Polish the Walls in 2026

4 Rules to Make 2026 Feel Lighter (and Grow Faster)

Rumi’s “polish the wall” advantage:less noise, more signal.

Hi lovely,

If you’re ending the year feeling tired — not “I need a holiday” tired, but decision-fatigued / overbooked / slightly haunted by your opportunities, choices - and own calendar tired — you’re not alone. This is what happens when you’re the one holding the vision and the weight of everyone else’s expectations.

There’s a Rumi story I keep coming back to.

The Chinese and the Greeks argue about who are the better artists. The king gives them two rooms, divided by a curtain. The Chinese ask for a hundred colours and paint something intricate and jaw-dropping.

The Greeks ask for no colours.

They just polish the walls. Day after day. Until the room is so clean it’s basically truth.

When the curtain lifts, the Chinese work is spectacular.

And then it appears again — reflected on the Greek walls — brighter, more alive, changing with the light.

That’s the point.

Most of us have been trained to build through accumulation: more ideas, more offers, more content, more strategies, more platforms, more “just in case.” It looks productive. It feels like control. And it slowly kills your signal.

So here’s the intention I’m taking into 2026 — and honestly, I’m inviting you to take it too:

In 2026, don’t collect more colours — polish the wall.

Clear what clouds your signal: overcommitment, half-yeses, scattered priorities, messaging that’s trying to speak to everyone, work that looks impressive but quietly drains you.

This year I said yes to too many things. Not because I lacked standards — because I’m capable and I can make things work. But I felt the dilution. So I pulled it back. I got specific. I returned to what I do best: coaching and mentoring — the work that actually creates transformation.

And I’ve been ruthless (in a loving way) with the test:

If I can’t see the light reflect off my work — real impact, real change — I dial it back or remove it.

And if someone can’t see the light I bring, I don’t work with them anymore.

Simple. Clean. Kind. Non-negotiable.

And here’s the part people skip:

The “polish the wall” advantage isn’t only about what you do.

It’s also about who you let in the room with you.

Because polishing isn’t just a tactic — it’s a temperament.

Some people are good at polishing. They can sit in simplicity without spiralling. They don’t need constant decoration. They don’t panic in quiet. They don’t perform competence. They bring grace. They bring integrity. They bring a nervous system that doesn’t need drama to feel alive.

And then there are people who are always grabbing for more colours: deliberate colours, performative colours, fussy colours. Always “tweaking.” Always “optimising.” Always adding layers. Not because they’re evil — because an empty room of light would be too exposing. In bright simplicity, your inner world reflects back at you. The walls don’t lie.

So here’s what I want you to remember in 2026:

Don’t be fooled by colours.

Not when you’re choosing partners.

Not when you’re choosing friends.

Not when you’re choosing community.

Not even when you’re choosing clients.

Colours can look like confidence. They can look like sophistication. They can look like “we’ve got it together.” But the real question is: can they sit in the light? Can they be seen without performance? Do they polish — or do they camouflage?

If you want a simple place to start, do a quick “mirror audit” this week:

• Where is your attention leaking?

• What are you tolerating that has become expensive?

• What would get easier if you simplified?

And here are four rules to carry into the year — practical, not precious:

1) Clean up the noise before you chase the next idea.

If everything feels urgent, nothing is strategic. Instead of “What should I add?”, try:

• What am I tolerating that’s draining me?

• What decision have I been postponing because it’s emotionally expensive?

  Clarity is often just courage, applied gently.

2) Make your business easier to choose.

Many founders aren’t struggling because they lack talent — they’re struggling because their message is carrying too much. A polished wall reflects the image cleanly. Ask:

• Is my offer simple enough to explain in one breath?

• Does my client instantly know what changes for them after working with me?

  When your positioning is clean, your marketing becomes lighter.

3) Stop trying to do it all “right.” Do it true.

Rumi says, “We drink the life-water together… without reference to texts or traditions.” Translation: there isn’t one approved way to lead, sell, scale, or show up. The moment you stop performing “proper founder,” you start building from your actual strengths.

4) Return to the inner work that makes everything else sharper.

The Greeks didn’t win by collecting information; they refined their capacity to receive. For you, that might be: sleep, boundaries, fewer reactive commitments, one clear priority per quarter, honest conversations, a weekly CEO hour with no inputs — just thinking.

As we step into 2026, the temptation is to reach for a hundred new colours — new plans, new offers, new platforms. But Rumi reminds us of another kind of start: the Greek room. A New Year is a fresh wall. When you clear what’s clouding your focus, everything you’ve already built reflects back more beautifully.

A line I don’t want to rush past:

“I know you’re tired, but come. This is the way.”

Not “push harder.” Not “add more.”

Come back to the room. Polish what’s already there. Reduce what’s muddying the mirror.

And from that clarity, your next right move tends to arrive with a surprising kind of generosity — like Rumi’s ocean: you don’t have to hold it in a cup. You just learn to swim in the huge fluid freedom.

Three prompts to guide your 2026 clarity:

• What will I stop tolerating in 2026? (a client type, a pace, a channel, a pattern)

• What will I make simpler? (offer suite, messaging, calendar, team rhythms)

• What deserves my deepest devotion this year? (the one thing that changes everything)

Warmly,

Ozlem