Everything Sucks, Now What? A Merriment Method for a Messy World.

By February, most people assume they’ve already failed their goals.

The routines didn’t stick.
The motivation dipped.
January didn’t turn them into a new person.

In this episode, I want to slow that story down.

Instead of asking why you’re “falling behind,” we talk about how goals actually integrate into real lives. Gradually. Imperfectly. In layers.

I share:

• why January isn’t a deadline, it’s a warm-up

• how to stop expecting overnight change

• what “showing up” actually counts as

• why doing half of your routine is not failure

• how to stack habits into containers that already exist

• how to use what you skip as information instead of evidence against you

• why big goals need tiny, daily anchors

• how seasonal focus makes long-term change sustainable

• how to give yourself more than one “new me” moment per year

This is an episode for anyone who made a long list of goals, meant well, and then felt overwhelmed by how fast everything was supposed to happen.

You’re not late.
You’re building capacity.

If January didn’t go the way you imagined, nothing is wrong.
This episode is here to help you keep going… without burning out.

You have to feel good to do good. 💛

 

Free Companion Bonuses inside Positive Pulse

To support this episode, I’ve added a set of ready-to-use bonuses inside Positive Pulse, my gentle support space for orientation, momentum, and real-life integration.

Inside, you’ll find:

• recap guidelines you can return to when goals feel heavy

• seasonal and monthly check-in ideas

• affirmations and quotes to interrupt goal shame

• journaling prompts for clarity and self-trust

• a gentle 7-day “keep going” challenge

• temporal marker ideas beyond New Year’s

• and a simple overview of the Merriment Method, adapted for goals

Positive Pulse is free to join for the first week, and then just 89 cents to stay. No pressure. No perfection required.

You can join anytime and explore what’s helpful at
positive-pulse.mn.co

 

If January didn’t go the way you imagined, nothing is wrong.
This episode is here to help you keep going… without burning out.

You have to feel good to do good. 💛

There's a trend on making a carousel on Instagram to look back at 2016.

But I took it further and I'm walking you through the carousel and my entire year, giving you full context to what that year was like.

Including the goals I set for that year, whether I accomplished them, my top 5 lists for that year, the biggest things that were helpful for me and my biggest struggles, and how I feel like 2016 is a good parallel for what's happening for me in 2026.

The good, bad, and ugly.

We often ask “Are you okay?” with good intentions. But when that question is asked publicly, quickly, or without context, it can feel like pressure. It can make someone feel like their face, mood, or energy is a problem to solve.

In this episode, Mary explores:

• how concern can unintentionally turn into projection
• why people learn to mask in social spaces
• how to check in with care without making others feel wrong for existing as they are.

You’ll hear alternative ways to offer support, language you can borrow on both the giving and receiving end, and permission to show up without performing emotional consistency.

This is a resource for anyone who wants more humane, spacious, and emotionally intelligent connections.

For bonuses like scripts, challenges, journaling prompts, affirmations, and more, check out Positive Pulse. Start free today.

Uncustomary.org/PP

We talk a lot about "sitting" with feelings. Meditating on them. Quietly observing them.

But what if that's not the most effective way for YOU to process your feelings?

In this episode I share:

+ how I actually process emotions, ideas, grief, decisions, and inspiration in real life (without meditation)

+ why I dislike meditation and why it doesn't work for everyone

+ alternative ways for processing emotions, such as raging the page

+ how to use AI to turn your emotions into tools you can actually use

 

If you’ve ever felt like you were doing personal development "wrong" because you can’t sit still, this episode is for you.

 

If you want to go deeper with this, come join us in the Positive Pulse for a colorful, anti-beige community. As a bonus for this episode, I'm including 98 specific ideas for HOW to use AI to make tools that work for you. Plus rage-the-page prompts, an EFT script, affirmations that don’t feel fake, and playful challenges you can actually use when something’s alive in you, and a lot more.

Positive Pulse - Uncustomary.org/PP

What if you planned the year assuming time was real?

