Happy New Year ✨

This is my first blog post of the year, and I’m genuinely excited to be writing to you. I hope 2026 has started gently for you and it’s moving along at your pace. I hope you’re finding moments to be kind to yourself as you ease into the year.

Over the years, I’ve shared different kinds of New Year posts. Some focused on goal-setting. Others were filled with reflections, letters, and gentle nudges meant to guide and ground us. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I want this post to serve as a reminder by revisiting a few of those earlier pieces. Looking back, it’s comforting (and a little surreal) to see how relevant those words still are.

In 9 Goal-Setting Guidelines to Help You Achieve Your New Year Goals, I talked about setting SMART goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—while also emphasizing honesty, belief, and self-awareness. If you set goals every year but struggle to follow through, this post might help you. It could encourage you to rethink how you approach them.

In Dear 2023: A Letter to You, I wrote a letter to myself, outlining everything I hoped for and wished to experience that year. I revisited it often, and it kept me grounded and motivated. It’s a practice I’ve adopted every year since. Maybe—just maybe—I’ll share my letter to 2026 here too (fingers crossed). I encourage you to try it. Give yourself a deadline, write honestly, and resist the urge to keep editing it. The imperfection is what makes it powerful and deeply personal.

In 9 Tips to Help You Manage Your Finances Better, I shared practical lessons I’ve learnt about saving, investing, and spending wisely. Some of the key themes include honesty (again—it matters), having an accountability partner, planning ahead for holidays, and avoiding the trap of spending money you don’t have. If financial clarity or discipline is one of your goals this year, this post might be a helpful starting point.

In My Wishes For You, I shared a poem filled with hopes—about self-love, courage, healing, purpose, and becoming. If you need a little encouragement, I recommend revisiting it. You can write the lines that resonate with you on sticky notes and place them where you’ll see them often, or copy them into your journal or work notebook as gentle reminders.

I hope this brief trip down memory lane helps you start the year with intention and reassurance. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself. You’re doing better than you think.

And remember: a goal without a plan is just a wish.

Here’s to 2026—a better year for us all 🥂

Warmly,
Mariam Shittu