Is This the Year You Actually Live It?

““The best way to predict your future is to create it.”” — Peter Drucker

As we step into a brand-new year, there’s often this collective feeling of freshness, renewal, and possibility in the air. Personally? I’m buzzing. I’m ready to shake off the special—but slightly sluggish—holiday season and dive into the new year with energy, focus, and motivation. Do you feel it too?

And if you do, but you’re not quite sure where to channel that energy yet, I’m here to help.
And if you don’t feel it—because winter has you in a fog, or you’re coming off a tough year, or you’re just plain tired—I’m still here for you too.

My goal this month isn’t to demand a full-blown transformation. It’s simply to help spark a small flicker inside you. Just a tiny one. Because flickers grow. And over time, that flicker can turn into a steady burn that nudges you toward becoming more of who you’re meant to be.

Maybe that change is small—like finally being brave enough to cut bangs (do it… it’s hair, it grows back, and being bald teaches you that ;)). Or maybe it’s big—starting that business, launching a nonprofit, changing careers, or saying yes to something that’s been quietly tugging at you for years.

Wherever you’re at on that spectrum, I’m here to help light the fire and help you put real, doable steps in place to move toward what you want next. Because, as I try to remind you and myself often, you never know how much time you have left. We miss our Nonna this holiday season and as I think of her, I think of the importance of living a life we want before it’s too late.

Time for Review

In order to know how to channel the energy that might be pulsing through your body right now, you first need to understand what you actually want from this coming year. I’ve gathered a list of powerful questions to help get your mind thinking, scheming, dreaming, and believing.

But before we look forward, I want you to do me a favor: take just 10 minutes to look back.

I truly believe it’s important to reflect on what 2025 was for you—what you want to keep, what you want to change, and how it all actually felt. My kiddos and I did this activity yesterday and it was so fun to see their faces light up as they relived some of their favorite or best memories, like the time Jackson got a strike while bowling the first time!

Step 1: Set the Scene

Pull out:

Your dream book (or a pen and paper if you haven’t created one yet)
Your phone with your Photos app open
Any journals you keep
Your calendar

Step 2: The 10-Minute Brain Dump

Set a timer for 10 minutes and write down everything you DID this past year.

Notice I didn’t say accomplished or achieved. I simply want what you did—the big things (trips, goals hit or missed, milestones) and the small things (like the day you went into your kindergartener’s class to read).

If you need help jogging your memory, scroll through:

Your photos
Your calendar
Your journals
Even your Strava or workout apps

Anywhere you captured moments from 2025—use it. Scroll through and review.

Pause

Okay. Now read back through your list.
Go ahead… I’ll wait

Step 3: Go Deeper

Now, one by one, answer the following questions in your dream book. Don’t overthink them—write whatever comes to mind first. You can reference your list if needed, but trust your gut.

What moments from this past year made me feel most alive?
When did I feel most aligned with how I want to live?
What drained me more than I realized?
What did I overcommit to?
What do I wish I had done more of?
What did I survive that I’m proud of myself for?
What am I doing out of guilt, fear, or obligation?
What was my favorite memories from this year?
Am I where I thought I’d be at the end of the year?

The Whole Life

Once you’ve done that reflection, it’s time to zoom out even further.

Before I throw more powerful questions at you, I want to pause and remind you of something important: your life is not just one thing.

Your life is more than your work.
More than your kids.
More than your house.
More than your finances.
More than your trips, adventures, and hobbies.

Your life is all of it—woven together.

It’s the combination of these pieces, plus all the quiet, everyday moments in between. The small conversations. The routines. The seasons. The way you feel when you wake up in the morning and when your head hits the pillow at night.

Because of that, when you reflect and when you plan forward, it’s important to look at your whole life, not just the loud or obvious parts.

You can answer the next set of questions by breaking them into categories, or you can reflect more generally. There’s no right way to do this—just be honest with yourself.

If you’re feeling stuck or hyper-focused on one area of life (hello, work… or kids… or money…), here’s a list of core “big rocks” to help you think more holistically. These are the areas that, when neglected long-term, often lead to regret later in life.

Your Big Rocks

Physical Health
Mental & Emotional Health
Career
Financial Health
Work / Life Balance
Friendships
Family Relationships
Hobbies & Creativity
(painting, photography, music, learning new skills, personal growth)
Light-Up-Your-Soul Activities
(fun, travel, adventure, and the things that truly make your soul sing)
Material Life
(home, vehicles, belongings)
Happiness & Joy
Purpose
(meaning, fulfillment, legacy)
Spirituality
Character
__________
(fill in anything that feels deeply important to you that’s missing)

None of these need to be “perfect.” The goal isn’t balance every single day—it’s awareness. Knowing which areas feel nourished, which feel neglected, and which might need a little more love this year.

Big Questions for Big Ideas

The reflection questions we covered earlier are powerful—but now it’s time to shift gears and look forward.

Before we talk about habits, systems, or action steps, I want you to pause and hear this clearly: right now is not the time to focus on the process.

This is dreaming mode.

We have to get honest about what we actually want—our deepest desires—before we can figure out how to make them happen. The process will come later, I promise. But first, we need clarity. And belief. And a little imagination.

So for now:

Don’t worry about how.
Don’t worry about if.
Don’t even worry about whether it’s realistic.

Seriously. If you want to go to the moon and be an astronaut—write it down. If you want to start a nonprofit, write a book, move abroad, run an ultra, quit your job, or reinvent your life—write it down. We’ll rein things in later.

