Each year I review the previous year and set my Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based (SMART) goals for the year ahead. As always, these goals are both a mirror and a map—reflecting who I am now and pointing toward who I am becoming.

If you’re curious enough to read them, here’s what makes my 2026 goals different.

I’ve always considered myself a Renaissance Man. In today’s world, that’s both easier and more overwhelming than ever before. We have access to limitless information, tools, and opportunities—especially with AI—but that abundance can inspire or paralyze depending on how intentionally it’s used.

I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far, but my goals are meant to stretch me just beyond my comfort zone while remaining grounded in reality.

In fact, I’ve done so many different things that AI once questioned whether I was the same person. I take that as a strange compliment—and a reminder that I still have much to offer and much to learn. In 2026, I have the technology, resources, and experience to sustain multiple meaningful careers, passions, and ways of serving others.

Looking back at my early journals from the 1990s, I was fortunate to receive world-class in-person training in acting and directing. Many of my mentors shared the same advice: fully live and embrace life. I was deeply influenced by James Dean, who said:

“I want to live as intensely as I can… Be as useful and helpful to others as possible… I want to feel things and experiences right down to their roots.”

Decades later, my work with first responders taught me something equally profound: we can never have the same memory twice. Each recall reshapes it. Growth changes perspective. If you’re truly evolving, you never experience life from the same vantage point again.

That insight frames everything that follows.

In 2026, Love is my primary goal.

I believe love is the solution to everything that’s broken—internally and externally. My mental, physical, and spiritual health all begin here. Love is not passive. It is intentional, disciplined, and often challenging.

How this shows up in action:

• Be the best husband to my wife

• Be the best Kahu (guardian) to the animals in my care

• Be a present, supportive friend to my close circle

• Be a grounded, ethical leader to those I serve

How this becomes SMART:

• I will consciously start decisions and interactions from a place of love, respect, and understanding

• I will evaluate outcomes not by winning or losing, but by whether the result creates joy, gratitude, or mutual benefit

• I will course-correct quickly when ego or frustration takes the lead

Years ago, one of my written goals was literally titled “How Not to Be an Asshole.” I’ve made measurable progress and work to get better every day.

In 2025, several people told me they liked my energy. That may be the highest compliment I’ve ever received—and it’s one I intend to earn daily.

This does not mean I’ve traded strength for softness. I am not abandoning my inner Spartan. 2025 was a demanding year of recovery and reset as I stepped into what I now call Tim 5.0. Love, for me, is disciplined presence—not retreat.

Learning that Love IS Health is something I think we all know at some level, but life has repeatively taught me this lesson on all the levels.

2026 will likely be the most health-focused year of my life.

Historically, I’ve been healthy. In 2023, my primary care physician told me I was the healthiest 50-year-old in her practice. I was running Spartan races and riding competitively.

Then came 2024: open-heart surgery.
Then 2025: rebuilding from zero—and facing setbacks I didn’t anticipate.

Medication side effects, depression, weight gain (over 35 pounds), and reduced mobility meant I didn’t hit a single health goal last year. No rated horse shows. No Spartan races. No consistent training.

But 2025 taught me something essential: my work with animals is less about competition and more about healing—physical, mental, and spiritual. The behind-the-scenes care mattered more than ribbons.

That realization reshaped everything.

2026 Health Goals (Measurable & Achievable):

• Reduce weight to the 200–210 lb range
• Return to rated dressage shows with scores consistently above 60%
• Regain fitness sufficient to complete a Spartan Trail (official or unofficial)
• Maintain consistent riding, mobility, and strength routines
  

My dressage journey is now primarily about mutual fitness—rider and horse. Clinics, schooling shows, and community matter more than performance alone.

I will continue learning about:

• Nutrition and recovery
• Biofeedback and heart-rate variability
• The science of co-regulation between humans and animals
• The electromagnetic fields created by human, equine, and canine hearts
  

What was once considered fringe is now increasingly supported by science—and it’s deeply healing for all beings involved.

This is about my health and the health of every animal in my care.

In 2026, I’m renaming “Career Goals” to Wealth—because wealth is not just money.

For me, wealth is freedom, alignment, and opportunity:

• Time freedom
• Financial flexibility
• Working with the right people, for the right reasons

My gratitude journal showed me that Love, Health, Wealth, and Experience are daily considerations—not siloed goals.

2025 was full of plot twists:

• Shane-Arts achieved double-digit growth
• Our offerings more than tripled
• My first year as President of State of Search exceeded expectations
• I was elected President of the Tri-State Dressage Society—merging profession and passion

2025 felt like a graduation year.

2026 Wealth Goals:

• At least doubling revenue for Shane-Arts (triple-digit growth)
• Growing our creative roots that started the company
• Continuing to build diversified, AI-aligned offerings grounded in ethics and service

Yes, AI feels like a gold rush—but our mission and values are designed to help entrepreneurs and organizations navigate it responsibly.

I once believed wisdom and experience were results or outcomes, not goals.

Now, they’re my favorite metrics of success.

After 15+ years in higher education leadership, I saw how easily people confuse credentials with completion. Degrees can be milestones—or stopping points.

I’ve witnessed both:

• People who reached the benchmark and stopped growing

• People who used it as fuel for a much larger journey

In 2025, I shared extensively from my experience in:

• The Arts

• Digital Marketing

• Nonprofit leadership

• Management and Creative Development
  

I see challenges as invitations rather than obstacles.

2026 Wisdom & Experience Goal:

• Share my wisdom and experience as often as I learn from others

• Maintain balance between being a mentor and being a student

• Measure success by depth of perspective—not accumulation of titles
  

The goal is balance, not benchmarks.
The opportunities are infinite.

These goals are not a finish line.
They are a compass.

If I end 2026 healthier, more loving, more aligned, and wiser than I began—then it will have been a successful year.

And if my energy still resonates with others along the way?
Even better.