I had a post all queued up to publish on the first day of the year. It did go live—but a few days later, I realized the goals I’d written about no longer fit.
My number one priority was to get the ball rolling on building on our land in North Carolina. Instead, we ran into additional roadblocks, mostly tied to the HOA, and ultimately decided to take a different path. Since we already had our funds in place, rather than pushing forward with a new build, we shifted gears and started looking for an existing home.
I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Maybe we weren’t meant to build on that land. Maybe the universe was nudging us toward something we could have sooner rather than later. Either way, things moved quickly: we spent one day viewing homes, found one that felt perfect, and closed on it before the end of the year.
So here I am, rewriting this post, and taking a fresh look at what my goals for 2026 will be.
I like to set a few quests for myself every year. Nothing super dramatic or life-changing on paper, just a mix of goals that feel doable and a few that stretch me a little. I’ve learned that if I aim for “realistic but meaningful,” I’m much more likely to actually follow through.
Looking Back at 2025: A Year of Getting Healthier
My goals for 2025 were pretty simple:
- Eat Better
- Improve my overall health
Nothing fancy, just… take better care of myself.
Looking back, I’m actually really proud of how far we’ve come. We’re eating so much better than we used to, more real food, fewer “whatever’s in the freezer” nights. By focusing on what we’re putting on our plates, we’ve accidentally lost weight along the way, which is a nice bonus.
My chiropractor visits also helped a lot. When I was going regularly, I noticed a real difference in my back and neck pain. Somewhere along the way, though, I fell off the appointment wagon, and my body has definitely noticed. So while I can honestly say I made progress in 2025, I also know I need to get back on track with those visits, because the pain is still very much an ongoing thing.
I also had a bit of a health scare early in the year. Nothing I want to dramatically dwell on, but it was enough to make me stop and really think about what I’m doing to my body. As a result, I’ve had to cut down on fatty foods, which is probably something I needed to do anyway. It’s funny how sometimes our bodies hit the “hard reset” button for us when we’ve been ignoring the gentle warnings.
The best part, though, is that we’ve started to build actual habits. We’re cooking more, moving more, and even though the “exercise more” part still needs work, the foundation is there. It doesn’t feel like a temporary “diet” or a phase, it feels like the new normal, and that’s huge for me.
Looking Ahead to 2026: New Season, New Goals
Now that I’m thinking about my goals for 2026, I don’t really feel the need to set brand-new “be healthy” resolutions. Not because I’m done with that journey, but because we’ve already started it and we’re still going. Health is now the background rhythm rather than a big shiny headline.
Last year, I also made it a goal to pick up some new creative skills, and that brought me so much joy. I want to keep building on that momentum in 2026. So this year’s goals are less about reinventing myself and more about continuing to grow in ways that feel aligned with who I am and what I want our life to look like.
Here’s what I’m focusing on:
Goal 1: Put Our Stamp on Our New NC Home
This is the big one.
We have a second home now, one that we hope will eventually become our retirement home. It came fully furnished and beautifully remodeled, and it checked so many of the boxes we’d been looking for. Even so, we want to put our own stamp on it and truly make it feel like ours.
Most of the plans we have are cosmetic, but there are a few changes we’d like to make to help the space feel even cozier than it already is. Some updates will take priority over others, and I’ll share more details about what we’re changing and why in a future post.
Goal 2: Invest in My Creativity (On Purpose)
I am constantly seeing ads and stumbling across websites with beautiful, creative supplies and tools. Gothic paper craft sets, unique art materials, fun gadgets for crafting, you name it. And what do I do? I bookmark them. I save the links. I tell myself, “Oh, someday I’ll totally get that.”
And then… I don’t.
So in 2026, I want to change that pattern. My second goal is to actively invest in my creativity instead of just window shopping.
I’m setting a simple rule for myself: once a month, I will choose one site or one product and actually order something, a new tool, supply, kit, or resource that sparks inspiration. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive. It just needs to be something that says, “You’re allowed to take your creativity seriously. It’s not frivolous. It matters.”
Whether it’s that cool gothic paper craft set, new materials for my art projects, or something totally unexpected that gives me a creative nudge, I want to open more packages that feel like possibilities.
This isn’t about hoarding supplies; it’s about giving myself permission to play, learn, and grow as a creative person. My creativity is part of who I am, and I want my actions and my shopping cart to reflect that.
Goal 3: Be Kinder to Myself
This might be the most important goal of all.
Next year is going to be full. Between health maintenance, big life changes like the new house, creative projects, and the normal ups and downs of life, there are going to be plenty of opportunities for stress to sneak in and set off old triggers.
So my third goal is this: I will try to be kinder to myself.
That means:
- Being patient when I can’t do everything at once
- Allowing myself to rest without guilt
- Asking for help instead of trying to carry everything on my own
- Recognizing when I’m overwhelmed and taking a step back instead of pushing harder
- Letting go of the idea that I have to handle everything perfectly
I want to remember that it’s okay to be a work-in-progress. It’s okay to have days where I’m not productive or positive or “on top of it.” I’m human. The goal is not to avoid stress completely (as if that’s even possible) but to meet it with more compassion and less self-criticism.
As I step into 2026, I’m carrying forward the healthier habits we built, the creative spark that’s been growing, and a deep desire to treat myself with more kindness. I don’t know exactly how everything will unfold, but I do know this:
I’m giving myself permission to dream big, to create freely, and to rest when I need it.
And that feels like a pretty good place to start.