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Year-End Reflection Practices: Guided Exercises for Reviewing 2025
16 Plays1 month ago
This is the year-end reflection that goes beyond productivity and asks what truly mattered this year. Life isn't just work and achievements - it's the fun moments, the love you experienced, the calm quiet peace you created. This reflection includes all five guided steps with every question to help you honestly assess your year while celebrating the joy and growth that can't be measured by goal completion alone.
THE 5-STEP YEAR-END REFLECTION:
1️⃣ Step 1: Revisit Your Goals Look at goals from January and midyear. What changed? All progress counts - even dropped goals teach you what aligns with your values.
2️⃣ Step 2: Where Are You Now? Assess progress on kept goals. What emotions come up? How can you process them healthily?
3️⃣ Step 3: Be Brutally Honest What roadblocks got in your way? No shame, no guilt. Sometimes emotions derail us. We're one person - compartmentalizing isn't always possible.
4️⃣ Step 4: What Supported Your Success? What helped you make progress? Inner work? Community? Accountability? Identify what actually worked.
5️⃣ Step 5: The Questions That Actually Matter Beyond productivity metrics, these questions reveal what made life worth living:
- List 3 memories from 2025 that bring you happiness
- What lessons did you learn this year?
- What did you learn about yourself? What impact has this had?
- How much fun did you have this year?
- How could you make 2026 more fun?
Being a sensitive person who feels emotions intensely isn't a flaw. Joy is resistance even when the world feels crazy. You deserve a joyous, beautiful life.
If you're realizing 2026 needs to be different - more support, accountability, or joy - that awareness is your first step. Sometimes having someone in your corner makes all the difference.
Subscribe. Share. Remember that life is more than productivity.
Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨
Join the conversation! Download the free Year-End Reflection Cards through the show notes. DM me on Instagram @YourCoachMari!
Download the free Year-End Reflection Cards to work through all these questions at your own pace!
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Growing With Sol'
00:00:01
Speaker
Hello beautiful souls and welcome back to another installment of the Growing with Sol podcast. This is where we explore the moments and stories that shape who we're becoming. I'm Marisol and this is where I love to have real conversations about growth, self-discovery and learning to put yourself first.
Embracing the Journey of Self-Discovery
00:00:18
Speaker
Whether we're diving into books that change our perspective or unpacking personal experiences that teach us something new, this podcast is for women who are done playing small and ready to embrace their own journey.
00:00:30
Speaker
If you've struggled with putting everyone else first or battled self-doubt, you're in the right place. This isn't about perfection. It's about the messy, beautiful process of growing into yourself.
00:00:44
Speaker
So come grow with me.
Reflection Tools and Resources
00:00:47
Speaker
I genuinely feel like I just did my mid-year check-in cards, which if you are new here or you didn't realize back in June, I did release um like a PDF file of check-in cards that essentially led a Meteor check and exercise. I know a lot of us, especially those of us who listen to this podcast, we're going to have goals, whether they are personal or they are financial or maybe even like career related goals. Like we all have them.
00:01:16
Speaker
And it's always good to check in with ourselves to see kind of like where we're at with them. Did some of them kind of drop by the wayside? and Did we make a conscious decision to let some go? Have we made an astounding amount of progress, or maybe even reach of those goals sooner than we thought.
00:01:31
Speaker
That's what that mid-year check-in was all about. So I've decided also to create another one of those files available for download as well, except these are the end of the year reflection cards and they're going to be downloadable through the show notes as well. So definitely make sure to get that by the end of the episode or even right now, if you want to pause and go do that, if you are near your computer or i guess on your phone too, you can definitely do that.
Guided Reflection Exercise
00:02:00
Speaker
ah Nonetheless, time has definitely flown by, and here we are at the end of the year, holidays are fully in swing, and so many of us are rushing around without really taking the time to sit with ourselves and give ourselves the time we truly deserve to pause and to reflect.
