My Vision for 2026

Happy New Year! I am so excited for 2026. The start of a new year is one of my favorite times of the year. We are coming off the high of the holidays and settling back into our normal lives. There is a sense of hope and a renewed interest in personal growth at the idea of a fresh start. I love sitting down, having a cocktail and planning out my goals for the year. I know New Years resolutions are not everyone’s favorite thing, but I think it’s a great way to take time to reflect. Reflect on your previous year, where you are and where you want to be this time next year. Reflect on the things you want to experience and enjoy throughout this next year of your life.

I think the typical downfall is when we ride this momentum, make grand goals for ourselves and write them on a piece of paper, that then gets tucked away into a drawer, never to be seen again. I wanted to challenge myself this year to break that habit. In past years, I have chosen one or two words to sum up an ideal that I am working towards and then continued to list out specific goals. This year, I thought it would be interesting to think of all my goals as more abstract concepts defined by one word. Once I had determined my words for the year, I created my vision board with Canva, printed it out and pasted it to my closet door. This way, I have a constant visual reminder of the habits and goals I am striving for throughout 2026!

I am trying to decrease my spending and consumption this year. I want to work on the skill of being content with what I have and learning to utilize what I already own to the fullest. For example, I love iced lattes and matcha. Last year, I purchased an entire home espresso set-up, but I was still frequently spending money on coffee if I was out running errands. Whereas now, my goal is to prioritize making them at home. I have been contemplating a “No-Buy” list for the year, which I’ll post if I do. I am also prioritizing second-hand and thrifted items if I do need something.

I have always loved the fashion and beauty world. However, I find myself shying away from leaning into this space and outwardly expressing it. I have struggled with a fear of people criticizing how I look because in the past, I was made fun of for trying too hard or being “too much” which has taken a big chunk of that joy away. So, this year I will be allowing myself to enjoy doing my hair, makeup and dressing up again. I am encouraging myself to wear the fun accessories that have been sitting in my closet because I was too intimidated to wear them. I think it is also very important as a mom to take time to do something that makes me feel good.

The classic new year resolution. I have been struggling with a consistent wellness routine since my son was born. However, around Thanksgiving I started going to the gym a few times per week. My biggest goal with this, is to improve my functional fitness and longevity. I have realized, I care far more about being able to sit on the floor, pain free, and play with my baby more than if you can see my abs by summer time.

If you know me, you know that I absolutely love a craft. Last year, I started sewing small things here and there, but nothing consistently. In 2026, I will be making a list of projects and a timeline for when to complete them. I want to focus on several creative endeavors; from posting more often on my blog to sewing my own clothes from thrifted materials.

I love having a community to pour myself into and lean on. One of my goals to help foster friendship in 2026 is to host a supper club every three months. I truly enjoy hosting and cooking for others, and it’s a great way to connect! We live pretty far from our family, and especially having a group of close friends in the early years of our family

I really have not been nurturing my intellectual side recently. I love to read, play board games and do puzzles. So far this year, I have been working on this by learning how to play chess. As cheesy as it sounds, I was inspired by the Queen’s Gambit and it is been so much fun! Usually at night, my husband and I will play a few games of chess and I have been practicing different opening strategies. It feels great to exercise my mind by strategizing and as a bonus, I get time to connect with Michael!

For as long as I can remember I have struggled with OCD, and during postpartum, it was amplified tenfold. I specifically chose the saying “don’t believe everything you think” as a reminder to myself that my brain will play tricks on itself and to remember my coping strategies to ground myself and help break those cyclical thoughts. I also just want to welcome in more peace and slowness to my daily life, allowing myself to soak up the little joys and not be distracted by the stress of day to day life.

My absolute favorite theme of them all for this year! Taking time to focus on the two loves of my life; Michael and our son. I want to be so intentional with my time with them this year. I am grateful that we’ve been able to transition into parenthood together and I am looking forward to all of our adventures this year. We have a standard in our relationship called the 2/2/2 rule; every 2 weeks we go on a date night, every two months we plan a weekend trip or stay-cation, and every two years we go away for a week together. It always gives us something to look forward to and exploring something new is a great way to stay close.

I am so excited to share this next year with you all and let me know what resolutions you have set for yourself!