My Theme for 2026 Is “Reset”
I like to choose a word or phrase to start any new year out with. 2026 is “reset.”
I didn’t choose reset because I wanted a fresh aesthetic or a catchy word for the year. In fact, I didn’t choose the word at all…it chose me.
2024 (yes, two years ago) quietly marked the beginning of a downward spiral I didn’t recognize right away. I lost my sense of direction. My vision went fuzzy. The things I once cared deeply about – my work, my goals, the future – felt strangely distant.
I wasn’t sad in a way that made sense.
I wasn’t angry.
I just… didn’t really care.
Throughout the year, and well into 2025, I reached a point where I felt numb.
Not burned down.
Not dramatic.
Just empty.
And that scared me more than exhaustion ever had.
The Perfect Storm I Didn’t See Coming
In therapy, it was described to me as a perfect storm.
Not one big thing – but a series of losses and transitions layered over time, most of which I had no control over.
- Menopause, with all the physical and emotional shifts no one prepares you for
- My dad’s death in 2020, grief that never fully resolved before life demanded I keep moving
- Watching my young adult son struggle to find his footing in the world – and carrying the quiet weight of that as a parent
- Disappointments that accumulated without closure
- Responsibility that never paused long enough for processing
None of these things happened all at once.
They stacked.
And somewhere along the way, my nervous system decided the safest option was to shut down emotionally.
Numbness Isn’t Laziness – It’s Self-Protection
For a long time, I questioned myself.
Why couldn’t I just push through?
Why did ambition feel gone?
Why did success feel meaningless?
Why did everything feel flat?
What I eventually learned is this:
Numbness isn’t apathy. It’s protection.
It’s what happens when your system has carried too much for too long without space to grieve, integrate, or rest.
And no amount of discipline, strategy, or “getting back on track” fixes that.
Why I’m Not Forcing a Comeback
I want to be very clear about something.
2026 is not my “bounce back” year.
It’s not my “hustle again” year.
It’s not about proving resilience.
It’s about honesty.
I’m not interested in reviving a version of myself that survived by pushing past her limits.
I’m interested in meeting who I am now – after loss, after change, after seasons that reshaped me whether I wanted them to or not.
That’s where reset comes in.
What Reset Actually Means to Me
Reset doesn’t mean erasing the past.
It means:
- Letting go of expectations built for an earlier version of myself
- Releasing roles, structures, and commitments that no longer fit
- Allowing grief, change, and transition to have a voice
- Creating space before creating vision
- Rebuilding energy before rebuilding plans
Reset is permission to start again without pretending nothing happened.
Using 2026 to Start Anew – Intentionally
2026 is my year to begin again – not from emptiness, but from truth.
Truth about what I’ve carried.
Truth about what I’m done carrying.
Truth about what kind of life and work I want moving forward.
This isn’t about rushing clarity.
It’s about creating conditions where clarity can return.
Reset gives me room to:
- Reconnect with what actually matters now
- Design a business that supports my life – not competes with it
- Rebuild vision from alignment, not obligation
- Honor the seasons I’ve walked through instead of minimizing them
If You’re in a Similar Place
If you’ve felt numb…
If your drive disappeared without explanation…
If life handed you changes you didn’t choose…
If you’re tired in a way rest doesn’t solve…
Please hear this:
You’re not broken.
You’re not behind.
You’re not failing.
You may simply be in a season where reset is wiser than push.
Starting anew doesn’t mean you wasted what came before.
It means you’re choosing to continue—differently.
For me, 2026 isn’t about becoming someone new.
It’s about coming back to myself—slowly, honestly, and on purpose.
And that feels like the most grounded beginning I could choose.