Happy New Year｜2026: less burnout, more clarity

Hey everyone, Happy New Year 🎆
Just got back from the countdown event and watched the fireworks.
They were gorgeous.
Kinda snapped my brain quiet for a second.

I haven’t been posting much lately.
Honestly? Life’s just been a lot.
I put so much into 2025, and got so little back.
It’s exhausting.

And yeah, I’m starting to question if I’m even pushing in the right direction.

Some stuff happened recently that made me rethink things:
Which efforts actually matter,
and which are just me trying to prove I’m not slacking off.
The whole rat race thing isn’t cool at all.
Half the time we hustle just to look like we’re hustling, and that’s such a bad trade.

Then I kinda stumbled into building a personal brand,
and surprisingly, it turned out to be a good thing.
Met some of you on here,
some founders I really vibe with,
and a few investors who don’t just believe but are actually down to walk the path with me.
Being seen and understood like that… it’s been a while.

So yeah, I’ve been thinking a lot these past two weeks.
But not in a way where I magically have a five-page strategy doc or whatever.
Just… thinking.

For 2026, I want to give myself some strategic whitespace.
Pause. Recalibrate.
Put my energy where it can actually grow into something.

Next year, I want to invest more time in myself.
Figure me out first, then decide where to double down.
I’ll keep creating, for sure, just with less busywork and less pointless burnout.

That’s it.
Welcome to 2026.

— January 1, 2026 · Singapore
Bei (Leihao)