Complete 2026 Guide: Creating Who You Are Like A Sims, The Ancient New Years Ritual I Swear By & Making A 2026 Life Coffee Table Book

Reinvent yourself this 2026

The New Year is my Olympics. I love it. I love diving deep into figuring out exactly who I want to be, and getting excited to create and curate this next chapter of life.

Last year, I did a few things that fast-tracked & changed my life so much - and I cannot wait to do them again this New Year and share every little detail with you.

We’re going into:

1. The Ancient New Year’s Tradition I Love

2. Create Who You Are In 2026 Like A Sims

3. How I Make a Binder/Coffee Table Book for The Year - that’s not only cute and fun to look through regularly, but keeps you motivated, clear & on track.

First things first, I want to clarify a common misunderstanding.

Many people hold the false belief that to enter a new era, a new version of you- you have to go out and buy a ton of things.

When the reality is actually the opposite.

Here’s the thing: a curated life is not created by spending more money. It’s created by what you don’t buy - and being incredibly careful, thoughtful, and selective about what you do. It’s about taking care of your space, your rituals, your attention, your energy. And once you get that down - everything in your life feels and looks richer.

People think that living an organic, non-toxic, natural materials & holistic lifestyle is so much more expensive - but the truth is that having strict standards has ironically done the opposite.

The amount of recommendations for products and cute clothes I’ve wanted until I looked at the materials & ingredients is insane. If it has synthetics, plastics, or seed oils, it doesn’t meet my standards.

If I didn’t have those standards, I know I would’ve bought so many of those “this will change your life” things. Instead, I end up buying very few things - and that restraint has probably saved me an insane amount on clothes, beauty, and lifestyle purchases.

And the items I do have are of such high quality - that they last. It’s also so much easier to keep a clean & organized home when you keep it minimal.

So let’s get into it, shall we?

Let's do this together: click here to get a print-ready worksheet to reinvent yourself this 2026 (PDF Download)

1. How I Spend My New Year/The Ancient New Years Tradition That I’m Obsessed With.

This may be controversial - but last year we decided that on New Year’s Eve we were going to make omakase, go to bed early & instead of watching a ball drop on TV, we wanted to watch the real ball that marked the start of the new year. The sunrise!

We wanted to switch it up - we’ve spent so many New Years Days tired and sluggish from the party the night before. We wanted to set the tone of the entire year that morning - waking up early, refreshed and living our dream day of that year.

So on January 1st, we walked to the beach while it was still dark and watched the first sunrise of the year.

And I ended up having one of my favorite years. Ever.

What’s interesting is I was later told that this is actually huge in Ancient Japanese culture - and I had no idea (we even made sushi the night before - what are the odds?).

Image Credits: The Japan Times

Hatsuhinode is the Japanese tradition of watching the first sunrise of the New Year on January 1st. It symbolizes renewal, hope, and good fortune, where people gather at scenic spots like mountains or coasts to welcome the rising sun.

The very first thing you do in the New Year is also seen as the most important & is said to set the entire tone of the year.

It intuitively seems so right. After the sunrise at the beach - we lived our ideal day. We took a morning hot red light bath after (the beach was freezing lol), I spent hours journaling and drafting all of my New Year’s goals & systems (guide will be below), made lunch, went for a bike ride. It was the best New Year’s ever and I’m excited to start it this way again this year.

Disclaimer: Absolutely zero judgement if you want to spend the New Year’s drinking champagne and toasting with your loved ones, I think that’s medicinal in its own way, too! I just wanted to share that there is another way to do New Year’s - and it’s one I personally have completely fallen in love with (and find more fun! Instead of an evening - you have a whole day!).

2. Create Who You Are In 2026 Like a Sims (Duration: 1 hour)

You do not have to be who people think you are. You get to decide. God has given us this gift of free will - and He has made us in His image and likeness - meaning we ARE creators. That’s what separates us from animals - the ability to create!

Don’t let that go to waste. Let this be the year you use your free will and this gift of creation.

Create an entire world - you and your home are a universe you get to build. The possibilities are endless.

My favorite people are the ones who create their whole world - because they are so themselves. They dive deep into their passions, they have opinions - they create! The world needs more of that.

So let’s get into it shall we?

