How to Make 2026 Your Best Year Ever by Dr. Dayo Adetiloye Part 1

Introduction

I am glad to share this body of knowledge with you as I learnt from my Mentor Dr Abib Olamitoye. In the last 15 years of following him, he has used these principles share here to mentor me to become who I am today.

A brief profile about Dr Dayo Adetiloye. He is a renowned Nigerian business development expert, serial entrepreneur, and consultant known for empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses. He earned a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from Unicaf University. He has additionally completed executive business programs, including a Special Executive Master’s Programme in the UK, and holds professional certifications such as a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) obtained in 2021 and Certified as a National Business Development Provider in 2025 by Kaduna Business school. He has consulted and completed short assignments for the following organisations. GIZ, GOPA, BDO, ECO Consult, TAFTA, ECONOMIC Sense, NYSC, Ogun State Skill fund, ICSS just to mention a few.

He is the founder and CEO of Dayo Adetiloye Business Hub, an organisation that provides business planning and development consulting to entrepreneurs. Under his leadership, the hub has helped plan and develop over 5,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across various industries, and connected roughly 20% of them to funding opportunities like grants, loans, and investments. This venture, started in 2016, serves as a grassroots business development service provider in Nigeria, offering coaching, business plan writing, and strategy consulting to startups and growing businesses.

He is recognised as a leading entrepreneurship advocate and business consultant in Nigeria, combining academic insight with real-world experience. His background in agriculture and business, his entrepreneurial ventures (from empowerment initiatives to agritech innovation), and his extensive mentorship of young entrepreneurs all highlight his commitment to economic development through enterprise. Whether through public speaking, one-on-one coaching, or writing, he continues to inspire and support thousands of individuals to discover, develop, and fulfill their business potentials, thereby contributing significantly to the growth of entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

2026 is a special year and my entrepreneurial community needs to be well equipped to experience a transformation in their lives and business.

How to Make 2026 Your Best Year Ever

1. FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIVE, KEEP LEARNING HOW TO LIVE.

“For as long as you live, keep learning how to live.” – Seneca. This timeless wisdom reminds us that life is a continuous journey of growth. As we step into 2026, the goal isn’t just to dream about a better year, it’s to take action and make it happen. Knowledge alone isn’t power; it’s the application of knowledge that truly transforms our lives. Don’t let your learning pile up as mere facts in your head, let it guide you to new habits, bold decisions, and real results. When you consistently turn your learning into action, those actions lead to results, results lead to rewards, and those rewards (whether personal fulfillment or profits) fuel even more growth and opportunity.

Making 2026 your best year ever starts right now, with the mindset that each day is an opportunity to improve. In this guide, we’ll explore practical steps – from ambitious goal setting and identity building to creating solid daily systems and uplifting morning routines – all designed to help you thrive. You’ll learn how to set clear goals and turn them into reality through daily habits, how to start every morning in “success mode,” and how to build the discipline and mindset needed for long-term success. By the end, you’ll have a blueprint for approaching 2026 with clarity, focus, and enthusiasm. Let’s dive in and make this upcoming year your most extraordinary one yet!

2. Get Rich Slowly: Focus on Long-Term Wealth and Patience

When envisioning your best year, it’s okay to include financial success as part of the picture. In a world obsessed with overnight success and quick wins, remind yourself to “get rich slowly.” That means focusing on steadily building wealth and success quietly and patiently, rather than chasing gimmicks or risking it all for short-term gains. Quiet wealth is the kind that grows in the background while you’re consistently doing the right things like saving, investing, expanding your skills without needing to show off. Imagine what it feels like to achieve financial freedom; truly feel that sense of security and abundance. Now, commit to making it real through sustained effort.

Set specific money goals for 2026 that cover all key areas of personal finance. For example, decide how much you intend:

To earn: Perhaps you aim for a higher salary, a side-business income, or a certain number of new clients. Pick an income target that excites you yet is attainable with effort.
To keep (save/invest): Determine how much you’ll save or invest this year – this could be a percentage of your income or a total sum to set aside. Building wealth isn’t just about earning, but also about keeping and growing what you earn.
To spend: Set a budget for spending on necessities and pleasures. Allocating a portion for fun or personal rewards is important – it keeps you motivated and enjoying life as you progress.
To give: Decide on an amount or cause you’ll contribute to. Giving back not only helps others but also reinforces a mindset of abundance and purpose in you.

By breaking your financial goal into these categories, you ensure a balanced approach: you’re not just making money, but also managing it wisely. Be patient with yourself throughout this process. Real wealth and financial stability take time to build. You might not become a billionaire in 2026 (and if you set “Become a billionaire” as your goal, more power to you!), but you can certainly put in motion the habits and investments that, compounded over years, will lead to fabulous wealth. Remember the principle of compound growth, small amounts saved or invested regularly can snowball into huge sums given enough time. The key is to start now and stay consistent.

