Dear Reader,
Happy holidays. I hope this season has held moments of rest, laughter, and warmth for you.
I know life can look bleak from certain angles. There is a lot happening in the world and many people are carrying more than they ever imagined they would. But here is the truth that never changes. No one has the power to take what is innate within you. You already carry everything you need to live a meaningful, expansive life, regardless of what this moment looks like.
I have been hearing some difficult stories lately, and I am living through a few of my own. What I know for sure is that we are not doing this alone. There is wisdom that walks with us, strength that surrounds us, and support available when we are willing to receive it. Often what feels like a challenge is actually an invitation. An awakening. A deeper understanding of the life we have been building and the life that is asking to be shaped next.
This season gives us space to create a new vision, to build bridges to new opportunities, and most importantly, to strengthen our relationship with ourselves.
As we move into a new year, I want to offer a different perspective. Instead of declaring New Year, New Me, pause and honor the woman you already are. She has carried you here through uncertainty, disappointment, and seasons without a roadmap. She figured things out in real time. Life may not be perfect, but that is part of its beauty. Every crack has taught you something. Every hard moment has grown your capacity.
Your relationships may not look the way you hoped. You may dread going to work. You may replay moments wishing you had done better as a mother, a partner, a woman finding her way. But let us be honest. You did the best you could with the information, tools, and energy you had at the time. And compared to most people I know, you have done exceptionally well.
So instead of only celebrating a new year, celebrate yourself. Celebrate your resilience. Celebrate the way you stayed gracious when others were not. The way you gave generously even when it would have been easier to pull back. The way you loved anyway, even when love was not returned. That is not weakness. That is mastery.
And here is the most important truth of all. If your life is not bringing you joy, you have the power to change it. Everything can shift with one decision. The decision to do the work. The decision to become the woman you have been quietly imagining.
You get to move from obligation to adventure. From performing strength to living fully. From surviving to building something of your own. We grew up in a time when choices were limited. Today, your experience, knowledge, and wisdom give you access to something different. You can release what no longer serves you and build a life that reflects who you are now.
This journey belongs to you, but you do not have to walk it alone. Ask for help. Seek guidance. Find community. Do not stay attached to who you used to be if it means shrinking the woman you are becoming. This is not about age. It is about energy.
So go be expansive. Be visible. Be bold in your own quiet way. Know that you were born to live freely and fully.
As you step into this new year, remember that you are already enough. You already have what you need to become her. Name her. Envision her. Begin showing up as her, one step at a time.
This next season is not about doing more. It is about being aligned with what your heart has been asking for. Take it slow. Breathe. Stay present. Trust that the seeds you have planted are ready to bloom.
Like a rose in spring, this is your season of unfolding.
Sending you love. Hit reply and tell me your biggest wish for 2026.
With warmth,
Monica Wisdom