New Ascensions: Why You Should Treat January Like Base Camp

I usually wake up on January 1st with a condition climbers call Summit Fever.

I want to be at the peak immediately. I look at the year ahead and decide I want the result without the climb. I want the six-pack, the finished manuscript, and the organized finances right now.

So I look at the mountain of 2026 and decide to sprint up it. I set ten massive resolutions. I overhaul my diet, my schedule, and my personality overnight.

By January 15th, I am usually exhausted.

I crash because I tried to ascend too fast, and my system went into shock.

The Danger of Rapid Ascension

In high-altitude mountaineering, if you go up too fast, you get altitude sickness. The air is too thin, and your body hasn’t had time to adapt to the lack of oxygen.

We do this mentally every New Year. We try to live at twenty thousand feet of perfect discipline and zero distraction when we are physically acclimatized to sea level. We are coming off a month of holiday chaos, rich food, and relaxed schedules.

When we try to flip a switch and become a completely different person in twenty-four hours, we don’t just fail. We crash back down to the bottom.

Order Before Elevation

Real ascension requires a stable platform. You cannot launch a rocket from a swamp.

I am changing my definition of a good start this year. A good start isn’t about speed. It is about stability.

January is not the month for the summit push. January is for establishing Base Camp.

Base Camp is where you organize the gear. It is where you check the maps. It is where you sit for a moment to acclimatize to the new air before you start the hard climbing.

The Acclimatization Phase

Instead of trying to change everything at once, I am focusing on ordering the mind before I try to conquer the world.

I am using this month to acclimatize.

The Keystone Habit
I am picking only one small habit to establish my Base Camp. For me, it is just ten minutes of reading in the morning. I am not trying to run a marathon yet. I am just trying to prove to myself that I can show up.

The Drop
You ascend faster by dropping weight, not just by adding muscle. I am identifying one heavy thing to leave behind at sea level. This year, it is the habit of checking my phone before I get out of bed.

I am not trying to win the year in Week 1. I am just trying to set up camp.

The Mountain Isn’t Going Anywhere

The goal of 2026 is not to start fast. It is to finish high.

If you sprint now, you will be back at the bottom by February. If you build a solid Base Camp now, you will be standing on the summit in December.

Let’s build Base Camp together.