Trail Marker #7 Develop and Follow Your Systems
New Years Day. Welcome to 2026, the turning of the calendar and for me the turning of my life.
I recently heard this quote, “You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” Before my first knee replacement surgery, I believed courage and clarity would carry me. They have sustained me in the short term, but more is needed in the long term. Recovery and physical therapy have taught me that what carries us is what we do repeatedly when motivation disappears. This means I need solid systems in place.
I am going to walk 2190 miles from Georgia to Maine, over the same types of peaks and valleys that become trail markers in all our lives. To accomplish any of my future goals, I need systems I can be held accountable for. Systems that build the habits, health, and endurance required not only for my Appalachian trek, but for my life.
I have a written Life Operating System for the purpose of keeping me on track. In that document I created milestones, but not daily measurements that prove the system is working. First act in 2026 is to enhance my system.
My Life Operating System has five domains as guides to help me live on purpose. This implies I first need to know my purpose and what I stand for. That is a deeper conversation. My five domains are as follows:
1. Health and Physical Resilience
This is the primary operating layer of my life for the next several years. The outcome vision is to live pain free, maintain a healthy weight and A1C, and build the endurance required for long distance hiking and an active life.
2. Mindset, Learning, and Emotional Health
Mindset is not just positive thinking. It is preparation. The outcome vision is to cultivate clarity, emotional resilience, and a commitment to lifelong learning.
3. Relationships and Community
The quality of my life is directly proportional to the quality of my relationships. The outcome vision is to nurture deep, trusting, and life giving relationships with family, friends, and kindred spirits.
4. Work, Contribution, and Coaching
This is where my experience becomes useful to others. The outcome vision is to help others design lives of purpose, resilience, and significance.
5. Adventure, Purpose, and the Long Trail
The Appalachian Trail is both a destination and a teacher. The outcome vision is to walk 2190 miles from Georgia to Maine with joy, humility, preparation, and gratitude.
I need systems that I measure and track, so progress becomes visible. This implies actionable items for each category. Results that are measured, change. I need to measure without judgement to discover if I have hit a Minimum Day, a Good Day, or a Great Day.
A Minimum Day might be my PT exercises and a short walk. A Great Day adds strength work, clean nutrition, and connection with someone I care about.
So, I am working on defining my days in terms of my Life Operating System and building a way to measure outcomes consistently.
Yes, my next surgery is only days away. Instead of focusing on the pain and how I will be slowed down for the next twelve weeks, I am choosing to focus on the long term by stringing together Great Days. When I know what I am looking for, I increase the probability of making it happen.
So let me ask you this. What system are you building in 2026 that will still work on the days when motivation disappears?
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