Happy New Year!
This is our first Unsubscribe of the year, and it hit me without warning, unscripted and unplanned. I didn’t really want to hear this message, but here we go.
Unsubscribe from getting things right.
Honestly, I kind of hate this one. I really like to get things right because it makes me feel competent, worthy, valuable and basically just good about myself. It’s a check mark. It’s evidence that I’m good.
What’s always been way harder is to allow myself to get things wrong — and learn from it without beating myself up. But I’ve been practicing the past few years, and it’s actually getting more freeing and more fun.
So, here’s how 2026 is going for me so far…
My grand vision for 2026 was clear in my mind: less stress, more ease, a calmer nervous system, a clean break from burnout, finally taking care of myself, working at a reasonable pace. All of it.
And then… Day 1 back at work.
Same old patterns: Over-scheduling, over-expecting, a shit-ton of hours, worked through lunch, totally on productivity autopilot, no real wind-down time and then the inevitable - a terrible sleep.
Face-plant. On day one.
Sleep is always my barometer, and it told the truth immediately: I was already way off course.
I woke up annoyed with myself. Then I reflected and regrouped. By the time I was walking the dog that morning, I was laughing about it — not because it didn’t matter, but because it did. It was important information.
That’s the invitation for this year.
Stop trying to get it right.
Let yourself get it wrong.
Notice what happens. Learn from it.
Adjust.
Begin again.
Do it with compassion and humour.
So if you don’t nail it in 2026…
If you fall back into old habits…
If your nervous system sends you a loud signal…
Okay. Pay attention. Recalibrate. Keep going.
The world doesn’t need our perfection. It needs our honesty, curiosity, kindness and willingness to start over — as many times as necessary.
There is something so beautifully human about loving ourselves (and each other) through the face-plants, laughing about it, and moving on.
Happy New Year.
— Belinda
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