One of the journals that I bought this year was aimed at helping writers. Words to Live By by Donna Ashworth is a hefty book that, after a year’s worth of writing, will be a nice bit of memorabilia from 2026.

At the start of each month, you pick a word that will be your focus point for that month. Something that resonates with you and will inspire you for the weeks ahead. For me, in January, that word was ‘wonder’.

Life had become very repetitive for me in one way with work, but then hectic, jumping from one event to the next, so that I didn’t have time to really appreciate anything or do things that were uplifting for me.

January became a month for me to reflect on the past year and see what I want this one to be like. With that came the concept of ‘wonder’. Being able to look at the world from a new perspective and really appreciate things around me.

Now, I’m big on gratitude and have kept a gratitude journal for years, but lately, it wasn’t helping me feel happy. Yes, I’m grateful, but these things that I’m grateful for aren’t bringing me joy. Feeling low didn’t mean that I couldn’t appreciate things; it just meant that these things weren’t recharging my battery.

So, how has the word helped me this month?

Although it’s been floating around in my brain the whole time, I’ve struggled reprogramming myself to see the world differently. Especially with the current global events. It’s like wherever you look, things are bad. In this country, across the world, down the road, it all looks negative. As if there isn’t much hope for the future.

I understand that sounds very depressive but that’s what this month has brought. Every idea that I try ot bring to fruition doesn’t quite make it for one reason or another. Being stuck inside doesn’t help that much, but taking that initial step to go outside when you don’t have to is quite challenging.

The other prompts in the month have definitely helped guide me to feel more inspired. They’ve guided my thoughts in a way to make sense of the jumble in my mind. I’ve been able to concentrate on what’s important to me and in my life.

Although I would have liked to find more wonder in my personal life, social media has helped. I’ve been following more inspiring accounts like Happy Doggo; a charity that rescues street dogs in Thailand. There are a lot of positive movements by individuals in the world, but it’s hard for them to get as much recognition as other creators or stories that send people into a panic (doomsday clock… I’m looking at you).

Earth is truly increidble and we are so lucky to be surrounded by such beauty. It’s a shame that so many people with the means to destroy it choose to do so. My experience over the past year with people trying to be developers is awful. They don’t have compassion for people, only greed and eyes for money.

I’ve learned that despite my best intentions, the word ‘wonder’ wasn’t really a word that resonated with me as the month went on. If I could choose again, perhaps it would be something more like ‘determination’.

January 2026 has helped me understand once again what’s important to me and what I want to achieve in my lifetime. I would love to be in a position to help others, although I’m not entirely sure in what capacity. The only way to find out is by trying different things.

Despite ‘wonder’ not filling my January, it has helped me to look for it on a daily basis. The most recent example was when my dog insisted on coming with me to run an errand. We stopped off at the graveyard to check on my sister’s grave, and as we were walking around, a robin landed on a branch close by. He was singing at the top of his lungs, totally unbothered by our presence. I tried taking some photos on my phone, but they were blurry, and I didn’t want to scare him off.

He let me take the photos, I said thank you to him and continued on the walk back to the car, and then he flew off. That truly was a moment of wonder.