Most people stand too close to the mirror

Most people see themselves clearly enough, their workload, their stress, their goals, but everything beyond that is blurry.

They hear signals, feel shifts in tension but it doesn't automatically shift how they look at themselves and the layers of their reality that shape their experience.

That’s not a motivation or skill problem…It’s an awareness problem.

Here’s a simple idea I’ve been sharing with my coaching clients preparing for the new year ahead:

• Imagine a mirror with five layers. At the centre is you. Just outside that is your team. Then your business. Then your industry. Then the broader economy.

Most people either stare only at the centre…or briefly glimpse at outer edges.

Very few learn how to adjust their focus with intention regularly.

So, here’s a simple reflection protocol that can help adjust your perspective to deepen awareness and sharpen your focus on what matters.

Ask the same three questions at every layer.

1. What’s actually happening now?

• Not the story. Not the excuse. Not the hope.

• Reality, as it is. Do I know the challenges, the opportunities, the shifts and goals.

• Because clarity removes guesswork.

2. What does this mean for me and what I care about?

• Activates your emotions which fuel motivation.

• Helps you sort your priorities.

• This is where agency comes alive.

3. What is the most valuable action I can take next?

• Not ten actions. One.

• No action is still an action.

• Pick the one that makes the path ahead for you a bit clearer.

When people do this well, something shifts. They stop worrying and trying to fix what they can't. They stop blaming others. They stop investing in sandbagging their future. They stop outsourcing responsibility for their own growth.

Instead, they act at the right level.

Success in 2026 won’t come from hustle. Or certainty. Or waiting for things to “settle down.” It will come from people who can see clearly, choose what they own and act with precision and determination.

A mirror doesn’t lie.

But it only helps if you know where to look and have the courage to act on what you see.