It went by fast, didn't it? Twelve months. Just 12 months ago, you were right here, thinking about how 2025 would go, thinking about changes you were trying to make, things you were going to start, things you were going to stop.
Well?
It's like that verse in the beautiful John Lennon and Yoko Ono Christmas song:
So this is Christmas And what have you done? Another year over And a new one just begun
The first part of that haunts us a little. There was more we could have done. There were things we fell short with. There was life left unlived. It's a little bittersweet and sad, isn't it? A little disappointing, even shameful. But it's that final line that has the hope in it—and the imperative.
We've been blessed with another go, or at least the start of another go. Will we take it? Or will we go on the same as we did before and before and before?
Marcus Aurelius had a powerful thought exercise that is worth trying here at the close of the year. Think of yourself as dead, he says. Imagine that your life has come to its end. Think about what you left undid. Think about the perspective this puts on things. Think about what you'll regret, what you'll wish you could do differently, what you'd say, what you wish you'd started and stopped. Now, he says, you've been given a second chance, so take what's left and live it properly.
This is Christmas. What have you done? 2025 is over. But now 2026 is just beginning.
Live it properly.
We were inspired to create the Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge for this reason. Each year, we take stock of certain aspects of our lives—what worked for us and what didn't, what we accomplished and where we fell short, what we wanted to start or stop doing—and this practice sparked the idea for the Challenge.
The 2026 Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge has been designed to strengthen all of us for this very moment. To build our resilience against the uncertainties of the year ahead. To hone our inner stability in the face of economic downturn, chaotic inflation, job insecurity, climate change, political divisiveness. To learn to trust ourselves and take the right action when everything around us feels hopeless and we feel like there's nothing we can do.
Because there IS something we can do. We can work on ourselves. We can strive to be better people—for ourselves, for our families, for our communities, and for the world. We can become the version of ourselves we know we can be. The version of ourselves this moment needs.
Get ready. This is going to be your best year yet.
This year, we'd love for you to join us alongside thousands of other Stoics all over the world. Start the year by strengthening yourself with actionable Stoic insights that you can apply immediately to your daily life.
It's just the beginning of a new year—2026. What will you be able to say you've done at this time next year? If you want a great answer, join us for The Daily Stoic New Year New You Challenge.
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