Disclosure: Any post may contain links to my shop or affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission from any purchase you make. All opinions about products I use are my own. Read the full disclosure and Privacy Policy HERE.
If you’re new here, let me catch you up. I don’t do goals for the New Year. I think goals are great and I will start a new goal anytime of the year – on a random Wednesday – and just go for it. That system seems to work better for me than expecting a bunch of changes all at once. But, I do love the way this time of year makes me pause and take time to reflect. Each new year, I like to ponder a word that helps give me a direction. I’ve been doing this for several years now and I can say that it does make a difference.
I post my word in a place I see several times a day (in my toilet room, lol). The word acts as a gentle pep talk to myself, and many days, inspires me to make a small mental adjustment that ends up making a big difference.
Words from my past –
- 2025: Flourish
- 2024: Healing
- 2023: Focus
- 2022: Intentional
- 2021: Growth
- 2020: Rest
- 2019: Get Dressed
Introducing my One Word for 2026: DO
I’m in a weird phase of life. I’m watching my children leave home and start their own lives. While it’s exciting to watch them flourish, it also kind of makes me miss feeling young with endless possibilities spread out before me. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to go back and start again, because honestly that just sounds so exhausting. When my college girls tell me about all they are doing, I know why that life is for the young and I’m perfectly okay just hearing about it from them. Ironically, though, I’m actually in a similar place, because I’m at a crossroads with a blank canvas before me and so many possibilities. Though my husband and son still need me, I have a lot more time on my hands and they’d really support me in pursuing anything (as long as I occasionally cook their favorite foods). And each day I try to think “what do I want to be?” and the answer is always that I just want to figure out how to not be so exhausted all the time. I don’t want to be 20 and figuring out life again, I just want a modicum of the passion and energy I felt at that age. My current era of exhaustion makes my brain feel muddy and I’m so easily distracted. 20 year old me, who was always seeking out my next fun read, would be sad to hear that I can hardly get through a book now.
I think what zaps my brain is how I’m always thinking about everyone else and worried for them. My husband needs me, my son still at home needs me, my adult girls need me, and my parents need me too. (When my college girls’ call me, there’s a 99.9% chance I’m going to answer no matter what I’m doing. I have a few more boundaries for my mom calling, but not many more.) And that’s just some of what is constantly swirling in my brain – I have all the normal life responsibilities in there too, adding to the feeling of exhaustion.
So, you might be confused. Considering my little whine session I just wrote out, why on earth would I make my word of the year be DO? Yes, I did think about making the word sleep. And I am sorry for being such a downer with this one.
My word is DO because I’m sick of wallowing around in my exhaustion. I’m sick and tired of being tired. So, I’m just going to have to lace up my tennis shoes and DO IT TIRED. I have goals I want to achieve. Okay, so I don’t exactly know what they are, but I know that I want to have goals to achieve. And sitting around feeling sorry for myself has not helped me figure anything out. It has only made things worse. So, this year, I’m going to get up in the morning and DO the work of figuring out my goals and working on said goals while I’m still tired.
I’m going to need to eat well even when I’m exhausted and just want some quick sugar-energy.
I’m going to need to go on walks even though I’m tired from the bad night of sleep.
I’m going to need to spend time outside, touching grass, hiking, soaking in sunshine, laughing with friends … even if I feel too tired to leave the house.
So, gosh darnit, tired or not, I’m going to DO this year.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Here’s to a great year for all of us!
From my home to yours,
Mary
Leave a Reply