At the start of 2025, I didn’t set any traditional resolutions or goals.
Instead, I created two lists: Fun Ideas and Mantras. I wanted the year to feel light and flexible, more about (enjoyable) rhythms and activities than checkboxes and outcomes.
We’re officially nearing the end of 2025 and I figured it was time to see how things went!
Fun Ideas
Have pumpkin pie (or some other dessert) for breakfast. Done. I crossed this one off on January 1st when I had leftover peanut butter cheesecake for breakfast. This “goal” was inspired by Kelsey at Rising*Shining. All these years I’ve been missing out on one of the true joys of adulthood—I now have the ability to choose to eat dessert for breakfast. (I also realize I ate dessert for breakfast almost daily in Paris. No regrets.)- Organize a progressive supper with friends. I still love the idea, but ended up having no desire to actually plan this. Maybe another year?
Try Dr. Pepper for the first time. Done. Meh. Won’t need to have it again.Don’t wear clothes that are too tight or are otherwise uncomfortable.I am going to call this a win. There were occassionally times where I realized I’d left the house with something mildly uncomfortable, but very rarely. If something doesn’t fit, I move on to more forgiving clothes that do! One exception is my snow pants. They are a bit too snug these days but I LOVE them and don’t have a backup set.Watch The Court Jester.Success! I did this and it was hilarious and fun. Bonus points because I got to watch it with Joy and Birchie!!!
Buy cuticle cream. Done. I went with cuticle oil. It hasn’t been life-changing, but it works well enough.
Buy a new, thick, oversized yoga mat for the basement. It wasn’t new, it isn’t overly thick, and it’s not oversized, but I bought a cute pink mat second-hand and it has been great. It has held up very well, it’s comfortable, and I used it dozens of times without any signs of wear. Bonus, I also bought a yoga bag at a thrift store and I LOVE it!Do a deep declutter of the house each quarter.I didn’t end up specifically tracking this but it happens naturally. I hate clutter and yet it seems to enter my house at an alarming pace (*cough, cough* KIDS).
Do something fun with my blog.Between FIGs, guest posts, Cool Bloggers Walking Club, partnering with Sarah and Sprouted Planners for a giveaway, and starting a Patreon community, this one feels like a solid Done.
Meet a blogger in real life.Oh my goodness, this one got knocked OUT OF THE PARK! Suzanne (in Paris, no less)!!! Birchie, SHU, and Kae all. here. in. Nova Scotia!!! Bonus: I also met How to Money Matt’s in-laws (who were soooo sweet!!).
I even hung up a shelf BY MYSELF to display our Paris skyline LEGO.
Frame the art we purchased in Barcelona and Portugal.Done. Bonus? I’ve displayed them even though “frame” was the goal, so I’m awarding myself some gold stars for going above and beyond.
Go to the movie theatre as a family.We all went to see Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. Bonus points because I took the kids + some family friends to see The Fantastic Four on an oppressively hot summer day. (Both visits were on cheap day, obvs.)- Buy and put up outside lights for Christmas 2025. I didn’t really do anything special outside. I made some baskets of greenery and you can see our tree through the window. That feels like enough.
Walk daily in April and October.Yes and yes! I hosted two rounds of Cool Bloggers Walking Club. Thanks to everyone who participated. I definitely walked more than I would have without this daily prompt.
Send at least one piece of “snail mail” each month.Done!! But the real gold star in this situation goes to all the people who helped fill my own box with snail mail in 2025. It is a delight each and every time. The pictures above are a tiny sample of the postcards and personal notes I received and a sincere thank you to everyone for participating in this delightful mode of communication.Create a Happy Song playlist.Done(ish). Turns out I don’t like listening to the same songs for months. I obsess over a track, play it on repeat, and then move on. My “Liked Songs” playlist has become my rotating Happy Song list. Works for me!Eat chocolate-mint flavoured gelato (or artisanal ice cream).Done. I got mint-chocolate ice cream a few times over the summer.Grow out my hair.Done. Just a tiny trim twice in 2025.
Leave encouraging (anonymous) notes in library books when I return them.Done(ish). I did it a few times, but called it quits once it started feeling tedious. (Permission granted; see below.)Spend a few hours working at my favourite coffee shop at least once each month.I am literally writing this from my favourite cafe and it is snowing outside and I’m listening to Christmas music and because I’m here I can officially cross this off the list!
