Honor Your Past: A December Self-Care Exercise
Photo: Benaz Shaikhani
‘Tis the season! Feeling peace and joy — all things merry and bright?
I hope so and wish you the magic of the holiday season. Personally and realistically, it’s easy for this season to become a “holidaze.”
Before you get wrapped up in all the festivities, gift yourself 30-60 minutes of self-reflection…
Step One: REFLECT ON 2025 🧘♀️
Make a Simple Calendar 🗓
Confession: I love working on paper!
For a quick, cheap, and easy calendar, fold a blank sheet of paper in half two times—from top to bottom. Then, make three columns.
Voila! You have 12 little boxes for the 12 months of 2025.
Take Inventory of 2025 📝
Look back over the last twelve months in your calendar.
I like to use my Google Calendar and camera roll, but avoid perfection and focus on honoring your past.
Notate Your Highs: Make a bulleted list of 2025 achievements: things you want to recognize and celebrate. This might include major life events, trips, jobs, degrees, awards, nominations, new relationships, etc.
Notate Your Lows: Make a bulleted list of 2025 pains: things you need to acknowledge, process, and grieve so that you can move on. This might include major life events, relationship changes, losses, etc.
If you want to make sure you don’t miss anything to recognize and celebrate from the past 12 months, you can also lean into AI or your social media. With posts on social media, you can also see what resonated most with your audience!
Step Two: HONOR YOUR PAST 🙏
Look back at those best and worst moments of the year. It’s not all good, and it’s not all bad!
Low Moments: It’s guaranteed you had some low moments. Honor them! Next to the event, articulate what life or business lesson you learned. Things rarely go exactly the way you plan. Try and find the message from the mess. It will help you release any negative energy before we head into the new year.
High Moments: It’s guaranteed you had some high moments. Honor them! Acknowledge where you've grown and celebrate all that you've accomplished. Recognize how far you’ve come! Next to the high points, articulate what life or business lesson you learned.
As an artist and creative entrepreneur, you will not always be awarded or recognized for your hard work. Provide yourself with recognition for all you’ve accomplished this year!
No matter where you are in your journey, or how different or far away your dreams seem, it’s critical to take the time to look back.
Just do it. 🤗
Step Three: Consider Sharing
In doing this exercise, I hope you’re able to see what 2025 has given you.
In addition to the fuel you just gave yourself for 2026, you have the opportunity to inspire others. While this may feel uncomfortable for you, your contacts actually "like" you and "follow" you in order to stay up-to-date. Consider celebrating one (or a few) of the moments or lessons 2025 gave you.
While you may be a shy introvert, from a business lens, this is an excellent time of year when industry VIPs are actually more apt to open your email and or engage with your social media.
The more human you can be (that means simple, real, meaningful, and vulnerable: not perfect, polished, slick, and savvy), the bigger the impact it will have on that relationship.
“As we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.”
