Horses, Zebras, and Never Missing Twice

Hi Fam!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. As promised (and just a bit delayed…), I wanted to share my goals, resolutions, mindset shifts, and overall vision for 2026.

I’ve spent the past few weeks reflecting on what I want this next year to look like. One thing that feels different going into 2026 is that many of the things I started in 2025 are continuing. Last year felt like starting from scratch in almost every area of my life, this year feels more like building, which is really refreshing to experience.

I also spent time talking with my therapist and people close to me about what they may have noticed I struggled most with this year. Mindset came up again and again, which I’ll get into below. But, 2025 was a year full of firsts for me, and I don’t want 2026 to be a competition with who I was last year. I want it to be an opportunity to grow even more into who I want to become.

On Perspective

On Christmas morning, my mom invited me and my siblings to join her for Meals on Wheels. A local service where volunteers deliver meals to people who can’t easily get them themselves, especially older adults and those who are homebound. It is my mom’s favorite part of her month, and after joining her and meeting some of her regulars, I completely understood why. Talking with these elderly and immobile adults, each with so much life experience and wisdom, was a grounding reminder before the new year that put my day to day stressors into perspective. Perspective changes everything. It also reminded me of the energy I get when I give, and that’s something I want to carry with me into 2026.

On Never Missing Twice

I recently listened to an episode from Peter Attia's podcast, The Drive (linked below) on habit formation, featuring James Clear, the Author of Atomic Habits, one of my all time favorite books.

One idea in particular stood out to me in this episode, and that is to “never miss twice.”

The idea is simple - if you miss a workout, skip a healthy meal, or fall off track, that’s okay. What matters is not letting one slip turn into a spiral. It’s rarely the first mistake that derails people, it’s the repeated ones that follow. The top performers in every field aren’t the ones who never miss, they are the ones who know how to get back on track quickly.

This really resonated with me going into January, a time that puts so much pressure on perfection. I think a lot of people, if they don’t make that change on January 1st, will tell themselves “oh well there’s always next year”, and this is the most dangerous mindset to have. Learning how to course correct is the most important habit you can build to achieve your goals. 

So if you spent January 1st hungover or busy and overwhelmed and missed some of your goals - start late, start today. Or Monday. Or tomorrow. It’s fine if you missed. But, never miss twice. The important skill isn’t never slipping, it’s learning how to get back on track. 

On Mindset

A phrase my psychiatrist has repeated to me for years on end to the point that I see zebras in my dreams is:

 “If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.”

What this means, is that in life, the simplest explanation is usually the right one. Don’t look for zebras where there are horses. For those that tend to overthink and complicate things and situations (like me), this can be hard to accept. 

But, sometimes things really are that simple or don’t need to be solved immediately. Expending energy when you don’t need to leads to burnout. Letting things be easier is something I’m actively working on this year.

I also asked my therapist if she thinks real mindset shifts are actually possible, or if our core beliefs are fixed from a young age due to a variety of factors, and we just learn to work around them. I told her that sometimes it feels like I’m drawn to my “default” settings, despite the amount of work I’ve put in to change them, and it makes me believe real change isn’t possible. She reminded me that mindsets are in fact malleable, and that I’m actually proof of that, even if it’s hard for me to see it myself.

That led me to a Mel Robbins podcast with Dr. Alia Crum, a Stanford professor and mindset researcher, who redefines mindset as “the settings of your mind.” She explains how mindset literally changes how our bodies respond to the world, even down to how we metabolize food.

Two quotes that stayed with me:

“Our core beliefs are oversimplified, highly evaluative judgments we make in order to simplify things…choose wisely and know that the choices that you make interact with the world in ways that make it so.”

“We shouldn’t be blamed for our beliefs, they’re shaped by our upbringing, culture, and experiences. But we can be empowered to change them. At any moment, you have the power to flip the switch.”

