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winter reset - quarter one - the year of the mello babe
- Nicole Cappetta
- Dec 31, 2025
- 9 min read
three years ago I heard this tik tok sound and something as simple as "you can't hate yourself into a version of yourself that you love" literally broke my brain,
in the best way.
original audio by @lisagilmore
I mean...
what do you mean?
I had spent my entire life doing this.
girl bossed my way to the sun and back, just heads down, disassociating my way to success. it's all i'd ever known. and although this same behavior brought me to a 2 year crash out, where I was left paralyzed from really acheiving or working towards anything - - I still really hadn't connected the dots that plowing towards my dreams with no regard for my own care and bandwidth only left me to feel empty and resentful towards the very passion that started it all.
so when I finally started pulling my head up after those 2 years of burnout, my instinct was to go back to my old ways. I did a full rebrand with a very ambitious habit tracker, locked and loaded with a perfect wellness that girl routine that would surely get me "back on track" but SHOCKER! it wasn't working.
and you know why...
because you can't hate yourself into a version of yourself that you love.
an epiphany.
so 2023, on the last week of the year, I decided to try something a little different. something I coined as my self growth era (the era that started this whole thing, that brought my here; but I didn't know that yet).
I was going to go into the new year with a new perspective:
I was to going to remove all the pressure and take things one step at a time
start trying to make everything fun or enjoyable, especially the boring and scary things
treat everything I do get done as a gold star bonus poin, and "not count" anything I don't get done as irrevelant
and so I sat down and did THIS new years reset, going into it knowing I wasn't going to become a new person January 1st and that I was going to give myself grace to have patience to take things slow.
and so bestie, if you have one take away while reading this, I hope it's that you know you deserve to live your dream life and you can do it in a way that makes you feel good, excited and supported. pinky promise.
a quick reminder before we jump in
the year of the mello babe - quarterly overview:
Instead of feeling the pressure to achieve your goals as soon as the new year hits, I like to sync it up with the seasons of the year. I find this an intentional way to lean on your environment to accomplish what you want in a way that feels natural.
here is a quick recap of how I break up the year:
winter: setting intentions, building a foundation of supportive habits, plotting and planning for a great year
spring: start checking things off, taking one step towards the goals
summer: time to go FULL SEND
fall: self reflection, closing up any loose ends.
things I want for you this year....
as your official internet bestie I only want the best for you. here are a few things I manifesting for you in 2026 (not in any specific order)
an endless supply of whimsey
0 hesitiation to say "no" if you don't want to do something
someone tells you you're hot every day
all your devices are wireless but also never have to be charged
never have to cut anything on a tiny cutting board
a sink that does the dishes but isn't AI
no one ever steals your sunshine
design your winter reset: manifest the new year
a week before the new year, I like to sit down and manifest what I want for this next year of my life. it's not about "reinventing" myself as a new person, by tapping into not only what I want the new year to be, but what I want to the new year to feel like.
the full winter reset walkthrough
don't worry bestie, we also have it broken down in steps below, if thats more your vibe.
set the vibes
it may seem silly, but setting the vibes is one of the most important steps. it is underrated how important it is so currate a safe, enjoyable space to manifest and plan your dream life. I cannot this enough, because your dream life isn't a chore and planning it shouldn't feel that way either.
here are some of my favorites ways to set the vibes:
keep it cozy, I like to work from my bed
light a candle or turn on a diffuser
grab a fun snack and/or a silly little drink
put on a fun, not too distracting show, podcast or playlist
a list of the perfect late 90s early 2000s rom coms to watch while manifesting:
Devil Wears Prada
13 Going on 30
How to lose a guy in 10 days
Cinderella Story
The Wedding Planner
Gilmore Girls (not a movie, but totally works)
last year review
I think it's important to first take a look at this last year. taking a few minutes to reflect on last year, if you set goals you can review them to see where you ended up. The goal of this is not to find all the things we didn't do this year but get an tune into the last year to hopefully inspire you to think about what you want and don't want for yourself in this next year.
**now if you didn't track your goals for last year, that is OK, you can still do a last year review. You can journal or open a google sheet to and write down some things that you accomplished, some things you wanted to accomplish but didn't, and some things you want to change. It doesn't have to be extensive or super detailed, it's really just designed to kick start the thought process for what you want for next year.
set goals
before we set any goals, take a few minutes to think or journal about what you want your new year to look like, or more importantly feel like. you could also write a letter to your future self, describing what you want for yourself in the new year. I personally love this option because it can be something so fun and cute to read at the end of the year (fun fact, I have actually done this on and off since I was 14 years old)
now keep that journal or letter near by and start brainstorming what goals you could set for the new year that will propel you into your dream life.
and remember, not all your goals need to be productivity driven. you should have rest goals, fun goals, goals for things you want to experience. those are very important.
first I like to break my goals into categories:
financial: savings or investing, career based goals, a new side hustle or revenue stream
lifestyle: hobbies, life quality goals, fun, travel, relationships
selfcare: physical, emotional, and/or mental health goals
I also like to choose goals at different difficulty levels. You'll want to choose a few goals that are easy to achieve, some that I'll have to work towards and one or two that are completely delusional but hey, sometimes you got to reach for the stars
When designing your goals it's best to draft then in a way that is achieveable and measureable, in a way that makes it's easier for you determine if it was accomplished.
