On your marks get set, go

Somehow, I missed the first two commands—2026 started with a bang.

In Chinese culture, 2026 marks the Year of the Horse, part of the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac. Each year is represented by an animal, and the Horse is the seventh in the lineup. More specifically, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, a rare occurrence that happens only once every 60 years.

In Chinese tradition, the Horse isn’t just an animal; it is a powerful symbol of vitality, speed, and success—qualities many of us aspire to cultivate in our lives.

Over time, perhaps your approach—and mine—to the start of a new year has changed. Vision boards and year planners shift as life shifts: from full-time work to retirement, from children at home to students at university, from beginning the year with a partner to beginning it alone. We are continuously reminded that nothing stays the same.

What I have become deeply aware of—and grateful for—is the wisdom to change with time. To understand that when the idea of a new year feels overwhelming, a month-to-month, week-to-week, day-by-day, or even hour-by-hour approach can be a far kinder and more graceful way of living.

Making room for reset, pause, do-overs, and doing better—whether in the space of an hour, a day, a week, or a month—becomes far more achievable. There is less room for self-judgement, harsh inner critics, and a sense of failure. Instead, there is always the possibility of a new beginning, available in any given moment.

Will you be gifting yourself a new approach to beginnings this year?

Laurinda