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Whew, 2025 was something else, wasn’t it? Many of us struggled to write and work as we watched horrifying events play out in the world, and they continue to play out, and we do not know what is to come in 2026.
Some of us had horrifying events happen in our own lives. I personally lost a family member, finally addressed my childhood trauma head-on, went on new psychiatric medications (a special kind of hell), experienced chronic hives (including a trip to the ER because my lips were swollen and I thought I might go into anaphylactic shock), fielded about a million spam calls as a result of my bankruptcy in 2024, and experienced an influx of clients that has been wonderful but nearly pushed me into burnout (thankfully I’ve got a new system to prevent that in 2026).
I tried to write a new book, after being blocked on my writing since 2019. I had a grand plan to write and self-publish a cozy mystery series. But I only got to about 6,000 words on book 1 and have put that whole plan on hold in favor of one I hope will be better suited to my overworked nervous system.
Unfortunately, we cannot control what happens outside of us or to us, or how those events affect our writing. Fortunately, we can control our own actions. We can use the new year as a fresh start, make a new plan (or our first one), and carry it out to the best of our ability.
Maybe you don’t even know where to start. I want to share the lessons I’ve learned this year in hopes they may help even one of you who has yet to achieve your dream of becoming an author, or reaching a full-time income from your writing, or whatever it is you fantasize about finally doing in 2026 and beyond. Then I’ll share some resources that have helped me grow, adapt, and set myself up for success in the new year.
My 2025 Lessons Learned
I can’t do it all. That means I have to say no and risk losing out on certain connections, partnerships, and clients.
Ever since I became an entrepreneur, I’ve felt like I haven’t been doing enough. But when I took Sarra Cannon’s HB90 course this year, I realized I was operating as if I had more time than I really did. With this in mind, I came up with three goals for Q4.
Before Q4 even started, though, I realized filling up every little second of my time wasn’t going to be sustainable, even if I planned it with my actual available time in mind. I stepped away from my board position in my local writing group, started attending far fewer writing group meetings, and took actual writing off the table completely for Q4. I changed one of my goals to just having some creative time with no pressure to write. I started exploring another new genre and took self-publishing off the table. I’ve always wanted to get an agent and a big 5 publishing deal, so why not go for it? It’s not as if I have time to be both an editor and a self-publisher anyway.
Unfortunately, though I worked on my new Q4 goals as planned for October and November and accomplished a lot, I felt exhausted for the entirety of those two months until I hit a wall in December. I pushed through the wall and overworked myself to reach my Lyss Em Editing income goal, and though I met it, I’m realizing I need to say no to even more things if I want to reach my next income goal (a livable wage) without sacrificing my mental health.
As a recovering people pleaser, it pains me to say no to people, opportunities, and projects. I worry about missing out on friendships, money, and more. But I know now that I don’t have a choice.
What are you ready to say no to so you can achieve what you really want?
I don’t have to be perfect or exceptional to be successful (or loved).
This month, I tried to figure out why I am always trying to “do it all” in the first place. What drives me to be so hard on myself? Why won’t I let myself rest?
Through self-reflection and therapy, I’ve learned it’s because I have this core belief that in order to be safe, I must be perfect. I must be exceptional. If you were ever part of the Gifted and Talented Program like me or had parents overfocused on academic performance, perhaps you know what I’m talking about. My experience as a gifted kid was made harder by other forms of childhood trauma. So as much as I intellectually understand that I deserve success as much as anyone else, I internalized the belief from when I was very little that I needed to work extremely hard to receive success and love.
In 2026, I’m working on dismantling this mental obstacle and allowing myself to be my imperfect, true self. That means I’m allowed to not have everything figured out before writing, and I’m allowed to write a bad first or second or third draft.
Is it possible that, like me, you’re being too hard on yourself? Do you have any core beliefs that are incorrect and causing you to self-sabotage?
Avoiding the hard stuff doesn’t keep me safe. It actually keeps me stuck and suffering.
A huge part of the reason I haven’t been able to write a book since 2019 is because of some trauma that I experienced after quitting my corporate job to pursue self-publishing in 2016. In 2024, I started therapy to figure out how to get past that, and now I’m in a much better place regarding what happened.
So why have I still not written a book, or gotten past 10,000 words of a rough draft? I believe it’s because I’m afraid that if I really go after my true publishing dreams, I’ll fail, and I won’t be able to handle that. In 2025, I learned that trying to bury my true desires and focus on my editing business only has become a cop-out now that I’ve tackled so many other hard things: filing bankruptcy, paying my IRS debt (I have some years left, sadly), earning enough money to afford quarterly tax payments and basic expenses, facing my trauma. I was tired after all that, and understandably. But I can’t give up yet. There’s still more growth to experience, and some parts of my dream life are still waiting for me.
In 2026, I let go of my fear of failure. Will you do the same?
It’s never too late. Time passes anyway, so I might as well go after what I really want.
Admittedly, I already knew this, but in 2025, I realized I hadn’t fully internalized it yet. I was still afraid to go after my true dream of big 5 publishing stardom that I’ve had since I was around twelve years old. At thirty-five, I still haven’t given it a real go, and if I don’t do it at some point, I’ll always feel that something is missing.
This next year, that changes. I’m done self-rejecting and holding myself back. I will get a book deal.
What goal(s) are you going after in 2026?
Resources That Have Helped Me
This year, I took three courses run by Sarra Cannon, the inspiring author and entrepreneur behind Heart Breathings. I had been following her on YouTube for years but never even considered investing in myself and taking one of her courses until this year. I’m so glad I took Publish and Thrive (even though I won’t be self-publishing again … yet), HB90, and Your Path Forward. Your Path Forward especially has set me on the path to achieving my dream life. I highly recommend all three of these courses.
Tiffany Carter’s no-nonsense but compassionate approach to online business success is a refreshing and comforting listen whenever I put it on. I’ve had it in my ears all of 2025 and recommend it for interrupting those entrepreneur anxiety spirals or bouts of impostor syndrome many of us are prone to.
Though I don’t consider myself a gamer (I do play The Sims from time to time), I have found the YouTube videos of Dr. Alok Kanojia and his team at Healthy Gamer so helpful in expanding my understanding of many mental health topics facing me and many of us today.
Tim Fletcher lectures on childhood trauma and complex PTSD from a twelve-step perspective. He covers all sorts of topics under this umbrella, and I’ve found his videos illuminating but also comforting and validating in hard times.
May we all take action on our publishing dreams in 2026!
Will you need an editor in 2026?
As of this posting, I have openings starting in May. To book, request a sample edit.
