Mindset & motivation: Reset your life for the new year —

Choosing Your People, Your Habits & Your Energy—it all Matters.

I’m curled up on my couch watching my new obsession, Scandal, when I suddenly get hit with this wave of… everything: gratitude, love, a little sadness, and a whole lot of reflection. Thanksgiving break has been here for less than 48 hours, and somehow I already miss my people—the friends who make school feel like home, who fill every day with laughter, comfort, and routine.

But at the same time, there’s this whole other kind of excitement building because I get to see my other people—my family. The ones I haven’t hugged in way too long. The ones who shaped me before college ever did.

And when I say my people, I mean all of them.

Your people might be your roommates, your hometown best friends, your siblings, your partner, your chosen family, or the community you’ve built in the little corners of your life. Whoever holds you up, grounds you, and makes you feel like you—that’s who I’m talking about.

That mix of feelings got me thinking about something bigger:

Who you surround yourself with, what you consume, and the habits you repeat—these shape you more than you realize.

We’re shaped by so much more than we realize. Everything we consume—our conversations, our thoughts, the content we scroll through, the food we eat, the energy we’re around—all of it becomes part of us. Our support system, our routines, our environment, our hobbies, our entertainment… they’re not just background noise. They actively influence who we are and how we show up in the world.

The truth?

• You deserve to build a life that supports your growth.

  
  

• You deserve people who build you up.

  
  

• You deserve habits that align with the version of yourself you’re becoming.

  
  

• You deserve an environment that lets you expand rather than shrink.

There is so much peace in realizing you can choose all of that—your people, your energy, your habits, your focus, your path. Protecting your time and peace isn’t selfish; it’s self-respect. And I feel genuinely grateful that I’ve learned how to surround myself with the things that help me grow into my best self, day by day.

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The Whole Point:

The whole point of this (very long) ramble?

Gratitude is everywhere if you choose to see it. And when you tap into it, you open doors you didn’t even realize were closed.

Be grateful for what’s already supporting you: your laughter, your health, your friendships, your hobbies, and your growth. But also be grateful that you have the power to change what isn’t working. It’s the perfect time to revisit this—Thanksgiving energy is here, the new year is around the corner, and this is your moment to ask:

Who do I want to be in 2026? And what needs to shift for me to get there?

More on this coming later, but I’ll leave you with the reminder I give myself all the time: Choose wisely. Choose intentionally. Choose with love.

Xoxo, 

Lynsey