10 Tiny Habits to Become Totally Unrecognizable in 2026

Most people start the new year looking for a complete glow up, but 64 percent of people quit on their goals by the end of January. Like that day is literally called quitter's day, but that is not going to be you because in this video I'm going to share with you the 10 micro habits that can give you a complete life glow up. And I know for a fact that these habits work because as soon as I started implementing them consistently, so many of you have been asking what I've been doing and I want the same for you. So let's start with habit number one, reverse goal setting. Because once you get this down, every other habit in this video is going to be so much easier to stick to. If you have a really clear idea and vision of what your end game is, then all you have to do is take the steps to get there in reverse. This basically provides a direct pathway to your goal and one of the most helpful things that has helped me reach any goal I set out to do, like paying off my student loan debt, like going from compulsive overspender to someone who saves and invests, to even someone who goes to the gym consistently, was by beginning with the end in mind and thinking about the type of person I needed to become in order to get there. So when I wanted to build a consistent gym habit for example, I didn't start out by going four times a week. I was so intimidated by all like the strong gym bros in there, I was terrified of the weight section. So instead of listing out all those things I had to do and just getting overwhelmed by that, I started to ask myself, what would a healthy person do? Or what would an athletic person do? They probably schedule their workouts and actually show up. They also probably eat in a way that supports their performance instead of trying to restrict themselves. They likely prioritize sleep and recovery so that they can show up at their best the next time they lift. So the moment I started acting like the person I wanted to be was the moment I actually started to reach my goals. And I went from nervous and intimidated in the gym to now lifting heavy, walking around confidently in there, reaching all of my physical goals, I'm stronger, I feel like I look better, and I feel like working out and being physically active is part of who I am now. So if you have a vision of yourself in mind, something that you want to do and something that you want to achieve, you can either act in a way that votes for or against that identity. And if you keep making micro decisions every day in favor of becoming that person, then you're going to see these changes over time and eventually become them. And the glow up just kind of happens naturally. The next habit that I ditched to completely glow up was something that I've done actually recently, and it's something that I'm really leaning into into 2026, and that is ditching self-negotiation. You need to stop having conversations with that little voice in your head. And you know exactly what I'm talking about. Oh, five more minutes. Oh, I'm tired. I'll do it tomorrow. Oh, I just, I'm cozy. I'm going to skip the gym. I'm going to stay in bed. All this voice is doing is keeping you in your comfort zone and it is preventing you from taking action. And let me tell you, I have struggled with this for decades. And it is really only in the past like month or so that I have just kind of shut that thing up and gone and done the thing. And let me tell you, I feel so much better about myself because of it. I am a firm believer that the fastest way to building confidence in yourself is to simply do the thing you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it. And those things that you end up doing, it doesn't have to be big or grand at all. If you want to build a habit of journaling, it could just be sitting down to write one sentence. If you want to build a habit of going to the gym, it could be showing up, walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes and going home. But every time you show up, you're gathering evidence that you're the type of person that keeps promises to themselves and you can rely on yourself. But the more you succeed in overcoming that inner voice, telling you not to do the thing, the more confident you're going to get in yourself. And more importantly, this is an exercise in building self trust because I'm a firm believer that if you don't trust yourself, it's really hard to feel truly confident in yourself and to feel like you even deserve any of these other habits that really help you feel your best. So show up, quit the self negotiation and watch how your life transforms. I'm telling you, I feel like this next habit has been a total game changer in glowing up and just feeling overall better about myself. And that is simply getting ready because when you look good, you're going to feel good. And the best part about this is your version of getting ready and feeling put together doesn't need to take a lot of time at all. It's really about the little things when it comes to this. So finding a few things that make you feel your best. For me, it has been styling my hair, either wearing it like this kind of wavy or even just like slicking it back in a bun. And the other thing that I like to do to feel put together is to do my makeup, which is where I'd like to thank the sponsor of today's video, Merit. Like the makeup that I'm wearing right now, it literally took me under five minutes. Let me show you. I have been using Merit products for years and I love them because I don't know what to put it lightly. They're kind of idiot proof. Like I feel like their makeup and skincare products are designed for that. You don't even need to use a