Decide what doesn’t come with you
Before this year ends, there’s one decision that matters more than any goal:
What are you no longer taking with you into the next year?
Not what you want to add.
Not what you want to fix.
But what you are done carrying.
Habits.
Beliefs.
Patterns.
Ways of coping that may have made sense once, but don’t anymore.
This final week of December is less about momentum and more about closure. And it’s not too late to create closure.
WHY THIS WEEK MATTERS
Over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about awareness, honesty, alignment, and discernment.
- In Week 1, it was about noticing what’s been calling your attention — and not waiting for January to acknowledge it.
- In Week 2, it was about protecting your energy and being more intentional with what you say yes or no to.
- In Week 3, it was about clarity — not just for next year, but for the bigger picture of where you want your life to go.
This week brings it all together.
Because awareness without closure just becomes something else you carry forward.
CLOSURE ISN’T DRAMATIC — IT’S DECISIVE
Closing out a year doesn’t require a big announcement or a perfectly worded reflection.
It requires your honesty.
Honesty about what you’ve already been aware of for a while.
Honesty about what you’ve been tolerating.
Honesty about what no longer aligns with who you’re becoming.
Earlier this month, I shared that I made a decision in December that I could have easily postponed until January (giving up alcohol for an extended period of time) — not because it was ruining my life, but because I was finally clear that it was no longer adding anything positive to my life, and particularly my health.
That’s what closure looks like.
Not a fresh start.
Clarity, followed by decisive action.
A SIMPLE WAY TO CLOSE THE YEAR (WITHOUT OVERTHINKING IT)
You don’t need a long review or a list of resolutions.
Set aside ten quiet minutes today and answer these three questions:
- What am I done carrying?
Be specific. Habits, expectations, thought patterns, obligations. - What has this year made me more aware of — even if I didn’t act on it yet?
- What needs to stay behind so I can move forward more aligned?
This isn’t about “fixing” yourself.
It’s about deciding what no longer aligns with who you are becoming, and honoring that future version of yourself.
This is exactly what I teach you how to do – step by intentional step – in my best selling book, The North Star Method.
NEXT YEAR DOESN’T NEED A PERFECT PLAN
If you feel pressure to have everything figured out by now, let that go.
Clarity usually doesn’t show up all at once.
It shows up through decisions — especially the ones you make before you feel fully ready.
That’s why I’ve never been big on resolutions.
THIS IS WHAT I SUGGEST INSTEAD
But I am big on meditation or praying on a word, or even a short phrase, which will give you direction and guardrails.
Something that reflects who you’re becoming, not just what you want to accomplish.
And if you don’t have yours yet, that doesn’t mean you’re behind.
Sometimes it simply means you’re listening.
Keep listening.
It will come.