00:02:23
Speaker
In a recent episode, I did talk about the importance of prioritizing rest, And I do think that during that downtime, we can even, you know, utilize some of that downtime to do this reflection. We can utilize some of that downtime in a...
00:02:44
Speaker
I mean, I don't want to say that we're productive because like rest doesn't have to be productive. But I do think it's important for us, especially those of us who are very goal oriented to take the time to assess and reflect. And even those of us who maybe aren't that goal oriented, like girl, definitely still take some time to reflect because why not? What what is what is how do we know that we are creating the life we truly wish to live without taking some time to reflect on the things that we've experienced and the things that we've done and maybe how we've handled certain situations.
Processing Emotions and Goal Impact
00:03:24
Speaker
So, I encourage you to listen to this episode with a journal and a pen. You can pause along the way to answer the questions that I will be asking throughout this guided exercise, or you can listen all the way through, then download the reflection cards that I created to go through the exercise at a later time.
00:03:46
Speaker
So do whichever resonates best. If you are like in your car driving, then obviously go ahead and listen through to give yourself a little bit of a brainstorm time and then get the reflection cards after. So for this guided reflection, we are definitely going to start by looking at where we want it to be.
00:04:05
Speaker
So step one is to revisit your goals from the beginning of the year. If you did the mid-year check-in, bring those up as well. Take note of how different they might be.
00:04:20
Speaker
if they even are. So if your goals from January are different from the goals that you then had in June, cool. Take note of that. See what changed. See maybe what didn't change. Also, take a look at all the progress that you made in those first six months of the year.
00:04:39
Speaker
Be proud of that. Definitely be proud of that. You still managed to make some changes. You still managed to make progress. And i would say if there were some goals that you decided to no longer pursue at that time, that's still progress because now you're learning what's going to be.
00:04:59
Speaker
you know, in line or aligned with your values and what you want to create for yourself. And also recognizing how much you can truly have on your plate without overwhelming yourself as well. So definitely take note of the progress and be proud of that progress as well.
00:05:16
Speaker
The second step in this reflection for the end of the year is to really see where you are now in relation to the goals that you have kept working towards. So all the goals that you kept from January to June to now, where are you?
Identifying and Overcoming Challenges
00:05:33
Speaker
How much progress have you made? Are you where you want to be? What emotions are coming up for you when you're thinking about this? This is such a huge aspect of goals and goal setting and being a goal-oriented person, especially for those of us who are I would say again, probably listening to this podcast, we can't really do much of anything without emotions coming up for us in that regard, no matter what it is.
00:06:05
Speaker
And when it comes to emotions, especially for all of my people out there who are like former gifted kid category, um and very much high achievers, overachievers,
00:06:20
Speaker
You know, we we sort of prided ourselves on getting A's in everything. We prided ourselves in being able to take all the AP classes and still do well. You know, it's amazing what we were able to achieve in our youth. um But when it comes to adult life, things are a little bit more complex. Yeah. Um, and with that, we still have kind of that old wiring that we're working with and maybe old wiring we're attempting and putting effort into unlearning that can die hard, you know?
00:06:54
Speaker
So emotions do come up for us when it comes to the progress we make, or maybe the lack thereof. So what emotions are coming up for you while you're looking at the progress you've made, or maybe have not made towards your goals?
00:07:08
Speaker
What is the healthiest way to express those emotions and to process them?
Support Systems and Success Factors
00:07:17
Speaker
If possible, or if the emotions are strong enough, take some time to do that now.
00:07:25
Speaker
If not, make sure to honor these feelings later.
00:07:32
Speaker
Step three in the end of your reflection. If you're not where you'd like to be, what roadblocks or challenges got in the way? This is your opportunity to be brutally honest with yourself. This is not the time to let shame or guilt get in the way.
00:07:52
Speaker
right now is just you and yourself and maybe your drill and your pen. So fess up to all the things that hindered you from making progress. And when I mean like be brutally honest with yourself, like this is where you get to truly look in the mirror and be fully vulnerable with yourself.
