A compassionate way to close out the year—without the pressure of resolutions
There’s a moment at the end of every year when the pressure builds. Everywhere you look, someone’s asking what you accomplished, what you’re resolving to change, what big goals you’re setting for the months ahead.
But what if this year, you tried something different?
What if instead of measuring yourself against some imaginary checklist, you simply asked yourself: What am I proud of? What am I ready to release? And what do I want more of?
That’s the heart of the Bright List—a simple reflection exercise we created to help you close out 2025 with compassion and step into 2026 with clarity.
Why We’re Skipping Resolutions This Year
New Year’s resolutions often set us up for disappointment. They tend to be rooted in what we think we should do rather than what actually feels aligned. They focus on deficits instead of growth.
The Bright List takes a different approach. Instead of asking “what’s wrong with me that I need to fix?” it invites you to consider what’s already working, what no longer serves you, and what you’d like to cultivate more of.
Research on the “fresh start effect” shows that temporal landmarks like New Year’s naturally enhance our motivation and goal pursuit—but when combined with structured reflection through journaling, that psychological phenomenon becomes even more powerful. Writing activates the prefrontal cortex, improving our ability to think about our own thinking and turn scattered thoughts into clear intentions.
No judgment. No scoring. Just honest reflection.
The Three Lists
Grab a notebook or open a fresh page in your journal. Give yourself permission to write freely—this isn’t about perfection.
List One: What I’m Proud Of
Start here. What did you accomplish, try, survive, or show up for this year? This isn’t limited to the big stuff. Small wins count. Quiet wins count. The things no one else noticed? Those count too.
Maybe you challenged yourself physically—tried a new workout, completed something hard, moved your body when you didn’t feel like it. Maybe you invested in your career, your relationships, or your own learning. Maybe you simply got through a difficult season without falling apart.
Write it down. All of it.
List Two: What I Want to Release
This is where you name what’s been weighing you down. What patterns, habits, or thought loops are you ready to let go of?
Perhaps it’s over-scheduling. The pressure to say yes to everything. Maybe it’s the tendency to slip into negativity or resentment. Maybe it’s the voice in your head that takes everything personally or spirals into judgment—of yourself or others.
Naming what you want to release doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re paying attention. It means you’re growing.
List Three: What I Want to Expand
Finally, consider what you want more of. What lit you up this year that you want to lean into? What practices or priorities felt aligned?
This could be joy. Presence. Quiet moments. Physical movement. Time with people who fill you up. Doing more of what makes you feel like yourself.
Expansion isn’t about adding to your plate—it’s about giving more space to what matters.
Four Journal Prompts to Go Deeper
If you want to take this reflection further, sit with these questions:
What surprised you this year? Think about the unexpected gifts—the growth you didn’t anticipate, the challenges that resolved themselves, the mental space you reclaimed when something difficult finally lifted.
What healed you this year? This one might bring up emotion. Healing isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s recognizing a pattern you want to change. Sometimes it’s admitting that you regressed in areas you thought you’d mastered—and choosing to be gentle with yourself about it.
What felt aligned? When did you feel most like yourself? What conditions helped you feel grounded? For some, it’s the quiet moments—coffee in the morning without the TV on, sitting in stillness without needing to fill the silence.
What do you want to do more of? This isn’t about goals. It’s about direction. What do you want to prioritize in your one precious life?
Life Is Messy—And That’s the Point
Here’s the truth we keep coming back to: we don’t have it all figured out either. We talk about gratitude and joy and self-care on this podcast, and then we forget to practice it ourselves. We spiral. We regress. We catch ourselves gossiping or resenting or being way too hard on ourselves.
That’s not failure. That’s being human.
The difference between a growth mindset and a victim mindset isn’t that one person has struggles and the other doesn’t. It’s the question you ask when those struggles show up. A victim mindset asks why me? A growth mindset asks what can I learn from this?
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on growth vs. fixed mindsets shows that people who believe their abilities can develop—rather than being fixed traits—are more resilient, more willing to embrace challenges, and better at converting setbacks into growth. The good news? Mindset isn’t permanent. It’s something we can practice, shift, and strengthen over time.
So as you look back on 2025—the messy parts, the beautiful parts, the quiet wins and the loud failures—try to hold it all with compassion. You did the best you could with what you had. And you’re still here, still growing.
Your Foundation for 2026
Let the Bright List be your foundation for the year ahead. Not resolutions. Just intentions.
What are you proud of? What are you releasing? What are you expanding?
Write it down. Come back to it. Let it guide you.
And remember: there’s no destination. No final version of yourself to arrive at. Just this messy, meaningful, ongoing practice of becoming.
Cheers to a grounded, intentional 2026.
This post is based on an episode of the Chasing Brighter Podcast. If this resonated with you, we’d love for you to whole conversations here: