Bill Conley Unleashed: January 2026

Thursday, January 1, 2026

New Year and a Small New Habit

New Year and a Small New Habit

A new year is a wonderful time to begin again. For children, it is not about big promises or perfect behavior. It is about learning, growing, and trying one small thing each day.

Habits help children feel confident and capable. When children practice a small habit again and again, their brains learn that they can do hard things one step at a time. Making the bed, cleaning up toys, using kind words, or trying again after a mistake may seem small, but those small actions shape who a child becomes.

This habit chart is not about being perfect. It is about practicing. Some days will go well. Some days will not. That is okay. What matters is showing up again the next day and trying once more.

Parents and caregivers play an important role. Encourage effort. Celebrate trying. Offer gentle reminders and lots of praise for consistency rather than results. Habits grow best in an environment filled with patience, kindness, and love.

As this new year begins, choose one simple habit to practice together. Keep it small. Keep it positive. Keep it fun. Over time, those small daily choices will become strong habits that help children grow into confident, caring, capable people.

Here is the habit chart to get started. Let this year be filled with small steps, happy progress, and many moments to celebrate.

Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Children’s Storyteller and Author

New Year Habit Builder Worksheet

Small Actions. Repeated Daily. Big Change.

Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________

Step 1: Identify the Habit You Want to Build

One habit I want to develop this year is:

Why this habit matters to my life, health, purpose, or future:

Step 2: Make the Habit Small and Repeatable

The daily version of this habit will be small enough to do even on my worst day.

My daily habit action:

Time of day I will do it:

Where I will do it:

Step 3: Attach It to an Existing Routine

I will do this habit immediately after I have already done the following:

This existing routine happens every day:

☐ Yes
☐ No. If not, choose a different anchor

Step 4: Anticipate Resistance

The most likely excuse or obstacle I will face:

What I will do instead of quitting when this happens:

Step 5: Create a Simple Reward

After completing my habit, I will acknowledge it by:

This reinforces the habit and tells my brain it matters.

Step 6: Track Consistency, Not Perfection

I commit to never missing two days in a row.

☐ I understand that missing once is human
☐ I understand that missing twice creates a new habit

Tracking method I will use:

☐ Calendar
☐ Notebook
☐ App
☐ Other: ___________________________

Breaking a Habit That No Longer Serves Me

The habit I want to stop or replace:

What usually triggers it:

What I will replace it with instead:

What changes can I make to my environment to make the bad habit harder:

Identity Statement

Complete this sentence and read it daily.

“I am the kind of person who ____________________________________________.”

One Year From Now

If I stay consistent with this habit, my life one year from today will look like:

Final Commitment

I am not chasing motivation.
I am building a pattern.
I will show up daily, even when it feels small.

Signature: _______________________________
Date: _______________________________

A New Year Does Not Require a New You

It Requires a New Pattern

Every January, people promise themselves that this will be the year everything changes. Better habits. Better health. Better focus. Better follow-through. And yet, most resolutions fade within weeks, not because people lack desire, but because they misunderstand how change actually happens.

Real change does not come from motivation. It comes from repetition.

Last year, I learned this firsthand. On January 1st, I wrote a children’s story. Then I wrote another. Then another. What began as a small daily decision became a habit. By the end of the year, I had written and published 520 children’s stories. Not because I felt inspired every day, but because the habit carried me forward when motivation did not.

That experience reinforced a simple truth. Habits are not built in a moment. They are built quietly, through small actions repeated consistently over time.

To help you start the year differently, I created a New Year Habit Builder Worksheet. It is designed to help you identify one meaningful habit, make it small enough to repeat daily, anchor it to your existing routine, and stay consistent without relying on willpower. It also guides you through replacing a habit that no longer serves you with one that does.

This worksheet is not about perfection. It is about progress. It is about becoming the kind of person who shows up daily, even when it feels small.

If you want next January to look different, start with one habit this year. One small action. One day at a time.

You can download the worksheet and begin today.

Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Life Coach

Year Habit Builder Worksheet