brush. And one of my favorite products, especially if you're on the go, is this Merit Minimalistic. It's basically like a concealer and foundation in one. And this is just my go-to product for when I don't have a lot of time and I am feeling super lazy, but I still want to look even fresh and just better about myself. And then another one of my favorites that I have kind of been waiting to go back to in my project pan is the Merit Brow 1990. But what I love about this one is that the tip is so fine. So you can really get those hair-like strokes. And one of my favorite blushes ever, I've gone through two of these already. And these, let me tell you, take forever to go through. So they give you a lot of product, but it is the Merit Flesh Bomb. And in particular, my favorite shade is Stockholm. It's like the perfect baby cool tone pink. And it just blends so easily. It's like nothing. And I'm just going to finish off my lip with the Clean Lash Mascara from Merit. I'd say this one is like in my top three all-time favorite mascaras. It's just really easy to use. It just gives a bit of color. It lifts your lashes. And I find it doesn't transfer or flake into my eyes. So we're feeling fresh and ready to go. Thank you so much to Merit for sponsoring this portion of the video. And Merit this year is celebrating their five-year anniversary. So they're giving away a little gift. It's this really heavy-duty Everything Bag. So with every purchase of over $125 US or more, the Everything Bag will come free with purchase if you order through my link, while supplies last. I think the single most important thing that has made me feel more confident and, frankly, hotter and just way better about myself, and that is strength training. Ladies especially, you need to start lifting heavy sh**. Strength training consistently has not only transformed my body, but it has completely transformed my self-confidence, my mind, and even just my belief in what I'm capable of doing. Not only can it completely transform your body composition and help you build muscle, and no, it will not make you bulky. That is extremely difficult to do. So don't be afraid of that. But especially for women, long-term as we age, you need to incorporate some kind of resistance training to not only prevent muscle loss, but to prevent other issues like osteoporosis and bone loss. So not only is strength training super important for your health, but you're just going to look hotter and feel better about yourself at any age. And with this, you don't have to start big. You don't have to go and lift heavy barbells right away. You can start with your own body weight. Incorporating some sort of resistance and strength training into your routine is going to completely transform not only your body, but your mind too. So highly, highly recommend it. Which conveniently brings me into habit number five, and that is eat real food and eat enough of it, especially protein and fiber. And you know what, carbs and fat too, okay? Like there is no bad food group here. Let's not demonize things anymore. I think there's a whole generation of us who grew up with media that demonized food and had a certain body ideal that would be as shrunken and frail as possible. But I'm here to say absolutely not. You need to eat and you need to fuel your body. And if you start building habits that require physical activity, whether it be going for walks, Pilates, when you do start resistance training, I think you'll find out quickly that you need to eat properly to be able to do those things well and feel good doing them. Like I'll completely admit when I started working out at the gym, I found out super fast how much I was under eating. And as soon as I started eating properly, eating enough calories and viewing food as fuel rather than something that I needed to cut out or demonize certain food groups was when so many aspects of my life started taking such a positive turn. Not only was I able to perform better in the gym, but I had more energy overall. And a lot of you guys lately have been asking me about my hair and how it grew so fast and it's looking good lately, I guess. Thank you very much. But I'm going to attribute a lot of that to not necessarily products, but to the fact that I'm actually eating enough to fuel my body. And on top of all that, quite frankly, I'm less of a cranky bitch because I am not hangry anymore. I actually eat. And the other nice thing about eating mostly whole foods and prioritizing things like getting enough protein, getting enough fiber, and ensuring you're getting enough fat and carbohydrates to fuel you correctly, is that you actually stop craving all the other junk food and convenience food that I find is so easy to rely on. And I feel it can be part of the reason why we often feel too sluggish or too tired to even do things like go to the gym or go for a walk in nature or go do some yoga and stretching. So if you start treating food as fuel as well as something that you can enjoy and get joy out of, I think that really is going to quickly translate into how you feel on the inside and how you look on the outside. The next thing is quitting alcohol, or at the very best, trying to minimize it. I actually haven't had a drink since December of 2022 and I stopped because I realized any form of alcohol just made me feel like absolute sh**. It affected things like my sleep, I would be anxious for days, and I found the consequences of even having one drink just for fun would snowball into all these adverse and negative effects that I had to deal with for days later, where the opportunity cost of having that drink was just way too big. I think an interesting effect of eliminating alcohol is not only does it physically