Another Year Around the Sun, Listening More Closely to What I Really Want

Happy New Year!

It’s been a celebratory start to 2026 as I honor another year around the sun this week. January is my birthday month. On Thursday, I blew out two candles and made two wishes.  And just like that I officially inched even closer to the big 7-0.

January is my birthday month and a time for reflection

Another year older

Since my birthday falls at the beginning of the year, not only am I innundated with articles, podcasts, and advice for making resolutions, setting intentions, and drafting goals for the next 12 months, the fact that I am another year older is front and center. It’s the aging game.

There are more wrinkles on my forehead (thank you Dysport for easing my eleven), more hairs on my chin (what would I do without my Venus Dermaplane razor), more age spots on my face and hands (Retin-A per my dermatologist Dr. A and sunbetter TONE SMART SPF 68 Sunscreen Compact to reapply, reapply, reapply), and more rolls on my middle-aged-middle (my post-menopausal nemesis – nothing’s stopping them now — they literally laugh back at me when I look in the mirror).

My friend N posted this on Facebook and it made me laugh — can so relate

Despite my senior sixty-something body, I feel blessed that my boyfriend E says he loves me “just the way I am” and will love “who I’ll be in the years to come.” And so do my family and friends who called, sent cards and texts to say “Happy Birthday.” As the late Audrey Hepburn said, “I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.”

Listening more closely to what I really want

With the many Substacks and socials I read at the end of 2025 and the multiple podcasts I listened to in the initial days of the new year, it is journalist and author Maria Shriver’s words from her November 15th Sunday Paper that resonate with me the most and continue to inspire me.

In Maria’s letter she imparts insights and advice from friend, neuroscientist and author Lisa Genova about how to create more clarity and purpose in one’s life.

Maria said Lisa told her that “when acting to truly understand a character you must know what they really want. Lisa recommended an exercise to Maria that she does every birthday or whenever she feels adrift. The practice is to write a list in the first person filling in the rest of the sentence “I REALLY WANT…” 

Maria found that when she asked others this question that their answers surprised her. She said that most people seemed genuinely stumped. “It made me realize how few of us pause to ask ourselves this simple profound question…Or maybe we’re just afraid to express our true desires. But here’s the truth, if you don’t know what you truly want then it’s hard to know where you are going. It’s hard to know what steps to take to get anywhere,” said Maria.

A helpful new year’s exercise

I found Maria’s visioning Qs to be a worthwhile exercise as I contemplate this stage of my life and the present moment.  That’s why I decided to share them with you in my first blog post of the new year. See below:

Maria Shriver’s exercise to help set a personal vision for the new year

Maria said to “not over think your answers.” She said her life coach told her that “asking for what you want isn’t being arrogant, it’s simply being clear.  And clarity is an act of kindness because it helps others understand you.” Maria said she uses this exercise in her personal as well as her professional life.

I’m not a paid subscriber to Sunday Paper so I cannot share the original letter. However, if you go on the website you can listen to Maria’s November 15 letter in it’s entirety. I encourage you to do so. (Note: I am a free subscriber so I get Maria’s Sunday Paper email each Sunday in my inbox.)

Looking ahead to 2026

As I kick off 2026, I’m looking forward to delving into these questions. Perhaps I will revisit them each week and see how my answers evolve as I go along.

I also like artist Lisa Congdon’s 2026 MORE/LESS list. (Check out Lisa’s website. Her art is so cool.) Her philosophy aligns nicely with Maria’s practice. Lisa says: “This concept was conceived and popularized by artist & writer Julia Rothman, who wanted to find a way to capture her desires for the coming year that focused less on improvement and more on simply what she wanted more or less of.”

I love Lisa’s list because it’s totally what “I really want” in my life for 2026 too.

Artist Lisa Congdon’s MORE/LESS list for 2026

Hope you found this useful. LMK what you think or if you have any new year routines to get yourself going or thinking differently. Leave a comment.

Looking forward to continuing the conversation and to having you as part of my blog community in the months to come.

Judi