00:08:14
Speaker
Because You know, ah sometimes and like i'm ah this is i'm I'm talking to you as someone who has come to terms with, has come to fully accept that I am a much more sensitive person than maybe the average person walking around on this planet.
00:08:32
Speaker
And sometimes that means that emotions get the better of me and I'm just like, Especially after having been depressed, I feel like depression brain is so easy to slip into.
00:08:44
Speaker
So the combination isn't a good one. But sometimes I'm just like, I need to not do anything and take a little nappy nap and then get back on with life, you know, or maybe I need to have a little cry and then get back on with life.
00:09:00
Speaker
But when I am in denial of those types of things, I'm not always good at getting back on with certain tasks in life. And maybe that's one of those things where we might have shame or guilt associated with it. We don't want to be honest with ourselves about letting personal issues get in the way of progress. But like I constantly tell my clients,
00:09:24
Speaker
We are one system. We are one person operating in all of these facets of life. As much as we might want to compartmentalize, it's not always possible to do so. We carry all of ourselves into every area of our lives.
00:09:43
Speaker
And sometimes we're just not that good at compartmentalizing. That's not a skill that we have, perhaps. I don't think that's the worst thing in the world, honestly. So be honest with yourself of what roadblocks and challenges you truly faced in reaching your goals.
00:10:01
Speaker
If you did, if you hit it out of the park, oh my God, tell me your secrets. DM me, send me an email, tell me your secrets. but but ah Step four, if you have achieved success,
00:10:16
Speaker
your goals, or even made considerable progress? What supported your success? As much as it's important to reflect on the things that did not go well and why they didn't go well, it's just as important to reflect on what went well and what helped you reach that success. So definitely take a look at your wins and what was going on that led you to that win.
00:10:43
Speaker
Were there certain steps that you took? Did you do any type of inner work? Because I know we just did this whole thing of like, sometimes our emotional stuff gets in the way of us reaching success.
00:10:53
Speaker
Did you do inner work that allowed you to overcome inner challenges, maybe rewrite certain limiting beliefs in order to reach your goals? Did you have any external support systems in place as well? Again, i spent like two three months on this podcast this year talking about community and friendship and the importance of community.
00:11:16
Speaker
It's the same thing when it comes to reaching our goals. And I do think for a lot of us, having accountability and having community around our goals is also extremely helpful. yeah.
00:11:28
Speaker
Did you have that external support system this time around with these goals? And what did that look like? What did that support look like? What did that support provide that truly made a difference in your success?
Joy and Growth Beyond Productivity
00:11:42
Speaker
Step five for our end of your reflection is a little bit different than what I had in the mid-year check-in.
00:11:50
Speaker
Often when we are doing these types of reflections and we're looking at our goals and the progress we made, we're often looking at life with a very, i don't know if capitalist is the right word, but at at a very like productivity minded type of mindset. And as useful as that type of mindset is for the society and culture that we live in,
00:12:22
Speaker
I kind of say, fuck it. Fuck it. Fuck that shit. Okay. Because life is not just work and productivity and how productive you are. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Life is fun. Life is love. Life is the calm, quiet moments of peace that we create and the joyous moments of, i don't know, love, affection, happiness that we create. So,
00:12:51
Speaker
Let's look at those aspects of our lives as well. And if you are unable to write, think of what I'm about to ask of you. If you are currently writing and can do that, list out these things. So list three memories from 2025 that bring you happiness.
00:13:12
Speaker
that bring you happiness
00:13:19
Speaker
On top of that, without it having to necessarily be related to productivity and work or your goals, maybe some other aspects of life as well that we haven't touched on yet, list one to three lessons you learned to this year.
00:13:40
Speaker
Did you possibly learn something new about yourself this year? If so, what was it? What impact has this realization had on you or your life?
00:13:53
Speaker
So to give you an example, um one of the things that i've I have come to accept about myself and fully realize is that I think I'm just a more sensitive person than the average person. I really do think so. And my way of coming to this realization is a little bit funny. Like I'm i'm not an astrology person. Like that's never been ah deep interest of mine. Like i always find it interesting to like read your like weekly horoscope or like your monthly horoscope or whatever growing up, but I was never really into it.
