The year of a Thousand Failures

My best ideas always show up when I’m doing something mindless like vacuuming, showering or driving. Never when I sit down and actually try to think.

So, I was vacuuming when this hit me, I was thinking about what the next week online is going to look like.

resets.
planning sessions.
word of the year
predictions
2026 goals…

and we’re about to see a lot of big, polished, perfectly framed wins from 2025.
People will share how much they made, where they went, what they won.

They won’t share are the moments that almost took them out.

I actually posted about that on Instagram this week...we never see the part where someone nearly breaks. And while I was vacuuming, it clicked.

If I had to name 2025 honestly…

I was born a people pleaser. And if I wasn’t, I was trained to be one early on.

I had responsibility young. I learned that being useful, capable and agreeable kept the peace. I got praised for doing it all and then doing more and then doing it well without complaining.
If I did’t do things well, I didn’t get attention.

That kind of wiring doesn’t just disappear.

This year, I started letting people down intentionally (UNCOMFORTABLY)

I started saying no when my capacity was full instead of pretending I could stretch. I stopped replying instantly just to prove I was dependable. I actually followed the policies I’d written. I structured my work in ways that supported my values, not everyone else’s urgency.

Every single time, it feels like failure. It’s like I am doing something wrong.

There are moments where I am convinced people are mad at me.

We talk a lot about growth like it’s supposed to feel empowering and expansive but some of the most important changes feel awkward and disappointing.
You’re standing in the quiet after you finally did the thing and wondering if you just made everything harder.

This year, I failed at being everything to everyone. I failed at overdelivering at my own expense. I failed at pretending I had more capacity than I did. I failed at being endlessly available. I failed at working for free.

Every failure in 2025 was actually a win, even when it made me deeply uncomfortable.

Especially then.

Here’s to more failures in 2026

What are you waiting on?