720 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Setting 2026 Goals

Welcome to the Next Level Life podcast with Christine Corcoran. This podcast is made for the powerhouse business women who are ready to ignite their fullest potential. This is where we will dive deep into mindset breakthroughs and sprinkle in some pick up the butt motivation so you can scale your business with confidence and clarity. Whether you're craving more income, impact or inspiration, this podcast will be your ultimate resource for all things Next level. Listen in as we have authentic conversations with game changing female entrepreneurs as we reveal the secrets of what it takes to rise and thrive. So go ahead ahead, ignite your inner fire and let's get you taking massive aligned action. Are you ready to elevate? Let's go. Welcome to the podcast. Today I want to chat to you all about the questions you should ask yourself before you start setting goals in 2026. And I can't believe we're almost in December. Like how is this even happening? This year has gone so freaking fast and yet I'm also like looking forward to the Christmas break. So wherever you are at the moment, if you are thinking about 2026 or if you're not even there yet, that's okay. Totally fin. Podcast will just help you start to think about 2025 and what you want to release and let go of and also what lessons you want to take from it. So it supports you in being able to set goals that are supportive of the life that you want to live in 2026. This Week in my world, I am closing out the last round of unstoppable sales and also starting the new round. So I'm actually having the closing ceremony and the welcome ceremony on the same day doesn't normally play out like that, but it does this round because of the dates. Because I was away in October in Canada, I had to adjust some of the dates and so I wanted to make sure that we started in November just to get the rhythm and the momentum going for the new month of December so we can make the most of our month together before then breaking over Christmas. And so, so fun. Also got the photos back from the photo shoot from the next level Mastermind get together. Oh so good. I'm so, so happy with them. The beautiful Mary Miller did them and everyone looks so fun. Like they just the personality is really shining through and I really wanted that with this shoot because I feel like sometimes branding photos can be really boring. And yet I really wanted everyone to start stepping into their Unapolog authority. And so before the session we dived into really understanding what their power of influence statement is and helping them start to really determine what they want to shine through in their personal brand in 2026. And I honestly believe that that energy absolutely comes through and it's so cool to see. So you'll see some of my photos coming through on socials now in the pink outfit, in the pink suit. And then I've got my beautiful clients which will also, I'm sure they'll tag me and I'll get to share some of those. But yeah, so, so happy with those. It was so fun. I absolutely love doing the get together immersion days with my beautiful next level Mastermind la. Yeah. So excited to close out the year with them as well. So let's dive into today's episode. So I compiled 10 questions that I ask myself on a regular basis throughout the year. I kind of do this kind of quarterly and yet I wanted to pull together like 10 CEO questions, CEO level questions to help us really determine like what we're going to learn from the year. Okay. And so one of the posts, or actually an email I sent out last week, I shared with you a couple of things you really should be reflecting on numbers wise within your business as well before you start diving into 2026 goals. Okay, so before you go and set new goals, before you go in, like really focus on the new year, I would actually spend some time analyzing your business numbers because that's going to give you so much clarity to understand what worked, what didn't work, instead of just running off your memory. Because sometimes we look back and go, oh yeah, that worked well, that didn't work well. But then when you really look at the data and measure it and compare it, you might take different things from it. So, so, so important that you take the time to do your data research and look into your business because your business will tell you so much that maybe you haven' even considered yet in order for you to inform your goals for 2026. And then when it comes to the CEO questions, really it's about understanding yourself and getting to know yourself and getting to know your business and also your beliefs, your behaviors and what works well and what doesn't work well for you. So one of the first questions I would love for you to ask yourself is where did I show up as my most embodied magnetic self this year? Look at the moments that really felt expansive and the energy that you really want to lead with next year. Right. Because I felt in any time throughout this year it's in those moments where I've had the biggest quantum leaps Right. So really acknowledging that within yourself. So for me, one of them was speaking at the Her Empire Builder Conference. Another one was speaking in Canada. There were podcast episodes that I really felt like I was really in my element. And there was moments on stage with the Unstoppable Women event. Like, there's so many moments where I felt my most magnetic self. And I. When you unpack that you can start to acknowledge, like, what served that right. Like, how did you prepare your energy to be able to be that magnetic self? What was going on for you at that time in order for you to be able to show up in that way? Because I feel like we can learn so much from our boundaries, from the way that we take care of ourselves, our wellbeing, our self care, right through to what lights you up. Which then brings me to the next question, which is, what drained me? Even if it worked? Right? And this has been a really interesting one for me to reflect on, because there have definitely been some launches this year that I was not in my most magnetic self, and it actually drained me. And I learn a lot from them. Because if I'm not supported