And not that it matters, but my “score” is 18/20.
Now on to mantras…
Mantras
These aren’t rules, just tweaks to my mindset. I’d say the demerit in all of this is not having my mantras written down in an obvious place (they were in my planner but not in a spot I saw them very often). So it was easy to forget about them.
- Let it be easy. I made a conscious effort to look for the easy way to do things that were feeling hard.
- Lean in. Embrace. (People, the current moment. All of it.) I think so?
- Choose the bigger life. We’re planning to go to Europe for 3+ months so…I’ll say I leaned in (see above) and we’re choosing the bigger life!
- Gratitude, not guilt. Getting better at this but honestly still pretty rubbish at it…
- Rest is part of the process. I had some excellent nap in 2025!
- Is this still fun? Possibly my favourite mantra. I’ve been thinking about this A LOT at the end of the year and it really does make a difference in my decision making.
- The scroll can wait. This is a mixed bag. Sometimes I’m great at putting down my phone. A lot of the time I am not.
- Celebrate “good enough”. I still need this reminder.
- Taking a nap is a job well done. See above.
- It’s okay to say No. Sometimes I find it too easy to say No—it’s a balance between “Choose the bigger life” and “Rest is part of the process.“ Either way, I’ve said No to a lot of things this year.
Your turn.
- What are you most happy to have accomplished or experienced in 2025?
- What are 5 FUN things you hope to do in 2026?
- Is there a mantra or mindset you want to carry into the new year?
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You accomplished so much! And the two you didn’t quite do don’t seem like a big deal- what seemed like an important goal last Dec wasn’t so interesting/imperative later on. You deserve all the gold stars!
I think my goal is survival, again. Some things weighing me down last year have eased, but some new challenges arose. No fun plans- I’m not very good at fun anymore. My mantra? Still profanity laced. But given that I’m writing this at two am, perhaps my mindset isn’t the best. I think I’ll go with Good enough is enough.. I’m looking at some big things, and I’m want to work them out but don’t need to be perfect. Life needs flexibility, and holding out for perfection or knowing every answer isn’t helpful. Just have to convince some other people of this. Or maybe I’m just compromising principles and setting the bar too low? It’s hard to discern ( esp in the middle of the night!).
Thankfully, none of my goals were “important” or “stressful.” Though a blog reader pointed out to me yesterday that we do have outdoor lights around our shed, so maybe my score is more like 18.5/20? I didn’t even think to count them because they are up year-round.
Some seasons of life are all about survival. That is such a hard, exhausting place to be in. I hope there are glimmers or hope and light. I do think that fun can become a bit of a mindset and might even need to be reframed. What things bring comfort and joy. Maybe you schedule time each week to get a take-out tea and bring back and cuddle with your cats? Or maybe you treat yourself to one new book each quarter? Something that feels a bit lighter?
How frustrating to have some things get easier and other things become more oppressive. Sorry, friend. That’s really, really hard.
I think most people who show up in the comment section of this blog have high bars and we could all likely stand to lower them a bit to be kinder to ourselves. Good enough IS enough!
That’s a fantastic hit rate on your goals list! I’m with you on dropping goals that just don’t end up resonating. I love your collection of artwork from your travels—such a great momento. We have done some wonderful travel this year, and I think out of the races I did, City to Surf was the most memorable. Next year we are going to Kangaroo Island for our anniversary, which I’m pretty excited about.
I feel like we have too much artwork these days…so maybe we’ll try to just bring home pictures (which end up in the photobook) from our trip to Europe??
Kangaroo Island. I’ve never heard of it but immediately fell in love based on the name alone. Please promise you’ll send me pictures!!!
18 out of 20 is a big WIN! Such a fun and light way to set “goals” for a year.
My favourite has to be dessert for breakfast… I eat the weirdest stuff out of my fridge in the morning (hummus, yoghurt and sauerkraut this morning). I wouldn’t mind cheesecake for a change! Love the blogger meet-ups!
For 2026, I’m looking forward to my races and a few hikes that we are planning to do. For you, it will no doubt be your Europe experience!
