Winning the Wrong Way

What My New Year’s Resolution Taught Me About Measuring Success in 2026

As we enter the last week of January, we’re all facing the same realization that happens every year… most New Year’s resolutions don’t survive the early weeks of the year. Research shows that roughly 23 % of people abandon their resolution within the first week.

That’s just the first week! 

And the failure rate escalates to approximately 43% who have quit by the end of January (right about now, as a matter of fact), and only about 8 -12% ever fully achieve their goals long term.

These patterns reflect a broader reality in behavior change that we know all too well here at Butler Street Consulting:

Initial motivation dissolves rapidly without clear plans, systems, and metrics that measure performance and productivity, not just outcomes.

Business professionals setting 2026 revenue targets and KPIs should recognize that hitting a number once is far easier than creating repeatable processes that sustain performance long term.

My own experience pursuing a personal performance goal in early 2026 made this distinction unmistakably clear.

For context, I participate in a Spin class three to four times a week (See previous blog, "You Have 4 Minutes Left, Make Them Count"). Rankings matter to me and individual riders are measured against anywhere from 25 to 35 other riders each session.

For most of 2025, I kept finishing third.

Consistently. Frustratingly. Predictably.

I couldn’t break into second place, no matter how much effort I put in. And because I’m extremely competitive, I set a very specific goal: before the end of 2025, I wanted to rank second at least once. And that specificity mattered to me.

I didn’t say “get better.”

I didn’t say “improve my spinning.”

I defined a clear outcome. And it worked!

I didn’t just hit second place once. I hit it twice against strong competition. Even better, when I reviewed my stats, I was hitting personal bests across multiple performance categories. My goal had been met multiple times, and my improvement was measurable, repeatable, and earned.

For 2026, I raised the bar. My new goal: rank first at least once during the year. And here’s where it gets interesting.

There’s one rider named Max who shows up regularly. If Max is in the room, first place is nearly impossible. He’s that good. And when he’s in the room, I am fired up to see if I can beat him. He’s my nemesis and my motivation.

One day earlier this month, I went to class. Max wasn’t there. Now, I didn’t feel great physically, and while I gave it my “all” in that class, at least the “all” that I had available that morning, I knew my performance wasn’t exceptional. Then I checked the results.

First place. Out of 28 riders.

HOOOOOOORAY!!! I had hit my 2026 goal within four days of the year starting! Unbelievable! Something to celebrate!

And yet something felt off.

When I looked deeper at my stats, none of them were personal bests. Many were below what I’d achieved in 2025 when I ranked second. I had won - but without the elite performance I knew I was capable of.

And that’s when the lesson clicked. 

Outcome goals tell you if you won. Performance goals tell you if you earned it.

In business, this happens all the time. A team hits their number because a competitor exits the market, one outsized deal closes, or conditions temporarily improve.

Leadership celebrates.

But underneath: Conversion rates didn’t improve. Sales cycle time didn’t shorten. Execution didn’t level up. That’s situational success, not performance excellence.

If you’ve already set your goals for 2026, don’t throw them out. Instead, layer underneath them.

Ask:

• What must improve for this result to be repeatable?

• What would success look like if conditions were harder?

• Would we still win if "Max" showed up?

Winning once feels great. Winning builds confidence. Winning breeds winning. But winning because the environment cooperated is a warning signal disguised as success. As you move through 2026, don’t just ask,“Did we hit the number?” Ask,“Would we hit it again if conditions were tougher?” That’s the difference between hitting a goal and building capability.

At Butler Street, we are dedicated to helping companies and their people grow by following structural, repeatable processes that are specifically designed to achieve success again, and again, and again. If you want to make this year the best yet for your organization, reach out to me to learn more. Let’s work together to make 2026 a very good year!

References

1.     Norcross, J. C., Ratzin, A. C., & Payne, D. (1989). Ringing in the New Year: The change processes and reported outcomes of resolutions. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45(2), 213–222.

2.     Norcross, J. C., & Vangarelli, D. J. (1989). The resolution solution: Longitudinal examination of New Year’s change attempts. Journal of Substance Abuse, 1(2), 127–134.

3.     Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. (2015). Why most New Year’s resolutions fail. Lead Read Today. https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/why-most-new-years-resolutions-fail