Misogi

Misogi is an old Japanese ritual that has been adopted into a modern-day idea: a year-defining challenge. If you looked back at your year, can you easily remember what you achieved? It has to be something that pushes you past your comfort zone, something that has an equal chance of success as failure, something you feel an equal sense of excitement and fear pursuing

Some examples of what can and cannot be a year-defining Misogi:

• Taking a trip to Italy is not a Misogi. That’s fun, that’s easy to do, that’s not year-defining, it is another country you’ve traveled to 

• Doing an Italy coast to coast bike tour can be a Misogi. That’s challenging, it will push you past your limits (unless you do these kind of things for fun), and it can make it a year-defining memory

• Starting your own company can be a Misogi. Regardless of long-term success, it will teach you endless skills that will be useful for the rest of your life - and you’ll remember the year as The One When I Started My First Company

Let’s be honest - for most of us, we work, work, work and then try to fill in some gaps. But we need to change the order. A good analogy for this is to imagine an empty jar and you have to fill it with sand and some big rocks. The sand is all your day to day routines - errands, work etc. Things you have to do, you will do, but you won’t look back at it - it won’t go in your photo albums or become lifelong memories. The big rocks are things that you want to do and really matter to you - taking that family trip, visiting your parents, learning a new skill etc. You don’t have to do any of these, but if you take the time out for it, they will be memorable. Now, if you put sand in the jar first and then try to squeeze in the big rocks, they won’t go in at all. Instead, if you start by fitting in the big rocks (you don’t have to actually do it, but schedule it, put it on the calendar!), and say I will do these no matter what, then the sand will still fit in. It will find its way through all the cracks and crevices and fill up the jar.

So in preparation for 2026, I have two Misogis for the year:

• Run a half marathon. I signed up for it - I have 5 months to prepare but I will be running my first ever half marathon in June. I’m not a runner by any means, I’ve only run a 5K and I am far from being the fittest I’ve been. So this is a challenge, it will push me beyond my comfort zone but I’m excited!

• Write a blog post a week, 52 for the year. I can write more, but that’s the bare minimum. Writing gets my creativity juices flowing. It helps me slow down, it helps me consume less. But I find it hard to take time out for. Now I have no excuses

Part of the reason I am starting with a blog post on this topic is to make my Misogis public, to hold myself accountable. The other reason is to hopefully get you to create one for yourself to make 2026 memorable. Don’t wait for large gaps of free time or the right time to do what you want to do. Day to day routines of life are like a liquid - they will fill the container you give it. The time is now - let’s go, happy 2026!