Reading

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Get Your Words Out

getyourwordsout

GYWO is BACK for 2026! We're starting our eighteenth year-long writing challenge with thirteen pledges to help you challenge yourself, achieve your writing goals, and build a writing life.

Keep in mind that even our smallest goals require a serious commitment throughout the year. While it’s okay for writers to be behind or even entirely miss their pledge goal, we want you to pick a pledge that will keep motivating you all year long. Before choosing your pledge, please take note of the few requirements we have of our members, and carefully consider which of the thirteen pledges you'd like to choose. You may choose only one pledge.

You have through January 15, 2026 to make your pledge.

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Goals for 2026

100 New Year Resolution Ideas for 2026 (You’ll Actually Stick To)

This list of best New Year resolution ideas for 2026 will not only inspire you in your quest to be a better person, it will provide tips and action steps for bringing your resolutions to fruition. Increase your motivation even further with some excellent New Year quotes to plaster on your social media, phone background, and refrigerator for daily inspiration!

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2026,
goals

Goals for 2026

35+ Ideas for "Fun" Goals -- Cultivate What Matters

Though it's not one of our core truths, one of our foundational beliefs here at Cultivate What Matters is that goal setting is fun. Actually, we believe goal setting (and achieving!) is one of the MOST fun things in the whole world!

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Holiday Activities

The Fragile Heart’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays

Because I know I’m not the only one facing the challenges that this time of year makes even harder. Perhaps it’s your first holiday after your divorce and you’ll be away from your kids, or you’ve been laid off in this terrible economy; perhaps anticipatory grief won’t let you forget that this will be your last Hanukkah with a beloved relative. Maybe you’re facing a scary health challenge. There are as many ways to be emotionally rocked this holiday season as there are on needles on a Christmas tree.

This article offers some good advice for treating emotional injuries over the holiday season. I added some further thoughts here. This is ideal for folks with self-care, healing, or relaxation goals.

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2026,
holiday

More Joy Day

This holiday may suit those of you with goals about happiness, creativity, or helping others.

More Joy Day is BACK

Every year since 2008, in the interest of spreading more joy, I’ve proposed that on a designated day in early January we each engage in one act, either online or physical space (or both!), which brings joy to another person, in the hopes that that person will spread that joy further, and exponentially onward.

This act can be as simple as leaving a comment on a fanwork to as complicated as planting a tree or flower in someone’s honor and sharing a photo of it and why you chose that person. If you want the longer version (and more suggestions) you can check out this post from 2024 which provides both.

The 19th annual More Joy Day is on Thursday, January 8, 2026.

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Big News at Mood Theme in a Year

Interested in creating your own custom mood theme, but unable to afford a paid account? Well, do I have some fantastic news for you:

Members of

moodthemeinayear are now being awarded paid time or Dreamwidth points for creating custom mood themes!

You can learn about all the details here; the next full round of the Minimum, Medium, and Maximum Tracks starts January 1st, but if you're looking for the perfect creative project to speed run before then, there's also Mood Theme in a Month calendars and some Bingo cards to work with.

Come check it out, and stretch your creative muscles!

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Reflections

Your 2025 Year in Review: Reflect Deeply, Reset Intentionally

With that in mind, this is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and harvest lessons… and then, to reset with intention for the year ahead. Today, I want to share with you a powerful reflection tool: a 10-question guide that I reflect with personally each year. It helps me look back on the year that was, make peace with what might be unfinished, and step into next year with clarity, purpose, and momentum. I am excited to share this tool with you here.

2025 Reflection Worksheet

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Self-Care Wednesday

I checked for a Wednesday-after-Thanksgiving holiday and didn't find any. So I'm declaring this Self-Care Wednesday. You've done all the things. You've done Thanksgiving, Buy Nothing Day, Small Business Saturday, Shop for Good Sunday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday. And now you're tired. You deserve a break! Take care of yourself today. This holiday may suit people with goals regarding relaxation, mindfulness, health, or similar goals.

Self-Care Wednesday text with reading nook.

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Giving Tuesday

Today is Giving Tuesday. This holiday is about charity in all its forms. You can give money, time, goods or services, whatever you have to share. This may be relevant to those of you with goals for activism, charity, volunteering, and so forth.

Giving Tuesday banner with hands holding a heart

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Call for Prompts

dialecticdreamer is running a prompt call all month in December! Leave prompts, get ficlets. \o/ MOAR GOODEEZ for everyone! This may suit people with goals related to reading, creativity, crowdfunding, or boosting your mood.

This whole month I hope to fill with prompted stories, to celebrate my lovely readers and surviving the first quarter of the twenty-first century. It’s been jam-packed with crises and chaos, hasn’t it? Time to take a story break… or thirty.

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New Year's Resolutions Check In

We made it to the end of November! \o/ If you have completed some of your yearly goals, and/or you're still chugging away at your ongoing goals, then pat yourself on the back. You worked hard for that. We are now well into autumn. If you're doing seasonal goals, share what you're working on for this winter.

This year I'm trying something new, continuing to track goals at the end of each month. So far it seems to be helping, so that's encouraging. I'm looking at my goal list more often and trying to keep ticking off more of them. The main drawback is that this update becomes more of a chore each month.

These are the previous check in posts:
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 4
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 10
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 17
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 24
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In February 28
New Year's Resolutions Check In March 31
New Year's Resolutions Check in April 30
New Year's Resolutions Check In May 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In June 30
New Year's Resolutions Check In July 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In August 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In September 30
New Year's Resolutions Check In October 31

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