Make yourself a caffeinated drink (my favorite winter glow up drinks are all here - I have at least 3 a day and swear by it. And at least 1 must be caffeinated).

This should feel easy, inspiring, and exciting; by the end, you’ll have an entire year mapped out

Step 1: Setting the Tone for Your Life This Year (5 min)

The first thing I do is ask myself: What do I want this year to feel like? The answer shapes everything that follows.

☐ What do I want my days to look like?

☐ What do I want to learn about?

☐ What do I want to prioritize more? Creativity? Movement? Cooking?

☐ What do I want to let go of? (What habits, distractions, or clutter, both physical or mental, no longer fit?)

☐ What are my goals? (Things I want to learn, create, or experience?)

☐ What are my “Ins & Outs” for this year?

Once you’ve journaled through this, you have your personal yearly blueprint - the rest of this guide will bring it to life.

Step 2: Crafting Your Daily Rituals (10 min)

Now, break down the sensory details of daily life. How do you want these experiences to feel? Curate it.

☐ What are your morning rituals?

A good morning routine sets your day up for success. This is something that’s highly personalized and different for everybody. Think about what practices you’d want to include on a daily basis that primes your day. Things that make you feel better after doing them.

What does my wake-up routine need? (If you need inspiration, my essentials are here - like a good leather journal, red light therapy device, drink recipes, organic cotton robes, milk frother, etc.)

Example (Valerie’s Morning Rituals): Wake up -> make gelatin latte -> go outside to feed chickens -> journal, sip latte and red light therapy -> make a caffeinated drink, do skincare + change into workout clothes + reset space -> do pilates

• 30g protein ceremonial cacao or matcha gelatin latte → raw cacao/organic matcha, raw milk, raw honey, grass-fed gelatin

• While it’s being made, I always let the chickens out + feed them. Morning sun + nature feels so good.

• Sip latte while doing Morning Pages journaling with Red Light Therapy

• Change into workout clothes, make another matcha or yerba mate, reset space and do pilates (usually outside)

I believe that mornings should feel like a wellness retreat. I want my daily routine to feel slow, indulgent, and deeply nourishing: red light therapy, journaling, and a gelatin latte before the world wakes up.”

☐ What are your evening rituals?

How do you want your nights to feel? Are there any small indulgences that help you wind down and lower cortisol?

Example (Valerie’s Evening Rituals): Only candlelight, incandescent, or red light, nutrient-dense, homemade dinners & desserts, Adrenalita’s (aka adrenal cocktail margaritas) and/or dream water in a cocktail glass. Cute matching pajamas. Sound bath playing. Leave phone in bathroom to charge overnight. Lots of reading in bed. Mulberry silk sheets. Hot detox baths often, and medicinal herb infused oils. A hot detox bath. A fresh milled flour sourdough chocolate chip cookie with raw milk. A really good book and being in bed early.\

• How do you want your nights to feel? Only candlelight, incandescent, or red light, nutrient-dense, homemade dinners & desserts, Adrenalita’s (aka adrenal cocktail margaritas) and/or dream water in a cocktail glass. Cute matching pajamas. Sound bath playing. Leave phone in bathroom to charge overnight. Lots of reading in bed. Mulberry silk sheets. Hot detox baths often, and medicinal herb infused oils.

• What are your favorite small indulgences? A hot detox bath. A fresh milled flour sourdough chocolate chip cookie with raw milk. A really good book and being in bed early.

• What does your wind-down routine need? (If you need inspiration, my essentials are here - like the best flour mill, cocktail glasses to elevate a mocktail, shaker, drink recipes, matching cotton pajamas. mulberry silk sheets, etc.!)

☐ What are your kitchen rituals?

How do you want your kitchen to look and feel? How can you elevate your food shopping?

• How can you elevate your food shopping? Research farms, local bakeries, cheese shops & local farmers markets near you.

• How do you want your kitchen to look and feel? A sourdough starter bubbling on the counter. Raw milk in the fridge. Lots of fresh made cheeses. Put everything in your drawers and pantry on trial - do they deserve to be in your kitchen?

Example (Valerie’s Kitchen Rituals): I want my kitchen to feel like an old-world apothecary. Slow-fermented sourdough on the counter, herbs drying by the window, raw milk in the fridge, and butter wrapped in parchment. Food should feel like a craft, not a convenience.

