It's a new year ... no new goals ... instead we're focusing upon what NOT to focus upon.In Episode #509 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: what we’re not bringing into 2026, expectation inflation (how setting grand scenarios can pre-bake resentment), how to strike a workable balance between Eastern contentment and Western drive, choosing realistic marathon aims without sacrificing other priorities, ditching negative self‑talk, making room for smarter training decisions that prevent injury and burnout and avoiding philosophers/what ifers/haters in the media landscape. No support so we can't focus on the beanie.Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortalsTimeline: (00:00:00) Intro(00:02:02) Framing the episode: inverse goal setting(00:06:31) Mindset traps from past races and comparison(00:09:40) Gym mastery vs beginner runner mentality(00:11:40) Training without self punishment and injury management(00:14:10) Working on relationships and reducing negative self-talk(00:17:36) Expectation inflation and premeditated resentment(00:24:19) Choosing realistic goals and tradeoffs(00:30:22) Livestream hiccup and Boostagram Lounge(00:32:08) Media focus: stopping attention leakage(00:37:46) Media diet rules: useful now over future hypotheticals(00:45:25) Entertainment vs actionable insight in moonshots(00:49:41) Cutting whatifs, doom and haters from feeds(00:53:19) Confusing consumption with growth(00:56:36) Abundance over scarcity and closing thoughts Connect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcastsValue 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast