If someone had asked me a month ago what my goals for 2026 are, I would have probably laughed and said that I do not have any. Back then, everything felt unclear, like the horizon was fogged over. But goals tend to rise on their own once life becomes a little more focused, and now suddenly I can see a few taking shape. So here they are.
The first one is the most obvious and the most exciting:
The Round Forest children’s book.
My plan is to publish it on Amazon Kindle in at least two languages. I will start with Finnish, simply because I need a safe place to learn. I want to understand the process itself. I want to release it into a market where I understand the culture and the readers. I want to make mistakes without feeling like the entire world is watching.
So the plan is simple. I will translate it into Finnish, polish the text, upload it to Kindle, and then I will place it into the hands of people who can help it spread. That means I will need to hand out a lot of free digital copies to BookTok creators and hope they will review it. That is the only realistic way to gain traction on social media today. Books move because someone talks about them. Someone films themselves reading. Someone says, “I found this cute cozy story you might like,” and suddenly a door opens. I know I cannot simply publish and wait. I have to seed the ground myself, and trust that at least a few of those seeds will take root.
Because January is quiet in publishing, the Finnish release will most likely be in February. That gives me time to refine everything without rushing.
Once that is done and I have learned how the system works, I will move on to the English version. Again on Amazon. Again free to publish. I will simply repeat the steps and use everything I learned from round one.
My goal is realistic. If I can sell 100 copies, I will be proud. I have read that many authors never sell that amount. So if I reach that number, I will celebrate. If I do not, I will learn what went wrong and try again. I already know my book will not please everyone. Someone told me I naturally belong in the world of children’s literature. Someone else said the story is boring. But it is a cozy story. Slow. Gentle. Soft. It is meant to be calm, not dramatic.
Maybe later there will be a Spanish translation. Maybe I will move straight to book two. Maybe one day there will be a literary agent. Those are questions for another time. Right now, it is about finishing, publishing, handing copies out like seeds, and letting the wind decide which ones grow.
Second: Reselling.
December has brought me about 100 euros in sales, and I am not expecting more. I have seen what a good month can look like. I have seen December and January reach 1,000 euros in the past. Right now, the market is silent. Everything is standing still.
Because of that, I am choosing tiny achievable movement. I will buy one inexpensive handbag at a time, clean it, and sell it for a 10 to 15 euro profit. I need small wins. Something I can hold, complete, and move forward. It feels better than staring at old stock that refuses to sell and re listing it until I lose my will to care.
Third: Snail Mail Club: Life and Lemons.
This project was pushed aside the moment the book idea arrived and claimed the spotlight, but it is not gone. Once the Round Forest is out of my hands and in the world, Life and Lemons will take its place. I already have the TikTok account. I already have the spark. Now I need to write the letters, paint, design, and create the invitation. It will need marketing. It may cross promote the book. It may become a stream of income. It may become something I have not yet imagined. But it will only begin once I have space, and that space comes after the book.
Fourth: Hiveblog.
In 2026, I want to write almost daily on Hive. I do not know what the market will do, but I expect a slow increase in the Hive price. Regardless of price, my goal is simply to write. To put words somewhere. To think. To share. When I write something I love, I will bring it to Substack and Medium as well. I want my words to travel farther.
Maybe I will end the year with 2,000 Hive Power. Maybe I will not. The number matters less than the rhythm of showing up.
And then there is the most practical part of this whole picture: work.
Right now, surviving without a job feels impossible. I may have to look for one. I do not know if I will find anything. The market feels shaky. It could be that the only things I will truly have energy for in 2026 are these four pillars: the book, one handbag at a time reselling, Life and Lemons, and writing on Hive. Everything else may fall away.
So I will take the year month by month. I might do monthly check ins, not to pressure myself or beat myself up, but to simply remain awake. I do not want to drift unconsciously. I want to know where I am going.
2026 is not meant to be a dramatic leap. It is meant to be a steady slow build.
And maybe along the way, the year will surprise me in ways I cannot yet see.
