Unraveling – The Year Ahead 2026

As always, I want to start by saying that this is going to be a long post. These reflective posts are how I make sure to live my life intentionally. They matter to me and I love being able to look back on them in future years. I know that this might not be interesting to many (if not any) of you, so please feel free to skip it. If some of you find it interesting, all the better.

This particular exercise is following Susannah Conway’s Unraveling 2025 sheet. You can download it right here. I split the reflective questions looking back on 2024 in and the questions to help clarify goals/dreams for 2025 into two posts. This is part II. All questions are Susannah’s and are copyrighted to her.

Hello 2026

What’s your word for 2026? Onward 

How does this make you feel? It’s a mix. Part of me is excited. Part of me feels ready. Part of me is terrified. Part of me wants to rebel and push back. Part of me wants to go back to my own cocoon. Part of me feels tired. I am not sure what this looks like. But also I feel a pull to do it. I feel solid that this is the next step for me. I figured out who I am, I stepped into it, and now I am ready to take more action. I know I am.

How do you envision your word(s) supporting you in 2026?  I am not in a rush. I am ok if I get only small amounts of visible progress. This is not a competition and life is long. I just want to give myself permission to explore.

If you embraced your word every day in 2026, what could shift in your life? To be honest, I am not sure yet, I think that’s what makes this word exciting for me.

If you embodied this every day in 2026, what would you do differently? I would be doing even less of what “I should” and more of what I truly want. And I would be building the life that’s most authentically me.

How will you keep your word top of mind in 2026? Think: routines, check-ins, etc Hmm maybe one small thing each day and one big thing a month? I think this will help me beat inertia. 

What are you looking forward to in 2026? I am looking forward to doing a few of the big things I really want to do. Even if I only do one, I’ll be really happy. I am also looking forward to seeing what pops up.

What are you feeling apprehensive about? I am most apprehensive about the world right now and the impact it will have on my kids and opportunities and possibilities for each of them. And not being able to fix things for them. This will be a big year for each of them even without the world being as tough as it is. 

In which areas of your life are you ready for change and growth? Still not interested in change. More of truly being who I am and letting myself step into it more and more.

What aspects of yourself will you nurture in 2026?  The parts of me that need to be shed. I will give them grace and work hard to let them go.

Fast-forward to December 2026. You’re sitting in a café, musing over the last 12 months. Where do you want to be… [ it turns out most of what i wrote last year stands here.]

… in your head? (work, dreams, goals) I want to continue to be happy at work and continue to do my best and support my manager in the best way possible and my team with all my strength. I want to continue to try to hold a high bar and also love all the people deeply. 

… in your heart? (relationships, family, friends) I want to figure out what kind of relationships I want in my life and what really feeds my soul. And then I want to do more of that. I want to create boundaries that serve me and help me be whole. I want to do things because I love to and not out of obligation, worry or pressure.

… in your soul? (beliefs, practices, self-love) I want to be at peace. I want to be my open, generous and loving self. I want to really know who I am and find a way to connect with myself deeply and meaningfully so I can step into it fully and take some steps to show myself what I need and want to see..

… in your physical world? (home, health, hobbies) I want to go back to exercising in some meaningful way. I want to settle into cooking healthy food and taking care of my body and my skin. I want to continue to do art. More than anything else, I want to give myself however much time I need and be gentle with myself and to remind myself that I’ll get there when I am ready.

Identify 3 unhelpful beliefs about yourself you’re ready to release:

1. I need to take care of everyone.
2. I need to solve everything.
3. I can’t… (things i think i can’t do.)

Decide 3 duties or commitments you feel ready to let go of in 2026

1. Working harder for other people than they work for themselves.
2. Taking on more than what’s mine to carry.
3. Letting others’ expectations carry weight.

List 3 skills you’d like to learn or improve in 2026 

I am always working on improving my art and I always want to journal more and take more classes so I am not going to call them out explicitly. Most of these are the same as last year because i didn’t do them.

1. I want to try the shuffling class or something around dancing this year just to see. 
2. I want to practice cooking more to see what I like and what I don’t.
3. I also want to find a pilates or yoga practice I’d love to do consistently.

List 3 books you can’t wait to read this year: Like all years, I will read hundreds of books this year.

How could you bring more awareness to your actions this year? Journaling was truly life changing in 2025 so I plan to do that again. I also want to do meditation, yoga and pilates. And therapy!

