Everything's Gonna Be Alright: Wrapping Up 2025

Heaviness. I wish it were a different word.

This is the word I heard most in 2025 when I chatted with owners and contributors of various levels and industries. This year has been marked by heaviness. The economy, the layoffs, the political landscape, the downward sales trends, the AI “takeover,” the global conflicts, and the keeping-up-appearances drain. Exhausting, fear-producing and mentally unsettling all wrapped together.

As an empathetic cry-er, I have joined in my fair share of such tearfulness this year. The negative flow of things has left deep tire tracks in the mud of living. There is an uptick in “looking back” with regret and disappointment and a “looking forward” with hesitation and demotivation. What a way to end the year.

There is not a word that I can share that will make the hurt, fear or pain go away. Some of you are barely making ends meet. Some of you are afraid of the “failure” staring you in the face. Some of you believe that things will get worse before they get better. I can’t argue with any of these understandable perspectives.

And yet, this current state of affairs does push hard on the buttons of innovation and opportunity.

I just spoke with someone who stepped away from a career in business operations to open his own pool cleaning business. He was let down by a company for the last time (his words) and knew that he had to start doing something he liked and could scale. He did his research, secured some basic pieces of equipment and has signed up seven clients so far.

I spoke with a senior executive in a services organization who weighed out the “someday my options will be worth something” versus “my today sees me giving up too much on that risk.” He opted for his family and took a big step back. He bucked the system and was met with countless people telling him that he made the right choice while they spoke behind his back about how short-sighted he was. He heard their comments and pressed forward. He is earning less, and spending changes had to be made, but he is the most content he’s been in years.

And these are just a couple of people representing more who’ve shared their stories with me. And I noticed a couple of things in common:

• Easy never entered the conversation
• Fear was named and faced
• Enthusiasm and Change went hand in hand
  

As we end 2025, the encouragement in all of this is to take a moment to reflect and to start the healing. I know that there are dozens of reasons why you can or cannot do something; it is the same for me. My encouragement is to count the costs and make whatever decisions come from that. There is no magic pill nor is there a guarantee. What there is, however, is your value being affirmed.

You matter in this world. You matter in this world. You matter in this world. Say it until you know it.

Together, let’s walk into 2026 with less “Oh no’s” and more “What if’s.”