How to laugh more, look within, and stop looking back before 2026
Increasingly, the end of each year feels like a sprint.
Deadlines. Holidays. Family schedules. Celebrations. Year-end reviews. And at the same time, the year-end feels like a spotlight on the things that haven’t gone as we want. There’s a hushed pressure to “finish strong”, and we already feel tired.
Remember Extreme Home Makeover, where they tore a house down to the studs and rebuilt it in a week—and the owners came back bewildered, because they could barely recognize their own home? Those kinds of transformations are wild and wonderful, but they’re also complete overhauls. Complete overhauls are exhausting.
Before we rush into 2026, what if we gave ourselves a few minutes to reset—something that doesn’t require a week to prepare for, several days away, or a complete life plan overhaul?
Enter, the December reset.
The December Reset is not a complete overhaul. It’s not about reinventing our entire lives before January 1st; it’s about making a few small, meaningful shifts we can actually do during the busiest time of the year—shifts that still leave us standing in a life that feels like ours, just a little lighter, calmer, and more true.
For me, a few small choices help me to recharge, reflect on what matters, and step into the new year with a Stand Tall stance instead of a stressed-out sprint that ends in exhaustion.
In my own life and leadership, I keep coming back to three anchors for a life well-lived:
1) laughter in the moment, 2) honest reflection, and 3) a forward-focused Stand Tall mindset.
How to start? 3 small choices…
1. Add More Laughter to Today
When we’re overloaded, laughter is usually the first thing to go. We may already be exhausted, and everything feels dire, serious. We tell ourselves we don’t have time for “fun.” But often a 30-second laugh does more to clear our heads than another 30 minutes staring at a spreadsheet.
Laughter is one of the simplest ways to enjoy today—not the imaginary “one day” when everything is finally organized and calm, but this day, exactly as it is. After all, we never get today back again. Why not reframe the serious things of today and remember — today is a gift. A little laughter goes a long way.
To find a little laughter and a bit of joy:
- Watch that ridiculous cat video again—the one where the Christmas tree doesn’t stand a chance.
- Text a friend a meme or a GIF (ELF is always funny) that you know will crack them up.
- Let yourself smile at the tiny absurdities of your day instead of just pushing through them.
Laughter doesn’t erase our challenges, but it gives our wiring a little break—and that break is where creativity, patience, a better attitude, and better decisions begin.
2. Make Space for Reflection
I’m a goal setter. Are you?
More than goal setting, I want to ensure I’ve reached my goals before the end of the year. But more than achieving goals and checking items off the list for 2025, before we write the big goals for 2026, we need a quiet moment to ask:
What did this year really hold? What did it teach me? What do I want to carry forward—and what am I ready to let go of?
Reflection isn’t about criticizing ourselves for what we didn’t accomplish. It’s about honoring the things we DID achieve but may not be able to neatly check off of a list. The best of 2025 may not be all the things we “did” but what we arrived at inside—the new things we created, the difficulties we survived—and letting those important parts of our year light the way ahead.
Reflection doesn’t have to be a retreat to a far-away place to be effective. What if we were to try this today?
- Take ten minutes.
Start with a cup of coffee or tea. Set the phone on “Do Not Disturb” and unplug for this 10 minutes. - Choose to look at something that makes us breathe easier, relax.
Maybe it’s a favorite photo, a candle, sunshine through the window, a piece of art on the wall—anything that calms our breathing for a moment. - Answer three questions in a notebook or notes app:
- What am I grateful for from this year—big or small?
- What am I quietly proud of that I haven’t celebrated yet?
- What am I ready to let go of before 2026?
Through these 10 minutes, maybe we now feel more centered, in balance. I feel more:
- Clarity about what truly matters to me.
- Grace for the version of who I am and what I’ve walked through this year.
- Direction for what I want to pursue more—and less—of in the year to come.
If you’re someone who lives on autopilot for everyone else, this is one of the kindest gifts you can give yourself: ten honest minutes to listen to your own life.
3. Choose a Stand Tall Mindset
For 2026, we move into the new year stronger with a Stand Tall Mindset. That might mean less looking in the rearview, more forward motion and a more positive focus.
To stand tall is to say:
I’m not going to let my past failures, old stories, or other people’s expectations decide who I get to be next.
As we step toward 2026, we can keep replaying the old loops—every misstep, every “should have,” every comparison—or we can choose to turn our gaze forward.
If we choose one thing today, we could:
- Write one sentence about how you want to show up in 2026. Just one.
“I will stop apologizing for things that are outside my control.”
“I will stand tall and keep a hopeful, forward-looking mindset in my work and my life.” - Choose one yes and one no.
Say yes to something that moves you forward—even if it’s tiny (sending an email, asking a question, exploring an idea – or bigger, like saying yes to taking a vacation).
Say no to one thing that drains you and drags you backward—a commitment, a pattern, or a habit that you know you want to let go of. - Use your health and posture as a reminder.
The next time you’re in a meeting or walking into a room, notice your posture. Put your shoulders back. Lift your chin. Imagine taking a more open and relaxed mindset. Embrace possibilities. Allow creativity. Stand tall.
Sometimes standing tall on the inside starts with standing tall on the outside.
For many of us—this is the brave work: no longer shrinking, over-explaining, or waiting to feel perfectly ready. Instead, we decide to stand tall, trust our instincts, and move forward with purpose.
The December Reset, Not a Grand Reinvention
A grand reinvention always sounds too big to even start. Doesn’t it? The good news is we don’t need a complete life overhaul before the calendar turns. We can benefit in this important season by taking a few minutes to try a December Reset.
These three simple practices can help us to reset, and we can try them today:
- Laugh a little more. Let joy in, even in small, fun ways.
- Reflect with kindness. Give ourselves ten honest minutes to notice the good in what this year has held.
- Choose a Stand Tall stance. Turn our gazes forward and decide, in one small way, not to live in the rearview.
When we do, we’ll give ourselves a bit of permission to enjoy this day, even as we prepare for what’s ahead—to let light and joy and creativity in, not just push harder.
Here’s to laughter that lifts, reflection that centers, and a Stand Tall posture that carries us into a new year with courage and grace.
Question for you: Which of these three practices—laughter, reflection, or a Stand Tall mindset—do you most want to lean into as we head toward 2026?