Step 3: Seasonal Goals & Projects (10 min)

Now, choose some things you’d LOVE to dive into this season.

☐ What’s a skill you’d like to learn? (i.e. foraging, making cheese, sourdough, etc.)

☐ What’s a home project you’d like to actualize? (i.e. build a kitchen garden, organize spices, etc.)

☐ What’s a movement goal you’d like to commit to? (i.e. pilates 5x per week, etc.)

Step 4: Curating Your Home (10 min)

Decide the ways you’d like your space to feel.

☐ What’s a space in your home that you’d like to elevate?

☐ How does your lighting look? Does it match with how you want your home to feel?

Living beautifully is a choice. Sipping coffee from a delicate cup instead of a to-go lid, setting the table even when eating alone, wrapping yourself in wool instead of rushing out the door. Small indulgences create an elegant life.

Valerie’s Ideas For Your Home: Seasonal foliage every week, ancient vases, cute basket for fresh eggs, preparing for herb / salsa garden in spring, re-imagining layouts, looking for new couches, etc

• seasonal foliage every week → flowers, branches, seasonal + local greenery.

• This year I want to experiment with → I really want to elevate my interior design and continue to find ancient vases + interesting pieces, study & attend estate sales 1-4x a month. Cute basket for fresh eggs.

• Any last touches → medicinal herb garden + salsa garden in the spring!

Step 5: Leave Them in 2025 (2 min)

What shall you leave behind in 2025?

☐ What are some habits you’d like to kick in the New Year?

☐ Look through your contacts list and only keep those who matter

☐ De-clutter your physical and online space - throw / donate old belongings, organize your desktop, delete and store old photos

Step 6: Seasonal Eating & Cooking Rituals (2 min)

☐ What are some new recipes you’d like to learn?

☐ What are some staples you’d like to continue making?

☐ What are some pieces of equipment that will help you get closer to your new cooking ideals and rituals for 2026?

Example (Valerie’s Cooking Rituals): I want to make a freezer full of deeply nourishing meals- for busy days! Fresh milled sourdough empanadas, bone broth soups, etc. Just double freezer friendly meals next time I’m making one for dinner and freeze half.

✨ I have tons of seasonal weekly menus for paid subscribers!

Step 7: “Weekend” Experiences - What are things you’d look forward to? (Either alone or with friends) (10 min)

The weekends are for getting off your phone, getting outside, and doing something memorable. These are seasonal experiences that make life feel different.

☐ Going for a hike/foraging

☐ Going to an estate sale

☐ Sign up for a class in a skill you want to learn (soap making, cheese making, cooking a new cuisine)

☐ Bake or cook something new

☐ Host Board game night (this one we do almost weekly!! We make fresh milled sourdough pizza + Adrenalitas )

Pick a few (or add your own experiences) that you want to make happen so that your weekends feel different from weekdays. Everyone needs time to disconnect and unplug.

Step 8: Create Your Vision (20 min)

This ENTIRE ritual actually started with me making a vision board once a season on Pinterest, then turning into a collage (I’ll explain how) and keeping it as my phone background.

You look at your iPhone background SO much, but so subconsciously, so I noticed I would end up having so many photos on my phone at the end of the year/season that looked JUST like the vision board I made.

Go through everything you just wrote in the worksheet above, find a photo for each thing on Pinterest and pin to a board called 2026:

Some ideas include:

☐ Pin images of my ideal morning rituals → Red light therapy, pilates, ceremonial cacao, cool coffee tables

☐ Pin images of the foods I want to make → delicious recipe inspiration.

☐ Pin images of my ideal home atmosphere → Vases of branches, an open window with sunlight streaming in, cool pottery

☐ Pin images of the hobbies I want to embrace → cheese making, herbal oil infusing

☐ Pin images of outfits I want to wear → both at home/lounge and for going out to dinner, etc. what you wear alone is just as important as what you wear out!

☐ Pin images of daily rituals you want to romanticize → A steaming cup of herbal tea, a book in soft candlelight, a slow morning in bed. Pilates at home outside.

☐ Pin images of the weekend experiences you want to have → A farmers’ market haul, a solo café moment, a nature walk with foraged greens.