Cheesecake for breakfast comes HIGHLY recommended. Plus, there’s protein, right?!
I am sure Europe will feature heavily in my yearly review in 2026. I haven’t decided if I want to set any “goals” around the trip or not. Stay tuned…
You must be so excited about London!! What an accomplishment. Also, I’m holding on to hope we’ll be able to coordinate to meet up in Zurich at some point. How cool would that be???
18 of 20 gets an A for sure! I thought I was going to miss my goal of hosting a holiday party but now my entire extended family is coming over on the 25th. I will do some sort of Christmas cocktail with sugar on the glass…
I do love an A!
I love how nonchalant you are about having your entire extended family over ON CHRISTMAS DAY. The thought alone might make me break out in hives. I have no doubt you will make it wonderfully festive and enjoyable for all.
Wooo! you’ve accomplished a lot! I’d be surprised I’ve done half of my 25 list. my mantra in 2025 was to embrace the change and uncertainty as we changed country, school, work environment, and all.
You had a lot of change in 2025! I am always so impressed with the ease with which you seem to transition into new working and living environments. You’re inspirational, Coco <3
Wow! All the gold stars to you for doing so much on your list! I did 25 in ‘25 and will cross off 22 items which I feel good about. 2025 was not my favorite to say the least so it’s good to have this list to remind me it wasn’t all bad.
Things I am looking forward to in 2026 are my spring break trip to DC with Paul, our annual lake vacation in August, the kid free week after that trip when we come back home and the kids stay with my parents and Will starting K. That’s only 4 times but I can’t think of a 5th at the moment…
Okay, let’s call a spade a spade: one of my “goals” was to eat dessert for breakfast. It’s not like I was aiming to hike Mount Kilimanjaro (I must stop to note I managed to spell this correctly on my first try which feels like a goal in and of itself). Drinking Dr. Pepper is a pretty low bar to clear 😉
But IT WAS FUN. Which was the point.
Your 2025 was a bit of a poop show and I am so sorry for everything you’ve had to go through. Did you have surgery in January?? I’m losing track. Ugh. What a year. Your ornament is perfect.
Onward and upward to 2026 I say <3
18/20 FTW!!! What a great year!
I never wrote them down, but my big goals for 2025 were to go to CA, BC, and NS to meet my friends IRL, and to retire. Done, done, done, and done! I also said the word “no” a lot, which was a big part of how these goals were achieved.
On a smaller level, based purely on seeing The Court Jester, I have a short term goal to watch White Christmas before December 25. I’ve never seen it.
My goal for 2026 is to start writing these goals down. I know that I have more than 5 fun things that I want to do, but the only one that is coming to mind is that I saw what looked like an epic food mart about 30 minutes from where I live on Instagram, and I have a friend who I know will be willing to check it out with me. So in the doldrums of January we’ll have a fun lunch.
Yay for all those goals AND you got to see all those bloggy friends before retirement which makes it all seem even more epic.
Wait you’ve never seen White Christmas?? I feel like you need to get on a flight post haste so we can watch this together. Danny Kaye’s facial expressions slay me.
I hope the fun food mart ends up being a rousing success of an adventure! Always fun when an adventure also happens to be delicious.
I like lists of fun things and mantras! That would work better for me than more formal goals. i would say you REALLY nailed the blogging goals! And you’re reminding me to send out more snail mail. i have an assignment from Engie- when she sent my Christmas gift, she sent along a bunch of blank (unwritten) postcards with the instructions to send them out this year!
It seems like a lot of people had a difficult time in 2025, so yes- onward and upward to 2026!
2025 was a rough one for so many people in so many ways. And, more broadly, it was a pretty awful year in terms of geopolitics and acts of violence. Sigh. Onward and upward indeed <3
I love getting snail mail and your Christmas card was especially sweet!!!
You did great with your list! I particularly like the comfy clothes piece. I slowly switched out my wardrobe so I am now the same way! Choosing the bigger life is a great mantra.
Lots of fun things in 2025, and I have a lot to look forward to in 2026! Launching Inhale Exhale, and I’m writing another so hopefully I will finish the first draft in 2026. We have lots of travel planned, really big trips, so I’m looking forward to that as well.
