Reflections on 2025
As the year comes to a close, It’s interesting to notice how we like to wrap it up neatly. Was it a good year or a bad one ? Did we get ahead or fall behind ?
Honestly, 2025 didn’t feel like a year that wanted neat conclusions. It felt more like a year that quietly corrected things. It often asked us to look again at how we were living, working, and holding ourselves.
In conversations with clients, and in my own life, certain themes kept coming up. Not as big insights or grand lessons, just as recurring reminders. Simple, but not always easy.
Here are three of them…….
1. Don’t Let One Part of Life Take Over the Whole
This was everywhere this year. Work taking over everything and one problem consuming all the headspace.
I saw a lot of capable, decent people feeling flat and worn down, not because life was particularly terrible, but because it felt like it had narrowed. When one part of life starts running the whole show, even good things start to feel heavy. I remember a client saying to me at one point, almost in passing, “I think I’ve let this become too much of who I am.”
That summed it up !! To cap it off I was lucky enough to attend a graduation ceremony at UNSW recently, where retiring Chancellor, David Gonski, gave one piece of advice to the young graduates…..and it was “fight narrowness at all cost”
The people who found more breathing room this year weren’t the ones who solved everything. They were the ones who widened their life again. Who remembered they’re more than their role, their workload, or the thing currently causing stress. That’s what I mean when I talk about being unconsumable. Not detached. Not perfect. Just not owned by any one thing.
2. Choose Intentionality (Direction) Over Speed
Speed has been the default setting for a long time. Get through it. Stay ahead. Keep moving. But speed comes at a cost. Rushed decisions. Short fuses. Conversations that didn’t quite land. A lot of unnecessary clean-up. What seems to work better was slowing things down internally. Taking a beat before responding. Thinking something through instead of reacting. Letting a decision breathe for a moment.
That doesn’t mean doing less. Most people I know were as busy as ever in 2025. It just means moving with a bit more intention.
I noticed it in my own life. When I rushed, things felt off. When I slowed my inner pace, things generally went better. Fewer mistakes, better conversations, more clarity. It turns out that intentionality saves time in the long run.
3. Steadiness Rules
If there’s one thing we often underestimate, it’s the value of steadiness.
This year made it clear. The people who handled things best didn’t have all the answers. They were the ones who stayed steady when things got messy. They didn’t overreact, and they could sit with uncertainty without needing to immediately fix it. That kind of steadiness is quiet, but it changes everything. In families. In teams. In businesses.
When someone stays grounded, others tend to settle. When they don’t, everything escalates quickly. I saw that pattern again and again this year. Steadiness isn’t passive. It takes effort. It’s a choice to stay present rather than get swept up.
And in 2025, it turned out to be a real advantage.
A Closing Thought
So I’m heading into 2026 without any big declarations or goals. Just these reminders.
Don’t let one part of life take over the whole. Slow down enough to move with intention. Stay steady, especially when it’s uncomfortable.
If you’re reflecting too, maybe ask yourself where things got a little out of balance this year, and what would help restore it.
Don’t rush. These things tend to show up when you give them space.
Wishing you a grounded end to the year and a steady start to the next.
Paul
P.S. If any of this struck a chord with you, it’s the kind of work I do in my coaching. I help people find the clarity and courage to speak up, make better choices, and create the conditions for a life that feels more aligned. If you’ve been sitting on something you want to shift, I’d love to have a conversation.
You can find more information as well as testimonials from former and current clients, on my website… www.paulcheika.com
You can contact me there, via LinkedIn or you can email me at paul@paulcheika.com
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