🎶 "It’s a New Dawn, It’s a New Day, It’s a New Life For Me, and I’m Feeling Good" 🎶
What a great lyric from Feeling Good by Nina Simone!
As 2025 was put to bed, many of us rushed straight into planning 2026. New goals. New intentions. New calendars. But before you turn the page, there is a powerful, grounding practice that can help you grow with intention rather than repeat by default.
It starts with something simple: Your Calendar.
Pull up the past year and slowly scroll through it. Month by month. Week by week. Notice where your time actually went, not where you hoped it would go.
Then take a piece of paper and create two columns:
REPEAT
DISCONTINUE
As you review your calendar, begin sorting.
In the Repeat column, write down events, commitments, and patterns that left you feeling more connected, energized, grounded, or proud of yourself. These might be trips, routines, work projects, relationships, or even quiet practices like walking, reading, or protected rest.
In the Discontinue column, note what drained you, kept you stuck, increased resentment, or consistently compromised your well-being. Some things may have been necessary for a season and are no longer sustainable. Naming that matters.
Most people do not repeat the same year because they want to. They repeat it because they never pause long enough to choose differently.
Your calendar tells the truth about your values, boundaries, energy, and beliefs. Looking at it with curiosity allows you to move from autopilot into authorship of your life.
This practice also helps you see patterns:
Who consistently gets your time?
What decisions cost you more than you realized?
Where did you thrive?
Where did you survive?
Once your lists are complete, take the next step: schedule accordingly.
Put the things you want to repeat on next year’s calendar now. Protect them early, before the space fills. Growth does not happen by accident. It happens when we make room for it.
As you look ahead, gently ask yourself:
Who do I want to be this time next year?
Who do I want to spend my precious time with?
What financial decisions need attention or courage?
What physical choices would support my body rather than punish it?
What mental health boundaries or supports do I need?
Where am I stuck, looping, or unsure how to move forward?
You do not have to answer all of these at once. Awareness itself is progress.
If you notice yourself circling the same patterns year after year, therapy can be a powerful place to untangle what is keeping you there. Getting support is not a sign that something is wrong with you. It is often a sign that you are ready for something more aligned.
