Why I’m Thanking My Hardest Year Instead of Trying to Forget It.

“Progress doesn’t always look impressive, but it’s always powerful.”

2025 taught me more than any planner, podcast, or perfectly curated quote ever could. It taught me that nothing is forever—not the hard seasons, not the good ones, not the versions of ourselves we cling to out of comfort. I learned that quitting quietly is easy, but trying again takes character. I learned to ask more questions instead of pretending I know the answers. And maybe the biggest lesson of all? Running toward hard conversations instead of walking away changes everything. It’s wild how much clarity shows up when you stop ghosting discomfort and start listening to it. It's truly a revelation of the self. Kind of like realizing that endlessly refreshing your email won’t solve the problem—but actually sending the honest message might.

I’m grateful for stepping stones because they don’t demand perfection—they just require movement. A stepping stone doesn’t care how graceful you look getting across the river; it just cares that you keep going. 2025 was full of moments that felt like, awkward silences, plans that didn’t pan out, and conversations I replayed in my head like a bad voicemail. But those moments did what they were supposed to do—they shaped me. Just like switching from autopilot scrolling to actually reading the comments on a post and realizing, “Oh… I’m not alone in this.” The lessons weren’t punishments; they were preparation. They were quiet upgrades I didn’t know I was installing.

As I step toward 2026, I’m not carrying regret—I’m carrying receipts. Proof that I survived uncomfortable growth, showed up when it would’ve been easier to disappear, and kept trying even when the outcome wasn’t guaranteed. Stepping stones don’t eliminate the gap between who you are and who you’re becoming—they help you cross it one honest step at a time. And if 2025 taught me anything, it’s this: progress doesn’t always look impressive, but it’s always powerful. Especially when you can look back and say, “That version of me did the best they could—and it was enough to get me here.”

Be Positive, and have an amazing day.