When you want to share your opinion, do you feel free to speak your mind? If yes, is it difficult to refrain from sharing your opinion? Are you passive in your communication? Is it so difficult to stand up for your own rights that you would rather let others step on your rights and boundaries? Are you aggressive in your communication? Will you stand up for yourself and speak your mind no matter what, even when you step on other people’s boundaries or rights? Are you acting passive-aggressively in your relationships? You don’t tell people what you really think but you judge them silently, roll your eyes at their actions or words, avoid them, drop them, ghost them, unfriend and block them on social media or from your real life circle of friends? Please share if you wish to.

The only way I can avoid making mistakes is to do nothing. The more I do, the more mistakes I make, because mistakes are a natural part of learning. The only way to improve the success rate in anything I do is by practicing. I cannot have excellent results from the first few times I started something new: a habit, a project, a relationship, a job, etc. Excellence comes with months or years of practice, depending on how complex the new skill is, on how great a mentor we have guiding us, on our self-discipline, on how vast is our genetic potential, and on many other factors. I admire people who move on and try again when they make a mistake. Only those who do nothing at all can avoid the risk of failure. Yet, failure and mistakes are just names for words describing stepping stones to success and fulfillment. They can be “new mentors”, if we allow them.

Is it just another day? Is is happy? Is it sad? Is it bittersweet? Is it bringing our expectations high from our romantic partners or spouses? Do we brace up for disappointment? Are we scared to look at the fancy chocolates on the store shelves, because sugar and chocolate are calling our name and forget our New Year’s resolutions for avoidance or moderation of certain addictive food substances? Are you going to a party with friends? Are you enjoying a day by yourself in your own company and glad you don’t have to give your time and attention to another person? Please share, if you’d like to.

What is one word that encompasses your intention for 2026? For the month? For the week or day? Mine is REST. R-E-S-T. It’s the one thing I wanted to get more of last year but didn’t. I continued to overcommit; to underestimate my reserves of energy, time and money it would take to keep my commitments to others and to myself. These are the questions I plan to ask myself more and more, meditate upon and journal about: How can I do less, rest more, and accept my limits, so I can be more relaxed and savor the little joys in my life? How can make more time for things, people and activities that I love and enjoy in my life, those that make life even more worthwhile? Please share your own thoughts if you’d like.

Thank you for joining! When you feel ready, please feel free to share about how you gained or maintained a healthy habit that helps you. Otherwise, it is fine to just check out other posts.