**some examples: schedule one rest day per week, take X amount of trips this year, use up all my PTO, etc.
and remember to keep th view of the life you thought of in the beginning in mind, go back to that journal entry and choose things that fit those.
design your habit support system
I am going to hold your hand when I say this "DO NOT CHOOSE HABITS BASED ON WHAT YOU THINK THEY SHOULD BE"
please baby doll,
beautiful angel,
do not make this mistake.
let me elaborate: the internet has a bunch of us convinced the more things you do before 7am, the better of a person you are. In order to sell you things, they want you to believe a 14 step morning routine is the key to all happiness. I don't care how many influencers tell you they've never felt better than when they wake up at 5am, journal, meditate, go to a workout class, make a breakfast from scratch, shower, use 15 skin care products and put on full face of makeup all before "starting their day".
say it with me...
HABITS SUPPORT YOU,
YOU DON'T SUPPORT YOUR HABITS
when trying to figure out what habits, you want to choose things that are going to support the goals you published in the previous step. and chances are you are going to tweek these as you work on completing them consistently during this first quarter. habits can also be things you would like to stop doing, they don't all have to be something you need to do each day.
some examples of that are:
you want to go on a trip - create a financial habit to save X amount dollars per day or stop buying something you can go without
you are trying to have more fun - create a lifestyle habit like 20 minutes of something fun per day
trying to build a side business - commit to 20 minutes per day to work towards it.
build my vision board
the last but very important step is creating a vision board. a list of goals is great but it can be hard to visualize what your intentons are for the year. having a visual representation that depicts what you want this year is super helpful in keeping you motivated and inspired.
I gather my images from Pinterest, pinning them all to one board. Next, I download and save them, using Canva to build out the board. Think about where it is going to live, and be sure to choose the right format or sizing.
my vision board tips
a vision board is more than just some aesthetic images thrown together. it's important to be intentional when creating your vision board so it can help keep the inspiration alive. so here some of my tips to making sure you create a vision board that maximizes what you want for your life:
representation matters: think closely about how you are going to see yourself in this vision board. for me it's really important to include plus size bodies on my vision board.
group images that pertain to the same goal, together: this makes it easier to quickly see your goals at a glance. putting all your selfcare images in one corner, financial goals in another corner.
mix it up with some quotes and images that match your goals
lastly, download your vision board and make it your wall paper on both your laptop and phone. this keeps things at the front of your mind, and a consistent reminder of what you want this year to be.
here is my 2026 Vision Board
my main focuses this year are...
selfcare: pouring into myself more, upping my reading habit and LESS screen time.
mello: adding more analog into our lives with our first in person event, snail mail recipe of the month club, and some NEW hobby focused products. there also may be a podcast in our future, not very offline but still cool.
in my bridal era: yes I am married already, but we never had a wedding and this year I am going to try a plan a little destination wedding
travel: my goals this year are to focus on growth based on experience. I have been in my self improvement era for 3 years now and I am really happy with where I am so this year is about exploring a little more.
getting started on january 1st
bestie, reminder that we are not going full force on our goals starting january 1st. going full send increases the probability of burning out. I want you to have a great year, and in my opinion that means starting slow.
I mean if you need me to talk you out of it...
winter literally just started and just like the environment, it's time to chill.
you are starting work back after (hopefully) a few days off
it gets dark at literally 5pm
need i say more?
I believe its more important to treat the first quarter of the year as prep. A time to plot and plan, manifest, sit with what you want for the year.
this is a good time of year to...
start building your support system & practice your habits, in a way that prioritizes consistency over perfection. showing up to your habits even for one minute, is better than sprinting to them 100% for one week. and if a habit really isn't happening, maybe it's not the right one. don't be afraid to tweek and adjust the time of day, frequency, expectation. and if that doesn't help, maybe it's a want and not a need.
clean and organize your space: this can be a good way to ensure your space is setup for the goals you are working towards this year. think about some of those projects you might have been putting off. something like organizing your craft materials or making space for a new hobby can also be a good activity for winter.
and let me end this by say I am so proud of you for putting in th effort to achieve your dreams. it's not easy, and you could simply fold and just live life as it comes to you. but you are choosing more; more joy, more fun, more experiences and I am just so excited for you.
love you,
nicole