Happy New Year, friends! With the New Year comes my word of the year: PURGE!
My plan: Purge It All!!
2025 was a good year in so many ways, but good and hard can commingle.
Between traveling more in one year than I have since 1998, watching my 2nd born man-child graduate from high school and move out (like down the street), and my full time job that has been a 4 year lesson in perseverance, many parts of my life and home were severely neglected in 2025.
As I approach my 50th birthday in 5 months and a few days, 2026 is the year we start getting all the things back in order.
For a couple of years, the intent was for me to quit my full time job this year as a happy 50th birthday/Jake’s retirement from the Army gift to me. In a positive way, things have changed on that front so I’m planning to hold onto my job for a little bit longer.
But in light of that decision, my mind needs to do a major shift.
How can I continue working full time for the foreseeable future, but not continue to lose myself and my passions in the process?
Hence why 2026 is going to be all about Purge!
Here’s what this will look like for me:
Purge the Stuff
From sheer exhaustion and busyness, all the square feet of this house have reached a level of disarray that is not acceptable any longer.
All the things I’ve ever said to clients or written on the pages of this blog, I’ve been the guiltiest of sinners.
- Hanging onto things “just in case.”
- Using “retail therapy” as an outlet for stress
- Losing the habit of removing items regularly
- Neglecting simple things like keeping flat surfaces clutter free
2026 will be the year that I start addressing all that I’ve left undone and unaddressed.
The year that I embrace a more simplistic and minimalistic approach to my house.
Just because I have the space doesn’t mean it has to be filled!
With fewer physical things in my house, I’ll be able to focus my attention and time on more meaningful and important things.
Purge the Mind
One of the deepest purges I plan to do this year is with my mind and my thoughts.
My brain is a constant war zone – full of negative, critical, proud, and destructive thoughts.
Over the course of this year, I intend to take my mind more seriously, filling it with things that are true and right about God, myself and the world around me.
A verse I think about often is Philippians 4:8 that says:
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Philippians 4:8
I’ve gotta be more intent on filling my mind with things that are true and right and quenching those thoughts that are just outright lies.
There’s a lot more to this, but I’ll save that for another day or maybe just another part of this post!
Purge Bad Habits
A few months ago, I got braces put on my teeth for the 2nd time in my life. Instantly my fingernail biting habit bit the dust. If only all bad habits were that easy to address!?!
I have a ton of bad habits! Most result in wasting precious moments of my life.
Most of us likely will admit we spend way too much time with our phones in our hands. I’m the worst!
It’s my go to escape – my digital pacifier.
Mindless social media scrolling and reading Reddit snark pages has to be purged!
Purging the time I spend on social media will help with my mind issues, too. I have a lot I want to say about social media…a lot!
My terrible habit of procrastinating everything that can be procrastinated must be addressed!
Poor Harper didn’t get a t-shirt for a club she’s in because I didn’t click buy on time!
I could go on and on, and one day I will, but 2026 is the year to deal with some bad habits that have become major hurdles in accomplishing things I want to accomplish with this life!
At some point I should probably address my Dr. Pepper Zero habit and my not drinking water habit.
Purge At My Own Pace
In putting this all out into the world, I have to remind myself that “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
There are 140 days until my 50th birthday and 360 days until the end of 2026.
Change, real and deep change, never happens over night.
Keeping these areas of Purge somewhat broad helps me to remember where I’m focusing my energy.
I stink at setting and achieving goals. Often forgetting what they are before the end of the day!
But PURGE – that’s something I can do.
I hope you’ll stick around and follow along, maybe even be encouraged to purge some things in your own life.
Did you choose a word for 2026 or are you a goal setting, new year resoluter?
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