Identify 3 things about yourself you appreciate & value 

1. I am deeply kind and dependable.
2. I try to do what’s right as often as possible. 
3. My capacity is unusually high.

Decide 3 ways you could be kinder to your body this year

1. I can feed it nutritious food. 
2. I can exercise kindly and consistently
3. I can put moisturizer and sunscreen more often

Brainstorm 3 ways you could deepen connections with loved ones in 2026 

1. I can tell them specifically how I am so grateful for them.
2. I can take time to experience things with them.
3. I can check in more regularly.

List 3 people you could extend compassion to (friends, family or strangers) 

1. People struggling at work.
2. Myself.
3. My kids.

How could you expand your capacity for love this year?  I think my capacity for loving others is already pretty high so I would like to spend energy expanding it inward to myself this year. 

Identify 3 interests you’d like to explore more in 2026 

1. Cooking, getting good at quick and healthy dishes
2. More art + sketching.
3. Some sort of new exercise.

Choose 3 ways you’ll nourish your imagination this year

1. Taking new classes.
2. Maybe learning something new?
3. Reading.

Brainstorm 3 ways you could bring more creative joy into your world

1. Watercolors 
2. 100 day projects
3. Classes.

Write down 3 dreams you’d like to bring to life this year

1. The garage
2. The backyard.
3. Training sadie to be ok alone.
4. Driving places i think i can’t.

How could you bring more playful energy into your life this year? Dancing, music, cooking with A. 

Identify 3 ways you could infuse more calm into your mornings

1. Short meditation, soft music.
2. Going to bed earlier.
3. Snuggling with Sadie.

List 3 ways you could cherish your home this year

1. Cleaning the garage.
2. Doing the backyard.
3. Continuing to grow plants/flowers.

Decide 3 ways you could connect more deeply with nature in 2026 

1. Redoing the yard so I can sit there much more often.
2. Taking longer walks with Sadie.
3. Going to the pond more often and watching the sun set.

List 3 places in your city, town or neighborhood you’d like to explore 

Honestly. I don’t really connect with this question. I don’t have this desire. I do still want to learn to drive to the airport but it’s not at the top of my list.

How could you bring a sense of groundedness into your life this year? Journaling, Meditation and taking long walks. Therapy!

Back in 2013, our January OLW assignment involved setting intentions and I really enjoyed that, so I thought maybe I can do that instead.  I usually do this monthly but this year I have some themes so we’ll see how it works.

• Rebuild: Things that I had built a certain way that now I want differently but there’s a lot of work involved in changing them. REquires an upfront investment of time, money, and/or effort.
• Release: Things that no longer serve me and that I have to let go if I want to be able to move onward. They weigh me down and keep me anchored in place.
• Research: Things I want to understand better before I can figure out what moving forward means in those spaces.   
• Build: Areas where I don’t currently have a way of being or doing but I want to establish one. So this is further along than research but I have not done the work of incorporating it into my life. 
• Brave: This is for things that I either know I have to do or I really want to do but they will require a lot of bravery.
• Help: These are areas where I am committed to help others in my life move onward in their dreams and goals.  
• Seek: These are areas that will force me outside my comfort zone and require me to actively seek others to help realize my goals. 
• Grow: These are areas where onward is purely to learn more about an areas where I already commit to going deeper.  
• Tend: These are areas that require establishing a routine and some regular upkeep. So it’s about requiring investment. 
• Finish/Settle: These are areas where I strongly desire to do what needs to be done this year. Finish in 2026.
• Plant: These are areas of growth where I want to plant some roots and see what grows. Almost the opposite of finish. Maybe new things I start but I know will take time to grow. 
• Reclaim: Ideas that were others’ that I’ve been holding on to that I want to take back.

The Wrap-Up

This year I will say NO to inertia.

This year I will say YES to taking small steps. experimenting.

I wish for 2026 to feel brave. 

What do you REALLY want this year? Name it here! I want to start feeling more and more like my life is a true reflection of who i am and who i want to be.

I wholeheartedly believe that everything is possible in 2026. 

Time TravelClose your eyes for a moment and imagine stepping into the shoes of you from December 2026, one year from now. You are one year older and one year wiser and you’ve lived every day of 2026 fully and completely. You have a message of encouragement about 2026. There’s stuff you want to share… stuff you’re eager to tell yourself. When you’re ready, open your eyes, pick up your pen, and write a letter from your future self, starting with Dear (your name):  Dear Karen, you made it. I am so proud of you. Look how far you’ve come. You got this.