The Thought That Changed How I End the Year
Every year around this time, I feel a quiet tension building.
It’s not just the pressure to finish things, though that’s part of it — the projects left undone, the goals half-met. It’s something deeper. A low-grade noise, humming underneath the productivity tools and Pinterest-perfect vision boards.
That voice that says:
“You should be reflecting.”
“You should be setting goals.”
“You should be figuring out how to make next year better.”
And often, if I’m honest, I try to oblige. I sit down with the journal. I make the lists. I try to “get clear.”
But I don’t always feel clear. I just feel… tired.
So this year, I’m trying something different. Something softer.
And it started with one sentence from a conversation I had with coach and facilitator Katie Driver:
“The mind works best in the presence of a question.”
It landed so gently, I almost missed it. But the more I sat with it, the more it felt like a key — not just to better thinking, but to a better ending.
What if clarity doesn’t come from pushing — but from asking?
Katie’s work centers around helping people think for themselves — particularly those who feel like their minds are “buffering” or stuck in mental noise loops. In our episode of A Thought I Kept, she talks about the value of attention, the importance of quiet, and what can shift when we stop trying to force insight, and start trusting the questions.
As someone who has historically tried to think my way to control — to logic, list-make, or out-journal the overwhelm — this idea felt like an exhale. What if I didn’t need the answer yet? What if I didn’t need a 12-step plan? What if I just needed the right question?
So I tried one.
The question that helped me end the year differently
On a particularly messy-feeling day, I sat down with this:
What would make this a good ending — for me?
Not a successful one. Not a productive one. Not an impressive one.
A good one. For the person I actually am.
And quietly, without fanfare, an answer rose:
Letting go of something I never really wanted.
Finishing one small thing I care about.
Taking a walk in silence, no headphones.
Choosing presence over performance.
Not exactly a 10-point strategic vision. But honest.
True. Grounded. And — perhaps most importantly — doable.
Another question I’ve come to love:
“What do I need right now?”
It’s one Katie shared in the episode, and I’ve returned to it often.
When the list is long. When my brain feels foggy. When I’m tempted to sink into distraction instead of meeting myself gently.
Sometimes the answer is small — a cup of tea, a stretch, a text to someone I love. Sometimes it’s “nothing right now.” But just asking reminds me I have needs, and they’re worth listening to.
In a season that often prioritizes output — what did you accomplish, what are you planning next — this simple question helps me reorient inward. To listen. To care. To remember that ending well isn’t always about tying everything up. Sometimes it’s about releasing what no longer fits.
A better ending is possible. But it starts with presence, not pressure.
So if you’re feeling behind or burnt out or like your brain is caught in a loop —
If you’re wondering how to reset without overhauling everything —
Here’s what I learned:
You don’t need to fix it all.
You don’t need to reinvent yourself.
You don’t even need to reflect perfectly.
You just need one honest, open question.
And a little space to answer it.
Listen to the episode: What to Do When You Can’t Think Straight with Katie Driver
And if you need the space to think then explore our online and in-person coaching sessions. You can still book for the end of this year, or get a session in your calender for the start of 2026.