In this episode, I share a simple 4-step thought experiment I’m using instead of traditional New Year’s resolutions. It’s not about quitting your life, chasing a fantasy, or “making the most of every second.” It’s about clarity.

The question is simple:
What if you only had a year left to live, BUT your life stayed the same?

You still have work. You still have obligations. You still have routines. The only thing that changes is your awareness of time.

We talk about why mortality awareness can actually make life calmer and more aligned, how perspective shifts priorities without panic, and how to use this lens to decide what deserves your energy this year.

If goal-setting has felt stale, forced, or slightly dishonest lately, this is a grounded alternative you can actually try.

This is a video episode on YouTube and it's much more engaging if you watch it!

Watch here: https://youtu.be/huFtLFVhb_E

The days between December 26th and New Year’s Eve can feel oddly empty. 📅

You’re off schedule. Time feels fake. ⏰ 🫠 And suddenly you’re supposed to reflect on an entire year and magically feel excited about the next one.

In this episode, I’m walking you through exactly how I wrap up my year, step by step. 🪩 As a real, tangible process that helps me close a year without shame and enter the next one without punishment.

You’ll hear how I actually do my year-end reflection. 

The lists I make. 📝 The journals I revisit. 📲 The screenshots I save. The goals I retire. The proof I gather so my brain can’t tell me I did “nothing.” 🎀 I’ll share how I tie up loose ends, orient myself emotionally, and prepare for January without spiraling or forcing motivation.

Then we talk New Year’s Eve. 🥳

Not the pressure version. 🍌 The absurd, celebratory, low-performance version.

Whether you’re spending it solo or with friends, you’ll get playful, unhinged ideas for making the night feel meaningful again. Insane rituals. 🧸 Pajamas. Sparkles. Thirst-trap selfies in onesies. 💋 Early celebrations. Midnight rituals that don’t require reinvention.

🚫🍪 Screw cookie cutter nonsense. We're rewriting the "rules".

This episode is for you if:

🎉 the year took more out of you than you expected
🎉 you don’t want to “fix yourself” in January
🎉 you want reflection without rumination
🎉 you want New Year’s Eve to feel fun, not hollow
🎉 you don’t know what to do during that weird December 26–30 stretch

You’ll leave with:

🎈 practical ways to wrap up your year gently
🎈 ideas for tying up loose ends without overwhelm
🎈 celebratory New Year’s Eve inspiration (solo or group)
🎈 permission to cross the threshold as yourself

If you want more structure, support, and softness, this episode pairs beautifully with my Merry New Year experience. It’s a guided container for reflecting on your year, making New Year’s Eve feel special again, and setting goals that don’t make you feel like crap.

You can explore it anytime at 🔗 uncustomary.org/newyear

No pressure.
No clipboard.
Just a kinder, more fun way to close one chapter and open the next.

I don’t think most self-help is wrong.
I DO think a lot of it is beige.

In this episode, I talk about why so much well-intended personal growth advice never landed for me. Not because the tools were bad. Not because I didn’t try hard enough. But because the rooms they lived in never felt safe for my nervous system, my personality, or my way of being alive.

I explain what “beige self-help” actually looks like. The calm voices. The perfect routines. The unspoken assumption that everyone has stable energy, neutral emotions, and a nervous system that never spikes or freezes.

I share a powerful realization sparked by a student inside Positive Pulse.

It isn’t always the tools that fail us. Sometimes it’s the container. And when we don’t feel reflected, we don’t feel safe enough to practice, integrate, or trust ourselves.

This episode is for anyone who has ever thought:

• “Why does this work for everyone else but not me?”

• “Why do I feel like I have to quiet myself down to belong?”

• “What if I’m not broken… I’m just in the wrong room?”

Your happiness doesn’t have to get quieter.
It might just need a space that fits you.

 

Uncustomary.org/PP

In this heartwarming, quietly rebellious episode of The Merriment Making Podcast, Mary sits down with Baltimore-based creative director and community connector Jessica Watson, the mind and heart behind the beloved Have A Nice Day Project.

