"Break the Clock and Build Your Future Life"
AKA SElf REspect
“Break the clock and build your future life” a quote from Dolores Cannon
AKA: Self Respect
Welcome 2026
It is time to break the clock and build my future life,
It includes a lot of
Peace and my thoughts
Structure and discipline to follow it
Self-nurturing and protecting my energy
What does it look like for you?
I woke up duing my 2 weeks of being off work. Sure I lost my structure to be here on Substack and starting hitting the snooze button again.
Why?
I needed a break.
I needed to break free from that routine and structure and give something else a try. So I totally let myself explore other options.
Some would say I let myself go.
NO
There is a BIG difference. I didn’t drink and overeat or play. I moved less and layed down on my velvet sofa contemplating myself. Best staycation EVER!
I gave myself the BIGGEST reset mindset. I cried a lot in that first week. I cried hard.
I don’t want to repeat 2025 so I knew I needed to take actions at some point to change all those learnings.
I actually got inspired by an article hear on Substack to reflect on 2025. I restacked it so check it out. My ADHD doesn’t remember the name : (
I realized a lot didn’t work but also honored what was working for me.
For example my therapy sessions. They worked for awhile. What were they doing for me? They were a check point of accountability that’s all. That’s not good enough. So the algorhythm sent me another possible practioner.
You see, you outgrow certain structures and patterns. You need to re-evaluate what’s working and what’s not working.
Same with my living space and expenses.
Its too expensive.
You know what my finger did…it hit the wrong button.
But it lead me down the right path and found me other condo’s that are selling for way less than mine. It meant an opportunity to sell and refinance so that my monthly living cost would go down by at least $500.
Thank you finger.
I took all my other structured events of 2025, jobs, eating, fitness, mental health, self-care, what’s on my brain most of my spare time, dating, who I see regularly, friends.
I took a good hard look at all those aspects of my life and asked myself
What is working and what is not working?
I dumped my low effort play friend, I had a game night with real friends. I put myself back to online dating and realized there are a ton of better guys out there.
I found more support on Instagram on how I want to think in 2026. Primarily these word of the day reels, Dolls on the Brain and ADHD reels. This is my mental health team. I will change my therapist or change how our sessions roll.
Worklife. I am still working 6 days a week. Its okay for now. Should I drop my third job? Its hard to do, but I only do it once every 3 months and it fucks me up because I end up working 7 days a week. QUIT. Come on…let it go. I will keep my store job. It serves me well for my schedule and pay is supportive not great but it gives me extra.
Fitness. I decided the 6am biking is not for me. That is my mental time and ripping myself away from that is not cool. I meditate instead and write for myself and post it on Substack. Ahhh, that feels much much better.
Self-Care. I take the time I need to put on the lotion. Sometimes I quote that scene in Silence of the Lambs. “It puts the lotion in the bucket.” Gets me laughing despite it being mental torture in the movie…ADHD perspective.
Acceptance. Ohhh this is something NEW. I feel freer to express myself knowing I am wired differently. I don’t feel so alone and I am enjoying my quirks instead of masking them. This is part of who I am. I remind myself to not overidentify with ADHD but to use it to my advantage in my life.
Then a LIGHT went on after writing all of these items down in like 10 minutes. It was so clear to me.
This is what my life was like in 2025, now what do you want 2026 to be like and more importantly FEEL like?
I pause and do not rush into anything
I say OOPS when I make a bad choice and move on to the right choice.
I rest and give myself a break to collect my thoughts to move me into the next action.
This is my life for 2026.
Nothing too fancy but much much more SELF RESPECT.
Tell me some of the things you want to do differently in 2026 to build a better life.
Breaking the clock is also breaking the cycle, PIVOTING, REALIGNING..the word REAL is in there.
Hugs n Kisses and All the Best Wishes
CAmille