MSS #0157: How to Train Your Mind to See What Matters in 2026

MSS #0157: How to Train Your Mind to See What Matters in 2026

10 Jan, 2026

🕒Read time: 3.6 minutes

🚀In a hurry? Jump to “Choose Your 2026 Lens” for a reduced reading time of 1.6 minutes.

Before you launch into resolutions and goals, take a moment.

This newsletter helps you reflect on what 2025 really taught you — the growth you may have missed and the resilience you may not have noticed at the time.

Then we shift to 2026: a year you can shape by choosing a mindset lens — the internal filter that changes what you see and how you feel.

Using the science of your Reticular Activating System (RAS), I’ll show you how to tune your brain to notice the things that actually help you.

What 2025 Taught You – Even if You Missed It

Many people review their year by looking at achievements.

But progress is often hidden in the fire.

Think back to the tough moments of 2025.

What did you keep going through?

What did you survive without applause?

What did you learn about yourself when things didn’t go to plan?

Resilience rarely feels powerful at the time.
Growth doesn’t always look like progress.
Courage can be quiet — just showing up one more time.

It’s important to notice, because what you notice, you tend to find more of in your attention.

Reflecting in this way primes your system to see strength, not just stress.
It tells your mind: this mattered.

That is a powerful way to move into a new year.

Give yourself a moment to reflect on how far you have come this year (progress) regardless of how zigzagged or back and forth the route may have been.

Now reflect on how this past year has developed your resilience, maybe in ways you did not expect?

What Is a “Lens” and Why Choose One?

Your mindset lens is the invisible filter you look through.

Think of it like a camera lens: it determines what comes into focus.

And this isn’t just metaphor.

Your brain has a built-in filtering system called the Reticular Activating System (RAS), in the base of the brain.

It notices what you repeatedly focus on and to some extent ignores the rest.

If your internal lens is stress, your RAS will highlight what’s wrong.

If your lens is curiosity, you’ll start seeing opportunities.

Most people walk into a new year on autopilot.

Let’s make yours intentional.

Choose Your 2026 Lens

Choose a single mindset lens for the year.

This is not a goal, resolution or affirmation.

It’s a mental filter — something you’ll practise seeing the world through.

Here are some to consider:

• Clarity – Seeing what matters without the fog

• Curiosity – Replacing judgement with interest

• Self-kindness – Speaking to yourself like someone you love

• Resilience – Remembering what you’ve already come through

• Presence – Feeling grounded in what’s happening now

• Calm – Meeting chaos without absorbing it

• Patience – Trusting timing without force

Don’t overthink it.
Let one rise up.
You can always evolve it later.

Once you choose, it’s time to train your RAS.

3 Daily Ways to Embed Your Lens

Start with one of these simple cues:

• Morning Micro-Intent
  As you touch your kettle, phone or fridge, say your lens aloud or silently.
  “Today I choose calm.”

• Spot It, Say It
  Throughout the day, name moments when your lens appears.
  “That pause I took before replying – that was patience.”

• Evening Scan
  Before sleep, ask:
  “Where did I see [my lens] today?”

The more often you do this, the more your RAS will help you notice it — even when things get messy.

You’ll start finding evidence of your lens everywhere.

Summary

Start 2026 not with pressure but with perspective.

You’ve already done more than you realise.

Your growth in 2025 may not have looked like success, but it shaped you.

Now use that wisdom to shape what you see in the year ahead.

Choose a mindset lens.
Set your mental compass.
Watch your world reflect it back.

Bullet Point Recap:

• 2025 may have brought more growth than you noticed at the time

• Resilience often shows up in quiet moments, not big outcomes

• Your RAS filters what your brain notices — based on what you focus on

• Choosing a mindset lens trains your brain to notice what helps

• Use small daily cues to reinforce that mindset

• One word, repeated with intent, can shift your experience of the year

See you next week. One more thought 👇

Want more? 

When you're ready, 3 more ways I can help you:

1. My book - Nuclear Powered Resilience

2. Self confidence and resilience - £48 training course based on my book

3. Coaching packages - start with a FREE 15 minutes exploration session.

Other resources

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That's it for this week. Thanks for reading, really hope this helped. Contact me if you think I can help you further at [email protected].

Happy thinking.