Year of the Horse: 9 Ways to Shed the Snake and Step Into Your Most Authentic, Prosperous Self

🐎 YEAR OF THE HORSE: 9 WAYS TO

SHED THE SNAKE AND STEP INTO YOUR MOST AUTHENTIC, PROSPEROUS SELF

Reflection is good. Action is better. This year is asking you to run.

I'll be honest with you, I didn't grow up steeped in Chinese zodiac traditions. But there is something about this transition, from the Year of the Snake into the Year of the Horse, that stopped me mid-scroll and made me sit with it for a while. And if you know anything about me, you know I don't slow down for things that don't ring true.

This one rang true.

My word for 2026 is *abundance*. And everything about Horse energy forward movement, bold expression, trusting your gut over your spreadsheet is completely aligned with that intention. So let's talk about it.

🐍 FIRST, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SNAKE

The Snake year wasn't subtle. It was a season of shedding and if you're being real with yourself, you probably felt it. Strategic. Quiet. Internal. A lot of sitting with hard truths you'd been avoiding. That can be beautiful work, but it can also be exhausting. Especially for those of us who already live in our heads too much.

The snake doesn't move dramatically. It waits. Observes. Calculates. And when it's ready, it sheds entirely not a little bit, not the parts that are convenient. The whole old skin. Gone.

💭 THE QUESTION ISN'T WHETHER YOU'VE BEEN DOING THE INNER WORK. THE QUESTION IS: ARE YOU FINALLY WILLING TO LET PEOPLE SEE THE PERSON THAT WORK PRODUCED?

That's the shift. The Horse doesn't overthink the running. It just runs.

🐎 WHAT THE YEAR OF THE HORSE ACTUALLY REPRESENTS

In Chinese zodiac tradition, the Horse represents freedom, independence, passion, confidence, and forward momentum. It's not cautious or calculating. It leads with instinct and moves with purpose. Spiritually, this is a year about breaking old patterns, speaking your truth, and reclaiming personal power; not as a concept, but as something you actually live out loud.

For me, that shows up in everything from how I show up in rooms where I've historically made myself smaller, to what I say yes and no to in my practice, my program, and my personal life. Abundance isn't passive. You have to move toward it.

✂️ WHAT ARE YOU BEING ASKED TO RELEASE?

Before you run, you have to drop the weight. Here are five things Horse energy is specifically asking us to shed; and yes, I'm talking to myself too:

1. OLD IDENTITIES THAT NO LONGER FIT

Who were you five years ago? Are you still performing that version of yourself out of habit or fear? This year is asking you to update the narrative.

2. FEAR-BASED DECISIONS

There's a difference between wisdom and paralysis. The Snake can be so cautious it never moves. The Horse demands bravery not recklessness, but courage.

3. STRATEGIC OVERTHINKING

Planning has its place. I know this firsthand I manage a program, I run a clinic, I have three kids in three different directions. But there's a point where more planning is just fear wearing a productivity costume.

4. HIDDEN RESENTMENTS

Snake energy can hold quiet grudges. Horse energy needs clear emotional space to move. This year, the unfinished business catches up better to address it than let it slow you down.

5. PLAYING SMALL

This one's personal. If 2025 was about purpose, 2026 is about letting that purpose take up the space it deserves. Stop shrinking. Full stop.

🚀 9 WAYS TO STEP INTO HORSE ENERGY THIS YEAR

WAY 01: TAKE BOLD ACTION: EVEN IF YOU FEEL SLIGHTLY SCARED

The Horse doesn't wait for perfect conditions. Stagnation is its kryptonite. This is the year to start the thing you've been talking about starting. The business. The creative project. The hard conversation. The next chapter.

I want to be clear: bold action doesn't mean impulsive. It means you stop letting readiness be a requirement. Clarity comes *after* the first step, not before it. I've lived this in my own life more than once.

*Reflection: What's one thing you've been ready for longer than you've admitted?*

WAY 02: ALIGN YOUR PROSPERITY WITH WHO YOU ACTUALLY ARE

Real abundance, the kind that's sustainable isn't just about money. It's about freedom. It's about waking up and not dreading what the day is asking of you. That doesn't mean every day is sunshine. It means the overall direction of your life is aligned with your actual values, not just your obligations.

This year, get honest about whether you're earning, building, and giving in ways that feel true to you or just in ways that feel safe. Prosperity grows when you stop betraying yourself to stay comfortable.

*Reflection: Where are you compromising yourself and calling it being reasonable?*

WAY 03: REIGNITE PASSION AND PURPOSE; NOT AS A LUXURY, BUT AS A REQUIREMENT

The Horse is fueled by passion. Not the inspirational poster kind, the kind that makes you lose track of time. If you've been feeling flat, stuck, or just going through the motions, that is information. This year is actively inviting you to reconnect with what makes you feel alive.

For me, that's writing, my Peloton, creating something from nothing in my Etsy shop, and watching my kids find themselves on the court and the field. What is it for you? Don't overthink it. What did you love before life got so full?

*Reflection: What are you doing when you forget to check your phone?*

WAY 04: CHOOSE AUTHENTICITY LIKE IT'S A DAILY PRACTICE

Authenticity is the core lesson of the Year of the Horse, and it goes deeper than just "being yourself." It's speaking honestly in rooms where it would be easier to stay quiet. It's setting the boundary you've been softening. It's writing the blog post that might make some people uncomfortable because it's true.

This is literally what DocKnox Unfiltered was built on. Authenticity attracts aligned opportunities and just as importantly, it repels misaligned ones. Both are gifts.

