2025 was a really hard year. Almost every month, I was sick or injured—with the flu, covid, cough-variant asthma, adverse reactions to meds, dependency and horrible withdrawal symptoms, a sprained ankle and damaged knee—and by December, I was in a wheelchair. On top of that, I struggled with the physical, mental, and emotional maelstrom of perimenopause. I was bitter about a big investment not working out and annoyed that multiple business plans didn’t turn out as expected. Yup, it was rough.
On the other hand…
2025 was an amazing year! I was fortunate enough to work with some fabulous corporations—delivering women’s leadership, presentation skills, and conflict management workshops in Tokyo, Hokkaido, Kamakura, and Nagoya. Coached some superstar executive clients and facilitated high-impact events with inspiring and fun individuals. Was elected to the British Chamber’s Executive Committee. Traveled to Guam, Shanghai, Germany, and the UK. Enjoyed picnics, pies, and more with friends. Celebrated my 30th wedding anniversary! And I’m feeling tremendously grateful ❤️
Both these versions of my 2025 are 100% true.
The thing is, as you may know, our brain’s natural tendency is to pay attention to the negative, so it’s really easy for me to dwell on the first version.
It’s a survival mechanism.
In primitive times, focusing on the wild beast (or the possibility of one appearing) could save our lives.
If we focused on the lovely sunset, the new baby in our tribe, or a yummy berry we’d recently discovered, we might miss important danger signals—and no more sunsets for us.
Despite the way our brains are wired, we have a choice. We can choose to focus on the positive.
Now, let’s please not confuse what I’m saying with “toxic positivity.” I’m definitely not dismissing trauma, sadness, and anger. It’s essential for our wellbeing to recognize and process horrible experiences and emotions.
What I’m offering here is a gentle reminder that we have the cognitive ability to look beyond how we might initially see something.
This can apply to reflecting on last year, last week, or even yesterday.
The other day, I hosted Reflection & Intention Setting for 2026 on Zoom with my co-coach Heather Dobbin.
The first activity we introduced was to review your photos, journal, or notes from 2025 and list the highs and lows (you might want to give this a go).
It’s amazing how quickly we forget the wins and joys if we don’t make a conscious effort to recall them. I’d completely forgotten a moment of joyful silliness with Keri after shoveling the snow from my parents’ drive in the UK. We ran up and down the drive on the shovels as if we were on Harry Potter broomsticks!
And when we remember more wins and joys, that helps us to recognize what lights us up (and do more of that!), builds confidence, and opens our eyes to more of the good in life.
It helps us to feel better and can even have a positive ripple effect on others.
So, what’s your take on your 2025?