As 2026 slowly gets underway, I’ve found myself thinking less about what I want this year to look like and more about how I want to move through it. Because if 2025 taught me anything, it’s this: life has absolutely no respect for your carefully colour-coded plans.
Don’t get me wrong—2025 had its wins. Some big ones. Wins that gave me solid footing heading into this year. But it also delivered a very important lesson, one that arrived uninvited and without warning: life is wildly unpredictable, and control is mostly an illusion we cling to for comfort.
So instead of trying to plan every step of 2026 like a military operation, my goal this year is simpler. I want to use the strength I built last year to face whatever comes next head on, eyes open, and ideally without panicking.
That said, I’m not abandoning structure entirely. I still like a plan… I’m just aiming for a looser grip on it.
Here are a few ways I’m doing that.
– Daily Logs (a.k.a. Emotional Receipts)
This year, I’m committing to daily check-ins with myself. Nothing fancy just a few questions:
What happened today?
How did it make me feel?
Did I handle it well, or did I emotionally spiral over something that really didn’t deserve the energy?
By understanding my emotional reactions, I can actually confront them instead of shoving them into a mental cupboard marked “Deal With Later.” Spoiler: later never comes, and the cupboard always bursts open at 2 a.m.
–Actively Reaching Out to Friends
Last year, I leaned heavily on people reaching out to me. And while it was comforting and a good indicator of who genuinely cared, it also taught me something important: relationships can’t survive on one-sided effort.
So this year, I’m reaching out more. Making the first move. Sending the message. Suggesting the plan. Not only does it give me control over my own social life, but it also lets people know their support wasn’t taken for granted.
Plus, it turns out people actually appreciate being invited places. Who knew?
-Keep Doing Things Alone (Even at Home)
Travel forced me to get comfortable doing things alone—and I ended up loving it. But back home? I still had a habit of staying in, avoiding situations where I might have to show up solo.
That changes this year.
This is about saying yes more. Exploring my own city like a tourist. Going for coffee alone. Sitting in restaurants without narrating my entire internal monologue about being perceived. Because life doesn’t pause just because you don’t have a plus-one.
–Developing New Skills (and Accepting the Learning Curve)
Building these platforms showed me how much I actually enjoy learning new skills—whether that’s website development, photography, or video editing. I already have the tools. Now it’s time to develop the knowledge to use them properly… and accept that I might be terrible at first.
Growth is awkward. So is watching yourself back on video. We move.
-Plenty More Travel (Because Yes, It’s Still Therapy)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: travel is therapy. And in 2026, we’re not slowing down.
New destinations. New cultures. New food. New perspectives. Each trip adds another layer of growth, another reminder that the world is bigger than whatever’s happening in my head.
And as always, I’ll be bringing you along with me—through photos, stories, and the occasional travel mishap.
Here’s to 2026: less rigid planning, more intentional living, and remembering that you don’t need to control everything to move forward.
Sometimes, you just need to pack a bag and trust yourself to figure it out along the way.
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