How to Achieve What You Really Want in 2026

Ben Ward
October 25, 2025

“Your hand will not reach out for what your heart does not long for.”

If you want 2026 to be different, you need more than wishful thinking or another resolution list that fades by February.

You need a kick in the RAS.

What’s that?

It’s not a typo. It’s not a gimmick. It’s one of the most powerful goal-achieving hacks your brain already has built in, but most people don’t even know about it.

Let me explain.

………..

What is the RAS?

The Reticular Activating System, or RAS, is a tiny part of your brainstem that filters what you focus on.

It’s the filter of your focus. It acts kinda like a bouncer who only lets people into a club who belong there.

The RAS is like a bouncer standing at the door of your mind, filtering what gets in and what stays out.

And you get to tell it what to focus on.

“Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers, or you can grow weeds.” -William Wordsworth

You get to choose what grows in the garden of your mind. It’s your choice.

Ever decide to buy a certain car and then suddenly see that car everywhere? That’s not a coincidence. That’s your RAS at work.

Here’s the kicker: Your brain will always find what you tell it to look for.

And this is where most people get it wrong.

They fixate on what they don’t want:

“I don’t want to miss my sales targets.”
“I don’t want to lose my best team member.”
“I don’t want to blow this client meeting.”

So guess what happens? You hit the very thing you’re trying to avoid.

In psychology, this is called “The Fixation Error”. And this is responsible for tanking more goals than lack of talent or resources ever has.

The cure?

You guessed it…

Give Yourself a Kick in the RAS

Start the year by getting crystal clear on what you do want. I’m not talking about fluffy, feel-good wish lists. I’m talking about vivid, specific, written goals that give your RAS a clear directive and set it on fire with clarity.

When you get crystal clear, you make it possible for your brain to wrap it’s head around achieving what you tell it you want.

Your eyes will start seeing things that will help you get what you want.

Your ears will start hearing things that will help you get what you want.

Your hands will start reaching for things that will help you get what you want.

Your feet will start moving towards things that will help you get what you want.

If you don’t want it bad enough, if you’re not clear about why it matters, your RAS has nothing to grab onto.

But get it right, and get clear enough, you will start moving towards what you want.

This is your time. Right now. 2026 is your year.

Get crystal clear on what you want
Write it down.
Visualize it.
Speak it out loud.
Commit to it with emotion.
Engage your Reticular Activiating System – Give it a kick!

The RAS responds to clarity + emotion + repetition. That’s how you give it a solid kick. Repeat this regularly. Over and over. Daily at a minimum.

You’ll start noticing new opportunities. New people. New ideas. You’ll begin attracting the things that will help you achieve what you want.

Not because of magic, but because your brain is tuned in like a satellite signal, looking for the right things. The things that you tell it are most important to you.

I’ve seen this principle work for myself, and then I’ve taught it to thousands of leaders I’ve mentored and trained.

When my mind wanted to spiral into fear and uncertainty as I battled melanoma skin cancer for 18 months, this principle became my lifeline. I gave myself a Kick in the RAS, again and again.

And you can too.

3 Ways to Kick Your RAS Into High Gear in 2026

Get Crystal Clear on What You Want
Your RAS can’t focus on blurry. It can’t act on vague. It becomes a super power when you get focused, clear and specific. Write down what you want to accomplish. Be specific. No BS’ing yourself. ……………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Fixate on What You DO Want, Not What You Don’t
Stop saying, “I don’t want to rebuild my team again this year.” Instead say: “I ‘m going to double my retention this year and build a team that is committed, aligned, and loyal.” And then go to work to make it happen. ……………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Take Massive Consistent Action
Clarity dissolves without execution.
And yes, it’s going to take discipline to take the kind of action that will lead you to your goals My definition of discipline is simple: Getting yourself to do what you don’t want to do, when you don’t want to do it, to accomplish what you DO want.