The Year of Baby Steps

After a rather long leave of absence that made this page a writer’s block instead of a writer´s blog, I have taken the courage to make a comeback. So again, let me introduce myself, my name is Andrea and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, welcome to this space where I hope you can take the time to meet the words my mind crafts every now and then, I really appreciate you being here.

For me, this is the year of baby steps. Those of you who have been here for a while now might remember last January we defied resolutions together, although that was a very fun and wicked approach that is still helpful, 2026 is all about baby steps. We can all agree Olivia Dead did spectacularly teach us the art of loving with her new album and I can’t get enough of it, so I find it more than appropriate to base this year’s resolutions entry on one of her songs: Baby Steps.

I hope these few reflections I thought about while listening to this song on repeat can help you find a way to be kind to yourself while navigating the complicated world of New Year´s Resolutions.

Resolutions shouldn’t be about what others expect from you, what society wants you to reach by a certain age or what a really self critical version of yourself is imposing, that last one really resonated for me, in my case I am my own worst enemy when it comes to goals. 

During the Holidays we all struggled with comments from relatives or friends who haven’t seen us in a while and have created a version of what they want us to be by the time we meet over Christmas dinner and these comments resonate in our minds all the way to New Year’s. I mean, as if life itself wasn’t already hard enough, January brings this enormous set of expectations and scrutiny over our lives. It seems like a titanic task, but don’t let these judgments ruin the beautiful year ahead.

It is up to us to be our own pair of safe hands, who take the pen that will write what we really want to live this year. Did you notice something? I used “live” instead of “achieve”, because now, I prefer to live my dreams, hopes and desires, rather than have the need to achieve them. I have created a safe space within myself to think about what I want to experience this year, what I want to improve, what I want to learn and created a list where I will bury all the external judgement that doesn’t allow me to live freely. I recommend you do the same…

When setting goals we always wonder, where should we head, what is our North, where is everyone else going? Should I go right or left? This has been a long time existential doubt we all have, because in the end we don’t enjoy the journey, instead we wonder about the road not taken as Robert Frost once taught us. I can’t tell you what is the correct path for you to follow, for as much as I want to be, I am not clairvoyant.

This year choose what feels right even though that means taking the road to the left. Sit down and think about where you want to be a year from now, ask yourself what would that version of you do? Will she follow the herd or find her own way? Will she be compassionate with herself in the process of living goals or will she be a prisoner of her own mind when something doesn’t go as planned?

There is no right or wrong way to set goals, there is no correct or incorrect path either (if you are within the boundaries of what is legal). The most important thing is that you are taking the time and effort to sit down and think about what your heart desires, and as I once said, goals have no expiration date, so take it easy, you don’t have to choose your path just yet if you are unsure of where to go. You just have to take your first baby step towards what you are dreaming about. 

Love is such an important word in life, yet we only tend to think about it from a romantic perspective. You can fall in love with the person you are, you can fall in love with the life you have even though you are still working on it.  You have to learn to love the process, if not, the result won’t be anything else than an outcome you won’t even be willing to celebrate, because it would have become an obligation rather than a lovable goal.

There are no perfect goals, yet, you can find purpose in loving what you are about to embark on. The list doesn’t have to be endless, it can be only one goal that you chase day after day. For as long as you are in love with what you envision, every baby step towards it will be worth it. When writing your goals down, remember the most important thing is for them to make you happy, for them to fulfill your heart, for them to make you excited about what’s ahead. You don’t need a perfect vision board or an aesthetic notebook to carry around, a simple page or a note on your phone will do as long as you are willing to fall in love with the words you have written. 

Remember, a year from now we will all be in the same place just at a different time trying to set our goals for the year, maybe it will all be funny in the rear view you know? You will realize you can always start over, that you can always come back up and as long as you are alive, you still have the chance to live the goals you are dreaming about.

So, are you ready to make this the year of baby steps?

-Andrea Lucía (@meetmywords)