When it came time for the inevitable turn of the calendar, I’ll confess, I wasn’t feeling it. It’s not that I wanted to stay in 2025 a second longer; I just wasn’t as ready to move into 2026 as I would have liked.
I’m a failed planner. If you’ve been around long enough, I’ve posted about this before. I love to get organized, buy pretty planners and calendars, and put all the things on them. I make endless to-do lists with pretty checkboxes.
But when it comes to actually doing all the things, I fall short.
I never lose motivation for the things I love, like writing. I’ve learned that what holds me back is the discomfort that rises in my chest when I start a new task. It’s an icky feeling. Uncomfortable. Unsettling.
So inevitably, I stop doing that thing and resort to one that comes easier. These tasks are also on my list, but they aren’t as important as the thing I’m avoiding.
I know what that discomfort is. I’ve felt it plenty of times throughout my life, and even more so since I declared I was going to publish a novel.
It’s fear.
Because the things I need to do aren’t easy. They require me to either tackle a task I’m not good at (like overhauling my website, BLESS) or overcome a really hard obstacle (like getting a story to work the way I want it to…send help and chocolate).
Fear wins when I avoid the hard things and allow my plans to evaporate.
Not this year. I’m flipping the script and turning fear straight on its head. Instead of anxiety being a bad thing, I’m determined to harness that energy and funnel it into excitement over my most ambitious year yet. [Hint: It has to do with books.]
I hope you’ll stay on this wild ride with me through 2026 and beyond and hold me accountable. It’s bound to be filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, and a lot of “damn that was fun” moments.
Have you learned to harness something you thought was negative and make it into a positive? I’d love to hear about it!
For your TBR (to-be-read) pile
In To Have and to Hold, Deb Brown leads readers through the emotionally turbulent world of pregnancy loss and infertility struggles with empathy and grace. Her writing is beautiful and captivating, and the story grabs you from the start. The characters are realistic, their reactions authentic as they experience the highs and tragic lows of their journey toward fulfilling their dreams of becoming parents. I felt invested in Amelia's struggles as if she were my best friend. I wanted to hug her at least a dozen times throughout the story—a testament to Deb Brown's strength as an emotional storyteller. This is a beautiful book about perseverance, faith, love, and hope. I'm excited to read more from this author!
Read it in Kindle Unlimited or order it here.
Speaking of TBR…
If you enjoy contemporary books written by and for women, you should join me over at Iris & Ivy Reads. This brand-new community goes live on January 13th and promises to be a fun place for all things reading. Twice a month, we’ll post a reader-focused essay, along with book recommendations and other tidbits we feel readers like us might like. We’ve got a lot of big plans, but we need your help to build the community. So spread the word to all your bookish pals and join us!
I can most definitely relate! Can’t wait to see what 2026 brings for you!
This is REALLY well done, Jen. Really well written.