Sometimes that shift comes from a lottt of work. Sometimes it’s as simple as telling yourself something isn’t true anymore. And sometimes, honestly, it’s faking it until it becomes real, a strategy that has never failed me.

So without further ado, my 2026 goals, mindset shifts, and manifestations:

Endurance and Performance Goals 

• Complete my 2nd half ironman 

  • Maybe a 3rd in the fall 

  • Sub goal: sub 6 finish 

• Learn how to ride a TRI bike - maybe my first big purchase of 2026?

• 5k swim across america in July

• 13.1 PR

• Bike ride >4 hours (preferable somewhere cool)

• Create a consistent strength training circuit

• Hire a coach 

Career Development/Financial Growth

• Become NASM CPT certified/possible nutrition course next 

• Work with (or FOR👀) bandit running or brooks running on a campaign 

• Strava or garmin sponsorship (dreaming big here)

• Grow my community

  • 50k end of year goal

• Develop Train Payne further / Offer 1:1 Coaching

• 200 Hr yoga teacher training 

• Start teaching group fitness classes 

  • Could be strength, cycle, running, or yoga centered 

    • Kaia, Barrys, Equinox, or Soul Cycle

• Start a podcast with my mom // possible Train Payne extension?

• Move out again, either back into NYC, or somewhere else 

• Long term: write a book

• Long term: speak on a panel

Community/Relationships

• Make new friends in triathlon

• Join a master’s swim program at home

• Find a riding group for my long rides 

• Continue to provide a welcoming space to newcomers and women in endurance sports 

• Do something to give back consistently

• Start a conversation with a stranger at least 1xmonth

Personal Growth

• Talk more on camera and be more comfortable using my voice/more confident in what I have to say

• Read 10 books (I get distracted sooo easily, did not do a great job with reading in 2025)

• Dedicate one long training session a week to informative podcasts 

• Focus on feel instead of stats when possible

• Travel somewhere new/outside of my comfort zone

• More creating, less consuming (intentional screen time)

• Call/check in on my friends more

• Relearn how to backflip (I am of the opinion everyone should have at least 1 fun pointless new years resolution on their list)

Health/Nutrition

• Consistent sleep and eating schedule 

  • Create a bedtime routine 

• Try new fueling strategies on bike/run

• Prioritize eating better and more nutritious meals/cooking more

  • Try new recipes/mealprep 

• NASM course in nutrition

Mindset goals

• Trust I can get through hard things, since I have only ever proven I can 

• Use the past as a lesson not as competition 

• Focus on one thing at a time

• Never miss twice, continue to course correct instead of spiraling 

• Live more in the present 

• Become comfortable in the discomfort of the unknown

• Be more patient; not everything is urgent

• Stop comparing myself to people in completely different phases of life than me

• Sweety/lover/good karma energy

• Zoom out of the noise to hear myself better

• Strengthen my confidence 

• Think horses, not zebra 

• Let things be easier 

Manifestations: 

• “I get to be present”

• “I am lucky and blessed”

• “I am more than capable”

• “Everything I want wants me more”

• “Everyone I love is healthy and happy”

• “I attract the right relationships”

• “I have everything I need”

• “I deserve to be here”

• “The right work finds me”

• “I am building something meaningful”

• “I trust the timing of my life”

• “My life gets to be easy”

• “Things turn out better than I imagine”

I was also inspired to add one more thing to my new year manifesto this year - write a letter to my future self a year from now. My friend maddy does this every year for her birthday, and it’s just the right amount of woo woo for me. I am already having fun envisioning a future version of me reading the letter I wrote this past week from a whole new perspective and a year more of life.

OK this was a long one, but I owed you all a few weeks of my unfiltered thoughts anyways. So, to end my first letter to you all in 2026 I just want to say I am so grateful for this community, and even more excited for what’s ahead. I can’t wait to see what’s possible this year and am honored to be part of even a small piece of your own journeys. 

Here’s to an easier and stronger 2026,

Caleigh❤️‍🔥