Bringing clarity into 2026

AS 2025 WINDS DOWN, I’M BRINGING A CLEAR DIRECTIVE FOR MYSELF INTO 2026

I don’t like to wish the year away, however, 2025 has done the most in all the ways. I caught myself going down various rabbit holes and recognized my thinking needed an overhaul.

To keep my sanity and enjoy the bright spots of the year, I began creating distance between the things I could change and the things I could not.

As I worked on this, one thought became crystal clear.

2026 is my season for more and I need to give myself permission to accept it.

So, I let myself sit with the thought for a bit. Then, I started saying it out loud.

As I believed it, I owned it. I brought it to work. I shared it with my friends Sharon and Rachel. In fact, Rachel told helped me see this was something to share widely.

All this brings us to now.

Today, you might feel relief.

Or, you might feel as I do - vacillating between grieving for family and friends, while being grateful for the good things you have.

Perhaps you are stressed, focused on providing every one what they need.

Whatever you feel, feel it. Demand space for yourself.

Feel the highs, lows, and in-betweens.

And, when you’re ready, put pen to paper (physical or digital paper) to think about this year. You can use a range of tools to help. I use a few including Dash Planner’s Pre-Planner worksheets.

The reflection work will help you see what you’ve accomplished this year and the goodness next year holds for you.

Remember, 2026 is your season for more. Give yourself permission to accept it.

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DECEMBER PROSE

I promise the poem below is worth the read, especially now. If you like it or want to see it presented visually, head to Instagram.

For December:
“everything may not
change at once,
but that doesn’t mean
nothing will change at all...

you are allowed
to acknowledge
the possibility
of something good
starting to shift,
even if it begins small.

for perhaps,
after all the Decembers
you have lived through,
you are still free to consider
how this December
can be different for you.

whether this year
felt different from others,
or more like the same old thing,
or some tangled and turning path
in the wildwood of the between,
you are free to have hope
for things that hold,
wonder that knows no end,
timing that works out,
and good songs
worth playing on repeat,
again and again.
if something in you
dares to even consider it,
you are still free to have this hope.

beautiful new beginnings
can start later than you thought.

small shifts
can have a larger impact
than you realized.

honest, grounded hope
can return where you thought it was over.

you can still experience
the sense of possibility
you once thought
was only possible
for other people.

yes, you can be
surprised by grief
in this life,
but perhaps,
you can also
be surprised
by joy.

everything may not
change at once,
but that doesn’t mean
nothing will change at all.
you are allowed
to acknowledge
the possibility
of something good
starting to shift,
even if it begins small.

and even if it is in
the most subtle way,
you are free
to think of December as a place
where leaves part
from their branches
and make room for you
to come into the forest’s clearing
and let yourself breathe again.

for all that comes next,
may December breathe slowly
in ways you did not expect.
may you meet this month
with both curiosity and gentleness.

make space for
moments of clarity where you need to
and create room to simply be
where you need to.
let December be what it needs to be.

Let December be what it needs to be.” - By Morgan Harper Nichols