Wellness
Finish Well And Start Strong
By Diana Muhairwe
Most people sprint through December like marathoners chasing the last mile- exhausted, distracted and desperate just to cross the line. But what if I tell you that, the way you finish 2025 can determine how you start 2026?
I learned this lesson the hard way years ago when one December I was buried in unfinished work, saying yes to every invitation and thought exhaustion was a badge of honor.
By January, I wasn’ t refreshed, I was instead depleted. Instead of clarity, I started my new year with chaos. That season taught me something priceless: finishing well is not about doing something more, it’ s about choosing better, focusing on what really matters.
When you choose well this December, you will enter the New Year not scrambling for energy but standing on momentum.
The temptation of the finish line
Entrepreneurs and executives are often wired to push till the end, finish the project, close the deal, and secure the numbers and so much more. And yes targets matter, but so does the state in which you cross the finish line.
Think about an athlete. A runner who collapses at the end of the race may complete the distance but at a cost. Another finishes with steady energy, breathing strong ready for the next challenge. Same distance, different outcome.
The truth is; how you finish 2025 will shape how you start 2026. So how do you ensure that you finish 2025 strong?
Reflect intentionally and without Regret
Reflection is not indulgence. Harvard Business School research found that people
If reflection is about learning, release is about letting go. Too many leaders carry the weight of unmet expectations, failed ventures, or broken relationships into a new year and wonder why they feel heavy before the race even starts. who spend 15 minutes a day reflecting on lesson learned performed 23 % better after 10 days than those who don’ t. Why? Because reflection converts experience into insight.
As leaders we rush so fast that we rarely ask: What worked? What didn’ t? What did I learn?
I often encourage my clients to take not only year-end inventory in terms of assets and liabilities but of lessons. Write down three wins you are proud of, three failures that shaped you and three lessons that will carry you forward in 2026.
Reflection is not about beating yourself up but about extracting wisdom from the year’ s battles so you don’ t repeat them in the next.
Release the baggage
If reflection is about learning, release is about letting go. Too many leaders carry the weight of unmet expectations, failed ventures, or broken relationships into a new year and wonder why they feel heavy before the race even starts.
I once worked with a CEO who couldn’ t stop replaying a failed merger from years back. Every new opportunity was filtered through that old pain. It wasn’ t the market holding him back- but the baggage he refused to drop.
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