You have so much coming up for you, Nicole!!!!! I love that you and Rob are very much living bigger lives in retirement. Seeing the world, PUBLISHING A BOOK. Wowzers. All the gold stars for that.
I just realized that I honestly haven’t started my 2026 goals. I’m still focused on my 2025 goals (can I sneak any in before the end of the year?!).
Five fun things to do in 2026:
Girls trip with Bestest Friend
Visit my friends in Michigan
Go to a national park with my husband
Go to a fitness class I’ve never gone to before
Make homemade ice cream
Let’s go!
All of those sound very fun…and adventurous! Go, Engie!!!
What a great list! I have really mixed feelings about goals. I think even a fun list like this would stress me out, haha! That being said, I do like the goal setting and reflection process from time to time.. I always end the year saying I want to have MORE fun. We are frugal and disciplined and not always so great at just having fun! I really want to go on a little overnight stay at a state park for my daughter’s spring break this year. We shall see!
Goals can be so stressful and that’s why I stopped making “improvement” goals.
It can be really hard to have fun, especially when being mindful of finances and with little kids in the house. Kids are exhausting and their fun is not always fun for adults!!!
The spring break idea sounds like a great place to start. Maybe your “goal” could be one overnight stay in the year?
Yes I had surgery on 1/10 and while it was mostly successful, my hand will never be the same. I keep meaning to do an update post but will probably wait until the 1y anniversary. It’s kind of a sad trombone situation.
Sad trombone, indeed 🙁
I’m so sorry, my friend! 2025 was a dumpster fire…
Setting goals makes me feel pressured and like a loser when I don’t push through to complete things. Most of what I want to accomplish depends on other people who don’t care as much as I do. So I make lists, try to take baby-steps toward the goals, and if they get done, I’m actually surprised.
The top good things for 2025 were:
1. finally convincing my Mom that since she is no longer driving, her car was a burden to my sister, and then I was able to go get it. The way the logistics worked out were definitely orchestrated by Divine Intervention. (Never mind about how much I miss my old car. . . tryna be grateful here!)
2. finally visiting my Texas friend when she was at her family’s California home 3-1/2 hours away; for years her visits overlapped with my busiest times, but this year I got to see her twice! (Having a more reliable car helped too.)
3. thinking my annual friends reunion at a lakeside cabin wasn’t going to happen, and then the cabinowner’s plans changed and we were all together there after all!
4. our struggling pastor resigned, and it looks as if we have found the right new pastor, in just 3 months, when last time it took 2-1/2 years. (see my “mantra” —it is getting me through this process and angst of being on the Search Committee.)
5. beginning a mural that had been promised to me 3 years ago and then got hung up in red tape and bureaucracy.
Listing things like this helps alleviate Loserish feelings. Thank you!
Mantra for 2026: Trust God.
A great point that sometimes our goals butt up against other people’s inclinations. That’s hard!!!
It’s wonderful to reflect back and see progress being made is different areas of our life. Sometimes the “gains” can feel small but at the end of the year, major things can be accomplished.
And skipping goals while also scheduling in a bit of time to write down “ta-da’s” each month can be a great way to stay inspired to tackle various projects.
Trust God. Can’t get much simpler, clearer, or more fundamental than that. I approve!
You did amazing and I love the concept of your “goals” lists! I’ve been mulling over maybe trying to do something similar for 2026- maybe only a handful of real goals and then another handful of purely more fun type goals? Not sure yet!! But you did a great job all around! I think the amount of hosting you did this year deserves extra gold stars and a lot of credit, too. That’s the sort of thing that doesn’t necessarily get highlighted, as it can kind of fall into the background, but that took a LOT of time, mental energy, physical energy!, and all the rest. And we were so grateful to you! Even my dad, after reading the blog recaps of my time in NS, commented to me, “Wow, your friend Elisabeth really went above and beyond to host you guys!”
Awww. That is so kind. There are definitely things that weren’t on my “fun” list that feel like major accomplishments (deciding to go to Europe, hosting my brother, SIL…and then my sister and niece, my FIL twice, Caroline, you, SHU).
