Ringing in the New year with goals & Rest

January is not the time our bodies want to start going to the gym, or make new goals. Or thinking about how we can drastically change our lives. January for our bodies is....rest. A time to allow ourselves to sleep a little more. For me, I fall into the trap of the "resolution" and that is ok. I just have to remind myself that goal setting is wonderful and is equally as important as rest.

I live in New England. It's cold here. Like really cold. We have had a doosy of a winter; snow storms, ice storms, frigid temperatures. As my partner likes to say; "its not the cold that gets you, it's the wind". Then we laugh at the fact that we sound like boomers. Speaking of which,

I am turning 40 this year. Its really a shifting mindset into what I want the next decade to look like. I have children who are almost grown. I spent much of my younger years raising them, with little resources or chances to focus on what I wanted. It seems like this year I am realizing that it is time to focus on the goals that can help make my future self more joyful.

Lets not beat around the bush. Its hard out there. Housing costs. Food Costs. Health insurance Costs. Daycare costs. You name it and it has gone up. My little entrepreneurial heart is beating though, and its pushing me to reach for the impossible. I grew up poor, and I knew my life goal would be to give a better life to my children, which is why I chose nursing. It took me 8 years, 2 classes a semester for 6 years and a 2 year associates degree nursing program to get my nursing license. I went back and got my Bachelors degree a few years after graduation. Nursing was a tool for me to elevate myself and my family out of poverty.

Now that I have been at this for the better part of a decade, I am reaching higher to all the possibilities of business ownership. I am figuring out how to get out of working 7p-7a and just surviving. My goals this year are big. And small. I just joined my local YMCA and I am starting a new fitness journey. I am committed to the health of my body in a new way. I am realizing that I can make my financial dreams come true. And when it's January, I will also learn to honor myself by resting.

So here's to a New Year, 2026, the year of The horse. We shall rest, we shall work, we shall feel joy, and we shall persevere through the hardships to come. May you all welcome this year with a focus on self, rest, and rejuvenation.

Rest, my friend, for in shorter days, come longer days, and sunshine for us all.