It’s about that point, pals.
One 12 months is closing. One other is opening.
I promised I’d replace you all on my gratitude journal practices for the 12 months. I added some new columns. Carried out some new routines.
And I’m completely happy to let you understand how 2025 went.
Be part of me and get began with your individual gratitude journal.
We’re all simply strolling one another house.
As annually closes, I make some sort of artwork undertaking with my gratitude journal. I’ve referred to it earlier than as a “reverse imaginative and prescient board.”
Sometimes, I take advantage of the most typical or most fun phrases from my journal, reworking the written textual content into some sort of picture with letters and sentences.
This 12 months, I did one thing a bit of completely different. I gathered up a bunch of photographs and printed out bodily pictures. Analog is the brand new digital, afterall.
I began out by utilizing this sample, however I had ordered a complete ton of pictures. I ended up adjusting the sample to make it larger:
These photographs embodied magical moments discovered within the textual content of my gratitude journal. They displayed individuals and locations I used to be grateful in the direction of. They represented pleasure and alternatives I don’t wish to overlook.
Whereas in most years, the textual content evokes a picture, this 12 months the pictures evoked a phrases. As I stood again and took within the completed product, a phrase washed over me. The Ram Dass quote:
We’re all simply strolling one another house.
I’m supremely grateful for the methods wherein individuals have proven up for me in love and compassion. I really feel at most peace within the moments the place I do the identical for others.
Transferring into 2026, I believe this quote could also be my guiding power. I believe it will be stunning if all of us acted in a manner that ensured the security, peace and safety of others as we stroll by means of this factor referred to as life collectively. In moments of overwhelm, I’ll do my greatest to pause and guarantee that is the place I’m appearing from. To permit gratitude to supply extra of itself.
The Issues I Wished
One of many new-ish columns I promised to replace you on was the ‘I need…’ column. The thought was to see if writing this stuff down produced outcomes, both by means of reinforcement or magical manifestation.
Study extra concerning the construction of my gratitude journal.
General, I wrote down about 30 distinctive issues I needed by means of the 12 months. Typically I phrased every ‘factor’ otherwise, however all of them match into 30 distinct classes. Clearly loads of them had been repeats.
Of those 30 issues, listed here are the outcomes on the finish of 2025:
- Twelve of the issues I needed definitively got here true.
- Eight of the issues I needed definitively didn’t.
- I’ve 5 issues tallied as “not but.” I’m staying optimistic that they’re in my future. The door isn’t closed. They simply haven’t proven up but on the time of writing.
- I had two alternatives for one in every of my ‘desires’ this 12 months. As soon as I succeeded. As soon as I failed. So it’s a half-and-half consequence on that one.
- 4 of the desires I needed had been inconceivable, and never within the ‘you must nonetheless swing for it‘ sort of manner. Issues like perpetual well being and happiness for the individuals I like. I can’t put them within the ‘sure’ or ‘no’ column, as this stuff ebb and circulation as part of the human situation. However I’m extraordinarily grateful for each time they swung into the ‘sure’ space — even when they will’t be perpetual.
So total? I’d name this experiment successful. Miraculous outcomes on loads of fronts. The need column stays.
It was attention-grabbing as a result of a few of these issues I had utterly forgotten writing down on this wish-like column. To see that they’d been fulfilled was fairly wonderful.
However for many of them, I used to be an lively participant.
Classes from wanting
There have been two large classes I took away from this train this 12 months. One I’ve had experiential data of for a very long time:
If you would like one thing, you’ve acquired to indicate up and check out.
A few of these issues I needed had been very large, very tough issues. It could have been tremendous simple to jot down them off as unachievable.
But after I confirmed up, alternative opened. Not each time — there have been nonetheless eight arduous ‘no’s. We will’t all the time get what we would like.
However there’s no manner I’d have gotten to 12 within the ‘sure’ column with out appearing on the dream. Typically they occurred in methods I had foreseen. Different occasions, my actions led to home windows opening in methods I couldn’t have imagined.
Manifestation could occur each on occasion happenstancely, however by-and-large getting the issues I needed required me to take part. To attempt. Even when the result wasn’t assured.
The opposite lesson is one thing that I wrote in a paid-subscriber e-newsletter again within the day. I’ll publish it right here within the coming weeks. I’ve identified it to be true for fairly a while, however in 2025, it confirmed up in a magnitude I don’t know that I’ve skilled earlier than.
It’s this:
Belief that in case you ask, individuals will present up.
I not too long ago talked on the Vibe with Ky podcast about how up to now, I’ve been reluctant to ask for assist. It’s one thing I’ve been engaged on. In 2025, I expressed my wants (and desires) to others in a manner I don’t suppose I’ve up to now. I plowed by means of the disgrace and guilt — which we shouldn’t really feel when voicing such issues, however we frequently do.
Wouldn’t you recognize it?
Individuals confirmed up in large methods.
Methods I couldn’t have imagined. Methods I’ll keep in mind for the remainder of my life.
So whereas part of getting the issues I needed or wanted in 2025 was displaying up myself, it was additionally made doable by the sturdy village of individuals behind me. We’re not alone on this world.
We’re all simply strolling one another house.
The ‘No’ column
My ‘no’ column was sparse. I didn’t wish to give attention to the detrimental, so I didn’t write down three issues a day.
I believe this was the proper transfer.
See how the ‘no’ part is structured right here.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t as profitable as the opposite three columns in my gratitude journal.
An enormous a part of that’s that loads of the issues I wish to say ‘no’ to are crucial components of each day life.
Like coping with telecom corporations, for instance.
Nightmare each time.
Get it out of my life.
Please.
However alas, in 2025, I nonetheless wanted the web to perform. As a lot as I want I may take away myself, it’s one thing I’ve to have interaction with.
One other a part of it’s that I must work this muscle extra. There have been a couple of issues I needed to eject from my life that weren’t absolute requirements. I made some progress on this ceremony, however I may stand to make some extra.
I don’t suppose the answer is to up it to a few line objects each day. However I do suppose I must flip to the again of the e-book and remind myself why issues are on this ‘no’ column extra usually.
Joyful 2026
I don’t wish to sugarcoat issues. There have been tough moments this 12 months. Seasons of profound loss. Transitions I went into kicking and screaming.
Life is rarely static. There isn’t any mountain peak the place the whole lot is ideal.
However on this imperfect expertise we name life, we do have the ability to jot down (and rewrite) our personal narratives. To make use of these narratives in the direction of empowerment — monetary or in any other case. Even when the world round us feels bleak at occasions.
Through the years, this has been a extremely useful train to assist me do exactly that. In the event you’d like to have interaction in it, too, right here’s the place you will get a duplicate of your individual gratitude journal for the 12 months forward.
Wishing you and yours an attractive, peaceable 2026. And whether it is none of these issues, I hope you a minimum of get 12 of the 30 belongings you need amidst all of the mess.