by my team, if I. Because I actually didn't hire again this year and I should have, right? Biggest lesson. And there were all reasons for it and whatnot, but I relied so much on one person, which is my team member, Mads, and I really do need to hire my second employee. And what drained me was actually doing a whole bunch of tasks that I should not have been doing. And that caused me to then lag with certain launch prep and certain things that I know where I should best spend my energy. And so really asking yourself, like, what are the things that drained you, even if it worked and how can you address that for the new year? Number three, what results did I create from alignment and what was forced? Again, for me, it was very much launches and not being as prepared as I would like to have been. And yet there were definitely some results with regards to, like, the event that I ran. Unstoppable Women, that all felt in alignment. Like, every single part of that. I felt so in alignment with the content I was creating. I felt so in alignment with promoting it. I felt so in alignment with all the other speakers that were speaking. Like, every part of it came together so beautifully. I mean, that doesn't go along without any challenges. There was definitely challenges, but it still felt like I was absolutely creating from alignment. So I want you to ask her that question. What results did you create from alignment and which ones were forced and how can you learn from that as well? Number four, what beliefs or behaviors kept me in a loop? This is a really interesting one because often what I'll often focus on is like, what beliefs am I still holding onto that's preventing me from stepping into the version I want to be is usually the question that I'll ask myself. And yet sometimes this different way of asking it. So what beliefs or behaviors kept me in a loop? Which ones that I recycle, which one, which ones that I just keep circling around helps you really unpack what identity work really needs to happen, because this is actually the foundational piece of your next level. So if we're not really identifying this, and one of the things that I do to uncover this is start with the behavior first. Because sometimes it can be very hard to uncover the belief of what you're circling around, what you're holding on to, because your subconscious mind wants to protect you from actually accessing it. Because that means that it, if you accessed it, you may want to change and your subconscious mind or your identity doesn't want you to change because that seems scary and unknown. Whereas if I look at the behaviors, right, it's easier to like, kind of take a separate view from a, maybe a bird's eyed view of like, okay, what behaviors kept me in a loop and what was the belief I was holding onto that caused that behavior? That's where you start to shift and change. That is a game changer. I would absolutely suggest you journal on that question to help you truly uncover what's holding you back from your next level. Because I guarantee you the behaviors that you're cycling and the belief systems that are causing those behaviors will be the biggest ones you need to shift and change. Okay, number five, how did I lead in my content, in my sales conversations, in my client delivery, in the way that I showed up? Like every part of your leadership in your business, how did you lead your team? How did you lead, lead your audience? What did you do well and how did you lead? Because sometimes it's like acknowledging, like, okay, there was maybe times where I wasn't fully leading and I was just following the trend, or there were other times I was being led and other times where I really wasn't truly in my leadership. And so allowing yourself to acknowledge those parts and then go, okay, but what caused that? What pulled me out of my leadership? Was it my own mindset or was it external circumstances? So starting just to acknowledge that because your leadership is what's going to get you to your next level. And so Allowing yourself to be like, okay, how could I lead in my content more? It's most likely from sharing your opinion more or sharing what you're doing differently. Sharing the behind the scenes, sharing your expertise. Where are you shying away from your leadership? Okay, number six, where did I abandon my boundaries and what did it cost me? That's a big one, right? And boundaries are one of those things that I think that we often set but then forget to reset or we forget to acknowledge them within ourselves. Like, we often cross our own boundaries. And so where did you abandon your boundaries and what did it cost me? And starting to even acknowledge, like, what can you put in place to prevent that from happening again next year? That's a really good one because sometimes it's separate things to what you're actually doing yourself. So it could be like asking your team to do different things. Like I was saying to a client the other day and she was saying how like, oh my God, my team emailed me so much and I was like, and why do you think that is? And she's like, because I asked them to. And I was like, okay, so you're there following through on the behavior you asked them to do. What do you want them to do instead? And how can you recommunicate that boundary? And then she did that, and then a week later she was like, oh my God, thank God. That has just absolutely lightened my load massively. And so she wasn't even abandoning her own boundaries. She was actually just acknowledging what she put in place as a boundary that actually needed to change. So just reviewing your boundaries, like what are your boundaries that you currently have in place with your clients, with your team, with yourself, with your family, your friends, like all of those types of things, and ask yourself, like, if you abandoned them, did it, what did it cost you? And how can you put some things in place to prevent that from happening again next year? Sometimes it's actually taking yourself out of the equation, Right? So another one of my clients acknowledged that she had actually abandoned her own boundaries and she needed to recognize that something that she does a lot. And so she took herself out of the situation. So she