Once your board is complete, you can turn your board into a collage right on Pinterest, then save it and turn it into your iPhone background. It’s so easy.

That’s it. One hour of planning, and your entire year is mapped out.

Most people let the years pass without noticing. But when you prepare before it arrives, you live in it fully. You move through your days intentionally, beautifully, and in sync with the life’s rhythms.

I am so excited to step into this year with you. What are you adding to your 2026?

3. Now Using That, Lets Make a 2026 Binder/Coffee Table Book

I made this binder/coffee table book at the beginning of 2025 and I was actually shocked at how helpful & fun it was to flip through throughout the year - and how much motivation it gave me. When I journal? Helped give me ideas on what to write about, if I’m feeling off, it instantly makes me feel inspired, and when I plan my week, it gives me SO much clarity.

And the best part is that I looked through this for fun SO much - that I ended up, for the first time ever - accomplishing all the goals I set for myself this year! Instead of forgetting it - lol.

Here’s step by step ALL the details on how I did it:

Step 1: We need to write the inside of the book, so here are the exact prompts I used on ChatGPT! You literally can just copy and paste these right into it one at a time.

1. I want to create my goals and vision/plan for 2026. And how I can get there. Please guide me through this process by asking me 10 questions, one by one, and when I’m done answering the 10th question please write my dream life story for 2026, what my 2026 affirmation will be and then my top 5 goals broken by relationship, business, family, money, body/health and life, helping others, etc.

2. Can you now turn all of this into a letter as myself having accomplished all of these on December 1st, 2027 and walk through what my day looks like, too. Be specific with routines, etc.

3. I’m going to pull all of this into my journal/planner. I want to make it interactive so start with dream story, the top goals, steps, daily, weekly, and monthly habits, morning and night routine menus and whatever would make this as easy as possible to follow. Add monthly goal tracker too so I can put it on my wall.

4. As I plan 2026, considering everything you’ve shared about me, and the science of the success of people reaching their goals, how can I ensure I hit my goals? Can you guide me in 5 questions, one by one, and once l’ve answered them all to come up with hacks/ways to keep going when I am unmotivated, using my psychology/how I work/why I fall off etc.

4. Now you know all of this, from the highs to the lows, my goals, my habits, the schedule.. I now need to create a vision board that I will see everyday. Please give me a list of all the imagery I should put on my Pinterest board for 2026!

5. Ideally, how should I move things around my apartment/bedroom to make this as simple and convenient as possible.

6. Can you put this in a document along with all the checklists, all the things you made, something like a perfect 2026 new year’s book that’s easy to follow, easy to stick to, however you think would be best, so I’m most likely to actually make it all happen

*feel free to go back with ChatGPT as much as you want until it’s perfect! Then download the document it gives you, and feel free to edit it as you please.

NOTE: ChatGPT automatically came up with my table of contents, if yours does not, you can ask it to organize yours into the table of contents I have! 

1. Morning Rituals

2. Daily Life and Environment

3. Wellness and Fitness

4. Content Creation

5. Community and Connection

6. FAUNA Brand Vision (that’s my medicinal makeup brand, feel free to put any main topics in your life here)

7. Long-Term Goals

STEP 2: If you want to add yours, print out your workout plan.

STEP 3: Get the binder! This is the one I did: BINDER LINK

STEP 4: Print out and hole punch your pages, and place it in your binder, and you are done! I recommend putting it on a table in your bedroom, or where you eat meals at home, somewhere private enough but also a place you spend lots of time!! I like to have it near where I journal and plan my week.

Final Thoughts:

Most people let years pass by without noticing them.

But when you decide before everyone else decides for you, you fully live your life. And this version of you benefits everyone around you- because you are truly alive.

I’m so excited to step into 2026 with you. I may even start the journaling & brainstorming process a little early, in the week between Christmas and New Year’s that feels like the twilight zone.

What are you creating this year?

Xx, Valerie

---

VALERIE RIBON describes her writing as a blend of modern physiology and bioenergetics, unveiling ancient princess wellness & beauty secrets. Join her in reviving the lost art of living well:

---

This piece was first published in Issue 40 of the WARKITCHEN, a Christmas special. Explore the full WARKITCHEN archive here. Enjoy the experience 🥂