00:14:26
Speaker
But every single time I'm on Instagram or even on TikTok, every single time that I come across a like horoscope or like a meme or something that has to do with cancers, it's like, like 99% of the time, like it fits. It's like, yes, that's me.
00:14:44
Speaker
um And cancers are known for being emotional along with a lot of other things. And I do think that I feel emotions intensely. Like I do think that I feel emotions very deeply.
00:15:03
Speaker
And when I talk to other people, when I hear other people like talk about certain things and like how they feel about certain situations and maybe situations that are very similar to situations that I've been in. And they're like, yeah, that happened. You know, like it sucked. It was shitty, but like, you know, whatever, I'm going to like keep trucking on.
00:15:23
Speaker
And I'm just like, I'm going to go cry for two days. Yeah. Like, what? Like, how are you how are you so chill about what just happened to you? And I'm like, like that that happened to me and I'm going to go cry and then i'm going to be angry and then and then I'll be okay. have I have a process that I'm going to have to go through.
00:15:48
Speaker
um i do also think that like... I don't know. The trauma piece is definitely a a difficult a difficult one because sometimes like
00:16:02
Speaker
I think either, like, i have I've had this thought of, like, either i am much more sensitive than the average person or I'm much more traumatized than I realized relatedly to that. But I definitely do think I am more sensitive and a much more deep, like, feeler, I suppose, than the average person. So what impact has this realization had on my life, honestly?
00:16:27
Speaker
It's allowed me to give myself a lot more grace. It's allowed me to fully recognize that like, this is just what I need to do for me instead of judging myself for feeling emotions. Because that's something I definitely did a lot.
00:16:45
Speaker
I would have these intense emotions about certain situations that like, I would tell myself logically I shouldn't be feeling this way, but I felt that way anyway. And now it's like, no, this is how I feel. And I need to process these emotions for me in this way. And that's fine.
00:17:02
Speaker
So yeah, that's just a little bit example. But ultimately, did you learn something new about yourself this year? That was mine. And if so, what impact has that realization had on you or your life?
00:17:16
Speaker
Lastly, how much fun did you have this year? Remember that you definitely deserve to experience joy. Was this year a fun year for you? Girl, given everything that happened this year, probably not.
00:17:32
Speaker
Was this year fun? No. Like on a on a so like a societal, political level, sociopolitical level, this year was not fun. But I do think that joy is a form of resistance. So...
00:17:50
Speaker
you deserve to have fun. Even when shit is crazy, you deserve to have fun. Like I saw this like post on Instagram a while back and it was like, yeah, the world feels like it's falling apart, but like maybe we, nothing no, it had to do something with like poetry. Like poets, like there was something that people say the world is falling apart and like, there's no point in like doing things. iss like, but poets say, why not fall in love anyway?
00:18:14
Speaker
Like, girl, yes. That is literally me. The world is falling apart, why not fall in love with each other anyway? Like, you know i'm saying? So I'm not saying go out and fall in love.
00:18:25
Speaker
If you do, do that. Yeah, fantastic. But also... Even in the face of all the craziness, you still deserve to have a joyous, beautiful life. So in what ways was 2025 fun for you?
00:18:41
Speaker
How much fun did you have this year? Is that something that you would like to be different? Yes or no? If so, how could you make 2026 fun?
Conclusion and Next Steps
00:18:52
Speaker
more fun
00:18:56
Speaker
Thank you for tuning in today to the Growing With Soul podcast. If this episode resonated with you, do not forget to give it a like, leave a five-star review because it definitely helps get this out to more people who need to hear this.
00:19:09
Speaker
If you are looking for support and maybe achieving some goals for next year, maybe support and making next year a little bit more fun or anything else that you are looking to achieve or have more accountability with, I am accepting new clients and you can schedule your very own call through the link in the show notes.
00:19:27
Speaker
Until next time, keep growing.