It's time. No, not time to start thinking about Christmas which is just 4 weeks away - I'll let you decide when you're ready for that!

No, I'm talking about the New Year which is a seemingly distant SIX weeks away! Now before you roll your eyes to the heavens and rush for the "listen at the end of the year button" hear me out.

If you want to achieve your goals in 2026, the time to set those goals and plan for successfully achieving those goals, that time starts NOW. Not on 31 December. Not 1 January. Now.

I've been coaching on this topic all week inside Be the First. I've been asking my clients to set their 6 month goals for 2026 as one of the ways to finish the year strong. And what I noticed inside this coaching conversation was how many of my clients used the words "focus on" to describe their goals for next year.

I'm going to focus on my visibility

I'm going to focus on my relationships

I'm going to focus on showcasing my value

Is this you? Is your goal to "focus on" something? Or is it to achieve it?

6 months into 2026 do you want to be able to say you focused on your visibility? Or do you want to be able to say you are 10 x more visible than you were at the start of the year?

There's a difference and it's an important one. "Focusing on" or "Working on" (that's another expression that comes up) an aspect of your career doesn't get you promoted. The Result does. So it's not enough to focus on your visibility if you want to progress. You've got to be visible.

In this week's episode of Legal Imposters I explain why. I show you the limitations of choosing "focus" as your goal and the dramatic shift that occurs when you frame your goal as a result you are going to create.

Here's what you'll learn:

1. why planning to focus on your goals is slowing you down
   
2. The Results Test and using it to plan for results
   
3. How uncomfortable goal-setting for results can feel (and why you must be willing to feel it)
   
4. Why you should stop waiting for January to get started on your new year goals and start moving towards those goals now.
   

P.S. Enrolment for the January class of Be the First! opens December 10th. If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and you want to progress to the next level in 2026, this is the room you want to be in and now is the time to join. Details to follow on Legal Imposters and on social media so stay tuned. Click this link to find out more about the programme or DM me on social with your questions.