I’m really excited to share what I’ll be giving up in 2026, because I genuinely feel like this is the year to be brutally honest with myself about what isn’t serving me and to fully commit to letting it go. I try to do this every. single. year., with varying degrees of success. The truth (for me, anyway) is that this kind of honesty is hard. It’s hard to admit that the things you’ve been holding onto – things that feel familiar, even comforting – aren’t actually working the way you need them to.
It’s even harder to acknowledge that making room for the people, opportunities, and experiences that will add real value to your life requires saying “no” to the ones that don’t and then following through on releasing them. That level of change demands both self-honesty and accountability, especially when the pull toward old habits shows up. That’s largely why, as I approach 40, I started making TikToks about the things I refuse to carry into my next decade. It’s been a surprisingly cathartic way to welcome both a new year and a new phase of life.
But I digress…
In 2026, I am done with unnecessary worry – the key word being “unnecessary”. Of course, there are many things that are absolutely worth worrying about, but there are also plenty of things that tend to live rent-free in my head that, if I’m being honest, really don’t need to be there. I’ve spent enough time rehearsing worst-case scenarios that never arrive, carrying responsibility that was never mine to begin with, and mistaking vigilance for virtue. I’m learning to tell the difference between intuition and anxiety, between responsibility and overextension. Not every thought deserves my attention, and not every fear deserves my energy. In 2026, I’m practicing trust – trust in my ability to respond when something actually requires me, and trust in myself to let go when it doesn’t. I’m doing this in an effort to protect my peace so that I may reserve my focus and energy for the things that are truly important while filtering out all the noise. On a human level, this means I show up more present, more regulated, and more grounded. On a professional level, this means that I’m better able to lead with intention rather than reactivity while trusting the process. Spinning my wheels with worry about the things I absolutely cannot change – or even about things that I can change but that simply aren’t urgent – has never been helpful to me. It’s time to let that part of me go.
