Have you been feeling the pressure to “get your life together” in 2026, but also secretly doubting every decision? The upcoming Capricorn New Moon is a powerful moment to reset your goals, heal self‑doubt and start building a life that’s sustainable, not soul‑draining. This lunation highlights the tension between pushing yourself harder and actually trusting your own timing and needs. It’s an invitation to step into self‑trust instead of yet another round of burnout and disappointment.

This week, the personal planetary pile-up in Capricorn has been squaring Chiron in Aries, stirring up old wounds we may not have looked at for a while, but that haven’t fully healed yet. When Capricorn and Aries clash, themes of being “too much” or “not enough” often rise to the surface. It can feel impossible to find a healthy pace: either we’re too hard on ourselves, or we’re too soft and ignore our own priorities. There’s also a tension between wanting instant gratification (Aries) and building something stable for the long haul (Capricorn).

Understanding the Wound: Is this goal really mine?

The second Friday in January has earned the nickname “Quitter’s Day.” It’s the day most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions – this year, that was January 9th. Gyms empty out, cigarette and alcohol sales creep up, and big project drafts get quietly buried in the ever-growing digital pile. Even if you’ve maintained your New Year streak (go you!), chances are you’ve still been feeling the pressure this week.

The Chiron square has been pressing on identity wounds. For some, that might show up as overachieving to prove your worth. For others, it looks like draining yourself by trying too hard to be everything for everyone. When it comes to New Year goals and resolutions, it’s usually the ego-based ones that fall away first.

One simple way to spot them is to ask:

“If nobody ever knew I was doing this, would I still want to do it?”

If the answer is yes, that’s a truly aligned goal. If the answer is no, you’ve just uncovered an ego goal – something you’re chasing for validation, not for genuine fulfilment.

Grounded Ambition: Capricorn New Moon goals that don’t burn you out

In the latest issue of my Manifestology newsletter, I go deeper into the three types of goals you need in order to manifest successfully. You can sign up and instantly view the last issue here.

What’s important to remember is this: setting these goals is not a one-and-done thing.

If you don’t check in with your goals regularly, they quickly become background noise. Equally important is revision. You’re changing all the time – your goals need to evolve with you. Otherwise, you end up chasing an old version of yourself.

Ask yourself:

• Does this goal still feel true for who I am now?

• Am I pursuing this because it’s inspiring me, or because I once said I would?

Embodied Self-Trust: Practices to anchor your decisions

Here are three steps to help make sure your goals are aligned – and that striving toward them lifts you up rather than weighs you down:

1. Create a monthly reflection ritual

Set aside time to journal on your goals and your progress toward them. Once a month is a powerful rhythm, especially around the Full Moon, when what needs to be released naturally comes into focus.

This isn’t something that comes easily to most of us. In our ambition to achieve more, better, higher, we often forget that to become the person who has all of those dream accomplishments, we must also shed the parts of ourselves that are no longer aligned with that version.

Questions you might explore:

• What feels exciting and inspiring right now?

• What feels heavy, forced, or outdated?

• What am I ready to gently let go of?

2. Declare yourself the CEO of your own life

Take some time at the beginning or end of the week to check in with your progress – like a CEO meeting with themselves.

If something has gone well, celebrate it (even if it feels “small”). If something hasn’t gone to plan, resist the urge to berate yourself or spiral into shame and guilt. Instead, treat it as data:

• Why did this fall off?

• What got in the way?

• How can I create a contingency plan for when this inevitably happens again?

Celebrate the fact that you’ve gained a learning opportunity. Self-trust grows not from perfection, but from knowing that you’ll show up again after the wobble.

3. Set clear boundaries that keep you on track

Boundaries aren’t just for other people – they’re also with yourself.

For example, a boundary I’ve established is that I’m allowed to miss one day of a healthy habit. Under extreme and unusual circumstances, I’m allowed to miss up to two. But I never let myself miss three days in a row.

This boundary keeps me accountable without demanding perfection, and without needing to beat myself up when life inevitably happens and I have to reprioritise. You can borrow this, or create your own simple “safety rails” around whatever matters most to you.

Remember: it’s okay not to have all the answers.

If anything, the only thing that is becoming increasingly clear is that the way ahead is unclear. We might be tired of hearing the phrase “unprecedented times,” but that doesn’t make it less true.

If you feel like you just can’t seem to “figure it out,” that doesn’t make you weak – it makes you human. We are all in the same boat. Instead of obsessing over what’s impossible to anticipate, the best we can do is take it one step at a time, adjusting as we go, using the tools at our disposal – including astrology.

If you’d like help gaining clarity on a big decision in your life, you can book a 1:1 session with me, where I help you decode the wisdom that is already in your natal chart.

And for regular journalling prompts, manifestation techniques and whimsical ways to make the most of the current energy, you can join my free Manifestology newsletter.