is how you make room for what will.

Maybe you’re carrying the weight of perfectionism, an all-or-nothing mentality, or distractions that keep pulling you away from your goals. Maybe it’s people in your life whose energy doesn’t align with where you’re going. These things create friction, and friction slows you progressively down.

Reflection is uncomfortable because it forces you to look at what’s holding you back and ask, "Why am I still holding onto this?" But it’s also the most freeing thing you’ll ever do because it gives you the chance to rewrite your narrative.

And, you can choose to rewrite the narrative as many times and whenever you need.

Enter the New Year with a System, Not Just a Wish

We love to throw ourselves into big goals at the start of a new year, don’t we? I know I do. At around October I get an itch to restart my Notion system, buy a next year's iPad Planner (yes they have a place in my routine as well), start a new visionboard. All of it. I have that urge in fact at least 3 times a year. I do also, however, have an all or nothing mentality I constantly need to fight against. We are all complicated, and finding that equilibrium is what makes life fun in my opinion.

But how often do we break them down into something manageable? How often do you put the pen and the paper and realise what not doing so is costing you?

Here’s what I’ve learned: Big dreams demand small systems. I try to keep this close to my heart, specially when the urge of all-or-nothing comes in.

Systems aren’t just about productivity hacks or fancy tools; they’re about structuring your life in a way that supports your goals. They touch every part of your life:

• The habits you nurture.

• The routines you follow.

• How you handle stress, setbacks, and those days when it feels like nothing is moving forward.

• The environment you're in

• The people you are surrounded by

It’s tempting to want to overhaul everything in one night. But that’s not how change works. Change happens in the incremental adjustments that stack up over time, the compound interest over the daily 1% you put out. Redoing your visionboard, resetting your systems, and such "re-whatever" action is just making sure there isn't clutter adding unnecessary friction into the difficult process of change.

Change is cutting your BS and choosing clarity over chaos, consistency over bursts of effort, and progress over perfection. Change is making sure you're becoming.

Becoming vs. Achieving

Here’s where people trip up: they focus so much on achieving that they forget about becoming.

While writing this I remembered something I did when I was 14-15 before I moved to Finland. I knew I'd have to deal with darkness — in fact, it is now 3PM and completely dark outside. I lived in sunny Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Could I put up with 3 hours of very little light?

So, I'd stay inside when I could, everything closed, only artificial lights on to see if "how it would feel" and if it would be bearable.

This might not seem like it has anything to do with "becoming" but darkness wasn't an adapting issue for me at all later when I moved.

You don’t achieve your goals and then become the person who deserves them. You become that person first. I repeat: you have to become first. The one who does the work, even when it’s tedious. The one who shows up, even when it’s inconvenient. The one who builds systems, even when it feels unnecessary. Why budget if I am not earning anything? Why track leads if I'm not selling yet? Why invest if I don't have "enough" money to spare? Why write if I don't have readers? You become first.

Becoming isn’t about instant gratification—it’s about playing the long game. And this is where your systems come into play. They’re not just guardrails; they’re accelerators. They are like those booster pads in Mario Kart, you know? They’re the framework that keeps you moving forward when motivation runs dry and life gets messy. You just the emotion (like I'm having to do today) and move.

Why This Matters in the long run

When you cut the BS and commit to building systems, something remarkable happens: the ripple effect. Small actions compound, and it can generate what the japanese call the "Kaizen", 1% everyday generates a huge compound interest.

Here's how a Kaizen chain works:

• You improve your sleep, which improves your mood.

• Your improved mood strengthens your relationships.

• Stronger relationships give you more support, which boosts your work.

• Better work leads to better opportunities, which improve your income.

• And with improved income comes improved quality of life.

All because you started small. Skipping the gym today is ok. Two days in a row isn't. Making it a habit to fail isn't either.

What makes you stop failing consistently (yup you read it right) is reflection. Reflection is a muscle that needs to be improved — and can definitely be enhanced by AI — by putting in the work. It's the journaling you're skipping, is the habit tracking you aren't doing.

Closing Thoughts

Cutting the BS isn’t about working faster or harder—it’s about regaining control and clarity. It’s about making your life easier by being intentional with your time, energy, and focus.

So, I’ll ask you again: What’s your first step? And more importantly, what’s your second, third, and fourth? Because that’s what makes the difference—not the big leaps, but the small, deliberate steps you take consistently.

The next year will bring change, whether you like it or not. The question is: Will you be the one driving it?

If you want, you can sign up to Systemphoria down below and get access to a checklist in Notion you can duplicate and use it to enhance your reflection, reseting and rebuilding.

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Fully reset your systems, environment, mind, set new and relevant goals, create new and better habits and routines which this easy to follow RRR free template.