Intentions Over Resolutions: The Real Glow-Up We Need in 2026

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a new mom, business owner, creator, and self-proclaimed hot mess, it’s this:
New Year’s resolutions are canceled. Intentions are where the magic actually happens.

I used to be a resolution girl, the kind who would write a whole list on January 1st and burn out by February 10th. Then I’d avoid the list like it was an ex I didn’t want to run into at Target.
The pressure. The guilt. The feeling of failure. The “I’ll start again Monday.”

No thank you.

Life got real, motherhood got realer, and I realized resolutions just don’t fit the season I’m in anymore. Maybe they never did.

✨ Resolutions vs. Intentions: What’s the Difference? (And Why It Matters)

Before we break up with resolutions completely, let’s define them, because understanding the difference is what makes this whole shift actually work.

👎 Resolutions = Rigid Rules

Resolutions usually sound like:

• “I will work out 5 days a week.”
• “I will quit sugar forever.”
• “I will lose 20 pounds.”
• “I will become a whole new person by January 2nd.”

They’re rooted in lack and pressure, all the things you should be doing, all the ways you’re supposedly not enough yet.

And the moment you break them?
Boom. Instant guilt. Instant shame. Instant “I’m failing at life.”

👍 Intentions = Flexible Direction

Intentions sound more like:

• “I want to feel energized.”
• “I want to be kinder to myself.”
• “I want to be more present with my family.”
• “I want to support myself in simple, sustainable ways.”

Intentions are grounded, adaptable, human.
They shift as life shifts.
They focus on how you want to feel, not who you need to “fix.”

This is why intentional living works so well for moms, creatives, and busy women, it meets you exactly where you are instead of demanding perfection you don’t have capacity for.

Why Resolutions Stopped Working for Me

My breaking point?
One word: Motherhood

Once I became a mom, I realized I couldn’t hold myself to the same rigid standards of “new year, new me” when I was literally trying to survive on nap windows and snacks.

Resolutions felt like a setup, a trap that whispered, “If you break me, you failed.”
And who has time for that energy? Not this mama.

Intentions, on the other hand, feel like… relief.
Like taking a deep breath instead of holding one.

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My 2026 Intention: Feel Good Again

This year, I set ONE intention that’s been changing everything:

👉 Feel good.
Not perfect. Not productive 24/7. Not reinvented.
Just… good.

That’s why I started taking my Perelel vitamins (the Mom Bundle is my ride-or-die), probiotics, and adding electrolytes daily, while keeping track that I take them in my Dailee planner so I can check them off and feel that sweet dopamine hit.

Because I realized something:
I spent so much time taking care of the baby that I forgot to take care of myself.
And this year? Nope. We’re done with that storyline. New chapter. New me, this year is not only about my baby, but also about me.

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What Being Intentional Looks Like in My Real, Messy Life

Intentional living isn’t aesthetic.
It’s not a slow-motion morning routine with linen pajamas and a golden retriever.
It looks more like:

• Setting up one planner for personal life and one for business (Dailee Planner & Blogging Planner) because ADHD said “we need systems.”
• Workout on cozy pj’s, 3 dogs, and a baby climbing on me
• Crossing things off for the dopamine hit.
• Asking myself how I want to feel before I make decisions. (Human Design Stuff😉)
• Attempting a 6am wake-up before the baby… and immediately giving in to cuddles because she’s a snuggly queen.
• Choosing habits that support my reality, not sabotage it.

It’s not aesthetic.
It’s not rigid.
It’s intentional.

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An Intention for You: Choose One (or Both)

You get TWO options, because we’re doing this the gentle way, pick the one your soul needs most or both:

✨ 1. Protect Your First 10 Minutes of the Day

Before the phone.
Before the noise.
Before your brain starts sprinting.

Just breathe. Stretch. Pray. Journal.
Or literally stare at the ceiling like a goddess returning to her body.

Those 10 minutes rewire your whole day.

✨ 2. Choose the Kinder Thought

Every time your brain says something harsh like:

“I’m behind.”
“I’m not doing enough.”
“Everyone else has it together.”

Replace it with something slightly kinder:

“I’m doing my best.”
“One small step counts.”
“I’m learning to support myself.”

It’s one thought.
One moment.
One shift.
But that’s how self-love actually starts.

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A Little Throwback to My Worst Resolution

Back in my party-girl era, I made the same resolution every year:
Dry January.

And every year I’d be three cocktails deep at a bar like, “Oh damn, I forgot.”
Resolutions: 0
Club Pam: undefeated

See? You’re not the only one who’s abandoned a resolution.

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✨ Why Intentions Are the Ultimate Glow-Up

InBecause intentions don’t break —
you just return to them.

They’re flexible.
Supportive.
Sustainable.
Realistic.
And actually aligned with your life.

2026 isn’t about forcing yourself into a new version.
It’s about supporting the version of you that’s already growing.

You’re not failing, you’re evolving.
You’re learning.
You’re expanding.
You’re becoming more you than ever.

And, the glow-up is already showing.

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⭐ Final Thoughts

You don’t need a resolution to change your life.
You need small moments of intention, little sparks of self-respect, and the courage to start again each day, not each year.

You’re not failing.
You’re evolving.

And babe… the glow-up looks good on you already.

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