changed the way her process within her business and it was to do with Scope Creep, right? So she basically set up a new email address that this, if anyone needed to adjust anything within a proposal, it was sent to this separate email address that then one of her team members checked first and re quoted. So because they already had that quoting process in place, they didn't need to ask her what she Wanted to quote and it stopped her from causing herself to undercharge. So good, right? So sometimes it doesn't always have to be you. You could actually go, well, how do I take myself out of that equation so that I'm not the one abandoning my own boundaries? Okay, number seven, what part of my business needs to be simplified in 2026? Are we all ready for more simplification? Hell to the yeah. I've been trying to wearly work on building more AI into my business and it's something that I actually, again, because I went into launch and it was like, I just don't have the headspace to even learn it. That I was like, oh, I need to prioritize that for next year. So what part of your business needs to be simplified? Even with my. Even with my service offerings? Like, I've gone through a simplification process with that as well. And even my launch process, I've gone through a simplification process and so I cannot wait for that to be implemented in 2026. So starting just to acknowledge that within yourself, what part of your business needs to be simplified and what you need to put in place in order to keep things simple in your life next year. Number eight, what am I no longer available for in my business or life? Another game changer, right? What am I no longer fucking available for? No longer available for clients that don't value what I do, that don't pay their payments on time, that don't do the work. Like, are you no longer available for team members that don't do what they say they're going to do? Like, what are you no longer available for? The more you can acknowledge that that's where the boundaries piece comes back into play. That might be new boundaries you need to set even within yourself and then start to build it into your business. Number nine, what am I secretly craving more of? And what would it take to honor that? I love this question because it's all about, like bringing more joy and pleasure into your business journey. So for me, it's more in person time. For me, it's more events. Not even more events. It's actually like more expansive events that I get to attend, not create. Right? I'm just doing unstoppable women next year and starting to eat. Like, more girl time, more friend time, more relationship time, more beach time. Like, what do you secretly crave more of and how can you start to implement that into your business this year and sorry, next year? For me, it's more downtime. So I worked a lot this year and next year, I'm not letting that happen again. I'm planning out my holidays and making sure they're in my diary before the end of December, like set up. And then I'm also going to be booking certain trips. So then they're already booked, right? Because I did just worked way too much this year. And number 10, last one, who do I need to become to lead from vision, not reaction. This is our edge. And who you need to become will come back to the shift in your behaviors and the identity work that we do. Because every new level requires a whole new version of you. And if you don't clarify and envision who that next level version of you is, you keep creating the same results because you'll keep being the same person. So over the last two years, I've obviously had like huge up levels in my life and in my business and it's been phenomenal. Like when I look back on this year and go, I can't believe I published my first book, did book launch parties, traveled to America and Canada and spoke at an event in Canada, ran my biggest event of the year. Like, I've had so many incredible things happen this year. I've had so many great speaking gigs, made so many great new friends. Like have had so much amazing stuff happen. And I honestly believe it came back to the identity work that I did the year before. And choosing, choosing, stepping into a new year and choosing what do I want this year to be and who do I need to be in order to become that version of myself that the vision then becomes the absolute norm, right? Because it's actually who you're being. It's never about what you're doing, it's about who you are being to attract all those opportunities to step in and take action from that place to start following through on things that you need to follow through on, right? Like who you are being. So I hope that you take these questions and sit and journal on them because they are going to help you start to think about your new year in a whole new light. And then you can go start setting goals, right? And I might just leave one last little piece for you here because I was talking to someone in the DMs about this the other day. Before you go and set financial goals, set goals of what you want your life to be. Because financial goals are not motivating as much as people like to think. Like, yes, set a money goal, it's motivating. No, it's not bloody motivating. It's what the money will give you. That's motivating. So what do you want your life to look like? What do you want to experience? What do you want to be able to receive? Allow yourself to sit in that energy first and then you can figure out, well, how much money do I need in order to have that happen? How many clients do I need to work with? What does my business need to be in order for me to experience that? Right? Set your goals from that place and you'll find that they'll be much more motivating. All right, lovely. I hope you enjoy the rest of the week. I look forward to hearing how you unpack some really beautiful gold nuggets here in these questions. And I look forward to seeing what happens next. Here's to an amazing 2026. Thank you for listening. And if you found any value out of this episode, make sure you hit the follow button so you get access to the episodes as soon as they are live. And make sure you come hang out with me on Instagram. You can find me at christinecorcorancoach. Have an incredible.