I’m goal-oriented and a self-starter, but I have no use for New Year’s resolutions. If I’m honest, I’ll tell you that I think they’re a waste of time. 

As I write this, I’m fighting my annual case of the crud and I’m completely deaf in one ear, my eyeballs are pounding and unfocused, and my lungs burn like they’re going to explode. My brain is a fuzzy combination of cold medication and pain relievers. So, right now I couldn’t set a goal even if I wanted to. I couldn’t make a list about my list, or plot a single scene for my work-in-progress…yet, I know that’s what I should be doing.

Or maybe not. 

No, my main New Year’s resolution for 2026 – the only one that truly matters – is to be kinder to myself. Don’t expect so much. Don’t push so hard. Just take a step back, relax, breathe. Live in the moment, as they say, and enjoy it. I haven’t done that in years. 

The truth is, my dreams aren’t the same as they once were. They’re not as big, or as earth-shaking. They’re quieter, gentler, more like whispered prayers than world-shattering symphonies. But I need to get back in touch with them, prioritize and focus on them with the same determination I did in my younger days, and perhaps even let a few of them go…the ones that don’t seem so important anymore.

I’m ready to downsize and simplify my life. I’m sure this comes with age, but I don’t need so many compartments in my mind. I don’t want to be so fragmented. Instead, I want to love harder, with fewer conditions. I want to forgive more, with less cynicism. I want to oust negativity from my psyche and add spiritual strength to my core. I want to communicate with God on a first-name basis, the way I did when I was a child.

If  I think really hard about it, I realize that I’ve met a lot of the goals I had when I was younger. But, if I’m honest, I also have to say that the most meaningful aspirations I had were never verbalized, never written down, never shared with anyone. That’s probably why I was never big on resolutions: I’m too private. I know the goals I’ve met, and I’m proud of them. But I also know which ones I can kiss good-bye with a full heart and no reservations.

Something tells me that 2026 will be a time for quiet introspection for me. A time to write what I love – and only what I love. A time for letting go. A time for trust. A time for reconnecting with old friends and family. A time for peace, and – hopefully – the happiness that comes with all that. 

I wish the same for you.

*To follow me on Facebook, you can connect with me on either www.facebook.com/Ronni.Hoessli or www.facebook.com/RosettaDianeAuthor. I look forward to seeing you there!

To purchase a copy of WHISPERS THROUGH TIME (2021): https://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Through-Rosetta-Diane-Hoessli-ebook/dp/B098278M38/

To purchase a copy of TIP THE PIANO MAN (2024): https://www.amazon.com/Tip-Piano-Rosetta-Diane-Hoessli-ebook/dp/B0CW19VFR4/

Thank you so much!