3 unconventional exercises to wrap up 2025 and start 2026 with clarity and confidence
I don’t know how this happened, dear marketing legends, but here we are. It’s December.
Everywhere you look (and that’s before we even address the Christmas-tree invasion that started in mid-November), there are projects to close, deadlines to hit, and those mandatory year-end reviews that feel… well, lifeless. Forced. A little soul-sucking if you ask me.
This is not that kind of year-end review.
This one is yours - grounded, honest, human. A moment to actually honour your growth, celebrate your wins, and understand what your 2025 meant… so you can step into 2026 with clarity and confidence.
So here they are: 3 unconventional exercises to wrap up your 2025 - no fluff, no corporate tick boxes, just real reflection that actually moves you forward.
1️⃣ One month, one word
Let’s start with a truth we don’t admit enough: our brains are terrible historians. 🫠
We remember the extremes - the big highs, the dramatic lows - and everything in between gets blurred, dismissed, or filed away under “meh, nothing special.”
But those middle moments?
That’s where your real growth IS happening.
So here’s your first mission (should you choose to accep it):
Go back through your calendar from January to December 2025.
For each month, pick one word that captures the season you were in.
No overthinking - just the word that instantly clicks.
Maybe it was “stretching”, "challenge" “healing”, “fog”, “expansion”, “rebuilding”, “risking”, “rooting”.
Then, under each word, jot down 3–5 bullet points around the lines of:
Things you forgot you handled
Challenges you navigated
Micro-wins you completely minimised and/or big wins you still remember vividly
Decisions or curveballs that changed things or shifted your direction
💡 Why this works:
You finally see the whole year - not just the loudest parts.
You realise how much you carried, created, survived, and celebrated.
It’s grounding. It’s clarifying. And honestly… it’s humbling in the best way.
⚡ To go a step further:
After completing this exercise, read through your month-by-month journey and choose one word to summarise your entire 2025.
Then, book some time in your diary for December 2026 to do this again.
This is where the fun (and the patterns) begin to emmerge.
2️⃣ The energy audit (Human edition)
Forget the corporate “What energised you this quarter?” questions - we’re not doing that here.
This is the honest, human, real version.
Using your notes from Exercise 1, look for the patterns that quietly shaped your year.
Create two simple lists:
🔋 ENERGISERS - the people, habits, projects, places, and moments that made you feel alive, grounded, creative, confident, or like the fullest version of yourself.
🪫 DRAINERS - the situations, responsibilities, dynamics, or thought patterns that left you exhausted, anxious, resentful, or doubting yourself.
Be brutally honest. Even if the truth surprises you.
Especially if it surprises you.
Then identify:
✨ Three energisers to intentionally amplify in 2026
✨ Three drainers you’re ready to reduce, redesign, delegate, or release
💡 Why this works:
We don’t gain clarity by forcing ourselves into shiny, abstract goals.
We gain clarity by understanding what consistently fuels us - and what quietly drains the life out of us.
This exercise is like running an emotional MRI on your year - everything lights up. And suddenly, the shifts you need to make in 2026 become so obvious you can’t pretend not to see them.
⚡ To go a step further:
Turn this into a quick weekly or monthly ritual throughout 2026.
On a Friday afternoon or the last day of each month, ask yourself two simple questions:
What energised me this week/month?
What drained me?
This tiny habit becomes a real-time compass.
You won’t wait until December of the next year to realise something isn’t working - you’ll adjust as you go.
3️⃣ Your future gratitude letter
Traditional resolutions? They're overrated.
They can be rigid, guilt-inducing, and for many people: likely to be dead by February.
We’re not doing that here.
Instead, try this: imagine it’s December 2026, and you’re writing a short letter to your future self.
Start with “Dear future me (or any cool expression you want to use with your future self), thank you for…” and let yourself get honest, expansive, and maybe a little poetic.
You might write things like:
“Thank you for backing yourself even when it felt uncomfortable.”
“Thank you for choosing rest without apologising for it.”
“Thank you for showing up as your full, messy, brilliant self.”
“Thank you for saying no to things that drained you.”
“Thank you for following the spark instead of the script.”
The goal isn’t perfection or a checklist - it’s intentionally deciding the growth, courage, and choices you want to carry into the next year.
💡 Why this works:
It shifts your brain from “What should I do?” to “Who am I becoming?”
It’s a soul compass, not a transactional contract or to do list.
And it primes you to step into 2026 intentionally - aligned with your values, energy, and aspirations.
⚡ To go a step further:
Make this a quarterly or monthly reflection in 2026.
Every few weeks, write a short note to your future self, even if it’s just a paragraph or bullet points:
What are you grateful for so far?
What choices are shaping the version of you you want to become?
What small course corrections do you want to make now rather than waiting until December?
Over time, you’ll end up with a thread of gratitude, insight, and intention that keeps you aligned all year - and it will make your December reflections next year feel effortless and celebratory. What's not to love about this?!
💫Wrapping up 2025 with intention
2025 happened. Not the highlight reel version - the real one.
The messy moments, the wins you forgot to celebrate, the challenges you navigated quietly, the lessons that snuck up on you - all of it matters.
These three exercises aren’t about ticking boxes or filling forms.
They’re about seeing your year clearly, honouring your growth, and stepping into 2026 with confidence and clarity.
By reflecting month by month, auditing your energy, and writing a gratitude letter from your future self, you’re giving yourself something rare: a true sense of where you’ve been, what you’ve learned, and who you’re becoming. Priceless.
Take your time. Make space. Celebrate what worked. Notice what didn’t.
And remember: reflection isn’t a once-a-year task - it’s a practice. The more often you check in with yourself, the more aligned, energised, and intentional your life becomes.
💪 Need some extra support to make 2026 your year?
👀 Want clarity and momentum for your career in 2026?
The 2026 Career Roadmap lands December 15th! Fill in your info to be the first to receive it.
🗓️ Feel free to also check out the HerCircle calendar for upcoming workshops and events designed to help you step into your boldest, most authentic self.
Here’s to honouring 2025 - fully, honestly, and with gratitude - so you can step into 2026 ready to create, connect, and thrive.
Career Coach, DEI Trainer, Speaker and Women Empowerer.