make you feel better, but over time you start to realize that you can rely on yourself and not need it as a crutch to be able to function or feel comfortable in social situations. Like when I realized I didn't need to rely on it to have a good time and have fun was a total game changer for me and I have not looked back since. Next is you're going to stop wearing leggings and sweatpants exclusively. I am not here to sh** on a comfy outfit. I love my sweatpants, I love my leggings, but quite frankly I do not feel my best when I'm wearing them. I just felt really frumpy, not good about myself, and you know what? I was actually wasting a lot of money because I still liked buying clothes but I was never wearing them. And that was because I viewed my regular life as not worthy enough to wear my good clothes in. There's a concept in psychology called enclosed cognition where what you wear has a direct impact in how you perceive yourself and how you perform. So if you're wearing something that you feel good in, that you feel smart in, beautiful in, confident in, that is going to translate. And my hoodie, leggings, and sweatpants all the time, even though they were comfy, cozy, they didn't always make me feel my best. In fact, they can kind of make you feel like you're giving up and that you don't really deserve to feel any better than that. And this absolutely does not mean that you need to throw on your most tailored pair of pants and wear a blazer every day, especially if you're working from home, but taking a few extra minutes to get dressed or put something on that feels good really does have an impact in how you feel about yourself. And for those of you who do work from home, I have found a few bottoms that really truly do feel like a happy medium when I do want the feeling of a sweatpant, but I don't actually want to look like I'm in one. So specifically, some of my favorites have been these day drift pants from Lululemon. They look like a dress pant, but they feel like a jogger, so they're kind of like my comfy pant put together hack. Or these Winslow pants in the sweatpant material or in the crispy nylon from Tibi. They have such an interesting sculptural shape, but they are still kind of sporty and comfortable and chill, so you still kind of feel fashion without losing that comfort and that athleisure edge. These are kind of my non-sweatpant sweatpant go-tos. But I think the key about this habit is instead of waiting for a special occasion to actually wear your clothes, you get into the habit of wearing them every day or creating moments in your life where you actually can wear them. If you do work from home, then you know, get changed, put on a little fit, and go out to the grocery store to run an errand. Or you can put on a cute outfit for school drop-off. How we spend our days is truly how we spend our lives, so instead of waiting for those little moments to get dressed, start creating them for yourself. This next habit is a bit of a new one for me, and it's something that I am still figuring out, but it is wearing your best colors. Color analysis for some people can be a bit controversial, and I was kind of a pick-me about it for years too, where I just like didn't really believe in it. And part of me still kind of doesn't in the sense of like, if you like a color and you love to wear it and you feel good in it, then just like wear it. I don't know what to say, but I found when I did get a color analysis and I started wearing those colors that were in my palette, I started to feel a lot better. I felt brighter, I felt fresher. So if you want to feel brighter and actually look like you're glowing literally, get a color analysis and start wearing those colors, because I don't know what sorcery it is, but I think it really works. This next habit I think is going to be the hottest habit of 2026, and I think everyone is kind of craving this too, and that is just going analog. Let's all go outside, get off our phones, and touch some grass. So doing more things like going outside for a walk in nature with no phone, no podcast in your ear, reading a physical book instead of listening to an audiobook, or going out to a coffee shop and meeting your friends in person instead of FaceTiming them. I think there's a collective craving for this, and I think we're all going to feel so much better and clearer and less overstimulated the more you do it. And habit number 10 I think is probably one of the most important ones, and that is to complain less. I think in general complaining does feel attractive and productive because it feels like you know you're releasing that energy and putting it somewhere, but I feel like it takes the same amount of energy to be kind and to be grateful for something rather than to f**k about it. So something I'm working on to glow up and just become a more positive and grateful person is to complain less, or even not at all if I can, and focus more on gratitude. Everybody's situation is obviously different, but I think we can all be grateful for something even if it's little things. And I think the more effort you put into daily gratitude, the more calmer, happier, and peaceful you're going to be. And I think over time as you build that muscle it's going to be easier to find the more positive things rather than the negative ones. If you want to see any improvement in your life, it truly is about the small things that you do every day that add up over time into bigger results. And if you're looking to glow up your money this year without having to sacrifice on luxury, watch this video next where I break down the 10 frugal chic habits that will save you serious money. Thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you next week. Bye!