Waking up on January 1st always makes me feel like Bridget Jones: hungover, crabby, and likely wearing a two-decade-old nightgown in my childhood bedroom. Unlike sweet Bridget, I no longer believe I need to lose weight or snag a boyfriend in order to make the coming year better than the last, but I still like to commemorate the new year in a way that feels definitive.
Thus, enter the New Year’s motto.
I learned about the concept of an annual motto from Eliza, my best friend from college, who’s always been both witchier and more grounded than I am. We’ve spent New Year’s Eves together all over the country, from New York to Ohio to Los Angeles, and she taught me to swap out resolutions with calmer phrases, which feel more like loving suggestions than a list of specific imperatives bound to burn me out.
My first motto, which I came up with in 2017, was “improve gently.” I expected to forget about it in a matter of days, but instead, I found myself whispering “improve gently” to myself all year as I pitched big stories or nervously waited at bars to meet first dates. Other years, my mottos have encouraged me to take stock of what I already have — like 2019’s “enjoy it!” or 2023’s “aim for yes” (that last one is borrowed from a Cup of Jo post, but I decided to apply it to parenting myself!).
This year, I’m newly single and settling into living alone, embracing the motto “strive for it” to push myself to pursue the things I want, from romantic flings to a new embroidery hobby to cute drawer pulls for my studio-apartment kitchen. Meanwhile, Eliza — who’s adjusting to life with an active six-month-old — is promising herself that she’ll “strengthen her core” (physically, but also emotionally).
While I can’t promise a New Year’s motto will change your life or even your year, it’s a small way to be kinder to yourself. And the end of January isn’t too late to write yourself a message of guidance, especially when the news is as consistently appalling as it is right now and we sometimes need to gather all our strength just to face the day.
So, I’m curious, what will your 2026 motto be?
Emma Specter is a journalist and author who currently works as the culture writer for Vogue.com. Her first book, More, Please: On Food, Fat, Bingeing, Longing and the Lust for Enough, is out now from HarperCollins. She loves vintage purses, swimming laps at the public pool, and her little white dog, Franklin.
P.S. Toby’s genius approach to making friends, and what are your core values?
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