351 - What Will Your Life Look Like in 2026?

351 - What Will Your Life Look Like in 2026?

From More Than Commas by Paul Adams & Cory Shepherd

November 21, 2025 · 16 min

About this episode

Paul challenges traditional goal-setting by advocating for life design and financial aims to support a desired lifestyle.

In this episode, Paul challenges the traditional approach to planning for the new year, urging listeners to stop setting goals and start setting aims. He explains that most people design their lives backward, focusing on career first and hoping life fits around it. Instead, Paul walks through a practical reframe: define the life you want, then determine the financial aims required to support that life, and only then plan your career or business strategy. He introduces the concept of "sufficiency" versus "surplus" lifestyles and explains why identifying both is essential to long-term freedom. Paul also explores the 13 Permanent Domains of Human Concern, encouraging listeners to anchor their planning in areas like health, family, and relationships rather than money. Through examples and clear steps, he shows how aiming allows for continual adjustment, new information, and a healthier relationship with progress. Ultimately, he invites listeners to design a future they can intentionally pursue, with clarity rather than pressure. -- Timestamps: 00:42 – The problem with traditional goal-setting 01:30 – How careers trap people into backward planning 02:13 – Start with life design, not…

People in this episode

Hosts: Paul Adams, Cory Shepherd

Topics covered

  • life design
  • goal setting
  • financial aims
  • sufficiency lifestyle
  • 13 Permanent Domains
  • career planning

Keywords

  • life planning
  • financial goals
  • career strategy
  • sufficiency vs surplus
  • human concern domains

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