New Year? YOUR Year.
Hi Network!
New year, new you?
We all know the start of the year often comes with resolutions and plans to become the “best version” of ourselves. While we don’t support the pressure that idea can create, we do support taking a moment to pause and reflect.
It’s important to celebrate you and everything you achieved in 2025. And if there are things you’d like to do differently this year, or perhaps a challenge you want to set for yourself, this is the perfect time to pause to re-emerge in 2026.
A friend recently shared an approach by Jesse Itzler, and I thought it was worth passing on. If you’re still thinking about how you want your year to look and feel, let this be some food for thought.
The approach centres around three ideas:
1. A misogi
2. Six mini adventures
3. One habit a quarter
So, what does that actually mean?
1. A misogi
Traditionally, a misogi is an ancient Japanese purification ritual involving cold-water immersion. In more modern goal-setting terms, it’s become a year-defining challenge - something intentionally hard, with roughly a 50/50 chance of success.
This could look like signing up for Bridge to Brisbane or a marathon, conquering Mt Coot-tha, going bungee jumping, lifting a certain weight at the gym, publishing that book you’ve been putting off, starting that podcast with your friend, going for a solo dinner, joining a community group, or booking that solo trip you’ve been thinking about. It’s usually one day of the year, but the preparation and commitment leading up to it help build resilience and confidence. Here’s to not shying away from intimidation!
2. Six mini adventures
This might sound like a lot but hear us out. An adventure doesn’t have to be big or expensive. It could be a concert, a movie on your own or with a partner or a friend, a night away, a meetup, a big euro trip, or a spa day.
The key is to plan them in advance and put them in your calendar. Give yourself things to look forward to throughout the year.
3. One habit a quarter
Rather than trying to change everything at once, this approach focuses on introducing just one new habit every three months. That gives you time to actually allow it to become a habit, before adding in something new.
It might be as simple as reading for 15 minutes each night, drinking 2L of water a day, starting your morning with a glass of lemon water, leaving the house 10 minutes earlier, or going for a daily walk. The habit itself doesn’t matter as much as keeping it realistic and supportive.
We can also adapt this goal-setting to menopause.
A menopause misogi might look like:
· Starting HRT
· Getting an IUD inserted
· Hosting a menopause meetup
· Treating yourself to a solo night away
Mini adventures could include:
· Attending a menopause meetup
· Scheduling a dinner with a friend
· A weekend away (solo or with others)
· A spa visit
· Scheduling a call with a long-distance friend
And one habit a quarter might be:
· Taking creatine each morning
· Writing a weekly intention
· Doing two strength-based workouts at home each week
· Putting your phone down 30 minutes before bed
This approach may not be your cuppa tea, and that's totally fine. Another thing that you can do, and what we’ve done at the network, is choose one word to describe what you want our year to be.
In 2025, our word was Foundation. We focused on launching the network, building something stable, and forming partnerships to strengthen what we were creating.
Our word for 2026 is Presence.
Now that those solid foundations are in place, our intention is to be present - in people’s lives, workplaces, communities, and conversations. To show up consistently. To listen, learn from your experiences, and shape what we do alongside you.
Choosing a single word can be a simple way to reconnect with your intention, especially when you’re feeling a little off course.
Make this year your year - take a moment to pause to make way for your re-emergence.
What’s your word for 2026?
- The MN Team x