It's 2026, now what?
12 lessons to head into the new year with.
I think 2025 was a year that will be easily remembered for the not-so-pretty things.
It’s a year where you probably lost friends, discovered passion, let go of something important to you, and learned the intricacies of being alone. But, I think this year was especially needed despite all of the hardships. The lessons I learned below are the exact reason this last year was special.
Do not take for granted the people who include you in their lives.
Allow yourself to make mistakes without regretting them.
Don’t spend any more time stressing yourself out.
Follow what you love to do and do it when you don’t feel like it.
Visit your grandparents.
Don’t measure your worth by having a significant other.
Learn how to have fun / allow yourself to have fun.
Always give no matter how little you have
Understand you are where you are for a reason.
Not everyone has to be your friend.
Post what you want, it’s your life.
Make the best out of the worst.
These lessons are the most significant things I took away from last year, and all of them were learned as a product of extremely tough situations. I learned how to post what I want after getting laughed at for making motivational videos. I realized how much I stressed myself out over nothing after having a mid-semester breakdown, and I learned the importance of good friends after being around people who don’t care about me.
So now, when I think of 2026, I see the opportunity to live the life I fully want, that I spent the whole last year designing. My dad always tells me, “Son, you aren’t supposed to have it all figured out right now”. It’s one of the most reassuring yet hard things to hear, because I want it to be figured out. But now I know, the harder you try to force something that isn’t there or speed up the process of life, the worse your life will become.
So, how about for 2026, we embrace not having it all figured out?
We travel places that open our eyes to new cultures, we hang out with the people who want us around, and we realize that life stops for no one, meaning it’s our job to make ourselves happy.
Cheers to a new year.