How to Awaken Your Highest Self in 2026

We’re already into week 5 of 2026.

I trust that most of you would have some form of personal goal or checklist for 2026 sorted.

And if I may venture a guess, it would probably involve [“X“ no. of workouts a week, make “Y” amount of money, or spend “Z” no. of hours with family & friends].

Those are great goals, and excellent new year resolutions.

Worthy ones — without a doubt.

But if you want 2026 to be “The Year”; you need to make this goal your Top Priority.

No.1 Goal of 2026: Awaken Your Highest Self

Let 2026 be the year: you finally put yourself first.

Let 2026 be the year: you question those hidden scripts.

Let 2026 be the year: you outgrow scarcity, lack, and self-doubt.

Let 2026 be the year: you pull yourself out from the autopilot drift.

Let 2026 be the year of awakening, rebirth, reprogramming, and realignment.

Why? Because if you don’t… you’d regret wasting away the next 30, 40, 50 years of this one precious life.

The year will go by — days, weeks, months will pass.

But whether or not you get to be proud of who you’ve become by the end of December… that’s entirely up to you.

The higher version you already exist — you just need to awaken to it.

Now if you resonate until this point, today’s issue is for you.

Let’s begin with Step 1 (Question Everything).

In school, you’ve been taught to obey. Never question what the teacher says.

At home, you grew up learning not to question your parent’s decisions.

At work, you trained yourself to never challenge the boss’s instructions.

But to truly awaken your highest self — the infinite being; you must question everything.

Question your belief system. Question your self-identity. Question your habits and routines. Question your unconscious choices. Question your emotions and prejudice.

Question your priorities. Question what brings you peace and joy. Question the stories you tell yourself. Question the roles you play and the masks you wear.

The very first step of awakening is to notice; to become aware of who you are.

And awareness beings with questioning.

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." — Carl Jung

Journal prompt (to help you in the questioning): “What beliefs about myself and the world have I unconsciously inherited — not consciously chosen?”

Micro-action (to transform knowing to doing): Set 3 daily timer for the week (each time it goes off; ask yourself if you’re living by choice or by default).

Honest question, what is success to you? Take a moment to think about this simple yet profound question.

“What is SUCCESS”?.. Not the textbook definition of success.

Not someone else’s version of success (those you see on social media or the news). Not abstract definition of success that makes you sound intellectual or high status.

Redefine what success truly mean to you. Whether it’s impact… time freedom… presence with loved ones… or contributing to a cause larger than yourself…

You must decide what SUCCESS means to you — YOUR VERSION (not anyone else’s).

And importantly; never allow someone else’s idea of what success looks like determine how you allocate your precious time and energy.

You don’t want to climb, sweat, sacrifice; only to reach the top and realise the ladder you’ve been climbing was leaning against the wrong wall (all along).

Be crystal clear about your definition of success.

"Don't climb the ladder of success only to discover it's leaning against the wrong wall." — Stephen Covey

Journal prompt (to help you in redefining success): “I know I’m successful when…”

Micro-action (to transform knowing to doing): Assign one day this week; call a close friend or family member you can trust — tell them your definition of success.

A huge part about awakening your highest self is to become aware.

Because awareness is the portal — to self-discovery, self-mastery, and self-actualisation.

And in today’s hyper-distracting world that we live in; constantly being flooded by dopamine dysregulating apps on our personal devices — awareness becomes a necessity (not a luxury).

Think about it…

There’s probably a good reason why monks, mystics, CEOs and elite sportsmen all turn to meditation; with the ultimate intent of tuning into their awareness.

Awareness is not just noticing. Awareness is not passive. Awareness is power.

Awareness is the seed of conscious creation. And if you’re serious about living as your highest self — you cannot afford to live life in a “dream state”.

You must become aware, you must learn to observe, you must watch the mind.

And you start by simply bringing awareness to the mundane.

Try having your meals without devices. Go for walks in nature without headphones.

Do mundane tasks like washing your hands with full awareness; of the temperature of the water, the texture of the soap between your fingers.

You don’t need to dive straight into meditation; start small — start somewhere.

Start tuning into your awareness — often and intentionally.

"Awareness is the greatest agent for change." – Eckhart Tolle

Journal prompt (to help you tune into awareness): “What unconscious pattern did I notice when I brought awareness to my day?”

Micro-action (to transform knowing to doing): Assign one day this week; eat one meal in complete silence (no devices, no music, just full awareness and presence).

We all have parts of ourselves that we dislike. Parts of us that makes us feel ashamed, unworthy, unaccepted, or unlovable.

Carl Jung calls this the “Shadow Self” — the unconscious, repressed, and hidden parts of our personality that the conscious ego does not identify with.

And rejecting or suppressing the “shadow self” is the reason why so many of us feel at war with ourselves. We feel incomplete. We feel imperfect. We feel fractured within.

But what if I told you that the “shadow self” was nothing to be afraid of. There’s nothing you need to feel disgraceful about. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Because the “shadow self” is a part of you. Just like your physical shadow in this 3-dimensional reality. There’s no way you can escape it. So, why not embrace it?

Learn to acknowledge these exiled parts of you; integrate the wisdom they carry so you no longer feel fragmented within. This is how you become whole (not perfect).

And you begin the ‘shadow work’ by first questioning your fears and triggers.

By identifying what you’re most afraid of — things that would make you go “oh f*ck” when a close friend calls to ask if you’ve heard of what people are saying about you.