Above all, focus on growth, not flash. You don’t need to brag about your financial moves or make risky bets to impress anyone. Many truly wealthy people live below their means and let their bank accounts (or investment portfolios) grow steadily, far from the public eye. Adopting this “quiet millionaire” mindset will keep you grounded, reduce pressure to keep up appearances, and give you the mental space to make smart choices. As the year progresses, measure your financial success not just by the money itself, but by the positive habits you’ve built, like sticking to a budget, growing an emergency fund, or learning a new high-income skill. These habits will continue paying dividends long after 2026 ends.

3. Set Clear and Ambitious Goals for 2026

A best year ever won’t happen by accident; it starts with clear, ambitious goals. Take time to define exactly what success in 2026 means for you. A great exercise (and challenge) is to list 20 desires or goals you want to accomplish by next Christmas 2026. Why 20? Coming up with 20 distinct goals pushes you to think beyond the obvious and dig deep into what you truly want in life. Include a broad mix of aspirations across different areas of your life. For instance, consider goals in categories such as:

Personal growth (Who do you want to become?): “By December 2026, I am a more confident public speaker who has delivered a successful talk,” or “I have learned to speak conversational French.” These goals focus on skills, education, or personal qualities you wish to develop.
Career or Business: “I earned a promotion to senior manager,” or “My side business reached 100 customers,” or “I launched my own online store with steady monthly sales.” Think about where you want to be professionally by the end of the year.
Financial and Material: “I saved $10,000 toward a house down payment,” or “I’m driving the new electric car I’ve been eyeing,” or “I became debt-free.” These cover earnings, savings, investments, or purchases that matter to you.
Health and Lifestyle: “I ran my first marathon,” or “I meditate daily and feel centered,” or “I reached my target weight in a healthy way.” Don’t forget goals that improve your well-being, as health is the foundation for everything.
Relationships and Contribution: “I spend quality time weekly with my family,” or “I volunteered 100 hours at the local shelter,” or “I took that dream vacation with my partner.” Life isn’t just about achievements – it’s also about connections and giving back, which greatly contribute to a fulfilling year.

Write your 20 goals in a notebook or document. Don’t worry if they’re a mix of big and small, or if some seem a bit beyond your current reach – the point is to articulate your desires. This list is your vision for a remarkable 2026.

Once you have your list, pick out the goals that resonate the most – the ones that truly excite and maybe scare you a little (in a good way). Ensure each of these key goals is crystal clear. The more specific you are, the easier it will be to make a plan. For example, “get in shape” is vague, but “complete a 5K run by April and a half-marathon by November” is clear and measurable. If you find some goals are very large (like starting a business, for instance), consider how you might break them into milestones – this will come in handy when we talk about planning and daily actions.

By setting ambitious goals, you give yourself a target to aim for. As Zig Ziglar said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” Ambitious goals ignite your motivation; clear goals guide your focus. Combine the two, and you have a powerful direction for the year. With your goals defined, the next step is to bridge the gap between setting those goals and actually achieving them. That bridge begins with how you think and speak about your goals, which brings us to the power of affirmations.

4. Turn Your Goals into Powerful Affirmations

Now that you know what you want to achieve, it’s time to speak it into existence not by announcing it to the world, but by crafting positive affirmations for yourself. An affirmation is a present-tense, positive statement that describes your goal as if it’s already achieved. This isn’t magic or wishful thinking; it’s a proven technique to program your mind for success. By repeatedly stating and hearing your goals in the present tense, you train your brain to believe in the possibility and to notice opportunities to make it real.

Take each major goal and convert it into a sentence that feels powerful and personal. A good affirmation is specific, emotionally resonant, and stated in the “I am” or “I have” format. For example:

Goal: “Learn French and travel to Paris.” → Affirmation: “I am confidently speaking French and excitedly planning my trip to Paris, enjoying every step of the journey.”
Goal: “Get promoted to sales manager.” → Affirmation: “I am thriving in my role as sales manager, leading my team to record-breaking results.”
Goal: “Lose 20 pounds and be healthier.” → Affirmation: “I have a strong, healthy body at my ideal weight of ___ lbs, and I feel energetic and happy every day.”

Notice how these affirmations are phrased: they assume the success has already happened or is in progress, and they include the positive emotions you associate with achieving the goal (excitement, pride, energy, etc.). By affirming your goals in this way, you’re telling yourself a new story – one where you can and will succeed. Over time, this erodes self-doubt and builds unshakeable belief.

Write down your affirmations and keep them where you’ll see them daily. Many people like to read them each morning (perhaps as part of a morning routine – more on that soon) or at night before bed. You can even record yourself speaking them and play it back, or simply say them aloud with conviction. The key is consistency and sincerity: don’t just recite the words, feel them. If an affirmation feels awkward (“I am a millionaire” when you’re in debt might feel unbelievable at first), you can soften it to “I am taking smart actions to build wealth and I feel myself becoming more financially secure.” Make it believable and aspirational; as your confidence grows, you can update the wording.

