Here we are again…a new year has begun! I wish you a Happy New Year with hope for peace, prosperity, and a healthy mind and body in 2026 and beyond.
This time of year, brings awareness to our behaviors, choices, and regrets over the holiday season, and for that matter perhaps over the past year as well.
It can be a time of hope for a fresh start; increased motivation for making healthier choices for our bodies, minds, and bank accounts post-holiday pressures and expectations.
For some, it comes as a sense of relief as the energy of the season winds down and allows for a quietness to reflect and make resolutions or plans for improving one’s life in the new year.
I have never been one for making New Year’s resolutions and from the data; there is a reason for my personal choice as most resolutions die hard.
For this blog, I am inspired to share my thoughts and tips on living intentionally throughout the year; utilizing the energy and motivation felt in the new year as a blueprint for the 12 months ahead.
The “Why” of Intentional Living
There are significant reasons why resolutions die hard; reasons to become familiar with when embracing intentional living.
When we are intentional, we are conscious of our values, beliefs, and purpose which align with our authenticity.
We can honor ourselves as “being enough” rather than striving to meet external pressures that permeate modern life and often leave us feeling less than.
Setting boundaries becomes easier as we know what is important to us; we can navigate our days with purpose and leave the expectations in the rearview mirror.
Our nervous system becomes more aligned with our purpose by way of improved discipline of our thoughts thereby reducing dysregulation.
Our need to control those around us lessens as we begin to understand our efforts are better spent cultivating our own path rather than the path of others.
So why is this so difficult?
Motivation wanes as the pressures of daily life begin to take hold once again, typically around the latter part of January. Credit card statements remind us of all the fun we had over the holidays; our bodies are tired and feeling out of shape, and our minds are emotionally drained from all the social and familial stimulus absorbed in a short amount of time.
We know in our hearts that we can get back on track leading us to adhere to the latest craze on social media claiming to get you back into shape and on your way in 2026.
However, the default setting of familiar behaviors and coping styles remain due to our understanding of how we manage our lives; clearly a survival mechanism.
So rather than setting ourselves up for disappointment or negative self-talk when we miss the mark of those dreaded resolutions; let us take a step back, a deep breath and consider what is truly meaningful in moving our lives forward this year.
Core Values as a Guide to Intentional Living
As a psychotherapist, assisting clients in clarifying core values can become a crucial aspect of understanding themselves in a way that is often unfamiliar.
When you think about values, often what comes to mind is the values you were raised with. All important values as these values gave you a foundation of morals and expectations.
Core values help to clarify what is meaningful to you, what kind of person you want to be to yourself and others, and what your life stands for. Notice, I am not referring to your family but to you.
Commonly, clarifying core values is challenging due to not knowing what those important aspects are or how to implement, as much of one’s life has been focused on others; pleasing, seeking external validation, caring for others, belonging, and just surviving. As I often remind my clients, “There is a reason for behaviors.”
Core values can give us guidance that we may not possess and thereby seek externally rather than internally.
Intentional living requires a conscious effort to uncover and implement those values as without them we struggle to remain grounded, fulfilled, and peaceful.
Twelve Tips for Living Intentionally in 2026
- Become curious about your core values; begin to implement into daily life
- Find contentment in the smaller things
- Choose “You” over external approval
- Guard your time and set healthy, friendly boundaries
- Control yourself and let others control themselves
- Challenge yourself to try something new
- Focus on effort and intention vs. goal setting and expectations
- Accept suffering as a ticket to an authentic life
- Build a healthy routine that promotes mind/body connection
- Do what is right rather than what is easy or the latest buzz
- Care less, talk less, do less; you are enough
- Take action to become the person you are meant to be
My Wish for You
A new year is an exciting time of renewal, hope, and growth. Each new year gives us an opportunity to choose how we will go forward; a responsibility each one of us bears in our choices, actions, and willingness to show up for ourselves.
Intentional living provides space to be with yourself; to learn about aspects of your life that do not serve you and course correct in a way that promotes acceptance, self-compassion, and presence.
2026 can be a year of focused energy, being a friend to yourself, and embracing core values that will guide you through the uncertainty that life dishes out.
My wish for you is to adopt one core value of kindness and implement daily to yourself and others you may know or not know. It is simple…just be kind.
Until next time…be well and Happy 2026!