Before we zoom in on what you want 2026 to look like, I want you to zoom way out first. Spend a few minutes answering these big-picture questions:

Dream Bigger Than You Think You’re Allowed To

What are five things I would do if I knew I could not fail?
We often decide what’s impossible before we explore what’s possible—don’t do that here.
What would I do / have / be if I had $10 million?
This isn’t about money—it’s about uncovering what truly matters and what lights your soul up.
What does being successful look like to me?
(Not society’s version—your version.)
What does being happy look like to me?
What do I want my life to look like across the “big rocks” I listed above?
What do I consider to be “enough”?
Save this one. Future You will need it—especially when ambition starts pulling you toward burnout.
For business folks:
If I could only work 2 hours per week on my business, what would I focus on?
This reveals what actually matters and what you should protect your energy for.

Now Let’s Zoom In: What Will 2026 Look Like?

With that long-term vision in mind, it’s time to bring things closer to home. As you think about the year ahead, answer these with honesty and intuition—don’t overthink them.

What moments do I want to create this year that will make me feel most alive?
What does “being aligned” look like for me in the year ahead—and how do I want my days to feel?
Where do I need to be more intentional about saying no—so I don’t overcommit again?
What do I want to intentionally do more of this year, even if it feels small or simple?
What have I been thinking about starting but haven’t yet?
What would Future Me thank me for?
(Especially long-term you.)
At the end of the year, what would make me proud of how I lived—not just what I accomplished?
Why does this goal matter to me personally?
How would achieving it actually make my life better or more aligned with my values?

If you take the time to answer these honestly, I promise—you’ll walk away with clarity, motivation, and a much deeper understanding of what you truly want.

And that’s where real change starts.

Keeping It Top of Mind

Now that you’re buzzing with the possibilities of what your future could hold, I want you to hold onto that energy. Don’t let it fade the way New Year motivation so often does. Make it real. Make it visible.

So promise me this—you’ll choose at least one of the options below to keep your dreams front and center this year, ideally right now while you’re excited about all these dreams and thoughts.

1. Create a Vision Board

Either cut out lots of images from old magazines, have ChatGPT give you images, or save random ones from the internet; the goal is to create either a real “poster” style vision board that you can put in your house, somewhere you’ll see every single day—your closet, bathroom, office, or fridge. Or you could make a digital one and put it as the background on your phone. Let it quietly remind you of who you’re becoming and where you’re headed.

3. Make a Goal Jar

Write your goals, dreams, intentions, and even feelings you want more of on slips of paper and put them in a jar. Pull out one daily or weekly as a reminder and what you are to focus on this week or day.
These can be tangible goals (“Run a marathon by September”) or more abstract ones (“Strengthen my relationship with my mother-in-law”).

4. Calendar Seeding

Plant joy and intention directly into your calendar RIGHT NOW.

If you want more connection with friends, go time block a coffee date in your calendar for next week.
If you want more vacations, go time block a long weekend in April in your calendar.
If you want more health and fitness, schedule out 1 hour on Sunday to work on meal prepping.

These can be things that light up your soul and things that move the needle in your career or personal growth. If it’s on the calendar, it’s more likely to happen.

5. The Bare-Minimum Option (Still Powerful)

Open ChatGPT and type something like:

“Hi there, I want 2026 to be my best year yet. I reflected and wrote out some goals and intentions—can I share them with you and have you turn them into a pretty infographic I can print and tape to my mirror?”

Or—keep it super simple—write your top 1–3 priorities on a sticky note and place it somewhere you’ll see daily.

The point isn’t perfection or tracking every little thing (at least not yet). It’s about keeping what matters top of mind, so your days naturally start aligning with the life you want to live.

Take Action

Okay, we’ve taken the first step by getting your goals and ideas out of your head and into the world—making them visible and top of mind. That alone is powerful.

Now, here’s the thing: the real magic—how to turn these dreams into actual, attainable action—is coming next month. I know, I know… I hate leaving you hanging for 30 days too. But I also don’t want to overwhelm you right now. This month’s newsletter is about clarity, intention, and momentum—not information overload.

That said… if you’re feeling fired up, energized, and ready to go right now, I have a little secret. The next Elevate Livin’ Life newsletter—focused entirely on taking action and building momentum—is already written and ready to share.

If you want it early, just send me an email asking for the Take Action edition, and I’ll happily send it your way.

Because when the spark is there, sometimes the best thing you can do… is move.

What Are the Goals of Kelli Day?

Alright y’all… I’m getting personal. I’m putting these goals and intentions out there—out loud, in writing, and with you. Sharing your goals with others can be incredibly powerful (and yes, science actually backs that up). Accountability, clarity, momentum—it all grows when you stop keeping things locked inside your head.

So here’s what’s currently top of mind for my 2026. This list is still a work in progress as I continue refining my vision board and answering the questions above—but this is where my heart is right now:

• Use my passport at least twice

• Snowmobile solo with my girlfriends
(Girl power. We can do hard things!)

• Become fluent enough in Spanish to stumble through real conversations without immediately grabbing Google Translate

• Write 75 blog posts on my new blog

• Read 45 books this year

• Increase mobility
(15 minutes, 3x per week — or one yoga session weekly)

• Catch a sunrise or sunset outside every week

• Be outside 6 days a week for at least 30 unrushed minutes

• Lean out ~7 pounds only if I can maintain strong energy for the activities I love

• Weekly dates with my hubby to intentionally deepen our connection
(time to talk, laugh, dream, and keep choosing each other)

• Practice less consumerism
(still dialing in what this looks like — but buying with more intention and less impulse)

• Raise children, not grass
(ask me this story sometime — it’s a good one)

Now it’s your turn.

Will you be brave enough to share your top-of-mind goals, intentions, mindsets, or dreams with me? Big or small, practical or wild—I want to hear what’s pulling at your heart right now.

Because putting it out there is often the very first step toward making it real.

Thanks for reading along,
-Kelli