Happy new month, and welcome to the very last chapter of 2025.

Where did the time go? Honestly, I feel like I blinked in January and opened my eyes in December. This year moved fast, and it moved deep. The pace has been dizzying, my head has been spinning, and yet here we are. We are standing on the finish line of a year that stretched us, shaped us, and, in many ways, softened us.

As I sit with the weight and wonder of 2025, a few truths keep rising to the surface. Some were reminders. Others were revelations. All of them were needed.

This year taught me:

1. Be ready for the unexpected.
2. Having something for yourself is important.
3. Happiness comes from within.
4. Life is truly short.
5. Love your family and friends while they’re here.
6. Always be a good person.
7. Find your passion.
8. Change the situation, not the person.
9. Don’t hesitate when you should act.
10. Never leave the house angry.
11. Only you know what’s best for you, trust that.
12. Listen to your gut; it rarely lies.
13. You don’t have to be productive all the time. Rest is not laziness.
14. Your energy is not unlimited, protect it.
15. Happiness is self-created; look inward.
16. Take that leap of faith.
17. Self-care is a priority, not a privilege.
18. Hard times reveal true faces, and true strength.
19. Stay focused on your purpose, especially when life storms. Align your days with what matters.

As 2025 winds down, I’ve been reflecting on the lessons that found me, sometimes gently, sometimes through fire, and the ones I want to carry intentionally into 2026.

Let Go of What You Can’t Control

This year reminded me how much energy we waste fighting battles we were never meant to win. I learned that peace grows in the soil of surrender. When I stopped trying to fix the uncontrollable, I found more room to breathe. In 2026, I want to keep choosing the battles that actually belong to me.

Comparison Will Always Rob You

Everyone has their own timing. Their own lane. Their own rhythm. The more I compared, the more joy leaked out of my life. Next year, I’m choosing presence over comparison. To grow at my own pace, not someone else’s.

Saying “No” Is Self-Respect

This one was hard. But saying “no” saved me more times than I can count. It protected my peace, my energy, and my mental clarity. In 2026, I’ll continue saying “no” without guilt and “yes” only where my heart feels safe.

Your Words Shape Your World

The way we speak to ourselves is the way we experience life. I learned to be kinder to my inner voice, to use words that build, not break. I want to keep nurturing that voice next year.

Change Is Constant — Lean Into It

Nothing stays the same. Not the highs, not the lows. Accepting this helped me stop clinging and start flowing. In 2026, I want to meet change with openness instead of fear.

Silence Is A Sanctuary

This year, I discovered the beauty of quiet. It’s where clarity comes from. It’s where strength returns. Silence has become one of my greatest tools for grounding — and I want more of it in the year ahead.

How to Incorporate These Lessons Into Daily Life

These insights aren’t just feel-good statements; they’re the foundation of self-leadership. And self-leadership always shows up in how we lead others, at home, at work, and within our communities.

As the year ends, it’s worth asking yourself:

• What is the state of my mind right now?
• What am I carrying that I need to put down?
• What am I ignoring that needs my attention?
• Where do I need boundaries?
• Where do I need softness?
• What am I grateful for — truly?

2025 isn’t over yet, and I know more lessons are waiting for me. But if there’s one thing this year has made clear, it’s this: showing up for myself matters. Protecting my peace matters. Intentional living matters. And honestly, that’s enough for now.

What This Year Taught Me About Leadership, Pressure & Peace

This year, I’ve watched more leaders wrestle with pressure, uncertainty, and burnout than ever before. So many people are holding their breath, waiting for “things to finally calm down.”
But peace doesn’t arrive when life gets easier.

Peace comes when gratitude changes us.

Years ago, God used gratitude to break the grip of anxiety in my life, and it was one of the deepest shifts I’ve ever experienced. Gratitude didn’t change my circumstances; it changed me.
And the same is true in leadership.

Grateful leaders:

• create grounded teams
• spread calm instead of chaos
• cultivate clarity over confusion
• inspire steadiness in the storms

As 2025 wraps up, I’m returning to that truth. Gratitude is not seasonal. It is transformational.

So today, on this first day of December, I’m choosing gratitude. For the lessons, the people, the surprises, the losses, the growth, and the grace that carried me here.

Here’s to a peaceful, intentional, beautifully honest last month of the year.
And here’s to the version of you who made it this far – stronger, softer, and wiser.

Happy December.
Let’s finish well.