Hi everyone! As we inch toward the end of 2025, I wanted to sit down together for what I hope feels like a gentle exhale. This year-end review isn’t meant to overwhelm you with planning, goals, or perfection. In fact, if you’re anything like most humans in mid-December, you might already be feeling stretched thin by holiday logistics, crowded calendars, travel, emotions, obligations… and the quiet ache of finishing a year while bracing for the next one.
So think of this year-end review as a soft invitation. A pause. A moment to look inward and notice:
What’s on your plate?
How did it get there?
How are you truly feeling?
And where do you want to go next… gently?
Here in New York, the winter energy naturally draws me inward. I read recently that we’re biologically prone to more sedentary, “hibernation-style” behavior during the winter months and honestly, that rang true for me. Some of us are nesting. Some of us are buzzing like bees. Wherever you are mentally and physically, come as you are.
Below are four frameworks for reflecting (no pressure, no judgment) just clarity, compassion, and curiosity. If journaling helps you, grab a notebook. If sipping tea on the couch is enough, that counts too.
SECTION 1: TAKE STOCK WITHOUT JUDGING
Think of this like counting tomato cans in your pantry – neutral information-gathering. Not self-critique. Not “should-ing.”
Three small categories to explore:
1. Movement
How has your body actually been moving this year?
Not the fantasy version.
Not the “I should have worked out more” version.
The truth.
Did a dog keep you active?
Did you discover a gym class you loved?
Did your kids pull you into motion?
What felt fun?
What felt forced?
What felt completely absent?
Just notice.
2. Input
What have you been feeding your mind?
This year, one of my coaches, Diana Sofia, suggested I read Jump because she sensed I was ready for a leap in life and business. I took her advice.
So… what information shaped you?
Books
Podcasts
Coaches
Social-media voices
Courses
Meaningful conversations
What inspired you?
What drained or annoyed you?
What deserves more space in 2026 and what needs to drift away?
3. Mindset
What emotional climate defined 2025 for you?
Busy?
Anxious?
Hopeful?
Exhausted?
Grateful?
Effortful?
No emotion is wrong.
Just observe: Is this the climate I want to carry forward?
SECTION 2: GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION
Instead of asking yourself, “What should I be grateful for?” try something very simple in this year-end review:
Scroll through the photos on your phone, January through December.
When I first tried this exercise, I resisted and then I was stunned.
We forget:
the meals
the spontaneous selfies
the small trips
the reconnections
the lucky parking spots
the tiny moments of resilience
the days we stood tall
the nights we trusted ourselves more
Midlife women often minimize these things: Oh, that was nothing.
But you were the one who cooked the meal, initiated the connection, made the decision, learned the lesson.
You engineered the moment you’re now grateful for.
Honor that.
SECTION 3: OPEN LOOPS
This is where many of us tense up:
Unfinished business
Unmade decisions
Lingering conversations
Nagging tasks
To-dos that still sit where they sat in June
These are open loops.
Years ago, I treated December like a frantic race to tie every loose thread into a perfect bow. I was always exhausted by December 31st and still had a list waiting for me on January 1st.
So instead:
Write down your open loops. Then choose.
Which ones can you lovingly surrender?
Which ones genuinely matter?
Which one or two could you finish by December 31st (or January 31st) simply for the feeling of closure?
Freedom isn’t doing everything.
Freedom is choosing wisely and letting go.
SECTION 4: PREPARE FOR WHAT’S NEXT… GENTLY
No pressure. No resolutions. No performance metrics.
Just ask:
What energy do I want more of in 2026?
Maybe you want:
More time
More bravery
More ease
More joy
More travel
More momentum
More softness
More clarity
Not because you’re broken but because you’re free.
Ask yourself:
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What deserves to stay?
-
What can shift?
-
What needs to be thrown away?
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What no longer deserves my energy?
Sometimes progress matters.
Sometimes ease matters more.
You are enough.
And you have the power to change anything you like – or nothing at all.
THE YEAR-END REVIEW RECAP
Here’s our gentle roadmap:
1. Take stock without judgment
Movement, input, mindset
2. Gratitude & appreciation
Remember the wins… big and microscopic
3. Open loops
Release some, close a few
4. Gentle preparation
Invite ease and purpose into 2026
I hope the months ahead bring celebration, hope, delight, and rest. I hope you allow yourself softness. I hope you recognize how deeply you deserve good things; the ones you’ve worked toward and the ones still on their way.
If you’d like a free companion worksheet for this reflection, you can download it here: 👉 maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/review
To listen to Episode 262 of the Make Time for Success podcast, go here: 👉 maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/s5e262
Take care of yourself.
You’re doing beautifully. 💛