Why do this? Because your mindset is a huge factor in your success. If you constantly tell yourself “I’m not sure I can do this” or “It’s going to be a terrible year,” those thoughts will undermine your efforts. Affirmations help overwrite negative tapes in your head with positive ones. They keep your goals top-of-mind and nurture the motivation you need to work toward them. Many high performers—from athletes visualizing winning a game to entrepreneurs envisioning business success—swear by affirmations and mental rehearsal. You’re essentially rehearsing success in your mind, which makes you more prepared to execute it in real life.

Along with affirmations, maintain an attitude of gratitude and possibility. You might even combine an affirmation practice with a gratitude practice (for example, affirm one of your goals and then say one thing you’re grateful for today). This pairing can supercharge your mindset: you acknowledge the good in your life right now while also confidently asserting the great things to come.

5. Build the Identity You Need to Succeed

Achieving big goals isn’t just about doing new things; it’s about becoming a new version of yourself – one who naturally attracts and attains the success you seek. This is where identity building comes in. Think of it as developing the mindset and self-image of the person who has already accomplished what you’re setting out to do. It’s a powerful long-term strategy: when you truly internalize a successful identity, your actions begin to align with that identity almost automatically.

Start by asking: Who is the “me” I want to be by December 2026? Envision that version of you in vivid detail. How do you behave? How do you handle challenges? What daily habits have you adopted? How do you interact with others? For example, if one of your goals is to write a book, your “future self” might be an author who writes diligently every morning, isn’t afraid of feedback, and has a network of fellow writers. If your goal is to run a marathon, your future identity is an athlete who prioritizes training, nutrition, and mental toughness.

Once you have a clear picture, practice the art of “acting as if.” This means you start living as if you are already that person. It’s not about being fake or boastful – it’s about aligning your behavior with your aspirations. If the 2026 you is fitter, start treating your body the way a fit, healthy person would: perhaps that means going to bed earlier, eating more veggies, and keeping a workout schedule. If the future you is a successful business owner, start managing your current finances with more diligence, carry yourself with the confidence of a CEO, and make decisions from a long-term perspective. Essentially, embody the traits of the person you’re becoming.

Building identity also involves belief at a deep level. Legendary personal development speaker Jim Rohn used to say that your outer results will never surpass your internal belief about yourself. In other words, to achieve something, you must first believe you’re capable of it. Work on arriving at total belief in your goals – banish the doubt. This might require overcoming limiting beliefs (“I’m not good with money” or “I’m too old to start a new career” – challenge those!) and replacing them with empowering ones (“I can learn any skill I need for this job” or “It’s never too late to grow and succeed”). Whenever a doubt creeps in, recall your affirmations, visualize your future self, and reaffirm your capabilities.

One useful strategy is to adopt what author James Clear calls the “vote for your identity” approach. “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become,” Clear writes. No single action will suddenly transform you, but each small choice reinforces the kind of person you believe yourself to be. So, each time you hit the gym, you’re voting “I am a healthy, disciplined person.” Each time you sit down to write another page of your book, you’re voting “I am a committed writer.” Over time, these votes add up, and you’ll genuinely start to see yourself as that healthy person or that writer – and so will everyone else. Your identity shifts, and achieving the goal becomes that much more natural, even inevitable.

Illustrative example: Imagine two people trying to quit smoking. One says, “No thanks, I’m trying to quit.” The other says, “No thanks, I’m not a smoker.” The second person is affirming an identity (a non-smoker), which research and anecdotal evidence suggests can be far more effective in changing behavior than just stating a goal (trying to quit). Apply this principle to your goals for 2026 – don’t just be someone trying to reach a goal; be someone who is reaching it.

Finally, as you build this empowering identity, carry yourself with pride and positivity. That might include your posture, the way you speak about yourself, and the people you surround yourself with. An identity isn’t built in isolation – it grows with experience and feedback. So seek out environments and friends that reinforce the “new you.” If you want to identify as an entrepreneur, spend time with entrepreneurs. If you want to be more spiritual or centered, engage with communities or materials that foster that. Step by step, become the kind of person who achieves the kind of goals you’ve set, and you’ll find the journey feels more natural and rewarding.

Read Also

Part 2: How to Make 2026 Your Best Year Ever by Dr. Dayo Adetiloye

https://www.dayoadetiloye.com/how-to-make-2026-your-best-year-ever-part-2/

Part 3: How to Make 2026 Your Best Year Ever by Dr. Dayo Adetiloye

https://www.dayoadetiloye.com/how-to-make-2026-your-best-year-ever-part-3/

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