No Resolutions, But a Refresh Starting 2026
No “New Year, New Me” Proclamation for 2026, thank you very much!
Even so, I still feel a little pressure at the beginning of a new year to make a big change. Do I need to make resolutions? And if so, do they need to make sense and be attainable or can I create ridiculous goals that are humorous?
For example: “This year, I won’t shoot anyone” is easily attainable since it’s illegal, immoral, I’d lose my job, go to jail and also, because I don’t own a firearm. So there’s that. If I proclaim that I will gain 10 pounds in 2026, people will chuckle, but I avoid disappointment on December 31 if it happens! These are silly examples, I realize, but sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves to equate the beginning of a new year as a requirement to be a new me.
My glide into 2026 has been met with a sense of Refresh and not Resolutions…a softer approach to encourage new perspectives, new experiences and new challenges.
The next 12 months will provide many opportunities to make these choices, and it’s up to each of us to decide how we will bring a sense of Refresh to our departments, teams, students and to remember why we’re at OCTC.
In my role with Workforce Solutions, I don’t deal directly with students, but I have business and community partners that might need to be refreshed and encouraged entering a new year. Perhaps they need a fresh idea for training their workforce which I can deliver.
Relationships are important and vital to all of our roles at OCTC, and there might be one or two situations that need to be looked at from a fresh perspective. There’s not a formula or equation to achieve this, but I believe we each have a unique role and responsibility to OCTC, our students, co-workers, business partners, and anyone else in our orbit to provide a fresh approach and perspective in the new year.
What will your Refresh for 2026 look like?
Becky Barnhart works with OCTC’s Workforce Solutions team as the Director of Professional Development and Training Solutions.
