How to Thoughtfully Close Out Your Year (and Make Space for What's Next)

Before we begin—a quick invitation: I'm hosting an end-of-year gathering on Thursday, December

18, at Fabrik NYC (Tribeca) called Before What's Next: An Evening to Pause, Reflect & Reconnect. Four hours of guided reflection, warm conversation, grounding practices, and a light dinner. Just you, your journal, and the space to actually feel the year you lived.

Learn more here.

Now.

Here's what usually happens in December:

The year ends before you've really felt the year you lived.

Calendars flip. Goals appear. New-year-new-me energy kicks in. And suddenly you're sprinting again—toward the next thing, the next version, the next chapter—without ever closing the one you're in.

I get it. Forward momentum feels productive. Reflection feels indulgent.

But here's the truth: thoughtful endings give you power.

They help you carry forward what matters, release what doesn't, and understand the meaning of the year you just lived. Not the highlight reel. Not the Instagram version. The real one—messy, surprising, hard-won, and yours.

So before you set new goals or make new plans, pause here with me.

Let's close this year properly.

Four Practices for Closing the Year

I'm going to walk you through four simple practices: Celebration, Appreciation, Reflection, and Perspectiving. Just four simple ways to honor what you've lived and integrate it into who you're becoming.

Each one is backed by research—but I'll spare you the citations. Just know: remembering, integrating, and savoring your experiences isn't woo-woo. It deepens well-being, clarity, and resilience. It makes the past useful instead of just... past.

1. Celebration — Naming What You Actually Did

Most people dramatically under-celebrate themselves.

You hit a milestone and immediately think: Yeah, but it wasn't that big. You accomplish something hard and tell yourself: Anyone could have done that. You grow in real, tangible ways, and somehow it doesn't count because it wasn't perfect or public or applause-worthy.

Celebration isn't self-indulgent. It's self-accurate. First - it's informational - you know what's working for you. And more importantly, it reminds you that your growth wasn't accidental—you earned it.

Try this:

Set a timer for 5 minutes and write down everything from this year worth celebrating. Big, small, private, public—doesn't matter. Finished a project. Had a hard conversation. Showed up when you didn't want to. Changed a pattern. Learned something new. All of it counts!!

Then pick one thing that feels meaningful to you right now.

Ask yourself: What did this take from me?

Effort? Courage? Resilience? Honesty? Imagination? Stubbornness?

Name it. Feel it. Let it land.

You did that. It matters.

2. Appreciation — Savoring What Lit You Up

Here's what we do with good moments: we rush past them. And gratitude? Nah, look at all that my friends have that I don't!

Savoring—really absorbing a positive moment—is one of the most powerful well-being tools we have. It doesn't just feel good in the moment. It changes how you relate to your own life. It reminds you that joy isn't rare or accidental. It's woven through everything if you slow down enough to notice.

And gratitude? As I explain in my blog post, no matter where you are in life, gratitude immediately brings joy by reminding you of all the great things you already have.

Try this:

Write down 3–5 memories from this year you want to keep vivid. The ones that made you feel alive—not impressive, not productive, just alive.

Then:

• Note the things you find yourself savoring (so you can get more of that!)

• Name one thing you're grateful for that surprised you

This isn't about gratitude journaling as a chore. It's about holding something in your hands before it disappears. It's about keeping the richness of your life from slipping into background noise.

3. Reflection — Understanding Your Growth

Reflection helps you to think deeper, connect the dots, and recognize your own evolution. It's how the past becomes wisdom instead of weight or just a lot of things to remember.

Try these questions:

• What did you learn this year about life?

• What did you learn about yourself?

• What helped you move toward your goals and the life you want (or surprised you by not helping)?

• What are you ready to let go of or leave behind?

Be really, really honest with yourself. Face reality so you can truly move past whatever is blocking you. Write quickly. Don't edit. Let whatever wants to come through, come through.

4. Perspectiving— Placing This Year in Your Bigger Story

A year is a chapter. Not the whole book—just one chapter.

But every chapter adds something different to the story you're telling.

Sometimes you don't understand a year until you see it in context. Was this a foundational year? A transitional year? A healing year? A messy-but-necessary year? An expansion year?

Placing your experiences into a broader narrative increases emotional clarity and reduces stress. It makes life feel a little less random and a little more yours.

Ask yourself:

• What have been the major threads (themes, storylines) of my life as of late?

• How will I remember this year in the context of those threads?

• Who did I become this year that I wasn't before?

This is where reflection meets identity. Where you realize: Oh. This is what that was for.

A Simple 20-Minute Ritual

If you don't have much time, try this. Short, grounding, surprisingly powerful.

• Intention-Setting (5 min) Sit quietly. Take a few deep breaths. Ask yourself: What is my intention for these next minutes?

• Celebration (5 min): Write your celebration list. Pick one win you're proud of and name what it took from you.

• Appreciation (5 min): List what you appreciated (savored and were grateful for) this year. Add one thing you're grateful for that surprised you.

• Reflection & Perspective (5 min): Answer these:

  • What did I learn?

  • What am I letting go of?

  • What from this year do I want to bring into the next?

Close with one sentence:

"In 2026 (or next year), I want to feel..."

Let the rest unfold naturally. You're not forcing clarity. You're listening for it.

If You Want to Go Deeper...

Come join me on December 18 for Before What's Next: An Evening to Pause, Reflect & Reconnect.

Three hours. Guided journaling. Warm conversation. Grounding practices. The kind of presence we don't usually make space for. And dinner—I've got that covered.

You'll leave with:

• A clearer sense of what this year meant

• A feeling of being seen and supported

• A renewed connection to your own inner voice

• A grounded orientation toward what's next

No pressure. No performance. Just space to be with yourself and others doing the same.

Learn more and RSVP here.

The year is ending, whether you acknowledge it or not.

But how it ends—that's up to you.

For Learning and With Love,

Chris