Why how you feel matters more than what you achieve—and how one word can guide your entire year

As we step into 2026, I invite you to pause—before the goal lists, before the pressure to do more or be better. This moment isn’t asking for hustle. It’s asking for intention. Today let’s set our intentions for 2026 by choosing your word of the year to design a life you love.

When we set resolutions and goals, we focus on outcomes.
Intentions focus on identity, energy, and alignment. They create the foundation from which your resolutions grow, rooted whatever matters to you most – your core life values.

They aren’t about fixing what’s broken.
They’re about honoring who you are becoming.

At Blissful Life, we don’t design life by default—we design it on purpose.

A Gentle Invitation Before We Begin

If you haven’t already, I recommend reading my blog “Igniting the Desire Within.” It’s about reconnecting with the quiet longing inside—the part of you that knows there’s more meant for your life. Once that desire is awakened, intentions become the bridge that helps you live it—one choice at a time.

Why Intentions Matter More Than Resolutions

Resolutions often sound like:

• “I need to stop…”
• “I should be better at…”
• “This year I have to…”

Intentions sound different:

• “This year, I choose…”
• “I am committed to feeling…”
• “I will move through my days with…”

Intentions guide your decisions when life gets busy.
They ground you when things feel uncertain.
They become an internal compass—not a checklist.

And the most powerful intentions often come down to one word.

Your Word of the Year

A Word of the Year isn’t a slogan.
It’s a feeling you return to—again and again.

It asks:

• How do I want to show up this year?
• How do I want my life to feel?
• What energy do I want to lead with?

Here are a few examples—not to choose from, but to spark what’s true for you:

• Clarity – choosing alignment over confusion
• Presence – being here, not rushing ahead
• Courage – taking the step even when it’s uncomfortable
• Ease – releasing the need to push and prove
• Trust – believing in yourself and the timing of your life
• Expansion – allowing yourself to want more
• Grace – softening self-judgment and expectations
• Freedom – time, energy, and emotional space
• Alignment – letting your choices match your values

Your word may feel gentle.
Or bold.
Or quietly powerful.

That’s how you know it’s yours.

A Simple Intention-Setting Reflection

Before the year pulls you forward, give yourself space to reflect:

1. What did 2025 teach me about myself?
2. What am I ready to release as I enter 2026?
3. How do I want to feel in my body, my work, my relationships, my life?
4. What word captures the energy I want to lead with this year?

Let the answer come from your intuition—not your to-do list.

A Note From Me: How My Intention Evolved

Last year, my word—and my practice—was intention itself.

Not in a big, performative way.
But in the quiet, everyday moments that matter most.

I became deeply intentional with my time—especially with my kids and my husband. When I was with them, I was with them. Phone put away. No email distractions. No mental to-do lists running in the background. I practiced presence—real presence. And that alone shifted everything.

I’m still practicing that. Presence is a muscle, and I’ll always be strengthening it.

But as I step into 2026, I noticed something else calling me forward.

More fun.

I tend to be intentional, grounded, and serious when it comes to my clients and my practice—because the work matters. But I’ve learned that joy and laughter matter just as much. When I allow myself to play, to laugh, to be light in the small moments, my energy rises. And when my energy rises, it naturally lifts everyone around me.

So my intention this year isn’t extravagant or overplanned.
It’s simple.

• More fun in the small moments.
• More laughter woven into ordinary days.
• More play—just because.

Because fun doesn’t have to be scheduled.
Sometimes it looks like dancing in the kitchen.
Laughing until your stomach hurts.
Being silly for no reason at all.

And that kind of joy? It’s powerful.

Living Your Intention Daily

Your intention isn’t something you choose once on January 1st and revisit at the end of the year.
It’s something you live into—one moment, one decision, one pause at a time.

Think of your word as a gentle guide, not a rulebook.
It’s there to support you, not judge you.

Some days you’ll embody it effortlessly.
Other days, you’ll forget it completely—and that’s okay.
What matters isn’t perfection, but awareness and return.

Here are a few simple ways to bring your intention into everyday life:

1. Start Your Day With It

Before checking your phone or stepping into responsibilities, ask:

• How do I want to show up today?
• What would it look like to live my intention—even once—today?

This could mean choosing presence in a conversation, courage in a decision, ease in your schedule, or fun in a moment you’d normally rush through.

2. Use It as a Decision Filter

When faced with choices—big or small—pause and ask:

• Does this align with my intention?
• Is this choice moving me closer to how I want my life to feel?

Intentions don’t eliminate hard decisions, but they bring clarity to them.

3. Return to It When You Feel Off

When you feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or frustrated, it’s often a sign you’ve drifted from your intention—not that you’ve failed.

Ask yourself:

• Where did I lose alignment?
• What would it look like to come back—gently?

Sometimes returning to your intention looks like rest.
Other times it looks like speaking up, letting go, or choosing joy.

4. Release the Need for Perfection

Living intentionally doesn’t mean doing more.
It often means doing less—with more presence.

There will be busy days, emotional days, messy days.
Your intention isn’t meant to control those days—it’s meant to ground you through them.

Give yourself grace.
Return when you notice.
That’s the practice.

5. Reflect and Reconnect Often

At the end of the week or month, check in:

• Where did I live my intention well?
• Where did I resist it?
• What did I learn about myself?

This reflection builds self-trust and keeps your intention alive, not forgotten.

Living your intention is how your year unfolds—quietly, consistently, intentionally.
It’s not about becoming someone new.

It’s about choosing to be more of who you already are.

Ready to Go Deeper? Join My Free Vision Workshop

If you’re feeling inspired but still wondering how to turn your intentions into real results, I invite you to join me for my free monthly Vision Workshop: 3 Keys to Master Your Results.

In this live, interactive workshop, you’ll:

• Gain clarity on what you truly want (not what you should want)
• Learn how your thoughts, emotions, and actions create your results
• Walk away with practical tools to align your intentions with your everyday life

This workshop is perfect if you know there’s more for you—but you’re ready to move forward with purpose, clarity, and confidence.

Your vision matters—and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Register here.

As You Step Into 2026

You don’t need to become someone new.
You need to come home to yourself.

As you look ahead, ask:
What do I want more of—not just to accomplish, but to experience?

What’s your intention for 2026?

Write it down. Say it out loud. Put it on your bathroom mirror as a reminder. Let it guide you.

Here’s to a year lived with intention, presence, and joy.
You deserve it. 💛

P.S. If you want the Word of Intention form I give my clients, just comment or contact me! I’ll send it over.