Blogmas Day 5 - What's in and what's finally out
Have you ever watched a show with one too many seasons or got an unnecessary reboot? And you know it has had one too many seasons or didn’t need a reboot because the writer starts doing things with the characters that makes zero sense to how they’ve developed over the last how many ever seasons or in the original series? In those cases it can feel like the show makers are having trouble recognizing when some stories have simply run their course.
In a way I think humans are like that too. You start to like where your life is headed so you write another season (in this case, keep doing the same thing you’ve always done). But then there comes a moment when the audience’s expectations begin to shift (the audience being the person you're becoming). But because telling your cast and crew that the show they’ve poured their blood, sweat, and tears into over the last how many seasons is finally coming to an end (the cast and crew being yourself and those around you who have been with you as you go through life), is way too hard to do, you instead announce that you’ve been renewed for another season (which is just you deciding that change is too hard and your habits and everything you’ve always done are just fine even though they clearly don’t align with the person you’re becoming).
Change is difficult and scary and challenging and involves a lot of effort on your end. I’ve found myself, year after year, remaining in the same emotional pits, engaging in the same negative self-talk, and steadily not doing any of the things I said I would do. It’s like being stuck on a merry-go-round and the ride operator is out on lunch indefinitely.
And I know there are a number of excuses I can list for why I haven’t really initiated the type of change I know could really help me become the person I’ve always imagined I could be, but the truth is the only real excuse is that I’m terrified of making the wrong move; doesn’t matter which direction. So the safest thing has been to continue adding new seasons and creating reboots of the same narratives over and over again with hopes of bringing in a new audience (or on an individual level, becoming a new version of yourself by way of all the things you used to do that clearly don't work anymore).
I used this very long metaphor to essentially introduce my 2026 in and out list. Remember when that was a thing on the internet at the end of 2023? People took to their Twitter’s and Instagram’s to list all the things that were in and out going into the new year. Most of them were funny, but quite a few people seemed to take it seriously and list things that they really wanted to leave behind in the old year and start doing more of in the new year.
Although 2025 has been by far and away wonderful for me and my family, there are still some glaringly obvious things that I keep bringing with me every year that have got to go. So in the spirit of being 2 years late to a trend, here’s my in and out list for 2026.
In:
- Sharing my writing. Being chicken shit about what people think about what I write is not going to help me become a published author.
- Consistent eating schedules. I’m preparing my body for motherhood which means the time for eating like a 5-year-old with a credit card is done.
- Talking to myself like I’m someone I love. I’m my biggest bully and that vibe has one hundred percent run its course.
- Openly declaring my belief in God. God has done so much for me and I have shied away from being open about that belief a lot.
Out:
- Over explaining why I don’t do certain things. No is going to be the entire sentence. No, I don't do highway driving. No, I don't want to eat Cincinnati chili. No, I don’t get sick of working from home.
- Believing I can’t do something before I’ve even tried. That’s just my fear talking.
- Spending money before I’ve actually evaluated if I need the thing I want to buy. Impulse shopping is my scarcity brain working overtime and I’m ready to lay that son of a gun off for good.
And that’s that! Until tomorrow!
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