THE LIGHT LETTER
The holidays have a way of making us pause.
Between the noise and the sugar and the end-of-year scramble, there’s a small window where we get to ask ourselves what we actually want from the next chapter.
That’s what this week’s Light Letter is about.
Short, sweet, and meant to travel with you into the new year.
Carry on.
Deep Dive: Have a Mission
We’re approaching the end of 2025. 😱
Which means many of us are scrambling to pick a New Years resolution.
And trust me… I’m going to be so fit for the first week of January. SO. FIT.
Here at the Light Letter factory, we are familiar with failed resolutions. And recently, we stumbled onto a new idea that we like more:
A 2026 personal mission statement.
A sentence or two that hangs firmly as our north star.
What would make me proud of myself?
What kind of person do I want to be this year?
What is this year about?
For a while, I tried and failed to write one that I like. They often read too corporate.
It can’t be right that the purpose of my year is to make a million dollars.
And others are too airy, like to live with joy.
It’s a nice statement but it’s not tangible. Joy isn’t a lever I can toggle on and off. It doesn’t inspire action.
When I’m sitting and wondering if I should write…
or watch three uninterrupted hours of Netflix…
Joy gets confused.
But last week, I wrote a mission statement that resonated.
There is something sacred about holding your mission close, and normally I wouldn’t share mine. But I thought, what the heck, maybe it will inspire someone to write a mission of their own.
My Mission:
To nourish my body, to think for myself, to live — not binge, to take care of my community, and to always, every day, put my soul into writing.
*One personal note: I had to remind myself that it, like everything, is not permanent. It’s a north star for 2026, and that’s it.
* It helped me greatly to meditate on what kind of person I am at my best.
For me, it was a man who writes, has strong community, and is present in life.
This Week’s Inspiration
This is a funny and inspirational connection between Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alexander Hamilton.
This got us: Vince Vaughn on the danger of giving excuses power.
Learn about (and treasure) your Bibliothèque intérieure.
Forrest’s Notebook
I’ve never come across a doubt, a fear, or a thought that is alone
I don’t need to hide them
That’s the beauty and the horror
I’m not alone
Any truth, well written, will always resonate
Yet nothing I do is, or will be, truly original
Then why do I write
Because I need it
Because art isn’t an attempt to be original
it is an attempt to feel
to see
to connect
Until next time,
Live your light.