Ok, Bob, Let’s Do This!

There’s a Bob Ross quote that’s been stuck in my brain for a few months now. I’m going to share the clip of him saying it because I think most people need more Bob Ross energy in their lives.

If you’ve never seen it, it’s worth the 45 seconds.

Man, he absolutely captivated me as a child, and he’s still just as mesmerizing and calming to me now.

That quote, though, is really powerful.

“People continually say: ‘I can’t draw a straight line. I don’t have the talent to do what you’re doing.’ That’s baloney. Talent is a pursued interest. In other words, anything that you’re willing to practice, you can do — and this is no exception.”

As I reflect on my 2025 goals and look toward 2026, this is the sentiment I keep coming back to:

“Talent is a pursued interest.”

And I’ve decided to make it my mantra as I embark on 2026.

As for the interests I’ll be pursuing, let me start with the ones I’ll continue to pursue, and then a few that have been on my mind for some time.

Cooking/Food

Cooking has been an interest I’ve been pursuing for decades now, and there is no doubt I’ve gotten better at it.

When I first started cooking, I made a lot of boxed, convenient foods like Rice-a-Roni and Hamburger Helper, but as the years went by, I continually challenged myself to include more fresh foods while trying new things.

I know people look at me now and think I was just born with the ability to cook. However, as I mentioned in this post, I had my fair share of kitchen fails and disasters, and the only reason I’ve gotten good at it is because I pursued it, and I continue to pursue it!

So I am going to continue to challenge myself in 2026 to make at least one loaf of sourdough a week and fresh pasta once a month.

I’m also going to try to post at least one #SaladTime video a week because I have been having an absolute blast making them. I’ve posted 43 so far, and it all started with a simple challenge to eat more greens.

My other food-related goal is to make more bone-in cuts of meat, so that I can make homemade stock and more soups, at least in the colder months.

Basically, my goal is to keep pushing myself to continue to cook while including as many nutritious foods as possible.

Oh! And I need to get Ev in the kitchen with me more. So I plan to have him help with dinner at least once a week. His brother is already a pretty good cook, and I made him do the same around this age.

Fitness/Weightlifting

Yet another interest I’ve been pursuing for some time, but I’m more committed to it than ever. I started pursuing this interest nearly 20 years ago, when I joined Weight Watchers and lost 75 lbs. I simply set a goal to be more active, and I walked, hiked, and played interactive video games. Within a year, I joined the YMCA and started taking group fitness classes. I discovered running and challenged myself with different events. Then the CrossFit craze hit, and the intensity and challenge of it were right up my alley. CrossFit slowly led to my love of Olympic Weightlifting and now, well, here I am.

That’s a super abbreviated history of my fitness journey. Still, it truly did start with just an interest, and it took a really long time for my brain to be comfortable with self-identifying as an athlete.

That’s no longer the case. I know I’m an athlete, and I have this fierce desire to train and see what I can accomplish.

I plan to continue working with my Olympic Lifting coach, and I’m currently training for a few weightlifting meets this winter and spring.

Being a Master’s Olympic lifter, however, requires a much more holistic approach to fitness, and I plan to continue pursuing my other fitness goals, like handstands, pull-ups, and jump rope (which I’ve recently fallen in love with).

I’m no longer setting any specific athletic goals, except for consistency. I start most days at the gym, which I will continue to do along with yoga on Sundays when I can, hikes when I can, and daily after-dinner walks.

The Husband and I are also considering joining a Pickleball league so we can do something active together, and that really makes me smile.

Creative Pursuits

I decided to group these together because they are all related in my brain, and I can’t seem to shake the feeling that I should be doing more creative things instead of passively consuming stuff on screens. Call it a midlife crisis if you will, but I turn 50 this year, so if I’m midlife, that would be a blessing.

Frankly, I’m simply tired of thinking about doing these things, and I’m finally challenging myself to actually do them.

1. Music

I have been staring at the guitar in my room for MONTHS! And for whatever reason, I don’t pick it up. I was taking lessons a few years back and really enjoyed them, but I didn’t continue pursuing this interest.

Why?

This is a great question that I really can’t answer because I don’t know.

This year, I’m committing to practicing and plan to retake lessons for guidance.

I also really cannot get this idea out of my head: This is the year I take drum lessons! Again, I can’t tell you exactly why, but I want to experience it. I find myself drumming along with music unconsciously all the time, and I think it would be cool to explore more musical interests as I age.

I don’t have any high hopes of becoming a musician or anything. My goal here is to pursue these interests and to schedule some lessons in the next few months.

2. Painting

This is another interest I plan to continue to pursue since I leaped into watercolor last year. Again, no high hopes to be some master artist or anything. I just like the idea of hand-making greeting cards and painting simple things in my painting journal.

It’s a much better use of my time than mindlessly scrolling social media or binge-watching some old TV series.

My goal here is just to paint something weekly.

3. Acting

This one may seem like it’s coming out of nowhere, because I have never written about it or really confessed it to anyone until recently, but I am fascinated by the dramatic arts.

I cannot act, and I mean that literally. My brain cannot comprehend pretending to be someone I am not. I mean, I know acting is more complicated and nuanced than that, but the idea of getting up in front of people and acting is terrifying to me, and that’s precisely why I want to try it.

I confessed this to a close friend recently, and he also expressed an interest in taking an acting class, so I promised him I’d find one for us to do this year just for the experience.

So, my goal here is to take an acting class sometime this year.

Spanish

And finally, this has been a goal of mine for some time, and this year I’m traveling to Mexico twice! We decided to go to a couples-only resort for our 25th wedding anniversary in April, and this summer, some friends will be joining me in Cancun to celebrate my 50th birthday.

I do not expect to be fluent by then, but I am challenging myself to communicate more in the elementary Spanish I know. If I can swing it financially, I’m going to join an online Spanish language cohort for women that I discovered last year. I know this one is going to take a lot of time and energy, but again, the goal is to pursue it.

Conclusion

I’m not sure if you can tell, but this post has been swimming in my head for weeks. I really believe the act of writing out goals like this makes them that much more attainable.

I bought myself a physical journal for the year and plan to write a short reflection every night before bed. Then once a week, I’ll check in here to update on the pursuit of these interests.

I really appreciate those of you who continue to read and interact with me here on the blog. I’m not going to lie, I like the extra accountability I have from committing to posting here, and it helps to know there are at least a few people out there following along.