New Year, New Intentions
I love New Year’s Eve, and not for the fireworks or a crazy night out (I usually stay in) or even for the Hootenanny, but for the fresh sense of hope that a New Year brings.
Having said that, I’m not a big fan of resolutions. Creating an idea only to break it in a month or two (or three, if I’m lucky) feels like a waste of intention setting and a sure-fire way to make me feel bad about myself.
So, what’s the compromise? How can I create joy and aspiration for a wonderful new year without setting myself up to fail? Well, upon pondering this very question at the end of 2024, I came up with the idea of using words - I know, I know, as a writer, this is groundbreaking. What I mean by this is that I would come up with three words that I wanted to encompass the spirit and intention of the year ahead, and having done this in 2025, I’m happy to report that it has a 100% success rate (so far).
For 2025, I found my words through journaling, and they were: Creativity, Courage and Community.
Creativity was not just about completing the first draft of my novel or reconnecting with my writing. It was about being creative in all aspects of my life. I wanted to experience being creative for the joy of it, not the output. I wanted to have hobbies without worrying if I could monetise them. To sew without thinking about setting up a dog accessory business (yes, I have considered it!). In 2025, I focused so hard on this to the point of being recognised for my creativity at my corporate day job - not something I ever would have seen myself saying a year ago. How did I do it? Trying everything, prioritising time for creativity, and embracing imperfection. Not everything has to be productive, and not everything needs to have a perfect end state. Let it be messy.
Courage was largely inspired by Brene Brown’s TED Talk - please watch it if you haven’t, she’s incredible. Feeding into my third word, I realised that if I wanted to put myself out into the world after holding myself back for a while, I needed to have the courage to do it. I needed to say yes to the scary things; I needed to be vulnerable to move forward. And it worked, I said yes to more this year, and I achieved more. Brene was right, and it has had an incredibly positive impact on my life. I can now say that the things I found scary or intimidating at the beginning of 2025 don’t feel quite so intimidating a year later.
Finally, I wanted Community. I wanted to find people with similar interests to connect with in my local area, as a lot of my close friends lived in different areas. Whilst I don’t have the most expansive network, I’ve made new, great friends in 2025 and found communities that I love to be a part of. To be fair, as an introvert, I can’t imagine anything worse than having hundreds of friends, but I’ve found a wonderful balance.
So, what about 2026?
My words are: Health, Confidence, Fun.
To check in that these words resonated with me, this year I chose to journal each one and what it meant to me. I’m happy to report they’re a good fit, so these are what the intention behind each word is:
Health: Both physical and mental, I want to build strength, make healthier choices and be kind to myself and my body. This is not about weight or size or looks, it’s about feeling like the best version of myself and making lifestyle and health choices that push me towards that.
Confidence: As someone who’s suffered with social anxiety, I can lean too far into worrying about what people think of me. Whilst I’m a lot better than I have been, in 2026 I want to be fearless, to own my metaphysical shit and not be scared to say when I think I’m good at something. I have a habit of being self-deprecating, and I’m leaving it behind.
Fun: Who doesn’t need more fun in their lives? I can be a little serious, especially when life gets busy, so this final word serves as a prompt to have fun in the moment, not take life too seriously and maybe have a few laughs along the way. It feels especially potent right now as I’m living through a house renovation that not only feels never-ending, but is the antithesis of fun. Traditional fun, at least.
In case anyone is interested in finding their words for the year, here are Journal prompts to help you find your words:
Which areas of my life would I like to focus on this year?
Make a list of how you want to feel at the end of the year. This can be as long or short as you like.
What are the things I am proud of from last year? How do I want to expand on these?
What does success at the end of next year look like to me?
Also, as a reminder, it’s never too late or the wrong time to make a change. So whilst this is something I choose to do at the end of the year, we can do this at any time we like to create new intentions. ✨
Do you have any New Year journalling or intention-setting habits? I’d love to hear!