2026 Is the Year of Doing Hard Things

Happy New Year! If you’re a subscriber to AJ in print, you might have read my intro in the current issue about the nature of hard things. Last fall, when I first started thinking about making 2026 the Year of Doing Hard Things, I concocted a list of all the hard things I would attempt. Originally, there would be a major hard thing every month, but practicality got the better of me and I scaled it back. Truncated, it included:

As I considered each of the items on my list, I got really excited. But then I made a list of all the things I’m already committed to do in 2026, and reality hit:

• Plan, edit, and publish four issues of AJ
• Write and send 50 AJ newsletters
• Write and send at least 12 editions of the Long Weekend Coffee newsletter
• Go through California Naturalist certification curriculum (6 hours a week plus field work plus a volunteer project)
• have a life

Although I count many professional athletes as friends, I am not one myself, and I don’t have the portfolio, time, or resources to turn my life over to full-time adventure-seeking. My adventures—and my hard things—have to fit within the context of my relationships and prior commitments, the same as yours. The beauty of this brainstorming is that it honed my priorities. I’d love to tackle everything on that list, but what do I really want? Is it hard physical effort? More exploration into the unknown? Personal growth?

Yes, yes, and yes. All of the above. But mostly, I want more time outside, connecting with and learning more about nature. So, after a lot of thought, I’ve determined my hard thing for 2026 will be sleeping outside at least 100 nights. My wife points out this is more fun than hard, and I agree. Some of you probably do this every year. But my thinking is that 100 nights will be a stretch. It will require commitment and focus all year long. It can and will include seeing new places and climbing peaks and picking up trash. And it doesn’t preclude me from embracing my initial list; indeed, in the last month I’ve gone on hikes with two new friends.

The hardest thing, I believe, is not whether you push on when you feel like quitting. It’s overcoming inertia and starting in the first place. My hope in writing about hard things, and in talking about my progress as the year unfolds, is that it will encourage you to consider your truest goals, dreams, desires, and to commit yourself to what’s most important. As far as I know, we only get one go-round, at least in these bodies, and there’s no time like now to make the most of it. So let’s go do our hard things.