Penny is an artist who uses her creative side and imagination to express herself. She’s now using this opportunity with ASDNext to not only do that through art, but also blogging. For much of her life, she felt like the “quirky sidekick” stereotype in a movie, always doing what others expected of her. When she was diagnosed with autism later in life, that all began to change. This news was life changing and she knew it was time to rewrite her story. She’s no longer on the sidelines of this so-called movie that is her life, she’s the director, leading-lady, or whatever other part she needs to play to figure out who she REALLY is! Every small step toward authenticity is now a victory for her in this new stage of life.
View all postsEmbracing Mini Goals: My 2026 BINGO Card
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Happy 2026 to all the Autistic advocates, pals, and allies! Each year, I get to know myself a little better, and every new year feels like a chance to put that self-knowledge to good use. As invigorating as overhauling my entire life sounds, I know, instinctively, that I rarely succeed when I aim for one ginormous resolution. Last January, I set out to grow my audience for my social media art accounts and planned to go ALL IN on my Etsy shop. I kept up with those goals for as long as I could, but by autumn, I was nearly drowning in offline, REAL-life dilemmas.
These waves shook my little ship of life, up and down, tossing me off the course I had planned. During the storm of everything happening (in my life and the world around me), chasing social media metrics and sales goals felt incredibly disingenuous. The chaos reminded me to shoot for more authentic, personal goals. Goals like showing up for the people (and the dog) who truly mattered in my life. So, this year, when I stumbled across the idea of creating a 2026 BINGO card full of smaller, more personal bite-sized goals, I knew it would be worth trying on for size.
Embracing the BINGO card concept appeals to me because it would transform goal-setting from “all-or-nothing” thinking into a gentle, forgiving game of mini-goals. The card is a 5×5 grid of 25 blank, empty spaces to fill. From my interpretation, every checked box is worthy of celebration! There is no need to hold out for “blackout” on the whole card. I don’t need to achieve every single square to feel like a winner. 25 ideas may sound like a lot to think up, but big or small, I filled every individual square with 25 individual goals. So, come with me as I give you a brief tour of some of my BINGO squares (aka goals) for 2026.
A handful of goals fall into the category of “Things I’ve Been Putting Off.” I’m sure this is relatable, whether you are autistic or not. We all have those things we tell ourselves we SHOULD do but never get around to, mainly because there’s no instant dopamine hit from accomplishing them. For six years, I’ve been meaning to create a shadow box to honor the memory of my beloved ferrets who passed away. Six years! Now, I have a ferret-shaped icon, housed in a BINGO square staring back at me, motivating (or guilting) me into checking that box off my card. Then there’s the enchanting, tall, purple rhododendron with a $65 price tag that I drool over every spring at the garden center. I consistently talk myself out of buying it, but giving it a square on my BINGO card feels like permission to buy the plant, simply because it has the potential to bring me joy.
Another handful of squares fall into the category of “Making Time for the People Who Matter.” Four goals on my card are variations on the same theme: spend a dedicated day with 1) my brother, 2) my mother, 3) my father, and 4) my partner, Dave. Daily life always gets in the way of quality time with loved ones. I KNOW I always have a great time thrift-store shopping with my mom, but I only make time for it to be an annual birthday tradition, all the way in November. For the past couple of years, the stars haven’t aligned for our annual thrifting trip, and I’ve easily let it slip away. At the beginning of 2025, my dad and I were planning an autumn trip to the new Buc-ee’s in Virginia. Sadly, in the fall of that same year, my dad spent six days in the hospital. It was an awfully scary week that really put things into perspective for me. Mom, Dad, and even my brother won’t be here forever. I don’t want to look back as a hunched-over old lady with regret over days that could have been shared with the people who really cared about me.
Instead of focusing on business and sales goals (as last year), I hope to choose things that feed my creative soul for this BINGO card. Sewing is one of my favorite ways to immerse myself in the process of creating. Yet, every year, I feel guilty for not making more garments for myself. This year, I’m focusing on one particular sewing project: sewing a collared blouse. I feel less guilty focusing my energy on one great garment than on a handful of fun ones and a handful of flops. My general artistic goal is to create 30 individual pieces (digital or otherwise), which is just one more than last year’s total of 29. I also included an Etsy sales goal for my Halloween stickers (some of my favorite stickers), a small but meaningful business milestone.
The rest of my BINGO card is a mix of different things that (if completed) I may write about in the future. The variety keeps things interesting, and the visual aspect of having all 25 goals laid out in a grid feels fun rather than overwhelming. I definitely love me a good boxed marked DONE! Flexibility of tiny goals means I’m never forcing myself to work on a goal that doesn’t align with my current state of mind. Overall, I’m excited about my 25 goals and my 2026 BINGO card. It’s a growing collection of small victories that add up to a year well lived. Fingers crossed, by this time next year, I’ll hit at least one row of BINGO!
Penny