For more than a decade, Jess has invited Baltimoreans to gather around long tables, pick up markers, and write encouraging messages on blank coffee sleeves. These tiny billboards of joy make their way into local cafés, landing in the hands of strangers who might need a reminder to breathe, to laugh, or to keep going.

Together, Mary and Jess explore:

🩷 What it means to find joy in a season of responsibility; especially when caregiving becomes part of your daily rhythm
🧡 How to schedule joy without making it feel like another task on your to-do list
💛Why grown adults still need adventure, curiosity, and the willingness to make a U-turn when something sparks wonder
💚 How to follow your weird; even when it doesn’t “match” how people expect you to present
💙 The origin story of the Have A Nice Day Project (spoiler: it began with a jarringly ugly corporate coffee sleeve)
💜 Why creative community work thrives when you let it be simple, imperfect, and wildly human

They also talk about the beauty of Baltimore, the importance of micro-moments of delight, the secret gardens hidden in plain sight, and Jess’s worldwide adventures living “like a local” in cities across the globe.

This conversation is balm. It’s an invitation. And it’s a celebration of the quiet weirdness that makes each of us who we are.

🌼 References & Resources Mentioned

Have A Nice Day Project
Website: https://haveanicedayproject.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haveaniceday2015

The North Loft (Points North)
Website: https://northbypointsnorth.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northbypn

Coba Café (original café partner)
https://www.cobacafe.com

Baltimore Improv Group (BIG)
https://www.bigimprov.org

Atlas Obscura
https://www.atlasobscura.com

Roadside America
https://www.roadsideamerica.com

Mantra mentioned by Jess:
“Be still and know that I am good.” - Nov 25th Episode - Women's Voices So Dangerous They Buried Them: Meggan Watterson (We Can Do Hard Things Podcast)

Ever treated yourself the way you wish someone else would? In this episode, I talk about SOLO DATES and show you exactly HOW to do them.

PLUS a new fun way to incorporate joy missions into them!

Whether you’re craving deeper self-connection, want to romanticize your Tuesday again, or are simply looking for a playful push to get out of autopilot, this conversation has everything from reflection tips to glitter-forward guerrilla kindness ideas.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why solo dates matter (and how to do them without feeling awkward)
  
  
• How to seamlessly incorporate joy missions into your alone time
  
  
• How to officially submit your act to the 11K Tracker and be part of our global joy map
  
  

🧡 BONUS: Tap into Positive Pulse for extras like:

• 50+ solo date ideas
  
  
• A “joy mission” supply checklist
  
  
• 25 rebellious missions
  
• Acts of merriment you can do in 2 minutes or less
  
  
• Solo reflection prompts to deepen your self-love game
  
  

📌 Want in on the 11K movement? Submit your joy act or follow along in real-time at Uncustomary.org/11K.

Remember: You don’t need a partner to be in love with the world.
You just need a spark. 🕯️
And you’ve already got that.

 

Get your bonuses for this episode in the Positive Pulse at Uncustomary.org/PP

Stuck in a DMV line? Sitting in a quiet waiting room? Driving home after something ends? 

This episode helps you find joy in the in-between. We name why waiting (and liminal spaces) feels scary, tell real stories (medical tests, money stress, weird Tuesdays), and share tiny acts that make dull moments feel alive. You’ll get simple tools: a “doorway song,” a pocket anchor, micro-kindness missions, and better questions than “how’s the weather?” 

Leave with a plan for fear, not just a scroll.

Try this today: give one person in a waiting space something to smile about—even if it’s you.

P.S. Positive Pulse is moving to Merriment Dues so we can keep the lights on.

• Current members: upgrade by Nov 21 (7-day free trial; 89¢/mo locked in).
  
  
• New members: paid starts Nov 1.
  There’s still a free section with select resources. 💛

Positive Pulse - Uncustomary.org/PP