Your Camera Roll Tells the Real Story of the Year

At the end of the year, I don’t start with goals.

I don’t open a fresh notebook and ask myself what I need to fix or improve or push harder toward next.

I start with my camera roll.

I scroll slowly. Not to judge. Not to curate. But to remember.

The truth is, your camera roll tells a much more honest story than your to-do list ever could.

It shows you where you went. Who you were with. What made you pause long enough to take a picture.

When I look back, I don’t see “productivity.” I see moments.

A walk that felt grounding. A meal that tasted better because of who I was with. A trip I needed more than I realized. A random Tuesday that held more joy than I expected.

None of those moments earned a promotion. None of them helped me lose ten pounds. And yet… they mattered deeply.

So many of the women I work with end the year feeling like they fell short.

They didn’t hit every goal. They didn’t slow down the way they promised themselves they would. They’re already thinking about what they need to do differently next year.

But when I invite them to look at their camera roll, something shifts.

They remember:

• The places they went, even if they were quick trips squeezed between meetings

• The people who showed up for them

• The moments they felt connected, proud, alive, or simply at peace

Growth doesn’t always announce itself as a milestone.

Sometimes it shows up as:

• A softer smile

• A different posture

• A version of you who stayed instead of shutting down

• A moment you allowed yourself to feel instead of pushing through

Your calendar tells a story, too.

Not of failure or “too much,” but of responsibility. Of seasons that required a lot from you. Of commitments you honored, even when it was hard.

You didn’t fail at balance.

You lived the season you were in.

This is the part that rarely gets celebrated — especially for high-achieving women.

We’re taught to measure success by what we produce. By what we achieve. By what can be counted, weighed, or posted.

But fulfillment doesn’t come from squeezing more wins out of yourself.

It comes from integration.

From noticing who you became while you were busy becoming everything else.

So before you decide what next year needs to look like, I want to offer a different starting point.

Open your camera roll. Open your calendar. Scroll gently.

Ask yourself:

• Where did I feel most like myself this year?

• What moments made me feel connected — even briefly?

• How did I grow emotionally, not just professionally?

Let those answers matter.

Because success isn’t just what you accomplish.

It’s what you experience. It’s what you feel. It’s who you become along the way.

And if your life looks good on paper but still feels a little empty inside, this kind of reflection isn’t indulgent.

It’s essential.

It’s really cold right now. And I don’t just mean the weather.

I’m noticing a quiet heaviness in so many of the women I work with —> women who are competent, accomplished, respected… and still feeling a little off.

Low energy. More emotion than usual. A strange mix of gratitude and exhaustion.

And here’s the part I want you to hear clearly:

Nothing has gone wrong.

We live in a culture that treats winter like an inconvenience and December like a performance review. Wrap it up. Finish strong. Set new goals. Be grateful. Be better next year.

But your nervous system? Your body? Your inner world?

They’re asking for something else entirely.

If you’re a busy professional woman, you’ve spent most of this year holding it together.

You showed up when you were tired. You solved problems other people couldn’t. You carried responsibility often quietly. You met deadlines, supported others, made hard decisions.

And yes, maybe there are goals you didn’t hit. Moments you wish you’d handled differently. Promises to yourself that got pushed aside.

That doesn’t erase everything else.

You are more than a checklist.

What if you ended it honestly?

Honoring:

• What you learned

• How you stretched

• Where you grew emotionally (even if it was uncomfortable)

• The resilience you built in ways no one applauded

And offering yourself grace for:

• The seasons you were in survival mode

• The energy you simply didn’t have

• The fact that being high-functioning doesn’t make you immune to feeling empty

This is where so many successful women get stuck.

They keep setting bigger goals, hoping the next achievement will finally bring the feeling they’re craving —> peace, joy, fulfillment, presence.

And when it doesn’t?

They assume the problem is them. It’s not.

True fulfillment comes from learning how to:

• Be with your emotions instead of outrunning them

• Slow down without losing your edge

• Let success feel satisfying on the inside, not just impressive on paper

• Stop postponing your inner life until “someday”

This time of year — this quiet, cold pause — is actually an invitation.

Not to do more. But to listen more. To reflect. To soften. To acknowledge who you’ve become, not just what you’ve produced.

Before you rush into the next goal, the next plan, the next version of yourself…

Pause.

Ask yourself:

• What did this year ask of me emotionally?

• What am I proud of that no one else sees?

• What do I want to feel more of next year —> not achieve, but feel?

If success looks good on the outside but doesn’t feel good on the inside, you’re not alone.

And you don’t need fixing. You need space. Support. And a different way forward.

That’s the work I do. And it’s available to you when you’re ready.