Coaching Corner: Endings, Beginnings, and all the Fun in Between

By Master Coach Marilou Butcher Roth

We have now brought an end to 2025. Each year brings something different to our individual as well as collective metaphoric tables. What has 2025 brought to you? As you think about the year 2025, take some time to identify what you can appreciate, even if only slightly. You may find it to be one of those years that brings forth sentiments of relief. If so, this exercise is even more important. How can you clean up what might be hanging from the year so that as you move forward into 2026 with a generous helping of ease and grace? 

Take a look back in time, perhaps with a journal handy, and identify everything you can think of that you are grateful for from 2025. Some of you may need to look harder than others - that’s perfectly okay. Take your time, this isn’t a timed exam of any kind—quite the contrary.

This practice might even be something you do over a period of time, putting it down and picking it back up. All good, make this work for you. My hope is that you enter the new year without regrets, feeling good about the previous year, even with the challenges presented to you.

Along those lines, give some further thought to your relationships. Do you have anything that needs to be resolved with the people closest to you? Are there feelings that have been withheld, fearing the other person’s response? Do you tell the people you love that you love them? Sometimes, I have thoughts in my head that never seem to make their way out of my mouth. Perhaps you have had a similar experience.

What about action items—your home, your office, or maybe your car? Are each of your regular environments the way you would like them to be? What are you tolerating and looking over rather than acting on? What about those outfits that you would love to fit into (someday) that haven’t fit for over 2 years? Or that special drawer in the kitchen where everything gets tossed? This list can be lengthy and needs to be your list. Go through your frequented spaces and look with fresh eyes. What have you been ignoring?  How would you feel if ______________ felt more intentional and clear? This is your list, with no one to grade you but yourself. Write it down and get it done. Some of these may be carryovers from last year, so look at which of these would give you the most relief and tackle those head-on!

Let’s jump forward to your clean and clear new year, brought to you because earnest initiation was taken! Now it's time to look 2026 square in the face and identify how you want the new fresh year to play out. Many people operate from a “New Year’s Resolution” system. If that has worked for you in the past, go for it. If, however, you fall into the majority of people, you might have found your early January inspirations fading quickly as the weeks progressed, leaving you feeling full of self-judgment and disappointment with yourself.  

The biggest piece of advice I can give you is: as you create your list for the new year, make sure that each item is a true “want” and not a “should” that may be coming from outside yourself (i.e., family, society, etc.). This particular list must be felt into, bringing joy as you identify each item. Ask yourself why this action is important to you, how your life will be impacted, and how you will feel when it is accomplished. These actions will assist you in locking your resolutions into a place of fruition.

Another tip that you may find helpful is to identify some new daily habits that will support you. These may (or may not) be separate from those you call resolutions. Again, make this work for you! These habits may be quite simple, albeit impactful. For example, you may be long overdue to find ways to increase your water intake. Or, maybe you would like to get into the habit of making your bed every day. These are yours and yours alone and do not require input from anyone other than yourself. Keep this list to under ten objectives—that's how you avoid failure. They need to be something that you WANT, not something you feel you should do.

Whew! This was a lot, and hopefully, some pieces will assist you in creating more of the life you desire. However, I would be remiss to ignore the events that do occur as we enter the new year. As you work through organizing your life, allow yourself to be fully present. Do it fully, with your love and your presence. This will impact not just your loved ones; it will be a major impact on you as well.

Happy New Year to you and yours! 

Return to Blog