January 06, 2026
Every January feels like it shows up wearing a clipboard.
New year. New plan. New you.
We’re supposed to announce something big. Fix something broken. Upgrade ourselves like we just downloaded a new operating system.
But here’s the thing I keep noticing.
Most of the meaningful changes in my life didn’t start with a resolution. They started with a quieter decision. An intention I didn’t even fully articulate at first.
That’s why today’s Thought of the Day landed so cleanly for me.
We don’t need better resolutions, we need better intentions.
Resolutions tend to be loud. Public. Performative. They like checklists and finish lines.
Intentions are different. They’re private. Subtle. They care more about direction than declarations.
And direction is where real change actually happens.
Thought of the Day
We don’t need better resolutions, we need better intentions.
Resolutions usually ask a lot up front. They want motivation, discipline, and consistency before life has even had its first bad day of the year.
Intentions are more forgiving. They assume you’re human. They assume you’ll mess up. They assume the road will curve when you expected it to go straight.
An intention doesn’t say, “I will never do this again.”
It says, “When I notice myself here, I’ll try something different.”
That difference matters.
Intentions create space. They don’t demand perfection. They invite awareness.
I think that’s why small changes stick. They slip past our defenses. They don’t threaten our identity. They don’t require a whole speech about who we are becoming.
They just quietly shift how we move through the day.
Sometimes that’s enough.
Sometimes it’s more than enough.
Question of the Day
What is a big change you are making in 2026?
My answer is almost embarrassingly small.
Instead of keeping my phone in my front left pants pocket, I’m moving it to my front right pants pocket.
That’s it. That’s the change.
No symbolism. No productivity framework. No dramatic backstory.
Just a tiny disruption of muscle memory.
But here’s why I like it.
Every time I reach for my phone and it’s not where I expect it to be, I notice. I pause. I have a split second to ask myself if I actually want to pick it up or if I’m just doing it because my body is bored.
That pause is the point.
It’s not about the pocket. It’s about inserting awareness into a moment that used to run on autopilot.
Big changes often start that way. Not with fireworks, but with friction.
If you’re making a change this year, big or small, I hope it’s rooted in intention rather than pressure. I hope it gives you room to be imperfect and present at the same time.
And if your change sounds a little silly when you say it out loud, you might be onto something.
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