Every January, the world seems to hum with possibility. We buy planners with crisp, untouched pages, sign up for gym memberships, and declare bold promises: “This is the year I’ll finally get it right.”

There’s something intoxicating about that clean slate, the idea that we can reinvent ourselves overnight. I used to love that feeling. I’d write lists of goals so ambitious they felt like a new identity waiting to happen. But by this week, reality would creep in. The planner would sit unopened, the gym shoes untouched, and I’d feel that familiar sting of failure. Why is it so hard to keep resolutions? And why do they feel so heavy, even when they start with hope?

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2026 is the Year of the Horse: a zodiac sign that symbolizes energy, freedom, and forward momentum. In the Chinese zodiac, the horse is admired for its vitality, independence, and adventurous spirit. People born under this sign are often described as strong-willed, dynamic, and ready to run toward new horizons.

But in Japan, the Year of the Horse has an interesting cultural twist. Historically, certain Horse years, especially the Fire Horse year, were associated with superstition. Women born in those years were believed to be too strong-willed, which supposedly made marriage difficult. This belief was so widespread that in 1966, a Fire Horse year, Japan saw a significant drop in birth rates as families tried to avoid having daughters born under that sign.

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