Letting Go in 2026
This is the time of year that we’re often encouraged to think about the “better version of us” in the new year. And that invites questions about what new thing, philosophy, skill, habit, etc. we need to be the ideal “new you” in 2026.
But this introduces a slippery slope. Especially if it gets us thinking that we need something “new” in order to be happier.
One of the fundamental questions of Buddhism is: what if peace of mind is not “out there,” but within us. What if there is nothing wrong with us and we have what we need? What if there is a deep well of inner-peace that is available to us when we are able to slow down and be truly present to ourselves and others?
In this paradigm, the peace we need is already there. But we are too busy chasing or holding on to something that doesn’t belong to us and won’t make us happy. And therefore finding greater peace is not a process of getting or becoming something new, but of letting something go.
What we choose to let go might look very different for different people. For some, it’s letting go of their desire for status or a commitment to having more than they need, because it’s leading them further away from what actually fulfills them. For others, it might be letting go of trying to control how other people see them. Or just the need for “control” itself.
In terms of what you should be letting go in 2026, I would try asking 2025.
Personally, 2025 was inviting me to let go of the idea that my life is supposed to feel happy and joyful … all the time. I’ve spent most of my life chasing a feeling of constant happiness, which has meant always trying to avoid pain and move closer to joy.
But 2025 made that impossible. It literally hobbled me – delivering back pain severe enough to make me temporarily bed-ridden, and causing me for the first time ever to cancel an intensive that I was in the middle of leading. More than once, sadly, 2025 also gave me a front row seat to death, and I now know what it feels like to be holding someone’s hand as they take their last breath.
2025 brought pain that I couldn’t run away from. And thankfully, coming into 2026, I no longer want to. I’m letting go of my fantasy of living a life without suffering. Because I’m finally ready to accept that without suffering, we will never touch the deepest, most meaningful parts of life. Or as Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Without suffering there can be no true happiness.”
I bet if you look back at this last year and examine the sources of your distress, you might find that the universe is already guiding you to an opportunity to let something go. If you’re looking outward for the “new you,” then you might not see it. But try imagining the inner-peace that has been living within you, patiently waiting to get out. What is keeping you from touching it? What are you chasing or what weight are you carrying that makes it harder to slow down, be present, and have peace?
If you can answer that question, it could be the start of a very interesting – and much lighter – journey through 2026.
