As every westerner under the sun I’ve dabbled in New Year’s Resolutions in the past. You know the drill, more exercise, eat healthier, lose weight, etc. etc. And while some good came of these goals, they were usually a failure. I didn’t make my arbitrary goal, and by February I had abandoned my resolutions. Eventually, I abandoned the practice of making resolutions all together.

The idea of these resolutions is so very enticing. If I could just do xyz, my life’d be perfect. The clockwork would be set in motion. And it’d tick in blissful resonance until the end of days. But I think that is why these resolutions fail. They are too rigid. They are incompatible with a shifting life and perspective.

At some point I stumbled upon a CGP Grey video about themes. CGP Grey puts forth his alternative for New Year’s Resolutions, years of themes. Instead of picking a rigid goal (I will do x, y number of times by z), you pick a theme. A broad, generally applicable theme. This theme can change with you, shape itself to your life. Instead of a New Year’s Resolution - go to the gym 3 times per week every week of the year - you pick a broad theme, like ‘Year of Health’. I was quite smitten with this idea! I’ve tried it in 2025 with good results. It was my Year of Fitness, as a result I went outside a lot more, tried going to the gym, rode my bike a bunch, went on hikes, etc. In hindsight, ‘Fitness’ was probably too specific a theme, but that’s a story for another time.

I want to set a new theme for 2026, but I’ll stick to CGP Grey’s suggestion and make it a season instead of a year. Things have felt quite static in the last few years. I benefit immensely from trying new things but find it very hard to do so! So for this winter, I want to explore more things. I want to discover, learn, try new things, go new places, find new ways to do things. Break through the static. That’s why the Winter of 2026 will be my Winter of Exploration (using the astronomical winter, so 21 December – 20 March).

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