And then, uncover the story behind those reactions. What is the story or emotional experience that made you feel that way.

Use them as data not directives; treat them as information to make sense of the old stories that you’ve been telling yourself — not your truth.

And the final step: Allow yourself the freedom to be seen as imperfect.

• If you once felt unathletic → start working out and get fit.

• If you once felt your opinion don’t matter → start creating value.

• If you once felt judged for failure → start sharing your growth in public.

Here’s the key idea: Whatever you've been hiding (to seem perfect, to fit in, to be accepted, to not feel fear/ shame/ pain); you now do.

"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." — Carl Jung

Journal prompt (to help you befriend the shadow): “Which parts of my life do I conceal — and what am I protecting?”

Micro-action (to transform knowing to doing): Identify at least 3 triggers this week; ask yourself how they made you feel uncomfortable and the origin story behind it.

Most people think the mind is the command centre of consciousness.

But ancient wisdom and recent studies from the HeartMath Institution points to the fact that the heart is where the magic happens. It’s where the seat of the soul resides.

To awaken your highest self — the ‘infinite being’ that is connected to the divine (call it Source, God, Creator); you must synchronise the heart and mind into one unified coherence.

Gregg Braden (5 x NYT Best-selling Author & Scientist) calls it Brain-Heart Coherence — the divine harmony of thought and feeling.

In simple language: Tapping into the intuitive intelligence of the heart (a ritual practiced by ancient civilisations across cultures for centuries).

Here’s a quick step-by-step on how:

1. Bring your awareness to your heart.

2. Breath into your heart (5 counts in; 5 counts out).

3. Evoke feelings of elevated emotion (e.g. appreciation, gratitude, love)

Here’s a short guided meditation video on how to do so.

Do this practice for at least 5 minutes each day; feel your heart and mind begin to synchronise as one unified coherence.

And when you heart and mind comes into divine harmony; you tap into limitless potential and possibilities.

“The brain does not tell the heart what to do — the heart tells the brain how to see the world.” — Gregg Braden

Journal prompt (to help you connect heart to mind): “What is one memory that makes me feel appreciated, grateful, blessed, or loved?”

Micro-action (to transform knowing to doing): Do 3 x 5mins heart-mind coherence meditation sessions this week; train your mind to acknowledge the power your heart holds.

Be truthful, what’s your first impression when you hear me say, “be boldly bad”?

A little uncomfortable right? I totally get it.

Most people (myself included) have been programmed to choose good over bad. Nice over nasty. Kindness over evil. And that’s totally understandable.

We’ve been taught to play nice in school, be respectful at home, and agreeable at work. No wonder we feel uncomfortable when we are told to “be boldly bad”.

The mind cannot comprehend an invitation to deviate from the default — from the invisible social contract of being “good” (even if it comes at the expense of your authenticity, your emotional well-being, your personal boundaries).

Why? Because the mind is a wired for survival; for acceptance. And any association with non-conformity = not being accepted by the tribe = inevitable DEATH.

But that’s further from the truth.

Especially if you’re serious about materialising your desired reality; to live as the highest self — you must re-evaluate the illogical desire to be seen as “good”.

You must strive to INDIVIDUATE: to live the most unapologetically authentic version of you.

Because otherwise; whose script are you actually writing?

To awaken your highest self; you must be comfortable with being seen as “bad” in someone else’s story.

You must have the courage to be boldly “bad” — to be You.

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” — Carl Jung

Journal prompt (to help you be boldly “bad”): “Where in my life have I mistaken kindness for self-abandonment?”

Micro-action (to transform knowing to doing): Enforce one personal boundary without fear of judgment, without needing external approval, without worrying about being seen as "bad".

Among these 7 tips to help you awaken your highest self in 2026; this final one’s my personal favorite.

To keep death close — not that I’m morbid or psychotic — but rather; because death is what truly gives life beauty and meaning.

The Stoics has this saying: “Memento Mori” — remember you must die.

Not in a rude sense, but a courageous acknowledgment of the common destination we all march towards. An unfiltered reminder of our mortality; and the grace, appreciation, and meaningful urgency that comes with it.

Most people think about death as a distant event. Some fear them. Others totally avoid thinking about it (foolishly assuming that gives them immunity).

But the truth is: Impermanence is the only permanence.

Each day that passes belongs to death; and the sooner you come to that realisation the sooner you’d find meaning, purpose, and reasons to focus on real priorities in life.

When you keep death close; as a reminder of your limited time on this planet — you stop delaying the awakening, the love, the intentional creation, and the mindful experiencing of life.

Remind yourself daily (and frequently): Memento Mori

"You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do, say, and think." — Marcus Aurelius

Journal prompt (to help you keep death close): “If today were my last day, what would I regret not having said, done, or experienced — and what’s stopping me from doing it now?”

Micro-action (to transform knowing to doing): This weekend, make a visit to your local cemetery (whichever is closest to where you live). Let it serve as a reminder that death is the common destination, there's no escape, or ever will be.

I hope you found these 7 tips helpful.

And more importantly, I hope you give yourself the chance to make 2026 the year you finally awaken to your highest self.

Because this one precious life; mustn’t be wasted living in survival mode — crippled by the fear of change, paralysed by self-doubt and limiting beliefs.

If you want to learn more, I go in-depth here: The Awakening Challenge ©.

Thanks for reading. I will see you in the next issue.

In the mean time, be well my friend.

- Alfred