It’s a new year. 2026 has come, one of our former DACC gals hopefully commented, with 365 new possibilities. How do you tackle the flip of the calendar? Resolutions? Rebellion against resolutions? Same-old, same-old?

New Year resolutions with a twist

I’m not much for resolutions at the beginning of the year. Long experience (I’ve had almost 55 calendar flips, now) tells me if I’m not resolved to sort myself out in March or August, I probably won’t have stickier stick-to-it zazz in January. But I am a wonder-er. I reflect (ruminate – unproductively?) a lot. Consider. Get curious about. Was I grateful for the goings-on of 2018, and will I learn from the wobbly, worrisome bits? Did I grow in generosity? In inclusion and understanding? Is my thinking smaller than it was a year ago? More expansive?

And who will I mature into in 2026? Will I have suffering or crisis thrust into my life? Will my choices bring those things down on my family? This new year, will I choose to live with Goodness and courage, or will I make excuses for a life that is small and withholding and afraid?

I wonder.

Letting go – and holding on – in the New Year

A friend posted her new year hopes on Facebook,

“After sitting back and hiding for a number of years I’m going to do something different this year…I’m not going to focus on changing my life or better myself, or eliminate the negative things or people in my world. You will NEVER succeed in doing that. I’m going to do my best to look at others, to try to see things differently, and give of myself and my time to help others. This is hard for me because I am extremely comfortable in my bubble…”

Instagram had a reminder the other day:

Maybe

Let it go

Isn’t always

the answer.

Maybe sometimes,

the answer is

let it be.

~E. Grace~

When to let it be, and when to let it go, in 2026

There are some worries and wonderings we’re just not meant to carry: hate, shame, pettiness, the endless comparison to our Others. G’head. Let those go. Just open your hands, picture the thing that is keeping you stuck and holding you down, and invite the winds of life to do what you cannot. To blow that clear off your unclenched palms.

But some things won’t be let go of. They are things that simply are: a grief that has marked us for life. An illness that is chronic and forever. A child that is wandering. A parent that is abusive in his brokenness. The weather, the financial markets, the inevitability of daylight savings time. Sometimes life is just happening to us. No amount of resolve or positivity is going to alter the thing that simply Is. G’head. Sit with these. Just open your hands, picture the thing that is happening to you, over which you just have zero control at all, and invite the winds of life to do what you cannot. To encircle that “Let it be” constant in a comfort and courage all its own.

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This is do-able!

For a solid article on how to get those resolutions off on the right track this year, check out,  Achievement unlocked! Use science to keep your new year’s resolutions. (Linda Geddes, December 6 2015, from The Guardian)

“…for behaviour change to occur, people must have the capability, opportunity and motivation to make it happen. Often people aren’t making resolutions for the right reasons, says Gardner: “They think that because it’s new year, they’re obliged to say they’ll change their behaviour. But once they face the reality of what they’re doing, they give up because they aren’t motivated enough in the first place.”

The article goes on to note,

“Say 20(25) is the year you plan to write a novel. First, you need to identify good situations in which to initiate your writing: it could be whenever your partner goes out to their gym class. But you also need to plan what to do if your best friend calls and suggests you meet for lunch instead. Gollwitzer calls this “if-then planning”: if X happens, then I will do Y.

If this, then that

…people are two to three times more likely to achieve their goals if they use an “if-then” plan; this goes for all sorts of goals, from weight loss to using more public transport.”

Your new year’s resolutions may just the thing to tackle some questionable habits that need a little re-working. If that’s the case, here’s to your strong success in 2017!

And in defense of a little peace of mind…

On the other hand,

“…Sometimes there’s a very good reason why we’re not slimmer/fitter/richer/nicer than we already are. And that’s because, if we’re completely honest with ourselves, we don’t really need to be.“

What if we begin this new year with an aim to be kind and curious? Kind and curious about our own peculiarities. Curious and kind about the differences between ourselves and each other!

Perhaps we can set to a year of being a little awe-struck by the rarities we find in the world. Nothing will disarm judgment and hatred more quickly than wonder and curiosity. 

Let your own instinctive generosity be your guide

Just this past Christmas season we had some of the best 5 star feedback! It was a reminder of what inspires us to do the work we do year after year. A donor for the Alzheimer Society wrote,

“‘Donate a Car Canada’! What a wonderful collection of folks to deal with – a high class institution. The whole transaction was, without a doubt…one of those nice experiences in life without stress or drama. The car was donated to the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia. Very much appreciated all the terrific people I interacted with, too…Thank you so much!!!”

With over 80,000 Canadian charities working to serve the people of Canada year ’round, starting 2026 with a resolve to help them keep helping is generous indeed!

Vehicle donation is just one way to do that, of course. As the calendar flips to 2026, check in with the charities you love and sow seeds of support, goodness, and lovingkindness. If we do anything self-helpy in the year ahead, let it be a united resolve to simply do a little good, a little at a time.

Whatever your situation, may 2026 be a year of peace, good health, and much love for you and yours!

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