*Reflection: Where are you still performing instead of living?*

WAY 05: TRUST YOUR INNER COMPASS MORE THAN YOU TRUST THE COMMITTEE

One of the most expensive habits a high-achieving person can have is outsourcing their authority. Always asking what others think. Waiting for consensus before committing. Running every decision through a committee of opinions before honoring your own gut.

Horse energy moves from instinct. Not recklessly, but with a deep trust in its own direction. This year, practice making decisions faster. Practice trusting that you already know more than you're admitting. You do.

*Reflection: Whose voice do you let override your own most often? And why?*

WAY 06: EMBRACE FREEDOM — BUT DON'T ABANDON STRUCTURE

Here's where I have to give you the physician's perspective alongside the spiritual one: freedom without structure is just chaos with better branding. The Horse runs beautifully when it has direction. Space and discipline are not opposites. They're partners.

Create flexible routines. Move your body I mean it, your nervous system will thank you. Set real financial goals, not aspirational ones. Protect your time with the same energy you'd use to protect your peace.

*Reflection: Where do you need more structure to actually experience more freedom?*

WAY 07: STRENGTHEN THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT CAN HOLD THE REAL YOU

Horse energy has no patience for surface level. You may notice this year that certain relationships start to feel loud in their emptiness, friendships that require you to perform, dynamics that only work if you make yourself smaller, connections that drain more than they fill.

Let those shift. I'm not saying burn anything down, but I am saying stop pouring into containers that can't hold you. Choose relationships that feel energizing. That can handle your honesty. That celebrate your growth without making it about them.

*Reflection: Who in your life knows the full version of you and loves her anyway?*

WAY 08: EXPAND YOUR WORLD — IN WHATEVER WAY THAT MEANS FOR YOU

Travel, new ideas, new skills, new conversations all of this aligns with Horse energy. Movement creates opportunity. I'm not necessarily telling you to book a flight (though I wouldn't stop you). I'm telling you to stop consuming the same content, talking to the same circle, and thinking inside the same four walls.

Take the course. Go to the event where you don't know anyone. Network outside your usual circles. Read something completely different from what you normally reach for. Abundance has a hard time finding stagnant water.

*Reflection: What's one new space you could put yourself in this year?*

WAY 09: CLEAR THE EMOTIONAL WEIGHT YOU'VE BEEN CARRYING QUIETLY

This one might be the most important of all, and it's the one we skip most often. You cannot run freely with unprocessed weight tied to you. And as much as I believe in journaling and movement and spiritual practices sometimes you need professional support. Therapy. Counseling. An actual safe space with a trained human who isn't in your life.

Rest is healthcare. So is healing. This year, clear what's been sitting in your chest. Forgive what's needed forgiving for your sake, not theirs. The lighter you feel, the faster and further you grow.

*Reflection: What are you still carrying that you keep telling yourself you're over?*

🔮 SIMPLE RITUALS TO ALIGN WITH THIS YEAR'S ENERGY

MORNING INTENTION

Before you check your phone, ask yourself: *What bold step can I take today?* Just one. Write it down if you need to, but commit to it.

SYMBOLIC ANCHOR

Place a horse symbol somewhere you'll see it daily; on your desk, in your car, on your lock screen. Let it be a reminder that this year, you're moving forward.

WEEKLY FIRE CHECK-IN

Light a candle once a week, this is less about ritual and more about intentional pause. Sit with one question: *Am I moving toward what I said matters to me?*

AUTHENTICITY JOURNAL PROMPT

Write honestly: *Where am I still pretending?* Don't edit yourself. This is for you alone. What you find there is your roadmap.

SNAKE VS. HORSE: A SNAPSHOT OF THE SHIFT

Understanding where we're coming from helps clarify where we're going. This isn't about one being better than the other: both have wisdom. It's about recognizing which season you're in now.

🐍 SNAKE ENERGY (2025) → 🐎 HORSE ENERGY (2026)

Strategic and calculated → Instinctive and spontaneous

Deeply introspective → Boldly expressive

Patient, waiting for the right moment → Fast-moving, creates the moment

Private, guarded → Outspoken, visible

Cautious about exposure → Brave enough to be seen

This year is about the shift from contemplating your life to actually living it. Those aren't the same thing, and most of us know the difference viscerally.

❓ A FEW QUESTIONS I'VE BEEN ASKED

Q: Is the Year of the Horse a good time for career changes?

A: Yes - especially changes driven by passion and the desire for more alignment, not just desperation. This energy favors bold, intentional moves. If you've been sitting on something, this year supports the leap.

Q: Is it risky to make big decisions this year?

A: Calculated courage is supported. Pure recklessness is not. There's a difference between trusting your gut and abandoning your discernment. Listen to your instincts but also do your homework.

Q: What does "shedding the snake" mean spiritually?

A: It means releasing old versions of yourself: habits, beliefs, identities that you've outgrown but are still carrying out of comfort or familiarity. The snake sheds its skin because it has to, to keep growing. So do we.

Q: How do I attract prosperity in the Year of the Horse?

A: By moving, literally and figuratively. Take action, stay authentic, and align your work with your actual purpose. Abundance flows toward momentum and truth, not toward performing and waiting.

Q: What if I'm not ready?

A: With respect: that is almost certainly not true. What you probably mean is that you're not comfortable yet. Readiness and comfort are not the same. The Horse runs anyway.

ARE YOU READY TO RUN?

The Year of the Horse isn't asking you to have it all figured out. It's asking you to stop waiting until you do.

Courage over comfort. Truth over performance. Movement over stagnation. Expansion over fear.

My word is abundance this year. And abundance; real abundance requires me to show up fully, move boldly, and stop apologizing for taking up space. I'm working on it. I imagine you might be too.

So let's run. Together. Eyes open, heads up, fully ourselves.

— TK