by Stephen T. Messenger
December 16, 2025
As 2025 winds down, we face two significant milestones. The first is the holiday season. The second is setting conditions for 2026 to be successful.
The holidays give us a chance to relax, recharge, live life well, and spend time with family. At the same time, they offer space to establish the mindset and planning foundation that gives us an advantage in personal and professional goals. Together, these allow us to walk into the new year energized and prepared to move immediately.
The Holiday Recharge
With the two holidays of Christmas and New Years around the corner, most people have a pair of small vacations or elect to take an extended one. Arguably, the holidays are anything but relaxing. There is travel, parties, preparations, and the rush of getting things done. Instead of winding down, we often amp up, running from event to event.
While this can be fun, it is also exhausting. Our goal, instead of trying to do everything, should be to do what energizes us while still fulfilling our obligations. We rarely have a chance to catch our breath in this hectic world. Rather than trying to attend and do everything, we have an opportunity to selectively plan December to accomplish key events and responsibly recover from a demanding year. We do this by managing our time, food, and sleep.
Own Our Time. Recharging is not just about managing big events, but daily tasks. By packing too much holiday fun into our lives, we can easily exhaust ourselves and turn the season into something draining. By clearly mapping out our days and leaving time for both seasonal and restorative activities, we position ourselves for success.
Eat to Perform. The holidays are a great chance to, dare I say, overindulge and experiment with all kinds of amazingly delicious food and drink. Yet this is a recipe for disaster, as going off the rails in consumption only leads to less energy and motivation. Our goal should be to responsibly enjoy the eclectic mix of holiday food while maintaining our energy and fitness goals into 2026.
Sleep Like a Boss. Sleep is the hero of any holiday season. If we can win the war on sleep, we will carry the right amount of energy through the holidays and into the new year. That is why high performers focus relentlessly on nightly rituals: consistent schedules, clear nighttime patterns, the right sleep environment, and eliminating stimulants near bedtime.
Set Boundaries by Saying “No.” We all want to attend every family and friend holiday event, experience all the new foods, and stay up late. But this is negligent, if not simply impossible. Instead of accepting every invitation, a better approach is to think about who we want to see and what we want to do, then plan around that. Everything else is an opportunity to politely decline. Remember, we do not owe anyone an explanation. “No” is a complete sentence.
The Setting of Conditions
Most people wait until January 1st to tackle new goals. A better approach is to set conditions now by planning activities that allow us not only to start on New Year’s Day, but to sprint into it. We can do that while recharging, if not by starting outright, then by building a clear plan to execute.
Physical. Working out during the recharge period may seem counterintuitive. One approach is not to fully jump into a new routine, but to do enough to stay loose and ready. This modified training does not exhaust us, but increases strength, flexibility, and motivation. By not waiting until January 1st to begin, we enter the new year with increased energy while capitalizing on downtime.
Mental. This is the year to get “more smarterer.” But seriously, it is not about intelligence. It is about keeping our brain active, learning, and engaged. There are many ways to do this: taking classes, starting a program, reading books, and writing, among many others. None of these will happen without a plan. We have to capture what we want to do now so that we actually do it in 2026. Make some notes on 2026 activities and lock them into our plans.
Nutritional. Eating right is hard, especially over the holidays. But having the right food in our house is the first step toward holistic improvement. By going to the store and buying nutritious food that can be used in multiple ways, we set conditions to properly fuel the body. First step, clean out the junk and stock the shelves with good stuff.
Spiritual. Perhaps the most important conditions we need to set involve how we stay in tune with our faith. God is a combat multiplier. By harnessing the power of prayer and Biblical teaching, our efforts, when focused on God’s will rather than our own, carry the blessing of someone greater than ourselves. This requires a clear idea of how to connect with Him daily.
Have a Plan. Bottom line, physical, mental, nutritional, and spiritual health will not happen by accident. The holidays give us the time and space to think this through.
Holidays Are for Recharging and Setting Conditions
Like a great Hallmark movie, the holidays are for spending time with family and friends. They are also for ensuring we personally achieve the rest and rejuvenation needed before returning to normal life. Most importantly, they give us the opportunity to enter the next year stronger than ever.
Unless we intentionally plan to attend what we want and say no to what we don’t need or want, the holidays can quickly get away from us. Instead of letting the holidays own us, we need to own the holidays.
That mindset is at the heart of “the maximum standard” concept. If you’ve never read the initial theory of the name of this website, now’s the time to do it.
The best leaders haven’t drifted into excellence. They prepare for it, set conditions for it, and execute with purpose.
The Maximum Standard is taking a break until January. We already have five guest authors with submitted articles in the 2026 editing process. We hope you’re next!
Rest up, reset, and we will see you in 2026, ready to move.
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