The Wisdom Harvest: How to Review Your Year for Growth, Not Guilt

Good Morning, Goal-Getter!

Last week, we talked about looking back at 2025 to create the 2026 you desire. But for many of us, there's a deep resistance to this practice. Why?

Because we often use evaluation as a tool to beat ourselves up.

We look back only to see what we did wrong, where we failed, and how we fell short. We were taught that this harsh self-criticism is a motivator. But it isn’t. It creates feelings of defeat and frustration, which paralyze the very action needed to create change.

So we avoid looking back altogether. And we miss all the magic.

Today, I want to invite you to reframe this process. Let’s stop "evaluating" and start a "Wisdom Harvest." Your goal is not to judge your past self, but to learn everything you can from her experience to empower your future self.

Ask yourself these questions with compassion and curiosity:

• From the Wins: What went well this year? What does this teach me about my strengths and what’s working? How can I do more of this?
• From the Lessons: Where did things not go as planned? What invaluable lesson did this experience teach me? How can I integrate this wisdom going forward?
• From the Effort: Regardless of the outcome, what am I most proud of myself for trying? How did I show courage and resilience?

When you approach your past with the intent to learn, you gather the powerful insights needed to build your future. You learn from this year, decide what wisdom to take with you into 2026, and consciously leave the rest—the judgment, the shame, the frustration—behind.

This is how you create a different future. Not from a place of criticism, but from a place of wisdom and power.

To your growth and your grace,

Stacie