Tell your parents if they ever come to Nova Scotia, I would love to be their private tour guide <3
I’m not sure what I achieved in 2025 other than still being here. But took to heart your writing down a list of things to achieve for 2026. I have 8 so far and will add to that as I think of things. One of the big things is to go on holiday and have an enjoyable time away. We might make it to France and, who knows, see you in Paris. I’m still hoping for Amiens and that area, I love it round there.
I might also take up baking again and dig out the stand mixer after reading Nicole’s recent post!
As for clothes? At this point I need a new wardrobe. I lost 35 Ibs this summer/autumn. I definitely feel a shopping trip coming on.
Honestly, still being here is the most important thing. Everything else is superfluous.
PARIS! Eeks. How exciting.
I hope the shopping experience is fun. A chance to embrace some whimsy or cozy vibes, or whatever it is you’re feeling inspired to do as you update your wardrobe.
You did really well on your goals and mantras. The best thing I experienced this year was seeing all the sights in Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend were on my travel bucket list and they both lived up to my expectations. I’m most looking forward to more travel (it will be our 40th wedding anniversary next summer) and hopefully more concerts than we experienced this year. We have two lined up for the Springs, so there’s hope. At this point in my life, I just want to experience as much fun as I can while my brain and legs still work.
You saw some incredible sights in 2025 and I love that you and your husband have more planned.
NOW is the only time we’re guaranteed, so I think it’s wonderful you’re embracing the current season of life and leaning into all the opportunities while they’re available and you’re able to enjoy them. Gold stars <3
What a wonderful post, Elisabeth! You did so well on your goals! And your matras are so good, I’m going to write them all down and use them in 2026!
Awww! I am touched!
Oh how I love this idea! I have written down vague/ambiguous “goals” for my years before, and I always pick a Word of the Year, but I love this idea so much that now I’m going to mull it over and see what I can do 🙂
2025: I got chickens! I got back into crochet and have discovered that doing something with my hands can settle my mind as well as reading. I grew flowers to sell “on purpose” and it was a small success/encouragement that I can do this.
2025 sounds like it was full of wonderful things (I love your book cover crochet squares), and I can’t wait to hear what you come up with for a word of the year.
Love this post, well done on doing so much on your fun list. 2025 we painted our master bedroom white, took two fun trips with kids, bought a new car, saw lots of family, and had the best day at a music festival with my mum. Next year 5 fun things I’d like to do is: paint my nails fun colours, try a few new restaurants, go to the movies, start a regular family games night, and take the kids on one fun afternoon after school adventure each week.
All of your fun things SOUND FUN, Sophie. I love it <3
And you packed a lot into 2025, as well. Gold stars!
18/20!!! Elisabeth, you’ve been knocking your list out of the park! I love it. I guess it really pays off to check in with your list often and to set achievable goals that you’re excited to accomplish! I am most excited about the fact that you met so many Cool Bloggers in real life!
My favorite mantra has been “I don’t have to, I get to”…. and it applies to exercise (and life!). I needed that reminder a lot this year and probably also in 2026, depending on how this goes..
Enjoyed this muchly, Elisabeth. You did well 🙂
<3
Wow – 18/20 is impressive! WAY TO GO! I haven’t looked at my list of 2025 goals in quite a while, so I’m in for a rude awakening soon.
I am most happy to have accomplished moving to a new apartment! I am so in love with my new place that sometimes I have to pinch myself! And happy to have gone to London, even if the trip didn’t turned out exactly the way we planned.
Five fun things I want to do in 2026… take another cruise, do another reading retreat weekend, decorate my patio, send more snail mail, annnnnd figure out what’s causing my joint issues. (<– not fun, but it will be VERY FUN to not be in pain 24/7)
Yay for a new apartment! I know that has been on your goals list and how wonderful to be able to cross it off AND be happily settled.
Sometimes the least fun goals have the biggest reward. Pain is… not fun, so I can see why getting to the bottom of chronic pain is a VERY important goal for 2026.
Oh wow… you have been crushing your goals list. 18/20. That’s a benchmark.
I obviously need to catch up big time. 3+ month in Europe? Tell me more.
I like your mantras. The husband chose Living Largely for 2026 and it fits your Choose the bigger life.
Living Largely – love it!
Yes, we’re coming to Europe for 3.5 MONTHS!!! And we’re landing in Germany (Munich) 🙂